Walking toward the bed, he brings the sudsy scent of soap and pure masculinity with him, and every female cell in my body detonates with lust.
My eyes track him, begging the towel to come loose and fall to the floor.
I can’t help but lick my lips, and a small smile tugs at his.
He knows he’s creating this reaction in me, and he loves it.
I glare at him.
Hating that I like what I see.
Hating that I want him to touch me so bad.
Hating that being tied to the bed with him standing over me looking like every girl’s mountain man fantasy is the most aroused I’ve been in months. Hell, in years.
“Untie me,” I demand.
I look up at him from the bed, dragging my gaze up from where the towel sits low on his hips, and over the deep shadow and grooves of his abdominals. Christ, he doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him.
Without thought, my legs part, as if I’m goddamn inviting him in. So I quickly close them, squishing them tighter together to quell the throb.
“I hope you realize you’ve broken nearly all the laws in the law book, asshole,” I say, glaring at him. “You committed breaking and entering when you broke into my room. You committed kidnapping when you stole me from there against my will and whisked me away to some goddamn hidey-hole in the middle of nowhere. And to cap it all off, you’ve now got me tied to your bed like I’m some kind of goddamn prisoner. You’re a walking felony, mister. A walking felony. And the moment I get free I’m going to kick you in your giant set of stones.”
“That’s some speech. Did you practice that while I was taking a shower?”
I lift my chin. “Actually, yes. You were in there for so long, I was beginning to wonder if you’d been abducted by aliens. I know teenage girls who shower quicker than you. What were you up to? Working out what other laws you plan to break tonight?” I yank on the silk tying my wrists to the headboard. “Untie me.”
“You’re very demanding.”
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet. I can be very demanding. And very convincing.”
He chuckles and his smile is devastating.
“I don’t doubt it, princess.”
I grit my teeth so tight together I think they might shatter.
“If you call me princess one more time, I’ll probably spontaneously combust.” My eyes flash up at him. “Now, untie me.”
He folds his stupid big arms across his stupid big chest. “Nah, I’m good.”
My frustration peaks. “My God, you’re so infuriating! What are you going to do, keep me tied up all night?”
Dark enjoyment breaks on his face. “Don’t tempt me.”
I shake my head and growl, sinking into the mattress in defeat.
“Fine. So now you have me tied to the bed, what do you plan on doing about it?”
He taps his chin. “Hmmmmm… now, let me see…”
His eyes sweep over me and my skin dances with heat and lust.
Despite the desire crackling in the air between us, I narrow my eyes.
Being demanding isn’t getting me anywhere, so I decide to switch tactics and go for the flirtatious I’ll win you over with my sweetness approach.
I do my best to bat my lashes. But I’ll be honest, I’ve never been any good at using my womanly wiles. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
“Listen, if you let me go, I promise I won’t run away,” I say in a softer, feminine voice. For some reason, my voice has gone up an octave. And it’s breathy. It feels unnatural. Weird. But if it works, so be it.
Axel cocks an eyebrow. “Is that a fact?”
“Yes. I’ll do whatever it is you want.”
Another bat of my eyelashes and I lick my lips seductively. But somehow I manage to choke on air—freaking air—and start to cough.
Amusement curls on Axel’s beautiful lips.
“Are you okay, princess? Or should I render mouth to mouth?”
My flirty crown falls right off my head as I glare at him. But I quickly secure it back in place with a sweet smile and gentle eyes.
“If you untie me, I promise I’ll be a good girl.”
Ugh. I hate myself right now.
But desperate times…
“I know I was being difficult before and I’m sorry. But if you untie me, I promise I’ll behave.”
Inwardly, I eye roll.
Even I don’t believe me.
Axel takes a step closer to the bed and I rake my eyes up the length of his magnificent body, refusing to let them stall over his sculpted torso. When our eyes meet, his are dark with heat. Again, my thighs part.
“Now why would I want to do that when I’ve got you right where I want you?” he says, his voice husky and low. My skin tightens with excitement because the way he is looking at me feels intimate. Sensual. Dangerous.
I swallow hard.
Our push and pull banter is gone. The air has changed. Now, it’s charged with something else. Something primal and raw. My lips part. My breathing hitches.
“Which is what?” I ask, my voice craggy.
The mattress dips beneath his weight as he sits down beside me. I can feel the heat coming off his skin and the air sparkling with anticipation around us.
He leans forward and reaches for the silk tie binding my wrists together. But the move places his powerful chest against mine, and I’m suddenly engulfed in the heat radiating from his flawless skin, and it’s all I can do to not whimper. A warm flush spreads through me. My body is downright traitorous. It softens beneath him, the aroused throb pulsing harder between my thighs. I hold my breath in a pathetic attempt to control it. But it’s no use. He is so big, so broad and powerful. I want him to touch me. I want him to touch me so bad.
“What are you doing?” I breathe.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” He growls. “I’m untying you.”
Disappointed, I huff out a rough breath. “About time.”
He leans his face closer.
“Be grateful. Like you said, I could keep you tied up all night.” His voice is husky as his lips brush my ear. “But I have a feeling you might like that.”
Chapter Ten
AXEL
As I watch Lauren build a pillow wall between us on the bed, I know two things:
One.
She is going to be a handful.
And two.
Jerking off in the bathroom has done nothing to ease my need for her.
In an attempt to save my sanity, I force the image of her tied to my bed out of my head and try to forget the look of desire on her face as I’d leaned over her to free her wrists. I tell myself not to remember her wildly beating heart. Or the way her lips and thighs parted as I’d come closer. Or the fact that she isn’t wearing any panties.
Sweet baby Jesus.
I shove my hands behind my head and watch as she checks her pillow wall for any breaches, making sure it is sturdy, before she lies down.
In the silence, my heart kicks inside my chest like a jackhammer. My body is on fire with want and I’m fucking hard everywhere. It’s like my entire body goes rigid around her. It’s like an instinct that wakes up every single time we’re close. Before I know it, I’m wanting to touch her. Wanting to taste her lips against mine. Wanting her beneath me, moaning my name as I make her come, over and over again.