Page 13 of Savage Romance
He hummed. “True. Go on.”
“Well.” She squirmed again and he opened his arms, feeling a moment of regret when she stepped out of his embrace.
Her hand slid into his and she pulled him toward the shelves. “Look. I’ve rearranged the ties and shirts. These match with those colors. Your suits can go with all of the combinations, so it doesn’t really matter which one you pick, but now you don’t have to wonder if the tie and shirt match.”
His mouth almost fell open. Damn, the woman is amazing, hardworking, observant, and caring. Without him asking for anything, she’d invested her time and energy in doing something wonderful for him. His heart swelled in his chest. “Fuck woman.” He used her arm as a leash to pull her closer. “Every day I’m falling a little more for you.” He embraced her and the warm fuzzy sensation in his chest expanded.
Her cheeks turned an endearing pink shade, and the color pushed away the freckles on her nose. “So, you like it?” Her eyes, much more alert now, gleamed with moisture.
He cupped her face. “You did an amazing job. I don’t just like it, I fucking love it.” Ben brushed his mouth over hers, and he bit back the rest of his sentence, and I might fucking love you as well.
His hands went around her hips, and he lifted her. Despite her startled squeak, she climbed up his torso and curled her legs around his waist, settling her warm, moist center against his bulging erection. Conference call forgotten, he carried Zoe to the bed and followed her down to the mattress, covering her body with his and claiming her mouth in a carnal kiss.
After coming up for air, he gazed down into lust-glazed eyes. “Do you trust me?”
“I.” Zoe blinked. “I do.”
“Enough to try something new?”
Her pupils flitted away and returned to his face. “Um. I think so.”
Ben reached for the drawer and pulled out his ropes. “I want to tie you and tease you. Do you think you can handle that?”
Chapter Ten
Zoe took in a big gulp of air. Although she told Ben she trusted him, and she did—at least to some extent—letting him tie her to the bed and leaving her helpless was something else entirely.
“Um.”
His hand, strong and warm, against her cheek hampered her attempt to turn her gaze away. “Talk to me, darlin’. I can see the idea both worries and excites you.”
Trying to make sense of the waves of excitement and trepidation coursing through her body, she nodded. “I do. It does. I. Darn, this is hard.” She licked her lips and swallowed. “Okay. The idea of being bound and at your mercy is appealing, but I’m worried about being helpless at the same time.”
His thumb stroked her bottom lip. “Good girl for telling me. First, you have to know I will never leave you alone when you’re bound. Never!”
Oh okay. “That is reassuring. Thank you for telling me.”
“You should also know that I have heavy-duty medical scissors in my nightstand, and I can have you out of the rope in a heartbeat, if need be.”
Zoe nodded. “Sounds like you’ve covered all the bases.” She tried to smile, but she couldn’t keep her mouth curved upwards.
Ben bent and gave her a soft, non-sexual peck on the lips.
The little out of character and tender gesture made her lips tip in a genuine smile.
“Actually, we have one more base to cover. I want you to have a word to tell me if something is really bothering you, to make it all stop. Do you know what a safeword is?”
“I’ve heard of a safeword before, yes.”
“Do you have a word in mind?”
“I’m fine with the traffic light system.”
Ben arched an eyebrow, but he didn’t comment on her apparent familiarity with the common practice nor asked her how she had gotten the knowledge. He simply acknowledged, “Red, yellow, and green it is.” When Ben bent forward this time, his kiss wasn’t a chaste peck at all.
A little breathless and lightheaded from the kiss and the realization she was going to allow him to bind her, Zoe propped herself up against the headboard and enjoyed the view as Ben rose from the bed and began puttering about with the ropes. Although puttering wasn’t the right word. He was confident and owned the rope and commanded the space. Nervous anticipation built as he pushed the scissors into his back pocket and neared the bed with a bundle of rope in his hands. Her senses seemed to be on overdrive. She could hear the rustling of clothes as he moved, could smell his fresh and spicy cologne.
The mattress dipped as he placed a knee on the bed, and she almost jumped out of her skin.
