Page 9 of Saving Bonnie

I approach him, gathering determination with every step. He’s handsome. Not movie star good looks, but something deeper, darker, and infinitely more dangerous. The kind of guy my mother warned me to stay away from. The kind of guy who can take a life to save mine and not be fazed one bit. The menacing air around him is like catnip to me now that we’re alone. I have to be careful when dealing with him; I can’t let myself get involved.

He narrows his eyes. The hand he has on the table is curling into a fist. Does he want to touch? Is he trying to keep from doing so? The closer I get, the faster my heart races. Maybe I should just be grateful it’s still beating after what almost happened tonight.

I wet my lips, drawing courage to set him straight. “The offer was to bend me over.” Somehow I manage to keep my voice reasonably steady as I draw the line. Though fighting the heat blasting across my cheeks is another matter.

His gaze sweeps over my face. “I’m negotiating.”

“I’m not.” I lean my hip against the sturdy table, trying hard to pull off bravado.

His lips soften, and the rest of his features lose their steely edge. “Then we should head upstairs.” He reaches for me, finally, but I move away.

“No.” Sleeping with him…having sex in my bedroom, would be much too intimate. This is more of an agreement, an exchange of services that should stay miles away from anything personal. As much as I hate to admit it, we should do it here, in the one place I feel in control. I’ll deal with the consequences later.

Tino remains impassive.

“Here.” I turn to face the table, bracing against the rounded edge. He takes his sweet time to make the next move. Meanwhile my muscles are aching with tension.

Stretching a leg, he knocks over the box where I was sitting, using the tip of his boot. I flinch at the sharp slam, even though I watched everything he did. Then he kicks the heavy box over like it weighs nothing more than a soccer ball. One more drag of cardboard against floor, and he sets it where he wants it. “Step up.”

Without a word, I turn my back to him and step onto the box. I rein in my emotions and stare straight ahead, waiting for him to make his move.

“Are you planning to undress?” His tone is laced with sarcasm. He’s taunting me, asking when, not if it’s going to happen.

This is beginning to feel like a game of “Call my bluff” I can’t afford to lose. I reach for the button on my shorts and open the zipper in a defiant stroke. Though I can’t see him behind me, his presence looms around me. I’m conscious of every move I make, as if he’s watching while every muscle tenses and release. Hooking the elastic at the waist of my panties, I push them down and wait for his instructions. The cold metal of the table presses into my belly. Nothing else is coming off. This is a business arrangement, not anything remotely personal.

“You think you can do this without feeling anything?” He sounds amused.

The heat of embarrassment bubbles over, setting my face and chest on fire. Yes, taking past history into account, that’s exactly what I thought. But I didn’t expect him to be able to read me this easily.

I flinch slightly as his hand cups my hip, his fingers splay across my pelvis with possessiveness. A heady sensation blasts into my chest and at my core. My eyes widen at the unexpected shock to my system. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected this.

“We’ll see.” He slips his hand lower, until his fingertips are brushing the edge of the V between my legs. My inner muscles clench, and my breath shudders through parted lips. He keeps going, nudging my leg so I widen my stance. Cupping the inside of my thigh, he pulls me up, bringing my foot off the box to sit on the shelf under the table. “There we go, just like that.”

My heart beats in my throat, and I have to wait to push down the knot threatening to suffocate me. What’s he doing? He’s still fully dressed and keeping his hands to himself while I’m literally half naked and flashing pink. Time is ticking into eternity. It’s killing me not to know his next move.

Clothing finally rustles behind me. With his new angle, his body is a whisper away from me. He stretches out an arm, and metal sets on metal as he puts the gun to our right.

I gasp, pulling away, inadvertently pressing back against his body and into the crook of his neck. My gaze is glued to the weapon. How could I have forgotten he carried that thing? He brings his hand to settle against my belly, offering a sliver of comfort. “It’s not going to hurt you, Bunny.”

“Don’t call me that.” My voice is a harsh whisper surrounding me.

He bows his head, his breath sending a shower of goose bumps over my shoulder and neck. “So, you’ll let me use your body but not your name?”

It may seem strange to him, but my nickname is only used by those I love. And I can count those people on my fingers. Despite the hard cock pressing against my ass and what he’s about to do, this is strictly business. We aren’t lovers, and I have to keep distance between us.

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” I remind him, catching my breath.

“That’s right,” he murmurs beside my cheek. “It was just to bend you over…whenever I want.”

Oh damn. He would remember the last part. I can complain all I want, but my body has a mind of its own right now, and it knows what it wants.

An endless moment later, he grasps my hip.

I focus on the frame around the window to the dining area as I strain to hear the zipper on his jeans.

A sharp slap rings out in the kitchen as his hand comes from behind to connect with my skin. Startled, I can’t contain my yelp. The sting radiates outward, sending a tingle through my core.

His palm remains firmly planted on the curve of my ass, his fingertips positioned over my entrance. Incredulous, I jerk my head to glare at him over my shoulder, speechless at what he’s done to me. Before I can stitch together any words, his hand pulls away and lands again. Firm, widespread fingers cover my pussy, lingering as I suck in another breath.

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