Page 63 of Captured Heart

Iwake with a start, the creak of the mattress pulling me out of a restless sleep. My eyes snap open to find a shadow moving above me, his hand clamping over my mouth to muffle any sound. My pulse spikes, fear surging as I instinctively try to tug my hands free, only to remember the handcuffs binding me to the metal frame.

“Shhh,” Alex whispers. “Don’t make a sound.”

I can smell whiskey on his breath, but he doesn’t appear to be drunk. Not that I can see clearly, anyway. It’s dim, and the oil lamp on the bedside table provides very little light. It flickers in the corner of the room, causing shadows to dance on the walls.

His heavy weight settles on top of me, and he slowly drags his hand off my mouth.

“You came back,” I whisper.

“I never left.”

Part of me is relieved that he didn’t abandon me. But the other part is confused, unsure of exactly why he crept back into my room at this hour. I want to believe that maybe he’s thought of an escape plan, but the hard ridge of his cock pressing against my thigh leads me to another conclusion.

“What do you want?” The rush of adrenaline makes my voice tremble slightly.

“You.”

He says it in the same tone he always uses. He’s not asking. That’s ademand. I see it then, the undeniable lust burning in hiseyes. I’ve seen it before. When he flipped me over at the gym. When he unzipped my dress the other night.

He was blowing hot and cold with me, so I convinced myself I was reading too much into it, seeing things that weren’t there. But after the way he kissed me in the bathroom earlier, I know exactly what that look means.

“Remember...” I swallow, trying to gulp down more air. “Remember what your boss said. No one’s allowed to touch me.”

“He’s not my boss,” he spits out with the same hostile tone he used earlier. “I don’t give a fuck about his orders.”

My breath catches, panic causing a hard lump in my throat. “But you...I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”

It’s more of a plea to his conscience than a statement of fact because I don’t know him or what to expect. I don’t know what he’s capable of.

He stares at me for a long time, his eyes caressing every inch of my face. “I’m going to caution you not to make assumptions about me. Don’t assign any virtue to me because I’m a man who has none. I have no moral compass to steer me away from you. Your body is virtually unexplored. It doesn’t know its limits, how far it can be pushed, and I don’t have the required restraint to resist that kind of temptation. This mouth...” His hand moves to my mouth, and he traces his thumb over my lower lip. “It’s so plump...so ripe...so capable of fulfilling every fantasy I’ve had about you. It’s enough to make any man lose his self-control. And mine is long gone. By the time I’m done with you, these perfect lips will be bruised and swollen.”

Those husky words fill me with equal parts of fear and...anticipation. What is he going to do to me? Panic grips my throat, trapping a scream. Trepidation claws its way through my insides. But I freeze, becoming completely immobile when his hand moves to the zipper of the black hoodie, and he slowly pulls it down.

“These supple tits are going to be sore and tender.” His fingertips trail down my chest and slip beneath the thin material of my silver dress. He cups my breast, and I don’t mean to, but my back arches up slightly, pressing myself more firmly into his hand. “When I’m done, every inch of you will know only me, willwant...Only. Me. Your pussy is going to feel raw and used. Your legs will be stiff. Your muscles will be quivering from overexertion.” He pinches my nipple hard enough to extract a small cry from me. “And when your body is limp and has nothing left to give, I think that’s when you’ll realize...just how much I want tohurtyou.”

The heat of his breath tickles the shell of my ear, and the hair at the back of my neck stands on end. Again, my back arches as if I’m seeking more of his touch, more of his attention. This man just explained what he wants to do to me, how he wants tohurtme, and instead of feeling dread and distress, I’m...intrigued, curious to see if my body can handle such an assault.

I shut my eyes, chastising myself for responding that way. What is wrong with me? I’m chained to a bed in some dilapidated abandoned warehouse, and I’m lusting for the man who put me here.

He shifts onto his knees in front of me, gray orbs leisurely perusing my body like a predator scans his prey. His intentions are clear. He’s going to devour me.

I place my bare foot on his chest, trying to keep him at a distance. “Alex...just...just think about this.”

“Katie...” Grasping my ankle, he brings it up to his shoulder and gently nips the skin on the side of my calf. “This...is all I can think about.”

It’s not just the words that make me stumble for the hundredth time. It’s not even the tender way he says my nickname. No, it’s the fact that the hand firmly gripping my ankle still has the brown shoelace tied to it. I’m still strugglingto get a read on him. Is he soft and sentimental enough to hold on to something as worthless as that? Or is he cold and ruthless enough to hold a gun to my head with no remorse?

I’ve seen both sides, and I don’t know which one he really is. Maybe he’s both. Good and evil. Saint and sinner. At this moment, however, I’m with the sinner.

His hands glide up my thighs and slip under my dress. A second later, he’s dragging my lace underwear down my legs. He wastes no time, grabbing the flimsy material of my dress next. A rough tug, and it rips down the middle.

A sharp gasp bursts out of me, my body stiffening as he slowly spreads the material to reveal my naked body beneath it. I’m completely at his mercy, exposed and powerless. The cool air washes over me, hardening my nipples into tight little buds.

“You’re more beautiful than I imagined,” he says hoarsely.

His eyes rove over me, his gaze so hot I feel it searing my skin. It moves ravenously down my breasts and stops when it reaches the juncture of my thighs. It’s probing, invasive, because he can see the full effect he has on me. He’s acutely aware of how aroused I am. I can see it. I canfeelit.

“Fuck, your pussy’s glistening for me.”

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