It would be easy to pull rank, restore factory settings or whatever. Bottom line, I could make her my prisoner again. That’s not I want. I want her love, not her fury. If we’re going to be together, we’ll do this the right way.

Nicki scoffs and palms my cheeks. “I’m not talking about going back. I just want to assure him that I’m fine.”

“You can’t call him or text. I wouldn’t put it past him to track the call.”

“I know. Which is why…” She fiddles with my buttons, and I brace myself for whatever crazy request she has coming next. “We could stop by my house before we leave.”

I chuckle. “Okay. I think the fresh air has gotten to your brain.”

“No, seriously,” she says as I move off, her hand clasped in mine as I pull her to the car. “We would sneak in, I’d grab a few stuff that means a lot to me, then I’ll leave a handwritten note. Simple.”

Releasing her hand, I turn to face her. “Why do I get the feeling you’ve thought this through before today?”

She shrugs coyly. “Maybe.”

I gently massage my temple with a harsh sigh. “That’s dangerous, Nicki. The last thing we want is to get caught while running free.”

“We won’t get caught.” She looks at me beseechingly. “Not if we take the fence behind the woods—”

The sound of an incoming car cuts her words short as I hustle her to the passenger side. The dark blue sedan careens to my left, stopping adjacent to my door. Its windows are tinted pitch black, which puts me on an extra guard. My hand shadows the gun in my waist as I hurry behind the wheel. As I gun the engine, the sedan makes a sudden turn and heads back down the mountains.

“Could be a coincidence,” Nicki mutters. “Maybe they came up here for privacy.”

“Could be,” I mutter back.No, it’s not. For her sake, though, I’ll keep that concern to myself. I linger for a short beat, just to be safe.

Halfway down the mountains, I’m glad I did. Relief fills me when I spot the sedan tucked away in an alcove, with two blondes resting on the hood, drinking from a wine bottle.

“See, I told you,” Nicki says smugly as we drive past them.

She tries to resurrect the topic of stopping by her home, but I table it for later. She might get mad at me, but I won’t do anything that puts her at risk.

When we arrive at the cabin, she squeezes my knee. “Thanks for taking me out tonight. And thanks for not totally shooting down my request.”

She leans over and kisses my lips, her body bracing mine. Her scent washes over me, awakening my desire. Not wanting to sexualize our little adventure, I’d been holding myself back all evening. Now, with her fingers deftly undoing my belt, I’m raring to go. I stop her hands and lift her chin.

“I have something else in mind,” I announce.

She’s been taking the lead all day. Tonight, I’m reclaiming control.

Literally.

With my shoulder, I nudge my bedroom door open, then lay her on the bed. She pushes up on her elbows as I reach for the necktie strewn over the armchair. She eyes the tie and raises an eyebrow.

“You gave consent for me to do whatever I want,” I remind her.

“I sure did, but what’s with the necktie?”

“No questions asked, sweetheart. Lift your arms.”

Nicki smirks at me but lifts her arms anyway. I restrain her hands on the bedposts.

With that, I rip the slit of her dress until it reveals her naked torso. Nicki gasps, but the gleam in her eyes tells me she’s enjoying the sweet pain. I do the same with her thong panties. She spreads herself for me. Her glistening pussy gives me an invitation to taste her.

Sinking down, I slip my hands under her ass, holding firm. Nicki sighs. She’s already squirming, and I haven’t even touched her yet. One slash from my tongue emits the sexiest whimper from her mouth. I lick her again, running my tongue from the seam to her engorged clit, slurping her arousal. The musky aroma leaves an erection in my pants that’s bursting to break free.

Her body shudders when I suck on her clit. Hard. Long. My tongue pulls the flesh until she’s gasping and bucking underneath me.

“Oh, Ezio… fuuuuck…”