Page 45 of Rampant

The corner of his mouth turned up. “You surprise me. Your strength inspires me, Alex.”

“Don’t mistake me for being strong.” Nighttime always hit hard, when the dark wee hours of morning choked me with loneliness. The scars on my body didn’t compare to the ones no one could see, though I felt them each night, pressing on my chest until I couldn’t breathe. “I’m here in shackles because I’mnotstrong.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I need you. I’m sick with needing you.” I cursed my trembling lips. “No matter what you do, no matter what you remember or don’t, I’m yours.”

He groaned. “Even if I keep you strung up like that?”

“You’ve done it before, for hours in the dark. Naked, just like I am now.”

“Why did I do that?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Punishment.”

“What the hell did you do to deserve that?”

Hurt pinged through me at the thought of him making me eat off the floor. But that happened before he’d known the truth. I regretted not telling him sooner. “I threw a tantrum.” More like a plate of food.

“A tantrum?”

“Yes.” I shifted my weight to the other foot and pulled at the restraints, though I knew I’d find no escape from the burn in my shoulders or the ache in my feet.

My restless movements caught his attention, and he adjusted his jeans. “Shit, seeing you like this…you have no idea what it’s doing to me. I might not remember, but my body does. I want to hoist those legs up and fuck you raw. My cock is insisting you’re mine.”

“Your cock is right. You should listen to it.”

He cursed under his breath. “Not tonight.” Pulling a bundle of keys from his pocket, he tried two before the lock on my left wrist unlatched.

“You don’t want me?”

“Of course I fucking want you.” He freed my other hand, and my arms dropped to my sides. He bent to gather my clothing before thrusting it all into my arms. “But not like this. Get dressed,” he said, turning his back to me.

My hands shook as I pulled the shirt over my head. Hurt welled in my throat, making my voice wobble when I spoke. “Then why are you pushing me away?”

“Are you dressed yet?”

Tugging on my pants, I shot daggers at his back. “You’ve seen it all, so why the illusion of decency now?”

He whirled around. “Because I’m not the same person from a month ago.” He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me close. “I don’t even remember that person.”

I licked my lips. A couple more inches and they’d connect with his. “He’s still inside you.”

“You want the guy who paddled your ass, is that it?”

My heartbeat skipped. “You know about that?”

“Jax told me.”

A shudder of hot desire tore through me. “Did he tell you how it turns me on?”

“Holy fuck, Alex.” He let go of me abruptly. “He failed to mention that part.”

“I’m guessing he failed to mention a lot of things.” I maneuvered around him and headed for the staircase.

“What are you doing?”

I lifted a foot onto the bottom step and glanced over my shoulder. “I’m going to bed. Don’t worry about me, I know how to use my fingers.” A thrilling sense of power stormed through me. I wasn’t used to being so bold. Part of me wanted him to reclaim his dominance, to pull me over his knee and spank the attitude from me. But I kind of liked this side of him too—a mixture of the man he used to be with the dark guy hiding just beneath the surface. “If you need help with your hard-on, you know where to find me.”

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