Page 30 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha
I squeaked in surprise when large hands gripped my waist and settled me onto the bench beside the vise.Okay then.
Bastien stepped immediately into my space, his body between my thighs, his torso looming over me. Just his presence in front of me made my heart gallop. The scent of soap and male filled my nostrils and I wanted to lean into him. Let him take care of me. The desire to let go, to give in, was so intense that I had to force myself not to sway forward.
I had to stay strong. I had to resist him.
“Step back, please,” I said, my voice tight from the emotions clashing inside me. “You’ll need some room to work.”
As you wish.
Bastien took a step backwards, giving me the space I needed.
So why did my heart hurt when he did what I asked? Had I expected that he would fight me on this? That he would step even closer? That he would take up all the space between us until my breasts brushed against his solid torso?
Apparently, my inner cavewoman had hoped that he would do just that. The way he had lifted me onto the bench as if I weighed nothing. Taking over my personal space. She had taken it all as a sign that something more was going to happen. And now that it hadn’t… I didn’t know what to think.
Ruthlessly, I pushed the confusion, the hurt, away. Thrusting one hand out, I kept my expression calm. This was what I had to do. For both our sakes. Getting some distance was a good thing.
I kept my head down as Bastien moved away to get some tools. I put my wrist into the vise, ready for him to tighten the tool around the manacle. His hand on my wrist was gentle when he turned the cuff to expose the rivet that held the two ends of the metal together. One large finger tapped the weak spot.I will hit here. Have to be careful. Keep your hand still so I don’t hurt you.
I gave him a nod.
The first manacle fell off, landing on the concrete floor with a clang. Bastien loosened the vise and I pulled my arm out, inspecting the damage. My wrist throbbed, the skin red andbroken. Small price to pay to get my power back. One down, one to go.
“Do the next one,” I said, shoving my arm into the vise. Now that I was so close to getting my magic back, impatience surged under my skin. “Hurry.”
Slowly. Could hurt you.
“Don’t care.” The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional storm in my chest.
I care, baby.
Oh gods. He was still doing it. No matter how hard I had tried to push him away, he kept being sweet. Except for when he was being demanding. My traitorous nipples hardened.
Shut it down Electra. I had years of practice in denying myself the things that I wanted. I could do this. Ice. I was ice.
The sound of the chisel against the metal around my wrist filled the air in the barn. I gritted my teeth against the pain as the manacle bit into my skin.
Almost there.
His mental voice was soothing. Bastien repositioned the chisel and lifted the mallet. Bang. The sound seemed louder than before.
Chapter 36
Bastien
My nostrils were filled with my mate’s luscious scent. Soon she would have her magic back. I hoped that would help her mood. I could protect myself and her—in fact, my instincts demanded it— but it was clear that she still thought it was her job to protect me.
We would protect each other. It was what mates did. She would stand by my side. Together we would be the strongest partnership ever. Even stronger than my parents. Maybe in time, Luc and Caly would be such a powerful pair, once Caly was fully trained. But my little Pixie had been using her powers for almost twenty years and she was the strongest Witch in two hundred years. I was so fucking proud of her and I would make sure she knew that every single day.
But first, the manacles.
I focused my attention on the metal that remained on her slender wrist. I hated to cause her pain, but there was no way to get the manacles off without hurting her. But she hadn’t complained when her delicate skin shredded.
She is tough. The man inside me approved.
She is, I purred.
But the feelings I sensed down the bond told me she was conflicted. Since my little Pixie had demanded that I remove her manacles, her emotions had become chaotic. I knew that her body wanted me, I could smell the scent of her arousal. I knew that if I reached into her panties, that her sweet cunt would be wet and ready for me. That wasn’t the problem. The problem lay in her mind. One moment I could sense that she yearned for me the way I yearned for her. The next, she was withdrawing, trying to put distance between us. Literally. She asked me to move away from my place between her sweet thighs. When I did as she bid, her mind filled with doubt and confusion.
