Page 31 of Tainted Obsession 1
He isn’t done restraining me. The rope wraps around my chest, binding my arms close to the sides of my torso. It isn’t tight enough to cause me any discomfort, but an intense sense of vulnerability settles over me. I’ve been incapable of fighting him from the start, but now I’ve lost all illusion of control.
He finishes off the tie at my back, but he doesn’t release me from his embrace. His arms cage me, and that reassuring hand settles over my racing heart once again, preventing it from beating right out of my chest.
“Breathe,dolcezza,” he urges, the low command rumbling over my neck. “You’re not hurt. You’re safe.”
A slightly mad laugh bubbles from my chest, and I jerk against the restraints. The rope shifts around me, holding me firm without biting into my flesh.
“So, is this what you do to your enemies?” I accuse.
Massimo pretends to be my white knight, but he’s a criminal, a killer. He bound me with ruthless efficiency, even if he is careful not to hurt me.
His lips ghost over the shell of my ear as he murmurs, “Believe me,farfallina.This isn’t something I do with my enemies.”
Heat flashes beneath the surface of my skin, and my cheeks warm at the implication. The way he’s holding me is tender. Intimate.
Before I can process my body’s reaction to his nearness, he pulls away with a sigh.
“You have nothing to fear from me,” he promises. “This is for your own good.”
This time, my maddened laugh is more giddy than bitter. I can’t process what’s happening to me. I should be terrified that a strange man is tying me up on a bed with him while I wear nothing but his shirt.
But I’ve been through too much tonight, and my emotions are scrambled. Massimo has proven that he only wants to protect me.
Or maybe the prospect that my dark savior might violate me is simply too horrific for me to contemplate.
Exhaustion saps my mind and softens my body. Even my eyelids are heavy, but I keep my focus on him through sheer force of will.
Within less than a minute, he’s bound my ankles together with a second length of rope, rendering me truly helpless. I’m incapable of running now.
I can’t do anything but wriggle weakly in protest as he lifts me up again, carrying me back into the bathroom with him. He carefully sets me down in the tub, so that the curve of the jacuzzi cradles my body. It’s an odd position with my arms pinned to my back, but it isn’t too uncomfortable.
“I’m going to take a shower,” he informs me. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
“This isn’t necessary.” I tug halfheartedly against the rope, but I’m so tired that I can’t muster up much of a fight.
“I told you I’m not letting you out of my sight. That means you’re staying right where I want you. Don’t pretend you wouldn’t have tried to run away as soon as I gave you an opportunity.”
I press my lips together, refusing to lie. It would be pointless, and it would only give him reason to rebuke me when he reads the truth on my face: I would do anything to get away from him.
Still, terror doesn’t grip my mind, not like it should. I’m too exhausted for my instincts to rule me, and the rope that binds me makes struggling useless, anyway.
I blink slowly, and it takes effort to keep my eyes open.
His hand cups my cheek, and he traces the line of my lower lip with his thumb. My sensitive skin tingles at the tender contact.
“You’re safe with me, Evelyn. I’ll protect you. Let me.”
“Let me go,” I manage to whisper, but there’s no fire behind my demand.
He’s resolute in his determination to keep me here, and there is nothing I can do to resist him right now.
His jaw ticks, and he slowly withdraws his touch from my face, long fingers lingering on my cheek as he pulls away. My skin sparks at the contact, the same sensation that’d pinged through me when I’d first touched him at the bar.
I can’t gather my hazy thoughts enough to contemplate the warmth that flashes through me. My brain blanks, too tired to continue worrying about my situation.
If Massimo wanted to hurt me, he would’ve done it already. He’s had every opportunity to beat me into submission or violate me while I’m bound and helpless.
Instead, he handles me with tenderness as he tugs the hem of his shirt down my thighs, ensuring I’m covered to my knees. His fingertips barely brush my sensitive skin, and more sparks dance beneath his heated touch.
