Page 16 of Tied and Tangled

But she’d asked to see them, so I was going to show her. The only thing I didn’t know was if I was hoping she wouldn’t let me use them on her or praying she would.

5

ARIA

Ifelt like an exposed live wire.

Waiting.

Trembling.

Sparks jumping off me, leaving a trail of glitter at my feet. I’d never done anything like this. I’d never had the interest or time to date. In high school, it felt like all I had been focused on was trying to pass my classes. I did okay but not good enough to get a scholarship the way Sara had. I knew how hard it was for her to pay out of pocket as she tried her hardest to avoid student loans. And that was with a scholarship. My mom had offered to help each of us as we graduated, but I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I took a gap year. Then, last winter, I had found my way to a live-in nanny position. Suddenly, Mondays were my favorite days of the week.

The day I returned to this penthouse.

But it wasn’t about the million-dollar view of Los Angeles or the spacious open floorplan and all about the people inside the luxurious space that had started to feel way too much like home by the first month.

My eyes dropped from the walk-in closet he had stepped into, and I glanced around the room, breathing in deeply.Is this really happening?I wondered to myself as I took in the dark wood furniture and the darker bedding covering his gigantic bed.

Tie you to my bed. Have you at my mercy.

I stared at the slatted headboard, and I could picture everything he’d shared.

Me.

At his complete mercy.

His mouth and hands all over my body.

The back of my neck grew warm. Hot. My mouth was suddenly bone dry as sweat started to form at the back of my neck. When I woke up this morning, I would never have imagined the way the day unfolded. From getting stuck in an elevator with the man who made me weak at the knees to making out with him in my bedroom. Watching him cook me my favorite dinner of all time. To ending it there. In his bedroom as he went to search for ropes he’d purchased thinking of me.

I was in over my head with this man.

He was talking about typing me up, and I’d only kissed a handful of boys.

Thinking about those kisses now felt silly. They paled in comparison to the erotic way he’d conquered my mouth. My fingers touched my lips, and a deep groan sounded from behind me, making me jump.

Our gazes connected for a long, heated moment. We didn’t say a word. It was almost like we didn’t need to.

I knew no matter how in over my head I was with this man, I’d see it through. I was inexperienced but more than willing to learn. Especially with Aiden Stark as my professor.

Sure, I knew how to get myself off, but one-on-one action was different.

His eyes smoldered as he looked at me. Taking in my body. I had to fight from squirming. I needed to take some kind of control, and without thinking, my hands dropped to the hem of my tee and I took it off. Like a Band-Aid, quickly tossing it over my shoulder. Then I moved to undo my bra and watched as Aiden Stark licked his lips.

“Do it,” he grunted, sensing my hesitation and need for direction. I did, holding the material at the front, slowly taking one arm out of a strap and then the other. Almost teasing the both of us. Every nerve ending in my body quickly came alive.

“Drop it,” he commanded darkly. I liked that tone in his voice. It made me press my thighs together for some relief. Without another thought, I did as he asked. Leaving me topless in front of him, in front of anyone who wasn’t a medical professional for the first time in my life.

“Goddamn, baby.” He almost sounded winded despite simply standing. He was only six feet away, but it was too far. I wanted him closer. Touching me. “Now take off the rest. Leave your panties on.” His jaw clenched, and my hands worked on their own, undoing the button and zipper of my skinny jeans. I kicked off my shoes to the side before I shimmed out of the denim.

A horrific thought passed through my mind.What if I’d worn ugly underwear?I winced at the sight of the plain white cotton panties. They were high cut, and my ass looked great in them, but they weren’t fancy. Just… ordinary.

“Jesus. Look at you,” he rasped, snapping me out of my self-conscious moment.

If I’d thought he’d looked like he wanted to eat me up before, he looked ravenous now. His hands clenched and relaxed at his sides before he popped the top three buttons of his dress shirt with his free hand. My eyes looked on the white material in his other, and I experienced a full-body tremble.

There, in his hands, were the white cuffs. White satiny ropes.

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