Page 4 of The Ties That Bind

“Everything okay?” Alec asked, concern etched across his features.

Elle relaxed her eyebrows and un-scrunched her forehead. “I was supposed to meet a friend, but she’s bailing. Wants to meet me at another bar closer to school.” She considered inviting Alec to come, but quickly decided against it. He’d stand out at a college bar, and besides, she wasn’t in the mood to share. “She can wait.”I’m good where I amshe texted back.Maybe later.She put her phone away and smiled up at him. “Ready for our next shot?”

He smiled at her like he wanted to eat her alive. “Let’s use the salt and lime this time. I’ll go first to show you how to do it.”

She was about to protest that she knew how to take a tequila shot when he pulled his chair around next to hers and swept her hair over her shoulder. “May I?” he murmured.

All she could do was nod. He leaned in and kissed the exposed skin of her neck, sucking gently before running his tongue across her delicate flesh. He sprinkled salt in its wake and then captured her eyes with his. “It goes salt, tequila, lime,” he instructed. She practically moaned her acknowledgement. “Like this.”

He bent his head toward her again and licked the salt from her skin, sending shivers skittering across her body. The tequila was gone in a quick gulp, and then he was sucking the lime in a way that made her toes curl. He discarded the rind and popped his lips. “Your turn.”

She took the shaker from him, sprinkling salt on the back of her hand. He looked disappointed until she picked up the lime. “Open, please.” He obediently held the fruit between his teeth as she licked, drank, and then pressed her lips to his.

When only the lime peel remained, he pulled back just long enough to toss it to the side before guiding her lips back to his. He tangled his fingers through her hair and pulled her in closer, deepening the kiss. Elle breathed him in, palms flush with his chiseled chest, greedy fingers exploring every inch she could reach. Her need pulsed between her thighs, and she moaned into his mouth.

He growled in return, licking her lips before pushing through the seam and tasting her fully. Elle’s head spun. Without even realizing it she was out of her chair and in his lap, gripping his shoulders for dear life. She never wanted this kiss to end.

Chapter Three

Elle woke the next morning feeling the ghost of his lips on hers, a throbbing already building between her legs. And in her head. She squinted against the dim overhead light and tried to remember how much she had to drink last night. If the full drumline playing between her ears was any indication, too much.How the hell did I get home?

A bloodred blanket was draped around her, not at all like the fluffy cream comforter on her bed. She forced her protesting eyes open further, trying to take in her surroundings. Shelves were stuffed haphazardly with what looked like old boat parts and fishing equipment. She couldn’t see any windows. The walls and floors were concrete, and the small light came from a bare bulb dangling from the ceiling. Elle was on a small mattress in the corner pushed up against a chain link fence, which seemed to act as a room divider.

She sat up with a jolt, suddenly wide awake.Where the hell am I?Her legs tangled in the blanket in her panic as she tried to jump to her feet. She nearly fell out of the bed, but her shoulder wrenched painfully backward. Elle winced and sat back down, horrified gaze landing on the rope wrapped around her wrist. She traced it back to a metal hoop high above her head, securely fastened with an expert sailing knot.

A terrified sob built in her throat, but she forced it down.Think, Elle. What do you remember?The sketchy bar, the rescue, the drinks, kissing Alec… As memories came flooding back, she realized her last memory was of his lips on hers, Elle wrapping her body around him like a straitjacket.

She did a quick inventory, patting herself down with her free hand. Aside from the pounding in her head, she felt otherwise intact. She was still wearing the same clothes from last night, all but the slip-on sandals which now rested neatly at the end of the bed. Elle stared at her feet—tiny bandages butterflied up to her ankles. Someone had cleaned and cared for the cuts she received last night.

“You’re awake.”

Elle startled at the deep voice, hitting her head against the concrete wall. She closed her eyes and groaned. “You.” She peeled an eye open and shot Alec an accusatory glare. “You did this to me.”

“You didn’t exactly make it difficult.” He folded his arms and glared right back, standing a few steps away from the chain link fence. The metal threw shadows across his face, and he suddenly looked dangerous.

Shame rocketed through her, nearly taking her breath away. She refused to let him see it. “I didn’t have that much to drink. And I didn’t agree to come to your sex dungeon. I would remember…” The pieces fell into place. “You roofied me.” Horror made her voice a weak whisper.

“I sped along the inevitable. I’m on a clock,” he replied with zero remorse. How had she not seen how cold his eyes were last night?

A new terror stiffened her spine. “If you touched me while I was out—”

He barked a mean laugh. “Don’t flatter yourself, princess. This is strictly business.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

He stalked closer, wrapping his hands around the links in the fence between them. “What do your parents do for money?”

“I already told you—they work in healthcare. At the hospital. Theyhelppeople.” She leveled her most devastating glare at him. “Unlike some bottom-feeders I now have the misfortune of knowing.”

His knuckles whitened where they gripped the fence, the only acknowledgement that her insult had landed. “I know doctors make bank, but your folks … they seem especially well-off.” He relaxed his hands and began pacing up and down the small room. “Your school can’t be cheap. And the nice cars, the boat, the second beach house—that all costs money.” He turned to her. “Have you never wondered where it all comes from?”

Elle frowned, bewildered. It was embarrassing to admit that she hadn’t once thought about what it must cost to live the way they did. Money was always just … there. “My parents work hard,” she insisted. “They save lives. So what if they’re paid well to do it?”

“Save lives,” he chuckled darkly, shaking his head. “Not my sister’s.”

His tough veneer cracked just a little, and Elle could see the pain bubbling up underneath. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, genuinely meaning it. “Was she … sick?”

“She has a drug problem,” he said tonelessly.

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