Page 7 of The Ties That Bind

She sighed heavily. “You don’t have to hide behind the fence. I won’t bite.” Her face curved into a naughty grin. “Unless you want me to.”

He rolled his eyes and issued a sternat easeto his throbbing cock, which clearly couldn’t read the room. Who knew the promise of breakfast could change a girl’s mood so completely? He inspected the area around her, making sure she couldn’t use anything as a weapon. Then he carefully unlocked the gate and stepped inside.

His fingers grazed hers as he passed her breakfast, sending sparks singing up his arm. The jolt must have been mutual, if her sharp intake of breath meant anything. Or maybe she’d just never seen a burrito this size before.

“Thanks, I’m starving.” She unwrapped the paper and took a huge bite, moaning as she chewed. He’d never thought of burritos as an erotic food before, but the way she was going to town on it, it was up there on the list with chocolate-covered strawberries and oysters. Maybe higher.

She washed the burrito down with a few sips of soda, heaving a contented sigh. “Thank you,” she said again. Alec reared back when she suddenly reached for him. “Whoa.” She put both hands up in surrender. “You just have something here.” She tapped the corner of her own mouth.

He swiped the side of his face with the back of his hand. “Am I good?”

“No, it’s still…” she reached out again, more slowly this time. “Here.” She gently wiped the corner of his mouth. A dab of salsa rested on her fingertip. “No amount of food this good should be wasted, no matter how small.” She raised her finger to his lips, slowly parting them. He took her in, sucking gently. Her lips opened in a small “O” of surprise.Or was it desire?Cilantro and spice coated his tongue, but all he tasted was her.

He released her, and she blinked slowly. “Did we get it all?” he whispered. Her chest flushed red, sharply rising and falling with quick, uneven breaths. Her eyelashes reached the heavens, and her wide blue eyes pinned him in place. God, she was beautiful.

“Not quite,” she whispered back, stretching on her toes. She tentatively braced a hand on his arm, leaning in.

Her lips touched his, and Alec groaned with pleasure. Every nerve was a livewire, each place their bodies touched sparking flame. She pulled him closer, molding herself against every inch of him she could reach. His arousal made itself known, straining against his jeans and pressing into her stomach.

He trailed his palm down her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. He marveled at the way her soft curves fit perfectly in his hands. Elle shifted and began kissing her way down his neck and back up again, capturing his earlobe in her mouth and tugging gently. She bit lightly, playfully, a promise of more to come. She pulled one of his hands from the swell of her backside and dipped it under her dress, moaning when he cupped her breast. His thumb flicked across her pebbled nipple, and her sharp intake of breath made his cock twitch with urgency. “God, Elle. What are you doing to me?”

****

Elle let her head fall back as he massaged her swollen breasts, teasing her with his nimble fingers. She ground against his hard erection, feeling the impressive size even through his pants. God, she was so wet. She whimpered when he removed his hand, needing him to touch her.

He slowly, carefully, inched one strap of her dress further down her arm, eyes never leaving hers. She shrugged off both straps until they rested in the crooks of her elbows, baring herself to him. “You’re not wearing a bra,” he choked out, mesmerized.

“Kiss me,” she insisted. When his lips sought hers, she gently gripped his face. “Not there.” She directed him to her aching nipple, and nearly collapsed when he laved his tongue over the sensitive bud. She was supposed to be pretending. Distracting him until she could figure out a way to escape. But when he touched her like this, it was impossible to think about anything but the feel of his hands on her, his lips, his devilish tongue. The intensity with which she wanted him inside her most private place. Her legs quivered, pulses of red-hot need building inside her. She ground harder against him.

He kept one hand firmly on her breast while his mouth traced a path along her collar bone until his lips once again met hers. Elle grazed her fingertips over the top of his jeans, following the outline of his insistent cock. He groaned, and his manhood pulsed eagerly. She released the top button and slid her hand inside his jeans, trailing over his boxers.

“Fuck, Elle,” he hissed, his whole body tightening against her. She played with him, enjoying the power she suddenly had over this man. She wondered how far she could blur the lines. She was here against her will, but she desperately wanted him on top of her. By the way he jerked in her hand, she was sure he wanted her, too.

She wanted to feel the weight of him in her palm. She caressed him once more through his boxers and was about to free him completely when he caught her under her thighs and lifted her against him. She yelped at the sudden movement, instinctively wrapping her legs around his waist to keep her balance.

The way he kissed her felt like she was oxygen, and he was a drowning man. She supposed that was true, in a way. Elle wrapped one arm around his neck and ran her other hand through his hair until the rope around her wrist jerked her to a stop.

They both panted, staring at each other as the reality of their situation brought everything to a grinding halt.

He nearly dropped her in his haste to get away. “That wasn’t supposed … that can’t happen. I’m sorry,” he stuttered, his cocky façade falling away for the first time.

Elle pulled her straps back up, covering herself. Her hands shook.What did I almost do?“I—”I what? Tried to seduce you to escape, got dickmatized, and completely forgot that none of this is real?She shook herself, which only added to her misery. The adrenaline from her near mistake was fading, and the blood rushing back between her ears only reminded her of the throbbing pain in her head.

The clang of the gate slamming between them only added to her agony. She clenched her eyes shut, and when she opened them, he was gone.

Chapter Five

Elle was not amused. She was tired, hungover, and oh, yeah, being held prisoner by an annoyingly hot captor who seemed to think she was the key to rescuing his sister. When she factored in the sister angle, the whole kidnapping thing almost didn’t seem that bad. Sort of tragically heroic, even.

“Get a grip,” she chastised herself, half-heartedly slapping her cheek. “He is not sexy, or charming, or a bad boy with a heart of gold. He’s just the bad guy.”

It had been at least a couple hours since breakfast … she thought—it wasn’t as though she could see a clock down here, or, you know,actual daylight—and she was starting to get anxious. Was her dad going to give her the textbook aka ransom money? It was an admittedly larger sum than she’d previously needed for school supplies.I am 21 now,she thought.Maybe he wants me to start figuring out my own finances?It would be a hell of a time for that, but she couldn’t blame him. He didn’t know she was in trouble because she just assumed he would give her whatever she wanted, no questions asked.

Alec is right. I am a princess. A stupid, spoiled princess. If I ever get out of this, I’m getting a job. Maybe two. And I’m going to pay for my own books, and my apartment, and my clothes—She was saved from having to run down the (very) long list of things she vowed to pay for herself going forward when the door to the basement creaked open.

His footsteps were heavy as he made his way down the stairs, like he was weighed down. His shoulders slumped, and he didn’t make eye contact with Elle when he approached the gate. “I brought more water,” he mumbled, “and figured you might need a bathroom break.”

He still wouldn’t meet her eyes when he entered her temporary cell. “Please don’t try anything. I don’t want to hurt you.” He stood on the mattress and effortlessly untied the knot securing her to the wall. The knot she’d been trying to untangle for hours without any success.

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