When he left the bed, she panicked. What if he left her like this? “Jake --” No use. With her mouth gagged, she couldn’t say a thing.
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of his bare back going out the door. He’d left the room naked. Surely that meant he’d be coming back.
From somewhere far off, she heard sounds -- a rattle of glasses, a faucet turning on, then off again. The noise of tinkling glass came closer. When he came back into the room, she saw a glass of ice water in his hand.
He stood by the bed and looked down at her thoughtfully as he took a sip. His tongue came out to lick his full lower lip.
The mattress dipped as he sat next to her. One hand traced the side of her face, his forefinger following the edge of the gag. “This has one drawback.”
What? She couldn’t ask, so she arched an eyebrow.
His grin was wicked. “I can’t make you suck my dick.”
Heat filled her face, and he laughed. “Now you’re all shy. That’s rich.” He reached out for the glass and took another sip. “Want some?”
If she said yes, maybe he’d remove this stupid gag. She nodded.
He made no move to untie her. Instead he held the glass high, where she could see it easily, and reached inside. Long fingers came out soaking wet.
A freezing drop of water fell onto her throat. She tilted her head, trying to rub it away, but it slithered wetly around her neck to leave a tickling trail of moisture.
He flicked his fingers at her chest, raining a cascade of chilling water droplets down onto her heated skin. As she squirmed, he chuckled. Damn him, he was enjoying this… this… water torture.
He bent his head and lapped at her breast -- heat to soothe the coldness from the water. “I’m a sadistic bastard,” he muttered. “Didn’t I say so?”
She couldn’t answer, and he didn’t look like he wanted one. Instead, he pulled a dripping cube of ice out of the glass and lowered it slowly to her chest.
No. No. She shook her head, but he ignored her.
The first brush of the ice against her nipple felt like fire. She moaned, but he persisted, rubbing the frozen cube up the slope of her breast to her nipple. He lingered there, and the numbing cold had her shivering. Damn him. At least he’d made her enjoy the anal sex, but this --
Heat engulfed her breast -- his mouth. She arched up into the pleasure. After the freezing ice, the warmth felt extraordinary.
He released her breast far too soon, and dragged the ice cube across her chest to her other nipple. But this time, no soothing hot mouth followed. No, he trailed the ice down her belly, down to her pubic hair.
Surely he wouldn’t…
He did. The ice moved between her legs, cold enough to make her moan in pain. But he brushed her with his fingers in the wake of the freezing cold, soothing as he tormented her. He rubbed the freezing cube over the sensitive lips of her labia, circling her vagina until rivulets of icy water dribbled down her skin onto the comforter. When he pressed the cube inside, she cried out at the burst of cold, whimpering as the chill receded with the melting ice. With the gag in her mouth, she sounded pathetic.
“Your pussy’s so hot, I’m seeing steam rise from you.” He bent his head and licked, suckling at her aching flesh, filling her with the heated thrust of his tongue, kissing and licking at her clit, driving her higher, higher -- so close --
And then he pulled away, damn him. She clenched her hands into fists around the scarf that bound them, squeezed her eyes tight so he couldn’t see how badly she was hurting.
Light suddenly flared in her eyes. She squinted up at him, her eyes narrowed against the glare. He’d taken the burning votive candle in his hand, and now he held it over her chest.
“The match didn’t hurt you earlier.”
No, it hadn’t. She shook her head.
His face looked hard. Scary. “Maybe this will.”
The glass holder tipped in his hand. Surely he wouldn’t…
She shook her head wildly. Her shoulders ached from pulling against the scarf that bound her wrists.
His hand made little circles, swirling the wax in the glass. “Saying no won’t stop me.”
Alcatraz. Before, she hadn’t wanted to say it. Now she couldn’t.
The match hadn’t burned her. The wax wouldn’t --
The wax would be hot.
If he burned her, he’d comfort her. Maybe he’d eat her until she came.
She whimpered and squirmed as he tipped the votive, her gaze fixed to the candle. A slow dribble of wax fell onto her chest, right between her breasts.
Hot. So hot. Not unbearable, but she writhed under the heat. The gag muffled her moans. The wax splattered onto her skin in hot bursts, then cooled and left her aching.
The hot bath moved… down her chest, over her stomach. Oh God, would he drip it between her legs? She tried to close them, to protect her sex, but he was kneeling between her legs. She moaned and twisted.
The dribbling trail of heat stopped at her navel. She heard the soft clink of the candle holder when he put it back down on the nightstand.
His head dropped to her stomach, blowing cooling air on her. The heat faded slowly, leaving a tingling, raw feeling in its wake.
“Too much?” His breath whispered across the side of her breast.
Nothing was too much. Nothing he wanted. She shook her head fiercely.
“Stubborn Kate.” His gaze caught hers for an instant before he looked away. Lifting to his knees, his powerful legs spread her thighs wide. “I can do anything I want to you, baby. I could fuck you without a condom.”
Oh, no. Her eyes went wide; she shook her head again.
His hand moved over his cock, stroking. “That’s right. Beg me. Beg me with those big green eyes.”
He stroked her cheek above the gag with the backs of his fingers, his touch oddly gentle. After a long pause, he ran his hand down her chest, following the wax trail. “I’ve given you hickeys. I’ve fucked you in the ass. I’ve left a little path of red down your belly. And it’s still not enough.”
What more could he possibly do to her?
With his free hand, he gripped her thigh, the thumb stroking tiny circles on the inside of her leg. “If I could, I’d tattoo my name right here. So that every man who took you would see it and know that I was here before him.”
She couldn’t talk, couldn’t tell him that he’d already left his mark on her -- that she’d never forget him, whether he tattooed her or not.
“Or I’d pierce your clit.”
God, no. She cringed at the thought.
“Now you’re scared, aren’t you?” He rubbed her clit with his thumb, just a teasing stroke. “You might like it, Kate. You’re a slut for pain. Did you know that?”
Not before tonight, she hadn’t.
“If I pierced your clit, I’d have you forever.” He bent close to her ear. “Every time you got horny, every time you thought about fucking another man, you’d feel that piercing. And the first rush of your arousal would belong to me.”
His fingers played with her sex again, so gently. Closing her eyes felt scary. Already mute, she couldn’t bear to be sightless as well. She stared up at his hard, handsome face -- and tried to tell him, without words, that she still wanted him. That she still trusted him.
All she could do was nod.
“You wouldn’t --” His mouth twisted. “You’d let me do it, wouldn’t you?”
No, she wouldn’t. Not if he gave her a choice. But she shrugged a little in answer.
He looked stunned. His gaze wandered down her chest, along the path of wax that he’d poured. His expression changed, his eyes turning soft. Between her legs, his teasing hand went still. “Kate… you’re so beautiful.”
Suddenly his hand was gone. Fingers plucked at her belly, her chest -- peeling the cool wax off her skin. His hand skimmed down her flesh in a zig-zagging line, probably tracing the marks left by the wax.
Jake left her completely, left the bed. Even turning her head, she couldn’t see him. She heard a tearing noise -- ah, a condom. At last.
He joined her again, his body coming down on hers, his breath whispering in her ear. “I want you so damned much.”
And she wanted him. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t hold him, couldn’t tell him. She nodded instead.
He thrust into her, groaning. His body didn’t pause, didn’t miss a beat, setting a strong, steady rhythm, driving into her deep and hard. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even lift her hips, not with the heavy weight of his body pinning her to the bed.
But she didn’t need to move. Jake moved perfectly, as if he knew exactly what she needed. Every thrust, every brush of his chest on hers, every groan in her ear took her higher. After all his teasing, she was ready to explode. She bit down on the scarf and moaned, straining toward release. She let him take her there, let the frustration and fear burst into a heady orgasm.
Jake!
The gag muffled her scream, but he threw his head back as if he heard it, shouting out her own name as he gave a deep thrust that pushed her hands against the posts of the headboard. He dropped his lips to her neck, his forearms trembling with the force of his release.
He nuzzled against her skin as he moaned and shook, pumping with the last throes of his climax.
So much passion in him… so much anger. Tears came to her eyes. She’d never wanted to hold a man more in her life.
* * *
He couldn’t quite face her yet. So he lay on top of her for long, breathless moments, panting for air, trying to wrap his mind around that volatile experience.
She’d given him everything. Everything he’d ever imagined, everything he’d ever wanted. And no matter how nasty he got, how far he pushed her, she wanted more.
She wanted him.
He shifted, raised his head and looked down into her face. The scarf, wrapped tight around her mouth, muted her expression, but her eyes were wet.
Tears.
Oh, God.
What a fucking brute. He’d very nearly raped her. Taking away her ability to say no… Hell, it was rape. He was no better than an animal. What had prison done to him? He didn’t deserve to be out. He sure as hell didn’t deserve Kate -- and he’d proven it in spades.
What could he say? I’m sorry? Lame.
The least he could do was take the gag off so she could scream at him. He fumbled with the scarf that gagged her, finally got it untied. As gently as he could, he pulled the cloth away.
She looked beyond angry. She looked shaken. Traumatized. “Alcatraz,” she said quietly.
What the hell? Wasn’t it too late for that?
“Untie my hands, Jake.”
Oh, shit.
He pulled out of her and sat next to her on the bed, untying the scarf that bound her wrists with shaking fingers.
He wanted to stroke her arms, hold her, comfort her. What the hell kind of comfort could he provide? He’d brutalized her.
She brought her hands down from the headboard and shifted to a sitting position. Would she hit him? Call the cops? Throw him out? He deserved the worst punishment she could give him.
She launched herself at him -- and wrapped her arms around his chest, burying her face against his neck.
He held her close, baffled. “Kate? You’re not mad?”
She shook her head. “That was wonderful.”
What the hell? He tilted her back against his arm so he could see her face. “You liked it?”
A delicate blush covered her cheeks. “The only thing I didn’t like was not being able to tell you how much I liked it.”
Would he ever understand this woman? Maybe he’d at least have some time to try. “I thought I was forcing you, Kate.”
She smiled at him and cupped his cheek with one hand, as if he was the best lover in the world. “I know. I’ve never had so much fun.”
Fun? Where had this kinky woman come from?
From his dreams.
No. Dreams didn’t come true. Not for him. “Why are you slumming with me?”
“Slumming?” Her voice lilted with amusement. “We’re both from the projects, Jake.”
But she’d spent the last ten years making a decent life for herself, not scamming, getting arrested, and doing time. “You’re not from there anymore. Kate…”
She smiled at him, so sweetly, and he completely lost his train of thought.
“Kate, I’m living in a twenty-dollar-a-night hotel. We don’t have anything in common.”
She shrugged. “Well, we both like kinky sex.” Then she grinned. “And thanks to you, now I know it.”
He couldn’t think of a single thing to say. She was kinky, beautiful -- and far, far too good for a man like him.
She stroked his hair with one hand. “You know me as well as anyone, Jake. I won’t have to pretend with you, because you know exactly where I came from. You know what I used to be.”
“You used to be one of the sexiest girls I’d ever seen.” And now you’re one of the sexiest women.
She pushed against his shoulder in a playful gesture. “You didn’t even know I was alive back then.”
“The hell I didn’t. On prom night…”
Did he really want to share this with her? Expose himself? Her face was all green eyes, all curiosity and trust. She trusted him. Maybe… maybe he could learn to trust her, too.
Had he ever trusted a woman? Hell, he could barely remember any other women. Only Kate seemed real.
He took a deep breath. “I saw you on prom night. Senior year. You were out with Tom Nicholson. And the dress you had on… just a simple pink thing, but it made you look --”
“It was all I could afford. I got it at a thrift store, and it showed.” She sounded embarrassed about it, even after all these years.
He brushed her hair back, remembering exactly how she’d looked. Proud, innocent and untouchable, all at once… with just a hint of the confident, full-breasted woman she’d become. He’d wanted to take her and violate her in every way his adolescent mind could imagine. “You looked totally hot, Kate. I wanted to beat the shit out of that asshole Nicholson and fuck you in the backseat of his Chevy.”
She smiled up at him, her eyes luminous -- as if he’d just paid her a great compliment. “You did?”
“Hell, yes.”
“I wanted you back then, too.”
She didn’t have to lie to him. “Bullshit.”
“I did. You were so… I don’t know. Dangerous.”
So she liked to live dangerously. Before tonight, he’d never have guessed. Not in a million years. “You kept a good secret.”
Her fingers tickled his chest. “I was afraid.”
He grinned. “Afraid of me?” That thought should not be so exciting.
She nuzzled her face against his shoulder. “A little. But mostly I was afraid of winding up pregnant and stuck in the projects. I was afraid of my own desires, I think.” When she tilted her head back and flashed those green eyes at him, blonde hair spilled over his wrist. “I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
“Why not? I’m worse now than I ever was in high school.”
She laughed. “I know it. And you’ve shown me there’s nothing left to fear.” Her foot slid up his calf. “No more vanilla for me. From now on, all of my men will be dangerous.”
Men? Plural? He gripped her shoulders. “You’re not going to have any other men, Kate. Not as long as you’re with me.”
She tossed her head and frowned at him. “You can’t control me.”
His hands tightened on her shoulders. He saw red.
And then he saw the gleam in her eyes, the little curve at the edge of her pouting lips. What a tease.
He gave her a gentle shake. “You’re playing with fire, baby.”
She wrapped her arms around him again and giggled -- the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. “Yes, and I like it.”
Too good to be true. This was all too good to be true. “I’m not nearly…”
I’m not nearly good enough for you.
He cleared his throat. “I’m not the right man for you, Kate.”
Her smile faded. “You’re really saying that I’m not the right woman for you. Aren’t you?”
God, how a woman could twist a man’s words. He hadn’t missed that aspect of women. Not at all. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”
She looked down at his chin. “You’re dumping me.”
Christ. As if he didn’t want her with every fiber of his body. “Kate… you’re beautiful, smart, and very successful. You probably make more money in a month than I’ve ever made in a whole year. Someday you’ll figure out that you can do better than an ex-con who never went to college.”
Her head tilted to the side, all thoughtful. “And someday you’ll want a wilder woman than I am.”
A wilder woman? “A wilder woman would kill me.”
She laughed, then grew serious again. “You have some good qualities yourself, you know. You’re funny and sexy and… masculine, and… I can tell you’re a good man at heart.”
He snorted. “That proves how little you know me. I just got out of prison, baby. Remember? I held up a gas station.” Not to mention what he’d done to her tonight. Any other woman would have had him arrested.
She bit her lip, looking indecisive. “Well… well, you did your time. You’re going straight, aren’t you?”
He sure wanted to. And with Kate’s help, he could find a way. He took a deep breath and made her a promise. “Yes, I am.”
Her smile looked like sunshine. “I knew it. No man who was wholly bad would give a damn what happened to a kid like Scott.”
He did care about the kid. And about her. God, he cared about her. He stared down into her lovely face, staggered, suddenly short of breath.
Before he could speak, she did. “Jake, I want this to be more than a one-night thing.” She looked away, then back at his eyes. “But only if you want that, too.”
She had to ask? “Yeah. I want that.” Smooth, Monroe. Real smooth.
Her head tipped to one side. “You look worried. There’s no need to be. I’m not going to… I won’t…” For once she seemed at a loss for words. “No strings attached,” she finished.
No strings? He wanted to put all kinds of strings on her. Strings, ropes, chains… tattoos. He wanted to tie her to him as tightly as he could, using every bond he could find.
He’d settle for silk scarves. For now.
“No strings.”
They sealed that agreement with a light kiss. Had he really bitten these soft lips? Had she really liked it? He kissed her again, just because he could. Then he leaned against the headboard, holding her on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder.
He felt a sharp nip on his earlobe. “Hey! I do the biting around here, woman.”
She laughed softly. “Is that so?” A little bite stung his neck. “Maybe you should punish me. I’m such a bad girl, you know.”
He gave her ribcage a gentle squeeze, made her yelp in surprise. “You’re a very bad girl. And I’m an even worse man.”
A thief.
No, not anymore. He’d only take what Kate was willing to give him. What he could persuade her to give him.
And he’d be very, very persuasive.
“You’re not as bad as you think you are, Jake.”
That sounded like a dare. He slipped a hand over the round curve of her luscious ass. “Are you begging for some proof?”
He felt her smile against his shoulder, felt her fingers curl in his chest hair. “Sure. First you prove that you’re a big, bad, nasty man. The worst man I’ve ever met.”
Her teeth scored his nipple, and his cock twitched against her hip.
She chuckled. “Then I’ll prove that I wouldn’t want you any other way.”