by Alexx Andria
I wasn’t the kind of woman who could dream of being with someone so bad.
So for him to say I was everything he needed…it did something crazy to my wiring.
I squirmed against the embarrassing wetness between my thighs.
“Who are you?” I dared.
He moved in closer, his breath, smelling of cinnamon and clove, tickled my jaw. “I’m your worst nightmare, baby,” he whispered before sealing his lips to mine in a brutal invasion that I couldn’t escape. I squeaked as his tongue penetrated my gaped mouth. The spicy scent of male enveloped me as he suddenly gripped my jaw, holding me tight as he plundered.
The wetness increased.
My nipples hardened.
A distressing moan followed.
What was wrong with me?
“Stop,” I managed to cry even though a shameful part of me wanted more. “Please…”
I didn’t expect my plea to work. Why would it? I was tied, kidnapped, and at his mercy.
But it did.
Or maybe he just wanted me to think it had.
Either way, he pulled away, pushing a lock of dark hair out of his eyes with a hungry expression. I sensed the danger, simmering beneath the surface of that cool smile, those eyes burning with something that made me shudder.
He was like a wolf.
And I was dinner.
Chapter 6
Cason
Holly Brannon, a bird in my trap.
Succulent, plump, and tasty.
I ran my hand across my lips, wiping away the evidence of our kiss.
That strawberry blonde hair…I itched to have it wrapped around my fist as I buried myself between her thighs. Those eyes, big as an owl’s, blinked back tears and I smiled.
“Who are you?”
It was a fair question. I dropped into the chair opposite her, and plopped my booted feet on the scarred coffee table, upsetting an avalanche of crap.
Tito wasn’t exactly a tidy housekeeper but his place served my purposes.
The minute Butcher discovered his sweet little sister was gone, he’d start looking. I needed somewhere to hole up for a while. I wanted Butcher to sweat, good and plenty, so that when I finally made contact, the son-of-a-bitch was ready to make any deal to keep the little bird safe.
“On second thought, don’t tell me,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut. “I can’t identify you so you can let me go. I’ll forget this ever happened. You can go with your life and everything will be fine.”
I chuckled. “You watch too many movies. It doesn’t work that way. Besides, I want you to know who I am.”
Her eyes popped open, narrowing with anxiety. “Why? Are you going to kill me?”
“That depends on your brother.”
She gasped, paling a bit, revealing tiny freckles dancing across the bridge of her nose. “What do you mean?”
“It means your brother owes a debt and you’re going to help him pay.”
Holly shook her head desperately. “I don’t know anything about my brother’s business. I barely know him. You’re wasting your time. I can’t give you what I don’t have.”
I didn’t fault her for trying but I knew she was lying through her teeth. “He went to a lot of trouble to hide you even existed. And he was smart to do so. Your brother has a lot of enemies. I can only imagine what they’d do with a sweet young thing like you if they knew.”
Tears sparked in her eyes. “So what are you going to do with me?”
“For now? Anything I want.”
My groin ached with the biggest erection I’d ever had.
Sweat actually gathered along my crown.
“My hands are numb,” she whispered.
“I bet they are.” I made no move to untie her.
“Please…if you could just loosen them a bit…”
“So you could run? No, I don’t think so. Besides, rope is a good look on you.”
Holly blushed and her frame shook as she looked away. I liked the way she seemed so virginal, so pure.
But that couldn’t be true.
“You’re pretty good at playing the part of innocent,” I told her, amused.
“What do you mean?”
“You almost got me fooled. Tell me, what do you really do all those hours in the library? You running a racket of some sort? What’s the angle?”
“The angle is that I like to read,” Holly answered with a confused frown. “That’s what most people do at the library.”
I waved away her answer. “Bullshit. No one spends as much time as you do at the library unless they’ve got something going on. Maybe if you cut me in, I’ll think about going easy on you. I’m always looking for ways to broaden my horizon.”
“I like to read,” she repeated as I were slow, adding stiffly, “Actually, it’s what I love. Have you ever opened a book? You should try it sometime.”
“Books are for pussies. Movies are better.”
She looked away as if she couldn’t comprehend how ignorant I was.
That pissed me off.
Just because I hated to read didn’t mean I was stupid.
Little Miss High and Mighty better learn that real quick.
“Where am I?”
I didn’t answer. The less detail she had, the better.
Instead, I abruptly rose and planted myself in front of her, invading her space, once again. I liked the way her pupils dilated and her soft lips parted, almost inviting me for a taste.
I reached down to untie her feet. I tossed the rope aside and then just as she lifted her hands with relief, thinking I was going to release her, I kicked apart her legs and leaned in, my body taking up the space between her thighs.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes wide and her voice breathy.
“Let’s get something straight from the get-go…I ask the questions, not the other way around. If you’re a good girl, I’ll reward you. If you’re bad…I’ll punish you. Do you understand?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t understand any of this,” she cried, the freckles on her nose standing out. Where else did she have freckles? “I’m begging you. There’s still time to change your mind. Someone is going to report me missing and it’s only going to take a short while for my brother to find me. Do yourself a favor and let me go before my brother eats your balls for lunch.”
I laughed. “I’m counting on that, baby girl. I want your brother to know panic. I want him to stew in his own fear until I tell him my terms. You, little girl, are collateral. You are mine to do what I wish and no one is coming to save you so you’d better work on your manners. It’s just you and me. Got it?”
That much was true. Tito’s place was isolated in a forgotten section outside of the city, where people were sparse and the neighborhood wasn’t exactly friendly. Even the cops avoided this place if they could.
I wouldn’t set up permanent shop here but it would definitely serve my needs.
“Now…let’s get to know each other,” I said, forcing her hands down to her lap. “Repeat after me…Cason O’Connor.”
“W-why?” she stammered.
“Because that’s the name you’re going to be screaming when I’m deep inside you. I want to hear my name when I’ve got you bent over this very couch, buried up to my balls inside your sweet pussy. How’s that sound?”
“You’re disgusting.” A shocked gasp escaped her sweet lips. “You would rape me?”
A snarl escaped as a wave of rage blotted out my thoughts. “And if I did, it would be no more than Butcher deserves.”
I choked back the black tide, my breathing short as I fought to right my tilting ship. Why should I show Butcher’s sister mercy when he didn’t have a merciful bone in his body?
“I don’t know what happened between you and my brother—“
I got in her face. “That’s right, you don’t know but you will. You think your brother is the good guy? Because he pays to send you to some fancy, uptight private college but know this, baby girl, your broth
er pays your bills with blood money. He’s as dirty as they come. If I were you, I’d drop the innocent act because anyone who shares DNA with Butcher Brannon is just as rotten and I don’t give a shit about you or your feelings. Go ahead, hate me. It’s better that way. I’m not a good guy either but at least I don’t pretend to be.”
“I swear I don’t know anything about my brother’s business,” she said, tears wetting her cheeks.
“You’d be surprised how quickly people remember details with the right motivation,” I returned.
“I’m a virgin,” she blurted out, almost desperately. “Please, don’t do this. I’m begging you. Please.”
Something inside me jolted with awareness. She was playing the part, right? College kids were all about getting laid and partying between mid-term cram sessions. There’s no way she was still untouched.
But, fuck it, she could play any part she wanted as long as long as Butcher got his due.
”That sucks for you,” was all I said, then pushed off, away from her, leaving with a warning. “Stay put. If I find you tried to escape…well, let’s just say, it’s in your best interests to just do as you’re told.”
“You can’t keep me here forever,” she shot back, tears still sparkling in her eyes.
I laughed. “Of course not. But I can make each day feel like an eternity if you cross me. Understand?”
Fear snaked its way into her eyes. Good. Fear kept people from doing stupid things.
Tito walked in, a hulking mass of tattooed bad-assery with a permanent scowl, and she shrank back against the sofa cushion. To Tito, I said, “Watch her. I’ll be back.”
“Maybe she gets out of line,” Tito suggested with a shrug and I fought the immediate growl. Tito knew me well enough to know when he was treading on dangerous ground. He chuckled, easing up on his scowl for a moment. “Go on, bring back a pizza. I’m fucking starved.”
I nodded. Tito would guard my prize while I went on a food run.
For Holly’s sake, I hoped she heeded my warning.
I’d hate to mark up that creamy skin prematurely.
Chapter 7
Cason
She had spunk.
Not overt, but layered beneath the surface of the shy girl that she put out there.
I saw though the layers.
I saw fire.
God damn, I saw the most magnificent tits hiding beneath that Cornwall University T-shirt.
I heard her stomach rumble.
She wouldn’t beg.
I liked that about her.
But I wanted to push, to see how far I could go.
Maybe I wanted to see if that banked fire could burn.
“Remember how I said I would reward you for good behavior?”
She cast me a dark look that pretty much said, “Fuck you” and my cock stirred. Hell, I still had pizza in my damn mouth and my cock wanted to do dirty things to her sweet curves.
I was an equal opportunity man. I liked women of all shapes and sizes but there was something about Holly that made my dick hard as rock.
I grabbed another slice and practically shoved it in my mouth. It wasn’t physical hunger driving me and I knew it.
But you know, denial was pretty powerful when you were bound and determined to do the opposite of whatever your body and mind were saying.
Maybe I was trying to prevent myself from doing something I couldn’t take back.
To be honest, I was a little confused by my visceral reaction to her. She was just a chick, like any other, except she served a bigger purpose than just arm candy for the night.
I had to remember that.
“All right, so here’s how it works. Play nice and we’ll get along just fine. Pretty easy, wouldn’t you say?”
“That would depend on what you mean by playing nice.”
“Well, for starters, when I ask you a question, tell me the truth.”
“I’ve been truthful with you!” She glared. “You are the one who doesn’t believe me. I’ve been nothing but honest with you.”
“You lied to me about being hungry,” I reminded her softly. “Truth is, your stomach is growling like a bear coming out of hibernation.”
Her tender mouth tightened as if she didn’t want to admit I was right but a second yowl from her belly only made my point.
“Fine,” she bit out. “Yes, I’m hungry. Is that what you want to hear?”
“That’s a good start,” I said.
“Does that mean you’ll feed me?”
“Perhaps if you ask nice enough.”
She lifted her hands. “I can’t eat like this.”
I regarded her with a steady gaze. Would she run? I almost hoped she would that way I could justify the things I wanted to do to her. I took my pocketknife and slowly sliced through the rope.
She gasped with relief, rubbing at her reddened skin. “Thank God,” she breathed, groaning a little at the chaffing. “I could’ve lost my fingers.”
I ignored her complaint. Grabbing the pizza box, I opened it up and offered her some.
Holly hesitated for the barest minute, then selected a slice.
The moment her mouth opened, my erection nearly burst through my pants. That red, hot mouth, sweet and soft…I wanted her lips wrapped around my cock.
I’d never been so jealous of pepperoni in my life.
Finished, she surreptitiously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and then sat awkwardly, trying to avoid my gaze.
But I liked looking at her. For one, it made her uncomfortable — and that was a bonus in my book — but two, there was something I couldn’t quite define about her that appealed to me.
“Stop staring,” Holly snapped, her gaze darting.
“No.” I made no apologies. “I’ll do as I want and there’s nothing you can do about it. Sucks being helpless, doesn’t it?”
“You’re a big man, taking out your rage on a woman,” she retorted, cutting me with a look. “Do you drown puppies and kittens in your spare time, too?”
I held back my laughter. Even when she was clearly at a disadvantage, Holly still found the courage to spit and hiss.
Damn, I liked that.
She was fine as fuck and I wanted her.
Did I want her because she was Butcher’s sister and I wanted to put my mark on something that was his? Maybe.
But did it matter?
I wanted her, plain and simple.
I guess that was my problem.
“Where am I supposed to sleep?” she asked, the faint distress in her expression amusing. If she thought the sofa was disgusting, wait until she saw Tito’s bed.
“Well, this ain’t no Hyatt,” I returned, scooping up the pizza box and carrying it to the rickety kitchen table. “Only one bed. Guess that means you’re with me.”
“We can’t sleep together,” she balked. “That’s not going to work at all.”
“Do you snore?”
“No.”
“Then it should work just fine.”
Holly’s mouth worked as if she wanted to protest but she knew it was pointless. Smart girl.
“How do I know that you won’t…take advantage of me?”
“You don’t.”
I enjoyed watching her squirm.
“So I’m supposed to climb into bed with you and just accept whatever happens, happens?” Some of that banked fire flared in her eyes. “Think again.”
I chuckled. “I don’t see that you have much bargaining power.”
“My brother will kill you if you hurt me.”
Ahhh, finally, something truthful. “I thought you said you didn’t matter,” I reminded her. “Seems now you’re changing your story. Which is it? Are you important to your brother or not?”
Holly had trapped herself.
She chose to remain stubbornly silent.
Goddamn, this woman intrigued me whether I wanted it or not.
“Well, if you’re not up to talking, I guess it’s time for bed,” I said. She visibly jumped
when I walked toward her, shrinking away from my outstretched hand as if I were offering up poison. I laughed. “You’re a jumpy thing, aren’t you?” Before she could answer, I jerked her onto her feet, pulling her right into my arms.
She landed with a soft oompf against my chest. Her pupils dilated instantly and her lips parted on a gasp. “What are you doing?”
“Not sure yet,” I admitted but I liked the feel of her in my arms. She fit like a glove against me. I wondered where else I might fit so snugly. “But we’ll find out.”
Releasing her, I grasped her hand and pulled her with me to the bedroom.
Holly yanked her hand away and tried to bolt for what she mistook as the front door.
I gave her props for trying but really, it was a misguided attempt as she stared in dismay at a cluttered closet. “Feeling domestic?” I asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm. “Honey, there are other ways to play house, you know.”
“Screw you,” she hissed, whirling quickly to reach for the actual front door but I was faster.
I pulled her roughly away from the door seconds before her grasping fingertips could reach the door handle and spun her toward me. Then, I shocked her by hoisting her up over my shoulder.
The solid weight of her curves wasn’t easy to manage but the softness of her body was an instant turn-on, as if I wasn’t already packing a boner hard enough to pound nails.
I tossed her to the bed, grinning as her bountiful tits jiggled like gelatin. That shirt had to go. Did she have tight budded nipples, dark and tasty, or were they pale and sweet, begging to be sucked?
Holly tried scrambling away but I caught her ankles and pulled her to me. “Where you going?” I asked, laughing when she started kicking. “Oh, aren’t you full of piss and vinegar…”
True fear flashed in her eyes, dousing my fun. I shouldn’t care. She was Butcher’s kin. But I could feel the subtle shake in her limbs even if I tried to ignore the brimming of tears in her big eyes.
Fuck.
Since when did I become the sensitive one?
“Knock it off,” I barked. “I’m not going to touch you. Just quit kicking like a fucking mule or I’ll tie you to the toilet and let you sleep on the bathroom floor.”