“I daenae ken what ye think ye are…” She began, but broke off when he snatched up her hand, using the belt to bind her wrist to the bedpost newel. She kneeled at the bottom of the bed, tugging at the belt with her other hand. The knot, however, was surprisingly good and would not budge. The belt was firm around her wrist, but not tight enough to hurt or dig in.
“This is where we’re at, then, eh?” Ryder demanded. “I have to tie ye up to get ye to obey me?”
“Tie me up… obey ye… Ye are out of yer mind!” Megan snapped.
He leaned forward again, close enough so that his body almost covered hers. She could feel the warm tickle of his breath and feel the heat coming off his body. Megan felt as though she were frozen, pinned in place. She could not look away. His gaze bored into hers, sending a shiver down her spine once more.
“Then ask me to release ye,” Ryder breathed. “Go on. It’s a simple request. Ask me to untie ye, and I will. Just a few words.”
“I…” Megan opened her mouth, waiting to hear the words come out. There was nothing, only silence, followed by a tense, undignified squeak.
A slow grin spread over Ryder’s face.
“Do ye ken what I think?” he whispered, tilting his head. His gaze never left her. “I think that ye want to be punished again.”
She didnot. She should tell him right now. Megan knew without question that if she demanded he untie her, he would. And that would be the end of it.
But the words wouldn’tcome. Ryder let the silence sit between them for a few moments, then chuckled low in his throat.
“That’s what I thought. And just so ye ken, I have no intention of breaking our agreement. I will nae touch ye again. But I can, under the terms of our arrangement, kiss ye. That would nae be changing our minds, would it?”
Before Megan could point out that he’d already touched her shoulders and her wrist, he dived forward, fitting his lips to hers.
“I dinnae ken why, lassie, but I just cannot resist ye,” he breathed, so quietly that she almost missed it.
Heat swept through her body, a molten wave of warmth that made her shiver. She closed her eyes, more from instinct than from any real decision. Ryder crawled forward onto the bed, his weight pushing her into the mattress as he kissed her.
The aching, tingling feeling in her stomach plunged lower, landing squarely between her legs. Almost instinctively, Megan pressed her thighs together, but that only made the sensation more intense. Ryder’s tongue swiped along her lower lip, and she opened her mouth almost without thinking, letting him plunge inside.
The kiss lasted only for a moment or two before he pulled back, leaving her flushed and gasping. She made to wrap her arms around his shoulders, but her tied-up wrists tugged against the belt. Ryder noticed the movement and grinned widely, tutting.
“Still nae doin’ as ye are told, then?” he murmured softly, and leaned forward to kiss the side of her neck. Megan closed her eyes tightly, exhaling a shuddering breath. There was a scrape of teeth against her sensitive skin, and she sucked in a breath.
But before she could adjust to the sensation, Ryder moved further down. He kissed the front of her throat, swiping his tongue across the hollow between her collarbones. The rest of her skin was hidden beneath her dress, securely laced. The material felt hot and itchy against her skin. Megan wanted tobreathe.
Ryder crawled lower, and she was obliged to lift her head to watch him. He paused over the swell of her breasts, demurelybuttoned up in her bodice, and pressed his closed lips against one of them, over the material. He glanced up at her as if to gauge her reaction. Whatever he saw must have pleased him, because he grinned again.
“What a pity I cannae touch ye,” he sighed theatrically. “That would make this a lot easier.”
Megan couldn’t formulate a response. It didn’t seem that a response was needed.
Ryder slid further down, moving more quickly and with purpose this time. Megan wondered, briefly, just what she looked like. Red-faced, of course, flushed and windswept, probably still smelling of night air and bonfire smoke.He, on the other hand, was calm and composed, smiling cheerfully up at her, utterly careless.
He reared back abruptly, sitting on his heels, and grabbed a handful of her skirts, tossing them up to bunch around her waist.
“I touched yer dress, notye,” he clarified, although she hadn’t asked.
Now, of course, would be the time to say something witty and pointed. Megan was sure she could manage to saysomething. Sheshouldsay something.
Instead, only a faint squeak came out of her mouth. Ryder chuckled and used his elbow to nudge open her thighs. To Megan’s horror, she obeyed at once.
It felt strange not having layers of fabric twisted around her knees. She watched, transfixed, as Ryder leaned down, painfully slowly, and pressed a kiss to her thigh, just above her knee. His stubble scratched her skin, sending a pleasurable rush through her whole body. She shivered, back arching. Ryder glanced up, his gaze dark and intent.
He misses nothin’,she thought dizzily.I can hide nothin’ from him. Why do I feel so strange about him? I’ve met other handsome men before, but none of them had convinced me to be inthissituation with them!
His lips moved higher, almost languidly, kissing and pressing his teeth ever so gently against her soft skin. Megan’s breathing increased as he moved up, closer and closer to the join of her legs.
Surely he willnae… surely this isnae…her mind was struggling to form coherent thoughts.
