I don’t go to sleep for a long time. I stay awake, listening to the sounds of the forest outside. I’m sure Ansel wouldn’t have drifted off if he’d been expecting company, but I can’t help it. I’ve been trained to expect danger at every possible moment. Maybe I shouldn’t have insisted he tie me to the bed. It’ll slow me down if we do have any uninvited…guests.
Why are you worrying about this? You’re the victim here, remember? No one is going to come in here and hurt Ansel. He works for them.
My brain might be logical, but logic left the conversation a while ago. Probably around the same time that rope flipped me upside down and I realized my butterfly was more than he seemed.
Fuck it. There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep unless I do something.
Ansel’s gentle snores reassure me he’s deep under. Working silently, I free myself from the restraints and slide from the bed.
It takes me less than a minute to find where he’s hidden my dagger in the other room. I smile when I see how nicely he’s folded my clothes. He shows more care than I do when the roles are reversed. It makes me wonder who takes care of him.
I’m starting to think I want to be that person.
Too fast? Wylder would say so. But fuck him. He knows this is what I’m like.
When I want something, I make it mine. I’ve always been that way. Okay, this is the first time I’ve done this with a person, but Ithink that’s because none of the men I’ve fucked have intrigued me like Ansel.
I slide back into the bed and stash the dagger under my pillow. There. Now I can sleep.
Ansel mutters something in his dreams before rolling toward me. His hand lands on my chest, his leg going over mine.
I still for a second, wondering how to explain this in the morning. Do I even need to? Want to?
Fuck it all. This is future Cade’s problem. Right now, I just want to exist with Ansel.
So I gather my butterfly in my arms, snuggling him for all I’m worth.
Finally, I can rest.
Warm breath hits my nipple as I slowly wake up. Ansel is right where he was when I fell asleep—head on my chest and leg thrown over mine.
I savor the feel of him in my arms. This is where he belongs. Right here. I brush a kiss over his forehead. When will he let me kiss him for real? It has to be soon, right?
Unfortunately for me, the kiss startles him awake. His head pops up like a bewildered rabbit. “Whas ’appening?”
“Morning!” I tighten my grip on him, already knowing how fast he’s going to pull away when he realizes what’s going on. “How did you sleep?”
Sure enough, Ansel jerks away like he’s been poked with a cattle prod. “What the fuck? Why aren’t you tied up?”
“Ropes must’ve come loose in the night,” I lie. “You really need to let me teach you better knots.”
He doesn’t respond. He makes me sit up and hastily ties me to the headboard again, rushing the knots. At this point, I don’t know if he’s doing it because hewantsme to escape or because he’s too prideful to accept help.
As soon as I’m secure, he jumps out of the bed and practically runs for the bathroom. I watch his peachy ass bounce hungrily. What I wouldn’t give to bury my face between those cheeks. He could tie me up first. All I’d need is my tongue. I wouldn’t even complain if he suffocated me.
What a way to go.
Sadly, when Ansel returns, he ignores me entirely. My dick is despondent. My brain is telling my body to be patient. It’s hard when you’ve gotten used to getting what you want. Especially after having him in my arms all night.
He’ll crack eventually. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
So, while I wait for Ansel to come around, I hum my favorite nineties songs, trying to distract myself. I could, once again, easily get out of these restraints, but I’m telling myself not to. To let him be the one to set me free. To ask—no, beg—me to touch him.
So I lounge on the bed, naked, half singing my favorite tunes until I drive Ansel from the cabin.
“Stop singing that old shit!” he shouts as the door slams behind him.
Hmm, he really needs better taste in music. Or at least to give this stuff a try. I should make him a playlist, or maybe I could even go old-school and burn him a CD.
