“I won’t hurt you.”
“That doesn’t matter. I don’t want you to touch me, Tristan.”
“I have to.” The words were said so quietly I barely heard them over the sound of my own staggered breathing. “Don’t scream,” he ordered, slightly louder this time. “I won’t hurt you,” he repeated.
A knife appeared in his hand, and before I could even comprehend that he had a weapon and my life was about to end, cold metal kissed my breastbone. Keeping the dull edge against my skin, he slid the blade underneath my tank and between my breasts, slicing through the cotton of my tank. The knife disappeared, and he grabbed the two ragged edges of material and yanked, tearing my shirt all the way down to my stomach and exposing the inner curves of my breasts.
Tears gathered in my eyes, blurring my vision until I couldn’t see.Scream!I told myself.Scream, dammit!But fear clamped around my throat like a vice, and nothing would come out.
His harsh intake of breath was loud in my ears, and then I felt his fingers skimming along my skin as he pushed the remains of my top to either side as far as he could, exposing my nipples. They hardened from the cold air, and I turned my face away and squeezed my eyes shut. There was nothing I could do to stop him at this point. I tried again to scream. I opened my mouth and everything. But nothing came out. I wasn’t sure if it was fear for Gino or fear for myself that kept me from uttering a single sound, but I couldn’t help but think that if Gino saw me like this, somehow it wouldn’t matter that I was tied up and had no control over what was happening, he’d still find a way to blame me.
So I did what I did best and tried to go into my head. To another place and time where I wasn’t being molested in my own bed.
And I succeeded.
Partially.
But a part of me—a small part, but a part nonetheless—was still fully aware that Tristan was staring down at me, devouring the sight of my body. Heat pooled between my thighs in a rush, an involuntary reaction of need I didn’t understand. I’d never reacted this way to a man before.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the tip of his finger skimmed the hard tip of my nipple, first one, and then the other. But what surprised me even more was the red-hot bolt of pure desire that shot from my nipples straight to my groin. My eyes flew open as I sucked in a breath, waiting to see what he would do next.
No. No. I didn’t want this.
Closing my eyes again, I tried like hell to think of something else. Anything else.
“Don’t do that,” he gritted out.
I didn’t know what he was talking about. I wasn’t doing anything. I couldn’t. I was tied to the fucking bed, desperately trying not to freak out. So I stayed silent.
“Luna. Look at me.”
That deep, cold voice saying my name sent a shiver down my spine. But I did as he ordered. Maybe if I didn’t piss him off, I’d have a chance of making it out of this alive and relatively unharmed.
Tentatively, I turned my head and opened my eyes. When they met his, he told me, “Don’t do that again. I don’t like it when you do that.”
“Do what?” I whispered.
“Leave me,” he said. “Don’t do it again.”
Confused, I could only stare up at him. “That would be kind of hard, what with me being tied up and all.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm and frustration from my voice as I glared up at him, still terrified, but Jesus Christ, I wished he’d just get whatever he was planning the hell over with.
“I know what you’re doing when you squeeze your eyes shut and turn away from me. It’s the same thing you do when Gino is fucking you.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. How did he know that? Had he beenwatchingme? My mind went back to the night after the wedding when I’d noticed someone standing outside my window but hadn’t been able to get a good look at him. The same night I’d first met Tristan.
Oh, my god. It wasn’t one of Gino’s guards. It washim.
His voice lowered. “But I’m not Gino. And I require you to be both physicallyandmentally present at all times when we’re together. Do you understand?”
My cheeks burned. “Yes,” I whispered.
“Good.” His eyes dropped back down to my bare breasts. “I like looking at you. You’re very beautiful. Do you know that?”
I couldn’t respond because his hand was reaching for me once again. I held my breath as I waited for his touch, jumping slightly when it came, even though I’d been expecting it.
The calloused roughness of his fingertips skimmed light as a feather over the inner curve of my breast, then made a circle around my areola. I caught myself arching into his touch and froze, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. But if he’d noticed, he gave no indication.
A blast of cold air hit my bare legs as he ripped the covers off the lower half of my body, tossing them down to the bottom of the bed by my feet. I expected him to go right for the goods between my thighs like most men did. But he surprised me.
