I want nothing short of forever, no matter how I get it.
So, for now, I just nod. “If that’s what you want.”
Sneaking a peek my way, Noelle doesn’t look convinced. And that just proves that my Starling has agood bullshit detector because I have no intention of leaving this mountain unless she comes with me.
Besides, she said the twenty-sixth. That means she’s resigned herself to spending Christmas with me which is exactly what I’ve wanted all along. So, feeling fucking fantastic—between her resignation and how amazing it feels to have gotten laid for the first time in a year—I lead her into the chalet. Inside, it feels even warmer than before, and I sigh happily… until Noelle ducks out from under my arm, and I have to work hard to hide my slight scowl.
Shaking away the few snowflakes that cling to the sweater, Noelle hurriedly unties her boots, kicking them off near the front door while I purposely lock us in. Without another look back at me, she heads for the stairs—for the bathroom, I’m betting—without a word.
I let her go. Why not? I’m not worried about her finding an escape, and even if she tried? Our little romp through the snow should be enough to finally get it through her pretty little head that there will benoescaping ‘Saint’ Patrick North.
Counting to ten, I follow her up the stairs. For a few seconds, I stand outside the closed bathroom door and simply listen. The sink is on. The sound of rushing water is loud, but I still hear it when Noelle mutters, ‘fuck me’, just loud enough for it reach me through the door.
Oh, Starling. Don’t tempt me.
Because I am so very tempted to join her in the bathroom, tug down her leggings, bend her over in front of the mirror, and bury my cock inside of her so deeply again that I don’t know where she begins and I end, I force myself to return to my bedroom.
Unzipping my luggage, I dig around until my fingers close on cool metal. Smirking to myself, I pull the pair of handcuffs out.
They’re police-issue. Both solid and very practical. Officer Burns was very helpful when I explained I needed them for personal reasons. He added them in with the cost of the phony badge I bought off of him to pretend to be a man Noelle could trust, but now that I’ve shown her exactly who Saint is, it’s time to take a few more precautions.
Shoving them into my pants pocket, I wait for Noelle to leave the bathroom. When I hear her feet padding down the hall, I’m not surprised when she scurries past the open door to my room.
Very well. If that’s how she wants to do it.
I shrug off my suit jacket. Like Noelle, I remove my shoes, placing them neatly beneath my bed. I leave on my pants—despite being slightly damp from the snow—though my white button-down shirt joins my jacket.
There. Now I’m ready for bed, too.
Noelle must’ve suspected that I wouldn’t let her slip away from me so easily. For the first time that we’ve been in the chalet together, she doesn’t have herbedroom door closed and locked. The fact that the door is partway open is an obvious invitation to me, and I take that even if I can’t take her again just yet.
She swallows notably as I walk into her room, kicking the door shut behind me.
“If you didn’t want to sleep in my bed, you could’ve just said that. I’ll sleep in here with you instead.”
Her cheeks turn red, though her eyes are undeniably angry. “I thought you were kidding when you said that last night was the last time I’d ever sleep alone.”
Kidding? Me? Oh, Noelle… if there’s one thing you need to know, it’s that I don’t kid. I don’t bluff, either.
And I’m always, always prepared.
Dipping my hand into my pants pocket, I pull out the handcuffs and lift them high so that she can see them.
She blinks once. Twice. And then, in a strangled voice, she says, “You can’t be serious.”
“I am,” I reply evenly. “Until you choose to stay in bed with me, I’m going to make sure you can’t leave it.”
“You’re going to cuff me to you?” Her look is one of disbelief as she shakes her head. “Haven’t you trapped me enough?”
No, Starling. Maybe if I had a cage, then I’d agree… and this is the closest I can come to one to make sure she doesn’t try to fly away.
I cock my head. “Can I trust you to stay?”
“Can I really escape you?” Noelle shoots back.Wrapping her arms around her tits, she snorts. “I give up. You know my name. You know my secret wishes. You were in my computer. You’re in myhead.” She unfolds her arms, gesturing toward her lower half. “You were insideme. And now you want to cuff me to you so that I can’t forget that, in the matter of days, you’ve taken over my life? I’ve given you everything I could, and you just wantmore.”
She looks at the cuffs again, and I can tell that I’m on the edge of taking something that’s been reforged over time and seeing it shatter again.
That’s why, when she sighs and holds out her wrist, I know that I’ve pushed her as far as I can tonight.
