I open my eyes.
Alex’s face is inches from mine. He’s kneeling beside the bed.
“Good,” he says softly. “Eyes on me, now. Don’t look away. What color are mine?”
I know without checking. “Golden-flecked hazel.”
“Look again. Look deeper.”
His eyes are so mesmerizing. “Green,” I say. “Brown… yellow. Blue.” All the colors are there.
“Good girl. Where are you?”
I’m in his bed. My wrists are bound to the headboard, not to the arms of a metal chair.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, and turn my face into my arm. I’m embarrassed, and I’ve ruined the moment.
“Eyes on me,” he says, and it’s not a request.
It’s difficult to pull them back to his face, but I do.
“Keep them here.” He points to his own eyes, his gaze locked with mine. “I’m going to give you a choice. Are you listening?”
“Yes.” I think I know what the choice is, and I don’t want it.
“Two options,” he says quietly. “First one: I leave your hands bound, and if you need me, you say my name. I’ll stop what I’m doing and meet your eyes. Do you understand?”
I nod, jerkily. I wait for the second, already knowing I’ll pick the first. I don’t want him to stop, to untie me, to think I’m weak. I don’t want to mix thiswith that damn warehouse. I wantthis,I wanthim.I want new memories, good memories, overlaid on old.
“Second choice,” he says, his eyes not flicking away even for a moment. “I tie your ankles too. And your neck. Those are your only—”
Holy. Fucking. Shit.“Second.”
He doesn’t ask if I’m sure, he just smiles. Then he leans forward, his hand sliding into my hair, and he gives it a little shake as he speaks to me. “Bad girl,” he whispers.Shake. “You’re going to be punished.”Shake.“Do you know why?”
God, I hate questions when I’m this turned on. “No.”
“Because you didn’t tell me what you wanted.”
Oh.
Fair.
“So now I’m going to have to punish you.”
But it takes two to communicate.
“You didn’t ask either, you bastard. It’s hardlymyfault.”
His smile widens into a grin. “For that, I’m going to take your ass.”
My moment of defiance crumbles at that. He’snevertaken my ass.
“Can we… rethink this?”
“Sure,” he says, reasonably. “I can add a gag to option two as well, or you can be good from now on.”
Right. No choice, then. It’s happening.
