Page 22 of Cutter's Hope

“We going to do this?” I growled.

“Yeah,” she answered breathlessly.

“And then?”

“Then you’re going to do what you said, you’re going to help me,” she said. Good. She believed me, even better, she was calm now and it seemed, like me, desire was simmering in her veins too.

“You try to hurt me, Hope…” she looked at me expectantly, keen intelligence sparkling in her eyes, “I’m going to hurt you back, and worse, you get me?”

She inhaled sharply and nodded slowly, I leaned forward and kissed her gently and she kissed me back, tentatively at first. She was still bound, and I had every intention of letting her go,afterI could be sure she was really on board with this.

“You okay?” I asked her, voice steady.

“Untie me,” she breathed against my mouth.

“How’d we go from fighting to fucking?” I asked, I needed to know.

“You aren’t turned on?”

“Yep, definitely turned on,” I said.

“You mean it, what you said about helping me? About that lead up north?” she asked and her voice was strained, raw even. I drew back and looked her in the eyes.

“I mean it, Hope. I’m fucking sorry as hell for what Tiny did. We don’t fucking roll like that.”

“You’ll make the call, first thing?” she asked.

“You want me to make it now?” I asked softly. Her breath caught and she nodded slowly.

“Stay here,” I got up and went to my office in the stern, returning with my laptop. I set it up on the coffee table.

“Untie me?” she asked and I looked back over my shoulder.

“You gonna behave?”

“You’re going to make the call right?” she asked.

“Yes.” I knelt down by the couch and went for the bindings around her ankles and loosened them, her skin silky and smooth beneath my fingers as I eased the leather of Marlin’s belt off from around her limbs. I massaged the indentations left behind by the belt and Hope sighed out in relief. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on the feel of my hands on her and I liked that about her.

“Okay, Sweetheart, take it easy. I’m gonna trust you first this time,” I helped her to sit up and sat behind her, my legs bracketing her hips as I undid the belt binding her arms sharply behind her. The leather gave with a little sigh and Hope groaned. I massaged the feeling back into her arms and drew her back against my chest, pressing my lips to the side of her neck. She shuddered.

“Make the call,” she whispered and I leaned forward, bringing up Skype. I tapped the screen and the laptop started making the call to Data, the Sacred Hearts computer whizz and Secretary. His face came up and so did ours in a smaller screen in the corner. The black curtains were drawn behind the man and he eyed Hope cautiously. He didn’t know her and this was highly irregular but fuck it. She’d been through enough.

“What the hell happened to you two?” Data asked.

“Philosophical differences,” I grunted.

“Uh huh. To what do I owe the pleasure, Man?”

“Thirteen and his Ol’ Lady around?”

“Can’t say that they are, Cutter man, what’s up? Usually you ask after Reave and Doll, what do you want with Thirteen and Dani?”

I put my arms around Hope who was holding her breath, I could feel her stillness and I smiled, and I knew it was sad. I spelled it out for Data and he nodded thoughtfully. He turned in his desk chair and twitched back the curtain and hollered out into the common room. Dragon appeared a minute later and I reiterated the mess in my lap.

“I’ll call Thirteen. Not sure what Dani can tell you, but I’m sure if she can help she will. Can you ring us back sometime after noon tomorrow?”

“Can and will do, my friend. I owe you.” Dragon snorted and called bullshit.

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