Page 56 of Million Dollar High

When he was done, he dried her, wrapped her in a towel and swung her into his arms.

She stared up at him with a mixture of wariness and worry.

“Noah, please talk to me.”

In the bedroom, he pulled the towel free and slowly circled her, allowing himself to finally study her properly. The worst bruised places were her shoulder and hip. A few faint ones dotted her back and ribs, but those would fade within a day or two.

Returning to the bathroom, he took a tube and brought it back. Uncapping it, he applied the balm on the affected areas,swallowing a growl of rage every time she winced. Done, he tossed the tube aside and cupped her face.

She must have witnessed the true depths of his fury, because her eyes widened.

“Noah—”

“Shut the fuck up and listen to me, Leia. From now, until I set you free, I’m the only one allowed to bruise this skin. Not even you are allowed to mar it. I don’t give a shit if you hurt yourself by accident. I see a mark or a scratch on you that I didn’t put there, the monster comes out. Are we clear?”

She nodded. He let her get away with not vocalizing. There was no way she could’ve misinterpreted his words.

Slowly, he stepped back and pulled down the covers. He picked her up and placed her in the middle of the bed.

“Before we start, are you hungry? Do you want a drink?”

A small shake of her head, her beautiful eyes wary. “No.”

Nodding, he walked into his closet and opened the large box he hadn’t yet bothered to unpack. Locating the items he needed, he returned to the bedroom.

Her breath hitched the moment she saw what he held. Eyes wide, she shivered and her thighs clenched together. He laid the items on the bed and sat down.

“Tell me exactly what happened with Snyder.”

He listened, eyes fixed on the headboard so he wouldn’t lose his shit. When she was done, he forced an exhale and looked into her eyes. “What do you feel for him, Leia?” He needed to be absolutely sure.

“Before this morning, I was grateful for what he did for me. But now, I can’t help but think he was…”

“Grooming you?”

Her eyes clouded. “I know what you thought when you first met him, but I couldn’t… I didn’t want to believe…”

Noah rose to his feet. Grabbing the items, he held them up.

“I need to erase what he’s done to you. I need you to feel my hand, not his. So which is it to be? The ropes? Or the bull whip?”

Her mouth opened, but no words emerged. Her eyes, totally devoid of her earlier apprehension, darted between the two choices, her nipples slowly peaking. “I can’t… I don’t know…”

“Fine. The ropes it is.” He tossed the whip away and picked up the three white silk ropes. As he passed them between his hands, his blood began to thrum to a different beat.

Her nipples furled tighter, her nails digging into her thighs.

“Place your wrists up on the pillow beside your head. Because of your injury, I’ll have to tie your elbows.” He waited for her to obey before he moved lower on the bed. “Draw your knees up. Open them wide.” Again, he forced himself not to become absorbed in her body. The ferocious hunger running rampant through him dueled with the rage. The second emotion needed to be dealt with before he did anything to put her at risk.

Working quickly, he looped the rope twice around her waist, placed the knots where he needed them, then hooked two loops on either side of her thighs and bound her ankles before securing them to the special hooks set into his bed. He stretched the ropes so she was wide open to him. Once he’d secured her elbows with knots that restrained her in a perpendicular hold, he stood back and looked down at her. “Does it hurt anywhere?” he asked.

Her tongue darted out, wetting her lower lip. “It’s a little… uncomfortable, but no, it doesn’t hurt.”

He bent down and gently kissed her forehead. “Your comfort is a non-issue here. This is supposed to be punishment, remember?”

“Yes, Noah.”

Unable to resist, he traced a hand between her breasts, down to the rope securing her waist. Fighting his instincts, he drew back. “I can’t take you when I feel like this. You’re not the only one who deplores angry sex. So I’m going to take a minute.”

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