Page 38 of Forced Alpha Bride
“Stop it,” he answers, grabbing my hand and yanking me towards him. “If you didn’t always try to run, I wouldn’t have to do this at all. That was a nasty trick, by the way—kissing me to distract me. How far did you think you were actually going to get?”
“Damon,” I moan as he clips the first bracelet on. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll be good.”
“Damn, how I wish that was true,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “I’ve been looking for a good woman all my life. Haven’t found one yet, though.”
He reaches for the cord, working the knot so he can slip the metal cuff on my other wrist. As the manacle snaps shut, panic floods through me, and I struggle as hard as I can.
“You can’t do this, Damon! Where the fuck did you even get these things? Do you do this a lot? Is this a regular Friday night for you?”
“What?” To my surprise, he laughs. “No way. I actually went into the basement looking for some sturdy rope and found these. Might be better to ask what the Brent family does in their leisure time.”
I don’t have an answer for that, so I just sit miserably and look at my hands. The smooth metal bracelets actually are more comfortable than the cord and the ropes I was tied with earlier. The chain is a little heavy, but I do have more movement.
“Are you comfortable?” Damon asks.
“No,” I grit out.
“I mean, are you actually in pain? I can adjust the cuffs if you like.”
“How about you just take them off?”
“I would if I thought I could trust you. But now that I know you’ll stoop to turning me on to distract me, I can’t believe anything you say or do.”
My chest aches a little, and I feel an edge of guilt I know I don’t deserve.
It was real, Damon. I felt something. The heat in that kiss wasn’t fake. I wanted to do it.
I keep my mouth stubbornly shut, refusing to speak the words.
He doesn’t deserve to know that. I can’t trust him, no matter what, and he won’t trust me, even if I explain. He’ll still just think I’m playing him.
“So, is there anything I can do for you?” he asks.
“Didn’t we just cover this?”
“I mean, I want to go to sleep, so I have to attach your chain to the bed. If you’re hungry, thirsty, or need the bathroom, tell me now.”
Tears trickle down my face again as the reality sinks in that I’m really going to be wearing these things all night.
“I’m okay.”
“Good. Can I help you with your shoes?”
I nod, staring at my lap while he kneels on the floor and gently takes off my boots. The touch of his hand on the back of my ankle makes me shiver, and I bite my lip as the flicker of arousal runs through me like a hot wire from my clit to my nipples.
And a great, raging furnace between my legs.
“Are you cold?” he asks, and I shake my head again. Damon stands up and attaches the chain to the side post, lifting the blankets for me to get under. I twist and turn a bit, but eventually I find a comfortable position, and the chain doesn’t bother me that much.
Damon turns out the light and gets into bed next to me. When he sits up and turns in my direction, my body comes alive like a wick against a blowtorch.
Am I scared, or extremely turned on? Do I know the difference?
A few tense moments pass, and finally, Damon just sighs.
“Goodnight, Winnie.”
I feel the bed bounce as he turns over, and his breath settles almost immediately. I tug on the chain a little, but I know it’s utterly hopeless.
