Page 24 of The Vigilante's Lover
“Hardly,” I say. I shift my arm to wipe my lips, forgetting my hands are tied.
Jax notices and lifts his thumb to my mouth. “You missed some,” he says huskily. He brushes a finger across my lips, then brings it to his tongue. “You taste delicious.”
My heart beats ninety to nothing. I’m torn between the old Mia, full of panic and fear, and my mother’s Mia, courageous and strong. Will this man hurt me? Or will he take me to some new amazing place?
I already regret trying to have the women call the police. I want him. It’s hard to accept. But I do.
“I’d like to see her in one of your outfits,” he says to Emma. “You may untie her.”
Before I can say anything, Emma unbuttons Jax’s jacket and pulls it away. My breath catches as Jax’s eyes linger on my body once more, the red ropes, my breasts. My breathing speeds up.
The two women begin working the ties. I sigh in relief as Emma releases my wrists.
Jax sips his drink, watching with an intensity I’ve never known. I don’t know what to do. I feel crazy with need. The ropes drop to the floor.
“You have some other panties for her?” he asks.
“Of course,” Emma says. “Shall we take these away?”
I suck in a breath. No one has ever seen me naked. But my nipples tighten, and a hot buzz zips through me like an electric shock.
The feeling is overwhelming. Jax’s fingers twitch by his thigh as if they want to reach out for me, remove my last scrap of clothing himself.
I feel lost. I don’t know what I want more. For him to leave, or for him to keep appraising me the way he is now, like a wolf about to devour its prey. My skin hums with awareness.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” he says to the women, who nod in agreement.
Emma slips my plain panties down my thighs. Jax sniffs, as if covering some other sound. He’s hiding his desire. I can feel it. I feel a surge of power again. This man wants me.
Nobody has ever wanted me.
The feeling is intense, more intoxicating than his drink. More addictive than his letters.
I think back for a moment to those words on those sheaves of paper. They started this whole thing. Why had I written him back? Somewhere in my mind, had I wanted this exact thing? A dangerous prisoner to escape, to take me, to sweep me away?
I was getting exactly what I asked for.
“Bring her out when she’s dressed,” he says, as if he can take no more. He turns back to the main room.
I don’t want him to leave. Not yet. “Hey,” I say. “Can I have that bath?”
He looks back, assessing me, and my body bursts with need. God, it’s like a drug. I want him to keep staring, to keep wanting. I’ve never felt so powerful.
His crisp white shirt is unbuttoned at the neck, and I can see his Adam’s apple working in his throat. “Yes,” he says and turns to Emma. “Give us a moment.”
The women hurry away to prepare the bath. When they are out of sight, he walks up very close to me. The thrumming in my body reaches a fever pitch. I don’t have on a stitch of clothing. The room is softly lit with lamps on either side of the bed. A more seductive scene never existed.
He’s only inches away. His finger touches me just beneath my chin. “You’re better than I thought,” he says.
I have to swallow hard to get any words out. “What do you mean?”
His hand moves to the small of my back and presses flat against my skin. He pulls me against his hips, and I understand what he’s talking about when I feel the hard bulge press against my belly.
“Some things you inspire without even trying,” he says.
I can barely breathe. We’re connected, the soft fabric of his pants luxurious against my stomach. His hand is warm and firm on my naked back.
“Damn, you are beautiful,” he says. His lips are inches from mine. I can almost taste him, the Old Fashioned probably still lingering on his tongue.
