Page 62 of The Gilded Cuff
Wes was still watching her with far too much interest. Her body was all too aware of it. She was naked beneath the sheets, her wrists were chained to the headboard, and she’d been left alone in a room with two completely masculine men, both of whom made it clear they were interested in her. Why hadn’t Emery given her time to get dressed before he’d chained her to the bed if he knew these guys would be coming over?
She hadn’t forgotten Royce’s comment about a ménage. She tried not to think about what it would be like trapped between him and Wes, sweaty bodies straining, and the soft rush of panting breaths. But as soon as the image was there, it faded beneath a more powerful image of Emery. His hands on her, his body trapping hers, sliding into her, silky and hard, invading her again and again.
“She’s blushing,” Wes announced. One of his dark reddish-brown brows rose.
“It’s probably because you’re staring at her like a hungry wolf, Wes. Ease up on her. She’s far too modest for you. I made a play for her, and she wouldn’t have it. She’s all for Emery.” Royce got off the bed and headed for the massive flat screen TV mounted on the wall opposite the bed.
“Pity.” The dark focus of Wes’s cobalt blue eyes was as rich as the night sky and just as endless. He licked his lips, the action so positively seductive that her insides flipped and knotted uncomfortably.
Save me from gorgeous sexy men. Sophie focused on slowing her breathing and trying to banish the heat from her cheeks.
Royce was looking about for the TV remote when the door to the bedroom burst open.
Faster than Sophie could blink, Royce and Wes were facing the door, guns raised. They had guns? She hadn’t even seen where they’d been keeping them. When she finally turned her head to the doorway, she grinned in relief. Both of her watch dogs muttered curses and put their guns away.
“Hayden, what the hell were you doing? We could have shot you.” Wes started toward her. His handsome features were a mirror of Sophie’s friend’s, and she realized with shock that they had to be related. Brother and sister?
Hayden Thorne kicked her lips up into a grin and strode in. She was all fire and sass, everything Sophie wished she was. Hayden had the luscious body of a 1940s starlet, with high cheekbones and expressive eyes beneath graceful winged brows and a tumbling mass of red hair that made her look like Rita Hayworth. She was the sort of woman that Sophie couldn’t even be jealous of, because she was too nice and too loyal, and still an ass kicker at the same time. She was one heck of a girl, and from the moment she’d bumped into Sophie in town a few weeks ago, they’d liked each other instantly.
Hayden tossed her hair over her shoulders, ignoring the furious glares of both men.
“Hi Sophie, I heard you needed rescuing from my brother and his pal.” Only then did she flick a scathing glance at Wes and Royce.
“Hey, I’m not some pal. I used to babysit you.” Royce glowered thunderously. Hayden shot him a wicked grin, as though she’d spent all her life teasing him.
“Babysit? You didn’t babysit me. You just sat on me. I distinctly remember you shoving my face into the dirt and pulling my hair. You’d never know you were eleven years older than me, not by the way you acted.” She stomped past them and put a knee onto the bed to reach Sophie’s wrists.
“Now wait just a damn minute—” Wes grumbled low and warningly.
Suddenly Hayden had a Taser aimed at her brother’s chest. “Don’t try to stop me, Wes. I’ve had a long day and tasing you and Royce would bring me too much pleasure.”
Royce backed up a step, moving out of range. “Your sister sounds serious.”
“Hayden, you’ll regret making me angry.” Wes’s tone was silky and dangerous. He crossed his arms over his chest, a move that reminded Sophie of Emery, and her heart kicked back into the rapid fire pulse of panic. They were wasting time arguing. They needed to get to Emery and Hans.
“Oh yeah? What are you going to do, Wes? Nothing is more important than getting Sophie free and helping Emery. You men are too pigheaded to realize this is a trap. He and Hans are going to get killed unless we can get there in time.”
“And how do you know what’s going on with Emery?” Wes demanded through clenched teeth. Sophie wasn’t often scared, but she admitted that Wes made her a tad nervous. Hayden simply shrugged off her brother’s obvious anger.
“I bugged your phone months ago. Interesting phone sex, by the way.Ick.” Hayden shuddered theatrically but kept her Taser pointed at him while she used her other hand to unlock Sophie’s cuffs with a small key. Sophie couldn’t help but wonder why Hayden had a spare key ready.
“I’ll be sure to start every conversation with something inappropriate,” Wes muttered.
Royce laughed, a charming lopsided grin on his face. “So Hayden, I always had you pegged for a feisty submissive. Don’t tell me you’re secretly a domme?”
Wes sent a dark, blazing look at his friend. “What are you talking about?”
All of Hayden’s bravado wavered in the wake of her brother’s thunderous question. Her creamy skin turned ashen. Royce gulped and looked away guiltily.
“Hayden, what’s he talking about?” Wes started toward his sister, punishment gleaming in his eyes.
Sophie chose that moment to intervene. “Um, Wes, not to be rude, but can we talk about this later? Emery’s in danger, remember?” She slid off the bed, collected her clothes, and held the sheet with a curled fist at her shoulders.
The second she closed the bathroom door behind her she heard Wes yell.
“What do you mean my sister’s a member of the Gilded Cuff?”
Sophie winced in sympathy for Hayden.
