Page 63 of Watch Me Burn
I reposition her so the moonlight from her window bathes her bare skin.
“Nope. Arms up.”
She grips the headboard slats. Alcohol softens her gaze, but trust radiates from every curve of her body.
I pull the zip ties from my pocket, the plastic clicking as I secure her wrists to the wood.
“Perfect.” My finger glides down her inner arm, her skin pebbling beneath my touch. “Now I’m going to taste every inch of you.”
My mouth finds her throat first, lips tracing over her racing pulse. She arches beneath me as I trail my lips lower, over her collarbone, the valley between her breasts, and the smooth expanse of her stomach.
“Please.” She lifts her hips.
My hands spread her thighs wider, and I lower my head, just as footsteps echo in the hallway. My body goes rigid.
Fuck!
Luna’s head shoots up, lips parting in surprise. My fingers snap the zip ties, and my hand clamps over her mouth.
“Quiet. You don’t want us to get caught, do you?”
Blood roars in my ears.
“Lu?” Maren’s voice drifts through the door.
I drag the covers over Luna’s exposed body, up to her chin, and spring from the mattress. The doorknob turns, and I dive across the room, pressing my spine to the wall behind the door as it opens.
“Luna?” Maren’s voice is thick with sleep. “You okay? Thought I heard voices.”
Luna blinks hard. “What?” The word comes out strangled. She coughs to clear her throat. “Yeah. Just a weird dream. I think I was talking in my sleep. Sorry if I woke you.”
Maren yawns. “You sure? It sounded like—”
“I’m fine. Promise. Too much wine.”
“Tell me about it. My head’s already pounding. Why are the cats and Shadow in the hall?”
The cats streak into the room and launch themselves onto the bed, purring as they settle around Luna. Shadow pads through the doorway, nostrils flaring. My muscles coil as he pauses, but then he ambles to his bed and lies down.
“I got up for water earlier. Guess I didn’t notice they were still out there.”
Maren yawns again. “Okay. Night.”
The door clicks shut. Footsteps fade down the hall, followed by another door closing.
I count to thirty before moving. Luna lies frozen beneath the covers, her eyes reflecting what little light filters through the window.
“That was close.” Her words slip out on an exhale.
“A little too close.” I shoo the cats away and pull the covers back down, exposing her to the cool air. “Where were we?”
“Are you sure we should do this?” Her knees fall apart even as doubt colors her voice.
“We’ll just have to keep you quiet.”
I snatch her panties from the floor, not sure how Maren missed them, and stuff the fabric between Luna’s lips.
Her eyes flare wide, then darken as her lids grow heavy with want.
