Page 14 of Bedded and Bred

“Eventually you have to. Or did you have some other plan in mind? Because you can’t keep me here tied up forever.”

He laughs and his hand darts out to catch at my hair and push it out of my face. A little trickle of unease skates along my spine. I don’t want him to touch me. It feels wrong. But his fingers catch my hair painfully and he yanks me around until I’m gritting my teeth and holding in tears.

“I don’t need to. A couple of nights and you’ll realize that you picked the wrong man and you’ll realize we’re meant to be together.”

Oh hell no!

There’s no way I’m sleeping with this guy.

“And what do you think you’re gonna do to me to convince me not to kick your scrawny ass from here to kingdom come, Jesse? Because if you thought it was a bad idea to kidnap my woman, you’d best realize it’s a damn sight worse to think you’re gonna fuck her to get her to change her mind and pick you. I mean seriously, how big of an idiot are you?”

My eyes widen and I smile for the first time in what feels like forever.

Cannon is leaning negligently on the door jamb, his eyes locked on his nephew warily but he scoots a smile my way. “Hey, baby girl. You alright?”

“I am now,” I say, breathless. He looks good enough to eat and my girly parts are getting all worked up even though Jesse’s still in the room.

Cannon saunters into the room, his attention on his nephew but as he paces I can see him mentally working things out and before I know it, he’s managed to put himself right between Jesse and I. I don’t think Jesse’s realized it yet.

“Now, Uncle Cannon…”

“Nope. You’re not getting out of this one. You kidnapped a woman.” His glare is arctic and I shiver, feeling ice slither along my skin. “You kidnapped my woman, you idiot! Did you really think I’d just say the hell with it, I can find another one?”

Jesse’s face falls into another pout. “I would.”

“Obviously not since she told you repeatedly she wasn’t interested and you still felt the need to hunt her down like an animal.”

“I wasn’t hunting her. I just wanted a chance. You know, to talk to her and let her meet the real me.”

I snort and roll my eyes and Cannon grins. “I’m sure she knows you pretty well. And she doesn’t seem really impressed.”

Jesse snarls and I tense, not sure what’s happening right now but not liking it at all.

“She might be if you hadn’t shown up.”

“She’d already told you repeatedly to leave her alone and you were well on the way to getting stalking charges. But you’ve managed to make those charges look like penny ante since you decided kidnapping was the way to go.”

“I didn’t kidnap her.”

He looks over at me. “Well, what do you think Beth? Did you come with him willingly or did the idiot kidnap you?”

“It wasn’t willing, that’s for sure.”

Jesse reaches out and pushes his foot in between his uncle’s knocking at my chair leg. I scream when it tilts and squeeze my eyes shut, unable to catch myself.

But after a second, nothing happens and I open my eyes to find the chair on its side and Cannon holding me carefully, like I’m spun sugar or porcelain.

“There’s my baby girl. How are you?”

I glance around. “Where is he?”

He grunts. “He decided to take his chances with the sheriff, I think. I’m pretty sure he didn’t make it past Gage.”

I laugh, giddy with relief. “So you didn’t come by yourself?”

“Nope. I brought the cavalry with me.”

My head is floating and my eyes don’t want to focus. It feels like I’m swimming through soup and I close my eyes, nausea creeping up my throat, threatening to overwhelm me.

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