7 Days of Seduction (7 page)

"No. I'm done, Ashley. If you don't think enough of yourself to remain in control of your actions, I'm the wrong man for you. I guess I was kidding myself to think I saw that potential in you."

"But, Hunter. It's just a drink, damn it." She got a little louder, probably the effects of the booze. God knew how many she'd had before he got there.

"You don't need it, Ashley." He stared hard into her face, willing her to listen. "You remember I told you I watched you this past spring? That's how I knew you ate lunch on Wednesdays at Café Milano."

She nodded.

"One day I sat there, out of the way, just looking at you." Drinking her in. "You'd finished eating and your cell buzzed with a text. You picked it up and opened the message. I don't know who it was from, or what they said, but your face lit up with this incredible look of joy--like someone had just offered you the world." She'd glowed with an inner light that took his breath away. "And I wanted to be the one to put that look back on your face."

She stared at him, swallowing convulsively as if choking back words. Or tears.

"But if you can't stop this nonsense," he gestured to the drink still in her hand, "I'll walk away. It's me or the drink, Ash. That's the choice." He held firm, though the thought of giving her up ate at him. He'd carried that image of her face in his mind all summer. Planned his seduction down to the last rumpled sheet. That it might be derailed by her drinking had never occurred to him until last Friday night. He'd hoped that had been a fluke.

Because he wasn't about to start a serious relationship with a woman who might spiral out of control at any time. Been there, done that. And he had the scars to prove it. He closed his eyes briefly, willing away the awful images. This was the test. She had to be willing to try to stop. He held his breath.

Ashley looked at the drink in her hand then stared off into space toward the kitchen. Contemplating refreshing her glass? Damn. A final glance at that smokin' hot body brought a sigh. All that beauty wasted. He turned to the door.

"Wait, Hunter."

He paused, his hand on the knob. Ashley was on her feet, beside him, the drink discarded somewhere along the way.

"I'm sorry." She placed her small tanned hand on his arm. Her face contorted, eyes squinted, lips trembling. "Of course, I choose you."

Life flooded back into him, filling his very pores with a joy he'd thought he'd lost. The gym bag thumped to the floor. He grasped her shoulders and pulled her to him, enfolding her with a possessive grip. As she nestled her head against his shoulder, she hitched sobs that sounded sweet to his ears. She was his now. He'd make sure of that.

* * * *

Ashley tried to burrow into his chest then realized what her sobs and runny nose were doing to his shirt.
Damn
. He probably
should
leave her ass. Raising her head, she swiped at her streaming eyes with her hand. It came away with a black smear of mascara across the back and she groaned. She must look like a raccoon or worse.

"God, what a mess." If she could get to the bathroom, she might be able to repair the ravages of this meltdown. But he refused to budge when she tried to pull away. "Let me go wash my face, Hunter. I'm a fucking wreck."

"I don't mind," he said, his lips in her hair. He tightened his arms around her.

"But I do." She continued to pull away, before she ruined his clothing. "I need to get my shit together and then we can explore your little bag of tricks." Her smile dimmed when he didn't return it.

"How much did you drink before I came over?"

She dropped her gaze then her head. "Only two."

"Truth?"

She nodded and risked a glance at his face. The hard planes had never been apparent until now and her stomach lurched.

"Okay. Go get cleaned up. I'll be in the kitchen when you're done." He cupped her cheeks, his big hands warm and reassuring as he peered into her eyes. More like into her soul. Then he released her and she fled to the bathroom.

She had no idea how long it had taken to almost repair the damage and hoped Hunter hadn't given her up in disgust. Her face still looked blotchy and her eyes could have been an ad for a Visine commercial. Otherwise, she hoped she passed muster. Drawing a deep breath, she clicked off the light and headed toward the kitchen, only now wondering what he would be up to in that room.

A pungent aroma of coffee hung in the air as she rounded the corner. The overhead fluorescents cast their normal harsh light over a not-so-normal scene. Hunter turned from the stove, a frying pan in hand. The table was set for one and he nodded her toward the seat already pulled out for her. Moments later, he slid a fluffy omelet onto her plate, cheese and mushrooms oozing from the side. He poured black coffee into her cup.

"Cream or sugar?"

"I thought you were supposed to drink it black." She grimaced. One reason she slept off her binges was disgust at the thought of black coffee.

"Myth. The coffee just wakes you up, so cream and sugar don't matter. So you take both?" He set the pot down and grabbed the bottle of Vanilla Caramel creamer from the fridge.

"Just the creamer. It's sweet enough." She poured a generous dollop into the steaming cup. For someone who didn't drink, he sure knew a lot about the after-effects.

Delectable smells from the omelet mixed with the coffee and her stomach gave a growl of approval. She'd opted for alcohol rather than food before their date. Not knowing what to expect from Hunter had made her apprehensive. And excited. She'd had to change her panties twice before the alcohol had calmed her nerves. God, just the thought of what he might do to her made her wet. So she could choose either panty liners or rum and coke. And if he was so set against booze, next time it would be the liners.

She grabbed a fork, gave him a quick smile, then cut off a bite and popped it into her mouth. An explosion of flavor, more than just egg and cheese, widened her eyes.

"This is delicious." Her words came out muffled as she savored the concoction. "What did you put in it?"

"A bit of this and that. You have a fairly well stocked spice rack." He grinned and she relaxed even more. Apparently, he'd forgiven her. "But I take it you don't cook?"

She shook her head and continued to plow through the omelet. The man was phenomenal. Not only the best damn lay she'd ever had, but he could cook. And well. What other talents would she discover?

"This is going to sober me up?" she asked between bites.

"Myth number two. Only time sobers you up. I figured feeding you would be a pleasant way to kill the time until you're sober enough for the real fun and games." A dark flash from his brilliant eyes arrested her breath. "Remember what I said about keeping up your strength."

Heat erupted throughout her body, as if a switch had been flicked on, shooting her temperature skyward. Her stomach flipped at the wild imagery that rose in her mind. Her fork clattered to the table.

"You want some of this?"

He grinned and pulled the plate toward him "Want me to keep up my strength too, do you?"

Suddenly, she could laugh about it, butterflies having flown the coop. "Of course. It wouldn't be too much fun for me to play by myself, now would it?"

"With yourself, perhaps, but alone, no." His chuckle washed over her, calming her and somehow putting them on equal footing. This was Hunter. And though she hadn't known him all that long, they seemed to have passed some threshold of trust now. She could take whatever he had in mind to throw at her. That realization filled her with a power and confidence she'd never known with him.

She spent the next hour and a half talking and touching him-- hands, arms, fingers, feet. Not sexual but exploratory, they learned each other in ways as intimate as any sex they had shared. Discovering likes, dislikes, and ticklish spots, Ashley hummed with collected energy until he whispered, "Let's go."

Flickering lights in what should have been her dark bedroom sped her heart rate. Several groups of tall pillar candles around the room gave off a fresh, waxy smell. Thank goodness, there were no sweet floral scents. The light blue duvet cover turned back revealed blue striped sheets. She stood appreciating the romance of the room. Hunter moved to stand close behind her.

"I guess it will be novel to make love in a bed." Her hushed tone seemed right for the moment.

"And other things," Hunter whispered as he kissed her ear. "Are you ready to see what's in that bag?"

She nodded, concerned only with his lips as he nibbled down the nape of her neck. The mystery of the bag no longer filled her with anxiety.

"Show me."

Once naked, they sat on the bed and he opened the satchel, laying items on the mattress beside her. A yellow taper candle, a box of matches, a black condom, a beach towel and strips of black cloth. The last item sent a quiver of apprehension through her and she picked them up.

"What are these for?" Though curious, she wasn't afraid, even though she suspected what they were.

"Restraints." In the wavering light, his mouth curled in a sensual smile. "I wanted to tie you to the bed tonight, Ashley."

Her heart leaped, her stomach dropped, and her pussy clenched.
Keep breathing
.

"I knew you had a really kinky side. Just didn't know when it was going to show itself." She turned the strips over, running them through her fingers. The softness of the fabric belied their purpose. She glanced at the brass bars of her headboard. "Well, you've got the perfect setting for it." Raising her gaze to his face, she nonchalantly handed the restraints over. "You want to put these on me now?"

"I'm actually thinking I'll save them for later. Concentrate on the other goodies." He shoved the black strips back into the bag. "Do you know what the candle's for?"

She shook her head.

"Watch." He grabbed it and lit it from one of the pillars then waited a minute for the wax to collect around the flame. Ash watched, fascinated as he held his hand out, palm down, and dripped the hot wax onto the back of his hand. He didn't flinch, but his eyes grew round briefly.

Her stomach flipped suddenly. "You want to drip wax on my hand?"

"On your body."

Her sharp intake of breath sounded loud in the quiet room. Almost louder than the hammering of her heart. The game had gotten much more real in the past thirty seconds.

"And you want to tie me up first so I won't struggle." It had come down to the wire. If she refused, he might still walk away. Did she want him badly enough to trust him that much?

"I would never do that, Ash." His deepened voice said it offended him that she would think such a thing. "We don't have to use the ties. Or we could use them later, just for sex." His smile encouraged her and she relaxed.

"But you want to do the wax?"

He nodded. "It's a BDSM activity called wax play. It can evoke sensations you've never felt before."

"You're into BDSM?" Hunter loved experimentation, but this sounded beyond anything she was prepared to do.

"Not really. An ex-partner of mine would do this with me." His gaze pierced her. "I've never forgotten it."

She probably never would either. And really how bad could it be?

"Well, I guess we could try it. But I don't want to use the restraints. Until later…maybe." That hungry grin surfaced, making her stomach take a nosedive again.

"Okay." He set the small candle on the bedside table. "Spread the towel out on the bed and lay face down on it. I'll be right back."

Towel beneath her, she stretched out as far as she could and grasped the bars of the headboard. She could hold on to them if the wax hurt. Like biting on a bullet. Engrossed in these thoughts, she didn't see him come in. The clink of ice in a glass made her start up off the towel and told her he'd returned.

"What did you do?" Maybe he'd gotten thirsty.

"You'll find out in a minute." She jumped as he pressed his lips to her left butt cheek. He laughed, throaty with excitement. "Enjoy the anticipation."

Like that's going to happen.

"Do you see now why I needed you to be sober tonight, Ashley? And we need to give you a safe word."

"Safe word?"

"A word you say if you really want me to stop. If you just say stop, you may not mean it. People often find their pain threshold is higher than they think. They'll say stop early on, but won't say the safe word until they've reached that ultimate limit."

"So what's my safe word?"

"It should be something a bit unusual, that we won't confuse with stop or no."

Ashley stretched, clenched the bars, thinking hard. "How about red?"

Hunter laughed and she jumped as he kissed the other cheek. "Thinking about yesterday's little
tête-à-tête
? Yes, that'll be fine. Red. Like a stoplight."

She nodded. That sounded good. Red. She needed to remember that…

The first drop of candle wax hit the cheek he had just kissed and she shrieked, as much from surprise as from the dart of pain that welled forth. The image of a hypodermic needle plunging into her ass rose in her mind.