Restrained and Willing (26 page)

She was dead-dog tired. The trip had been grueling and taken
its toll on her already frayed emotions. Not the contract negotiations. That
portion of the trip was a breeze. The three partners of the marketing firm had
bent over backward, giving her pretty much anything, no matter how small the
matter or how large the amount. They’d wanted her back that badly. The coup de
grâce—a full partnership at the end of two years. Not totally surprising, since
she’d brought in a ton of new clients during her time with the company.

Too bad someone else hadn’t wanted her that much.

No. No. I will not cry. I shed enough tears on the flight
to New York and back.
Thankfully, she’d sat next to a window both ways,
feigning sleep so neither flight attendant wouldn’t bother her and just let the
silent tears flow. At least she’d had the foresight to grab a wad of tissues
and stuff them into her purse before leaving for the airport.

At JFK, she’d stuck on a pair of dark sunglasses and kept
her head down until she could scoot into a miraculously empty restroom for a
much-needed makeup repair. By the time a few stragglers had come in, she’d
looked halfway decent and less like one of those scary creatures that jumped
out at you in a haunted house around Halloween.

When the company jet arrived along with a couple red-eye
flights at Hopkins, her ravaged face could have used another repair, but since
more than half the people around her were sleep deprived and looked worse than
seasoned zombies, she’d figured she had probably fit right in.

At the moment, all she wanted was to forget her troubles for
now and find her bed.

Shoulders slumped, she keyed the deadbolt at the top of the
steps and entered her apartment. She haphazardly dropped her small travel bag
on the floor, and ignoring the dull thud, gave the bolt lever a halfhearted
twist.

Expelling a deep breath, she turned.

“Agggh! Christ!” She slapped her hand over her thudding
heart until she recognized the identity of the shadowy, masculine form leaning
casually against the large sectional dividing the living room from the
entryway.

“Pierce? What…” She had to swallow twice to get her heart
out of her throat. “What are you doing here? How’d you get in?”

“Hello, sweetheart.” He agilely pushed away from the couch
and made his way toward her.

She took a step back. Bumped into the door and thrust out
her hand. “Don’t come any closer.”

He stopped short of arm’s reach. “I take it you’re not glad
to see me. Not that I blame you. Since you wouldn’t return my calls, I decided
nothing less than a face-to-face discussion would do.”

“The last time I called, you cut me off,” she accused,
stiffening her resolve. Tall, all hard masculine muscle, she wanted nothing
more than to fall into his embrace and be comforted by the strength of his
arms.

“For which I’m deeply sorry.”

“I think it best you leave.” Her voice trembled slightly in
spite of her efforts to keep it steady. She’d made a decision regarding their
relationship and was determined to stick by it.

He shook his head. “Not happening, love. Not until I’m
forgiven for my insensitive stupidity and anything else I’ve done to cause you
needless pain. And,” he brought his hand from around his back and held up a set
of fur-lined black leather cuffs, dangling from the ends of small linked
chains, “I get to use these.”

She gasped. Firmly shook her head. Focused on his shadowy,
handsome features, she hadn’t even noticed he was hiding something. Damn, but
those looked familiar. Nah. Couldn’t be. She lifted her gaze. “I don’t think
so.”

He nodded. “Ohhh, yeah. Once they’re attached to those trim
wrists of yours, we’ll test the sturdiness of those hooks behind your bedroom
screen.”

She stiffened. “You snooped!” Sure now that those were, in
fact, her cuffs he held, she took a long step forward, not caring she’d put
herself well within his reach. “You have a lot of nerve.”

He barked a laugh. “Hell, yes, I snooped through your
things. Figured turnabout was fair play after all the times you rifled through
our junk. Jesus! We didn’t know whether to be pissed off at your audacity or
laugh our asses off. Most times it was the latter, and somewhere along the
line, it turned into a game. Challenged us to find more inventive ways to guard
our private things. Devise hidden compartments.” He let a light smile claim his
lips. “Speaking of which, while I was waiting I happened to stumble across your
interesting collection of toys.”

Shit!
He’d found her hidden stash in the closet. The
image of his using them on her, the sensual torture she’d be made to endure
until he brought her to a screeching orgasm, spurred a wave of heat that
flushed her entire body. Especially those parts that stirred to life at the mere
sound of his low, sexy voice. She shored up her determination. A herculean
struggle, but she finally managed.

She shifted to the side, indicating the doorknob with a tilt
of her head. “I think you know the way out.”

“Also…” he continued obviously ignoring her blatant
dismissal. “I have no intention of leaving until I see you in the crotchless
leather outfit you teased me about when we were at the country house.”

The snort she released was a far cry from feminine. “Dream
on. I sure as heck won’t be wearing it for
you
.”

“Then I guess you won’t be wearing it for anyone. Especially
not dear old
Dr. Do-Right
. In case you were entertaining the idea.”

The hint of jealousy in his voice as he leaned closer
ignited a spark of pleasure in her. She marveled at the sensation for all of
two seconds before shoving it back into the cave it slithered out from. “Fine.
I’ll give the outfit to you on your way out. Consider it a going-away gift. Use
it for your next sub. Although I highly doubt it will fit the petite black-haired
chick I saw you with at McLafferty’s.” She shrugged. “With a few tucks here and
there, the fit might suffice. A little roomy around the chest, but she can
leave it unzipped,” she said snidely. “Knowing you, I doubt she’ll be wearing
it all that long anyway. And if you think I’m going to be your little fuck
buddy on the side—”

“Heather, enough!”

Automatically reacting to his Dom tone, she jerked to
attention. Nearly begged his forgiveness before she jailed the natural response
behind clenched teeth.

The deep breath he took expanded his remarkably wide chest
even farther. “I intend to do a fair amount of groveling. You deserve that much
and I admit to fucking up. But you
will
listen. Sans spiteful remarks
and without interrupting. Even if I have to tie you down and gag that sweet
mouth of yours. Granted, a nervy move on my part, but I’m determined to do
whatever necessary to make this right between us.”

He dropped the chains and cuffs with a chorus of clinks and
light thuds onto the side table that defined the small hall space and turned
back with a determined gleam in his eyes that had her taking a cautious step
back.

Since she’d been stupid enough to put herself well within
reach, it only took a single long stride for his hands to capture her in a
sturdy grip.

Before she could form a protest, his lips hit hers with the
speed and accuracy of a striking puff adder. Both were deadly. The poisonous
snake’s bite to an inferior human body. Pierce’s kiss to her shoddy willpower.
Damn. Sometimes loving someone sucked.

He slid his arms around her, securing her in his unbreakable
hold.

Weak-willed, pitiful woman who she’d become, she melted
against his hard muscled body for long drugging seconds. She needed to taste
him, feel his warm strength against her one last time. Wallow in the safe
feeling she always got when in his seductive embrace. Gather all the memories
she could capture so she could drag them out on all the lonely nights ahead of
her without him.

Needing to end the intimate contact or risk melting into a sobbing,
begging puddle at his feet, she yanked her head sideways so he couldn’t
recapture her lips.

He imprisoned her chin between his fingers and yanked her
head back around. “Fine. Let’s get this over with so we can get back to the fun
stuff.” His green eyes glittered with purpose.

“Wha—”

He ducked down, caught her across the stomach and tossed her
over his wide shoulder.

“Are you nuts?” She pounded his back. He didn’t even flinch.
“Put me down.” She wiggled. Gyrated. Sawed her legs. Attempted to grab a hunk
of the back of his leg for a hard pinch, but the taut thick jeans wrapping his
muscular legs prevented her from getting a good grip.

All she gained for her considerable efforts was a sharp
pinch on the ass, her silk skirt providing little protection. She yelped.
Stilled. “You asshole.”

“Asshole?” He paused for a second and she thought he might
let her down. Instead he growled, “Keep it up, you belligerent little brat, and
you’ll find yourself bare-ass naked over my knee. Remember I said it’s all
about choices. Well, here’s yours. Either calm down, snap that lovely trap shut
and hear me out. Or take your punishment first and hear what I have to say
later.”

His use of her pet name and the deep throaty threat sent a
flow of warmth between her legs that only made her madder. She was not going to
let this man get to her.
Get a grip.
She silently cursed her traitorous
body, telling it no matter how much it craved him, it wasn’t going to get what
it wanted.

Heart pounding furiously, she lashed out. “You wouldn’t dare
spank me. I don’t belong to you. Ohhh, if I were a man—”

“If you were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he
said, clearly amused as he continued walking. “I don’t swing that way.”

His light chuckle hiked her ire up another three notches.
“How— How can you joke at a time like this? Nothing about this is funny.”

“It will be. When you look back. Oh, say, in about five or
ten years.”

“You’re more likely to grow tits before that’ll happen,” she
whipped out the sarcastic remark without thought. A whack on her upper thigh
was his answer, bringing to light just how high her short skirt had hiked up.

“You’re wrong about not belonging to me, sweetheart. You do.
And I have every intention of keeping it that way.” Reaching the front of the
couch, he dumped her onto the seat cushions.

Her teeth clicked, snapping her lips closed over the words
threatening to spew out. Good thing for him, since she’d been about to paint
the cool air blue by telling him exactly what she thought about his high-handed
treatment.

“Well, you can’t have me.” She levered up on her elbows and
glared. “I don’t share,” she grumbled under her breath.

“Not another word. I swear to God, Heather, I
will
gag you if that’s what it’ll take to make you listen.”

She compressed her lips.

“That’s a good little sub.”

He was purposely taunting her, but she refused to rise to
the bait. Fuming, she sat up. When she grabbed the hem of her black pencil
skirt to pull it down from where it had crawled up during her indignant ride,
he clamped a restraining hand over hers.

“Leave it. I like the view.”

Had his voice been more commanding, less gentle, she
would’ve told him where to stuff his request. But if she did, he’d make good on
his promise to
stuff
something in her mouth. Her eyes automatically
dropped to his crotch.
Holy crap!
He was rock hard and about to bust his
zipper. It took every bit of her waning conviction to drag her gaze back to his
smug face.

Damn him. How she hated his self-control when she was so
rapidly losing hers.

“Fine,” she snapped with no attempt to tone down her anger.
“Look your fill. Just don’t touch. Unless you want to lose a couple of
fingers.”

“Which ones? These two?” He held up his index and middle
finger.

She resisted the urge to clamp her legs together, thinking
of how much sexual havoc he could wreak with those two talented digits alone.
Get
your head out of your pussy, Heather.
She gave herself a mental shake.
Okay, she’d hear him out and then toss his fine ass out the door. Instead of
the gratification she expected, the thought nearly choked her. Never to see him
again. Touch him. Kiss him. She fought back the tears that threatened to
escape.

I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not shed another
tear over this lying jerk, ever again.
Barely finished with the chant, she
felt the delicately spun fibers of her heart disintegrating faster than cotton
candy in an unexpected downpour.

Damn it! Why couldn’t she have fallen in love with a man who
could return her feelings? Not someone incapable of opening his heart. Oh,
wait. He had opened it. To another woman.

“Ready to be quiet and listen?”

“Sure.” She removed her suit jacket with agitated movements
and blindly flung it. She took it off more for a distraction than any necessity
to shed the garment. Apparently, Pierce hadn’t seen the need to turn up the
heat she’d adjusted to low before she’d left. Didn’t matter, chilly air or not,
she was plenty hot—under the collar. Feeling a tad more under control, she cast
an exaggerated glance at the gold designer watch on her wrist and looked up.
“You have fifteen minutes. Talk.” She compressed her lips.

Pierce sat down sideways on the couch next to Heather. The
thin golden second hand on the diamond-studded black-faced timepiece could tick
until Satan sprouted white angel wings for all he gave a damn. He wasn’t going
anywhere. He gave a silent shake of his head, not knowing which he wanted to do
more. Kiss her senseless or shake the stubborn stuffing of her. Either worked
for him as long as he got to touch her. The sexy woman was driving him crazy.
Even in a major snit, everything she did seemed to turn him on. Like her
heaving chest pressing her ample breasts against her thin, silky blouse, the
impression of a lacy bra beneath, leaving no doubt as to the location of her
pointy nipples. He fought his inclination to demand she take the garment off so
he could clamp his mouth on to the hard little nubs, tease them with his teeth,
suck and nibble until she squirmed.