Dangerous (The Complete Erotic Romance Novel) (53 page)

“That pretty much sums it up.” Reid bent and opened the door of the woodstove, then tossed the cell phone into the fire. It crackled and popped, emitted a nasty stream of smoke, then started to melt.

He glanced up to find Ethan staring at him with trepidation. Just as Kendra had said, he was bound to the bed. Evidently he’d tipped it in his efforts to free himself. All he’d managed to do was get himself into a more uncomfortable position and open the skin at his wrists.

“Not how you thought it was going to be?” Reid asked calmly.

“You know it isn’t.”

Reid glanced openly around the cabin. “You really thought she’d like this?”

“She said she liked being tied up...”

“Being bound is different from being shackled,” Reid snapped. “A submission to pleasure is different from being kidnapped against your will.”

Ethan raised his voice to argue. “She said...”

Reid interrupted. “Did she or did she not invite you to kidnap her?”

Ethan glared at him, then muttered his reply. “She didn’t.”

“So, this was what you wanted, not what she wanted.”

“What are you going to do about it? Whip me?”

“You should be so lucky,” Reid replied. “I have no interest in either your pleasure or your pain. I also am not interested in ever seeing you again.”

“You’re firing me?”

“I believe you’re going to quit, first thing Monday morning. It seems you have other opportunities to pursue.”

“But I don’t and I need a job...”

“You should have thought of that before you kidnapped a co-worker.” Reid smiled. “And yes, I will file a report with the police to that effect, if you don’t quit on Monday.”

“All right already.”

“And if you ever come near or contact Kendra Jones again.”

Ethan gave him a sly look. “You’re welcome to that lying bitch.”

Reid struck him across the face hard and fast. Ethan’s head snapped to one side and he cut his lip on his tooth. Reid declined to wipe away the drop of blood. “That was for Kendra,” he said curtly, disliking the flare of his anger.

He seized Ethan’s boots and crossed the cabin, marching outside and tossing one as far to the left as he could and one as far to the right.

When he came back into the cabin, Ethan watched him more warily. “What do you really want?”

“Your promise.”

“Right. And then you’re going to set me free?”

“Something like that.” Reid removed a pair of clippers from his pocket, showing them to Ethan.

“You’re shitting me.”

Reid shook his head. “I’m not going to kill you or hurt you, as appealing as either idea might be. I’m not going to let Kendra be responsible for your death, either.”

“So, you want to make a deal.”

“It’s pretty simple.”

Ethan sighed in resignation. “I promise to never go near Kendra Jones again, and to never contact her again. I promise to quit Esperanza Enterprises on Monday morning, first thing.”

“And you promise never to assume you can deliver on a woman’s fantasies again.”

Ethan’s lips set as he considered Reid. “All right, that too. Cut me free.”

“It’s not that easy. You’re right-handed, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. What difference does that make?”

Reid put one booted foot on the cot and kicked it hard so that it settled upright again, with Ethan on his back atop it. He walked around the cot and nodded at Ethan. “It makes all the difference in the world,” he said, then he cut Ethan’s left wrist free.

He dropped the cutters on the floor on Ethan’s right side, then strode out of the cabin, leaving the younger man swearing in frustration behind him.

One problem solved.

* * *

The Jacksons were so nice.

Kendra felt as if she’d been left in the care of Reid’s parents or grandparents—except that anyone from her own family would have asked a lot more questions. Louise and Henry didn’t ask anything directly, beyond what she wanted to eat and whether she liked it. The supper that Louise pulled together in record time was far from being as simple as she called it, and it was delicious. The fluffy omelet with toast and a fruit salad was pure comfort food and exactly what Kendra needed. Louise even made her a cup of cocoa, making it from scratch the way Kendra’s grandmother used to make it, with cream and chocolate and sugar. She felt pampered, warm.

And safe.

Gradually, her fear slipped away and the trembling in her hands stopped. She found herself talking to the two of them as if she’d known them for years, laughing at Henry’s little puns and liking how Louise put her at ease.

It was only when she realized that Reid had been gone for more than an hour that she felt new concern. She glanced at the clock, fearing that her directions had been bad, or that Ethan had managed to surprise Reid.

What if something had gone wrong?

“Put that out of your mind,” Louise said as she finished her cup of tea. “Mr. Stirling will be fine, but I need some sleep if I’m to be making his breakfast for six. You look like you could use some, too.”

“I should go home...”

“Not at this hour. Come along, Miss Jones. I have a guest room with your name on it.”

“There’s no point in arguing,” Henry said in an undertone. “You’ll just lose.”

“I don’t want to impose.”

“On the contrary, something tells me that Mr. Stirling will have my head if you’re not safely here on his return.” Henry gestured after his wife with his tea cup, then finished his tea. “You’re not imposing, Miss Jones.”

Kendra was too tired to argue. She followed Louise down a corridor to a room as pale as a cloud. The bed was made up in moments, and Louise turned on the light in the bathroom for her. “We’re just back past the kitchen if you need anything. Forster’s apartment is behind the garage, and Mr. Stirling will be at the end of the hall when he returns.”

“Thank you, Louise.”

“It’s my pleasure, Miss Jones.” The older woman smiled warmly, then strode out of the room, closing the door behind herself. Kendra looked from the bed, with the duvet turned down, to the luxuriously appointed bathroom and couldn’t resist temptation. She treated herself to a short but hot shower, scrubbing off the taint of Ethan, then slid into the clean bed with a sigh. She meant to stay awake to wait for Reid, but she fell asleep within moments.

* * *

There was something deeply satisfactory about returning home to find this woman waiting for him. Reid stood in the doorway of the spare room for a long time, just watching Kendra sleep.

She looked serene again, which eased the tension in him. He was confident that Louise and Jackson had ensured that she had a good meal, and he liked seeing her in his home.

He felt that she belonged there.

And he realized that despite his insistence that he would never care for another woman again, despite his conviction that his arrangement with Kendra Jones would be purely about physical satisfaction and pleasure, she’d surprised him yet again. Maybe he’d been attracted to her because he’d sensed that she was the woman for him. Maybe she’d worked some magic on him. It didn’t really matter.

What mattered was that she was here, and he never wanted her to leave.

It couldn’t be the way they’d envisioned before, though. It couldn’t have any echo of what had happened to her tonight with Ethan. He was glad the safe room wasn’t completed, and he was surprised to realize that the old game of restraint and capture had no allure for him on this night.

He wanted Kendra. Just Kendra. No games, no toys, no pretense.

He moved from the doorway and crossed the room on silent feet, watching her as he leaned down to kiss her. He brushed his lips across hers gently, not wanting to startle her but needing her in this moment as he never had before.

Her eyes flew open and she caught her breath, her gaze scanning him worriedly. “Are you all right? It took so long...”

Reid put a fingertip over her lips to silence her. “Because it had to be done right. He’s never going to bother you again.”

Her eyes widened. “You didn’t...hurt him?”

Reid shook his head. “He’ll have a bruise, but it’ll heal. The important thing is that he’s learned there are boundaries.”

“You did that for me.”

“I promised to protect you. That stands for the duration, whether you want me or not.”

She smiled then, a smile that sent heat surging through him. “How could you even doubt it?” she said and reached for him. That was all the encouragement Reid needed to catch her close and kiss her again, as if his life depended upon it.

He had to wonder if maybe it did.

* * *

Relief destroyed every last barrier Kendra had against Reid. He’d defended her honor, kept his word and ensured her safety. He’d welcomed her into his home and was kissing her as if he’d never get enough of her.

Kendra twined her arms around his neck and lifted herself against him, wanting more contact and more kiss. Reid deepened his kiss, sliding his tongue between her teeth as his hand slid under the sheets. She was nude, and she liked the little growl of pleasure he made when he realized as much. She felt the warmth of his palm on her breast and moaned as she arched her back, inviting him to take all she had. She was in his arms then and she didn’t care where he did to her.

All she wanted was more of this intoxicating kiss. More of Reid. He lifted her in his arms and Kendra couldn’t help but tease him. “This bed’s not good enough for you?”

“My bed,” he said with a determination that filled her with delight. “I’ll have you in my bed and nowhere else.”

Then his mouth locked over hers with possessive heat. She kept her eyes closed as he carried her out of the spare room, holding her securely in his arms. Kendra didn’t care where he wanted her, only that he did. She was his for the taking.

Moments later, he laid her down and broke his kiss, which made Kendra open her eyes. They were in a bedroom and he’d put her on a king-sized bed. The room was furnished simply in black and white. The furniture was black wood, maybe ebony, and elegant. The bed was between two nightstands each with a chrome reading lamp. There was a desk by the window, which was draped against the night. There was a corridor opposite, which led presumably to a closet and ensuite. Kendra caught a glimpse of a white tile in the room that led off the corridor to the right. The end of the corridor had been recently extended and the drywall was patched but not painted. There was a room at the end of the hall and Kendra’s heart skipped with the hope of what it was.

The safe room.

She glanced up to find Reid watching her with a smile.

“Your safe room?” she asked in a whisper.

“Your safe room,” he replied.

“But it’s not done.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he murmured and she could have lost herself in the vibrant blue of his eyes. He bent to sweep his lips over hers. “I want you vanilla the first time in this house.”

The first time.

Because there would be more times.

Because they would be together.

“Yes, master,” Kendra replied, before he put a finger over her mouth.

“Call me Reid,” he commanded, his gaze hot.

Kendra swallowed. “Yes, Reid.” There it was, the proof she’d wanted that this was more than a transaction. Reid held her gaze as if willing her to see the secrets of his heart, and Kendra hoped she did.

Then his gaze swept over her and his smile turned hungry. “How can I have missed you so much in such a short time?” Kendra could have asked the same thing. His hand slid to cup her nape again, and he stood, drawing her to her feet before him. He kissed her again, slowly and deeply, leaving her yearning for more.

“Tell me what you want, Kendra,” he murmured against her skin.

“I want you. I want this,” she gestured to the safe room. “I want it all.” She smiled and reached for the front of his shirt. “And I want it now.”

Reid chuckled. “You really aren’t submissive, Kendra. You should be asking what your master wants.”

“But I know you want the same thing,” she dared to reply. He flicked her a hot look. “And I know you’re looking forward to training me to be more submissive.”

“Maybe I like when you’re demanding,” he said, his tone teasing. “Maybe changing things up keeps it interesting.”

“Maybe we’re making our own rules.”

Reid smiled. “Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be, when it’s meant to be.”

Kendra caught her breath at the intent in his expression.

His smile turned wicked before she could ask. “Don’t worry, Kendra. I have many plans for you tonight.”

The best part was that Kendra knew she would like them all.

* * *

Kendra was too sweet. She was too willing. She probably would forgive Reid for all of his sins and surrender herself to him even knowing all of the truth. She had a gift for surprising him that would keep his attention forever. She was fearless and she was passionate and Reid was beginning to think she was absolutely perfect.