Chapter 14 #2
She’d gaped at him in disbelief when he called her a ‘brat,’ and then his threat of a spanking resulted in a scowl.
Without saying a word, she stood and stormed back into the bedroom after he stepped aside to let her pass.
Before he could say anything, she spun around and pointed her finger at him.
“So, was everything a ploy to spy on me, or were you spying on me, and getting me in your bed was just a fringe benefit?”
Ian growled, and his eyes narrowed. “I was keeping you safe, not spying on you. And I never considered you a fringe benefit to a job.”
As soon as the last three words were out of his mouth, he knew they’d been a mistake. A horrified expression fell over her face, and he wanted to kick his own ass.
“So, I was just a job to you? Is that how you do all your jobs, Ian, from under the bed sheets?” He recognized when a thought occurred to her and could guess what it was.
“What about when you weren’t around, huh?
Brody wasn’t home all day, so how were you keeping me safe then?
” She watched as a guilty expression he couldn’t stop came over his face, and he knew he was in deeper shit with her.
“There are cameras in my house, right? Brody and Boomer put cameras in my house when they set up the security system, didn’t they? Whose idea was it—yours or Jimmy’s?”
She didn’t wait for an answer, and her voice was getting louder with every question until she was yelling.
“You fucking bastard! Was everyone at Trident enjoying the show while I showered and got dressed every day? What about the night of the gala? Did you get a porn movie out of it? Out of what you had me do in the kitchen the next day? What’s the going rate for amateur porn these days, Ian? ”
He couldn’t take it anymore. She was borderline hysterical, thinking the absolute worst of him, and wasn’t letting him get a single word in.
He tried to put his hands on her shoulders and barely shifted his hips in time when she tried to knee him in the groin.
Furious that she missed, Angie pounded his chest with her fists.
He grabbed her wrists and forced her onto her back on the bed after pushing her bags out of the way.
He didn’t want to hurt her but needed her to calm down before she hurt herself, so he straddled her hips and held her arms above her head.
Squirming around and bucking her hips, trying to unseat him, tired her out pretty quick, and he relaxed a little when she slowed and then stopped fighting him altogether.
Unfortunately for Ian, at this point, she started yelling at him again, calling him every name in the book and a few she must’ve made up on her own.
For the first time, he wished he’d brought another woman up to this house before because he could use a set of restraints and a gag at the moment.
Brody might have some in his room, but Ian wasn’t about to bring one of his teammates into Angie’s line of fire, and she was pissed off enough at Egghead already.
This was Ian’s doing, and he’d take full responsibility for it.
Improvising, he unbuckled his belt with one hand and pulled the leather from the loops around his waist. With quick, practiced motions, he flipped her onto her stomach, pulled her arms behind her back, and restrained her wrists before she realized what he was doing.
Still cursing him out, she bucked her hips again, trying to get him off her thighs.
“Angel,” he leaned forward and growled in her ear, “all you’re doing is wearing yourself out and making me harder than I already am.
All your hip action makes my dick remember what it’s like to be inside your sweet body while I fuck you hard and fast. Now, calm down and listen to me, or my hand and your ass will get real intimate with each other, and last Friday’s paddling will seem like love taps when I’m done with you. ”
“You wouldn’t dare!” She rotated her head to glare at him over her shoulder. Her beautiful eyes blazed with anger, and her hair was in complete disarray.
He shifted to the side to give himself access to her ass cheeks and landed one hard smack atop the right one.
She screeched and tried to move away from him, but she couldn't go very far with her hands tied behind her and his right leg still over her thighs.
His hand came down on her left cheek as she shrieked his name in a full-fledged fury. More followed.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
He continued until her rage finally broke, and she sobbed. Ian immediately rolled her to her side and pulled her to his chest, murmuring words of comfort. The last few hours of fear, anger, confusion, and hurt poured out of Angie with the buckets of tears she was crying.
“It’s all right, Angel. Shhh. It’s all right. Please let me explain everything, and if you still want to stay mad at me, I’ll back off. But until then, you’re going to listen to me, and no matter what, you’re going to do what I say when it comes to your safety. Okay?”
It was several more minutes before Angie got her emotions and tears under control again. “L-let me go.”
“Not happening, sweetheart. Not until you hear me out.”
She rubbed her tear-stained face against his T-shirt-covered chest. She was apparently still angry and hurt, but the fight had drained from her body, and exhaustion had taken over.
“Please, Ian. I promise I’ll listen to you, but no more lies.
I want the truth—all of it. J-just let my hands go and give me a moment alone in the bathroom. Please.”
He eased her back so he could study her face.
Her eyes were red and swollen, and his chest squeezed, knowing he was the cause of her heartache.
Even upset and bawling, the woman was beautiful.
She blinked and looked into his eyes, and he knew she was telling him the truth about listening to him—and wasn’t that fucking ironic?
Reaching behind her, he undid the belt restraining her wrists as fast as he’d tied it on her.
As she brought her arms back to her front, he rubbed them from her wrists to her shoulders, ensuring there was no stiffness and that her circulation was good.
Before he let her sit up, he placed a single lingering kiss on her forehead and murmured, “I’m sorry, Angel. ”
He didn’t explain further because he was sorry for more than he wanted to admit. He’d never meant to hurt her in any way, but he had, and now he had to live with the consequences, praying she would forgive him.
With a weary sigh, Angie pushed off the bed and walked into the bathroom without saying a word.
This time, she didn’t bother locking the door after she eased it shut.
Ian turned down the covers on the bed, picked her bags up from the floor, and unpacked her new things.
He folded the clothes, neatly lining everything on his dresser so she could find whatever she needed.
From the attached bath, the toilet flushed, and water began to flow into the sink before shutting off again a few minutes later.
Just as he placed a winged-back chair next to the bed for their conversation, the bathroom door opened, and Angie emerged, calmer yet drained.
Her hair wasn’t as wild, and her tears were gone, but her eyes were still red and swollen.
She stood there, unsure what to do next, eyeing the bed and chair.
When he handed her one of his T-shirts, she stared at it in confusion.
Slowly spinning her around to face the bathroom door again, he gave her a slight push.
“As much as I like how you sleep naked, I’d rather you wear this to bed in case we need to leave in a hurry.
Jenn has a few things in the bedroom she uses, and I’ll see if there’s a pair of her running shorts or pajama pants for you after we talk. ”
Two minutes later, Angie walked out of the bathroom for the third time since they’d arrived at the house forty-five minutes earlier.
She wore the T-shirt, which came down to the middle of her thighs.
He wondered if she’d also removed her panties and gave himself a mental kick for even thinking about it.
When her bare legs drew his gaze, he tried to ignore the twitching of his cock and gestured for her to climb into bed.
She frowned and looked out the window, and he knew she was surprised to see the sun had set.
It was after seven p.m., and six hours ago, her life had been normal.
After she climbed into the bed, Ian drew the covers up to her chest, pulled the chair closer to the head of the bed, and sat down.
For the first time in years, he was unsure of himself in front of a submissive.
But Angie wasn’t just any submissive… no, she was more than that, and he had no idea what to do about it.
She watched as he dragged his hands down his face in frustration before speaking.
“Let me tell you everything I know, and then you can ask questions. Okay?” He waited for a response, and when she nodded, he continued with a sigh.
“Athos approached Trident after we met the night he was at your place. Apparently, he investigates all your new neighbors, which I would do if I were him.”
He shrugged, unashamed. “I want to investigate any guy who Jenn goes out with, but she won’t tell me their names because she knows I’ll do it. Anyway, Athos told us he was going back undercover, and there was a slim chance you might be in danger if his cover was blown.”
Angie’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would it be a problem all of a sudden? He always took precautions so no one could ever connect the two of us.”