Chapter 24
Holding her by the throat, I decide we’re going to be rough—rougher than we’ve been all night. My grip tightens, firm but controlled, and I push her legs off me. I slide out of bed and drag her with me to the edge, making her crawl to keep up.
I spot my belt on the floor and bend to pick it up, never letting go of her neck. “Don’t move, and don’t fucking talk, or you won’t like what comes next,” I growl.
I finally release her and wrap the leather around her wrists, fashioning makeshift cuffs. Then, I shove her back onto the mattress. Her body bounces, and I lean over her, chest to chest.
“I almost miss your talking,” I murmur, kissing her firmly. She smiles softly, and I guide her bound wrists above her head. “Stay, mouthy girl.”
Her lips part, but I press two fingers against them. “No talking. You lost that privilege.” She bites down on her lip.
Sliding off the bed again, I raise an eyebrow, as if daring her to break either of my rules: no moving, no talking. Her head tilts as she watches me. A slight infraction, but I let it slide.
In the closet, I open a drawer filled with remnants of women I don’t care to remember. The sight gives me pause. This isn’t the same. She’s not like them.
She’s not a submissive, not really, and she’s more than just some brat with a sharp mouth. Why do I have to like her so much? It’s the way she challenges me, the give and take. It’s all too fun.
I grab a pair of cuffs with a long chain. She’s not going anywhere, not until I’ve taken every part of her. Not until I fuck her ass. If she gives me that, there’s no pretending she doesn’t want this again. At least, I hope.
When I return to the room, she hasn’t moved an inch. Good girl.
I grip her ankle and pull her down the length of the bed. She giggles, light and wicked as I click open the cuffs and secure one end to her ankle, the other to the footboard.
Her lips twitch. She wants to speak, but I shake my head. “No talking, baby girl. Nod if you’re thirsty.”
She nods once.
“You get one word. Water or whiskey?”
“Whiskey.”
“Good call, baby girl. Bad girls get whiskey, not lube.”
Her jaw drops, and I savor it with a grin. I’ll be careful either way, but I am claiming her tonight.
All of her.