17. Let’s Go Home Angel #2
“I was working at a diner, and he’d just quit another job.
He came in drunk, caused a scene, and when I tried to call him a car to go home and wait for me, he accused me of cheating and hit me in front of the entire diner.
My manager called the cops, and he was arrested.
It only got worse from there…” By the end, she’s whispering, her eyes somewhat vacant, and she’s staring off as if she’s remembering it all as she speaks it aloud.
Clearing her throat, she looked back over at me.
“Anyway, after a few more years, I realized I couldn't do it anymore, and I ran. I used as much money as I could on gas, and I ended up here. New number, fake ID for the phone, everything I could think to do so he wouldn’t find me. But, as you now know, that hasn’t worked.
So, here I am. The broken little doll he wants to play with again, I guess. ”
I pushed my leg in between hers and used my other arm to run my fingers along her jaw, doing my best to bring her fully back here with me. Back to our safe place.
“Stay here,” I suddenly said.
She looked up at me, her brows drawn together. “What?”
“Stay here with me. At least until Wyatt can figure out where this asshole is, and we’ll deal with whatever comes next after that.
” She looked doubtful and bewildered all at once.
“Please, Aspen. I think we’d both feel better with you staying here.
I’ll kidnap you if need be, I don’t mind.
I have some rope I use around the ranch.
I can easily tie you to the bed.” I leaned down and kissed her, gently at first, until she started kissing me back and I lost all sense of the word gentle.
The kiss quickly turned into a mess of lips, tongues, and teeth clashing together.
The past was temporarily forgotten here in our safe haven.
“Rowan, please,” she gasped as I started kissing down her jawline and the column of her neck.
“Tell me what you want, angel,” I muttered against her soft skin as I dragged my lips and tongue down the column of her throat.
“You. I don’t want to think of anything but us—together.
Please,” she said. Her eyes were closed, and part of me knew she was avoiding her feelings and trying not to talk about this anymore than she already had tonight.
The other part of me, however, knew I could use this to get what I wanted—her to stay here, where she belonged, here with me. Safe. Happy.
I stood up off the couch, and she stared at me in confusion. “What?—”
I leaned down and scooped her up and carried her upstairs and into my bedroom—our bedroom, as far as I was concerned.
“We can go back tomorrow and get you some clothes and art supplies,” I told her. “Or you can just wear my clothes, and I’ll buy you more supplies. Whatever sounds better to you.”
She stared at me for a moment and then shook her head. “I never said I’d stay.”
“Oh, you’re staying, little angel.” I tossed her in the middle of my bed, a cocky smile growing across my face. “Strip, Aspen.”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes went wide as my smile grew.
“You don’t want to think? Talk? Discuss this? Fine. I’ll abide by your wishes—for now. In exchange, it’s my time now. So, strip, little angel,” I said with a smirk.
She bit her lip for a moment and then let out a sigh, as if she knew I would win this one way or another.
As she pulled my shirt from her body and tossed it to the floor, I turned and walked into my closet.
My room had the same large windows as the living room, just on the back of the house.
A king-sized bed sat on the far wall. I’d made it when I’d designed the mantel in the living room, so it was all the same wood.
The part that I was excited about, though, was the headboard.
It was made up of three two-by-six pieces of wood lying horizontally, with roughly two-inch gaps between each, where rounded bars of wood went down vertically and met with the rest of the wood that held up the mattress.
I hadn’t thought of it until Aspen came into my life, but those rounded bars were perfect for the strips of rope and what I had planned for her this evening.
I reached into the back of the closet where I’d thrown the delivery bag and came back out to find her kneeling in the middle of the bed, completely naked. As if my cock wasn’t already more than ready to take this woman.
“Now what, cowboy?” she asked.
I let myself look her over and enjoyed the view before I smirked. “Wrists together and in front of you.” She stared at me for a moment. “Do you trust me? Answer honestly, Aspen.”
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation. She stuck her arms in front of her, her wrists together like the perfect angel that she was.
I sat on the side of the bed, pulling her closer to me, and started wrapping the rope around her wrists like I’d seen before.
“Uhm…where did you learn…” she started asking, her cheeks slowly getting pinker.
“A tutorial from a club Wyatt has been doing some work for. It’s called a double column tie. It’s a basic knot that leaves a bit more room for your wrists without too much so that you can’t easily pull out of them,” I told her, happy I’d looked into this the moment I’d been interested—just in case.
“Wow…do you…do you uh—do this often?”
I finished up the last bit of the knot and looked up at her.
Clearing my throat, I tried not to sound like a moron.
“I—you’re the only one I’ve done this with, Aspen.
I just had the idea after we’d met and looked into it, just in case.
You sort of inspired me after the belt incident.
I didn’t want to be unprepared for you. I wanted it to be good for you and safe, so I asked the experts. ”
She stared at me, and a small smile graced her face as she nodded. “What next?”
“Lie back in the middle of the bed, arms above your head,” I replied.
She did as I asked, and I quickly tied the rest of the rope to the middle bar of my headboard.
Stepping back off the bed, I looked her over.
“Fuck, angel. You’re a goddamn dream,” I muttered—more to myself, but I could tell she didn’t mind hearing the praise.
“You’re still dressed,” she whispered, nerves clear in her voice.
I smirked again. “Yes. Yes, I am.” I walked back into the closet to grab one more thing and then came back out to the bed. Her head was lifted as she tried to see what I was doing. “Ready to have some fun?” I asked.