Chapter Twenty-Five
“Adventure?” Bella echoed. Her body went rigid.
Danny rolled across the bamboo sheets to the side of the bed, then pushed to his feet. He already missed the feel of her beneath him. Her cries of pleasure. The orgasm that robbed him of a piece of his soul.
The trust she’d given him was a gift beyond measure. Her willingness to confront trauma and find pleasure in its place.
But he needed to use that trust to keep her safe.
And pray she didn’t hate him for what he was about to do.
He slid the leopard-print scarf off her head and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Be right back.”
She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light. “Wait, aren’t you going to untie me?”
“The scarves are loose enough if you really want to get free.” He met her golden eyes, still dazed but now gathering confusion and a hint of wariness. “But I’m asking you to wait.”
Not bothering to throw on pants, he headed downstairs.
Fear rode him hard.
Not for himself. SEAL training had disciplined him, and combat had hardened him. He trusted his instincts. Knew how to survive.
But Bella? She was small. Soft.
Vulnerable.
He’d taught her basic self-defense.
Taught her how to use a weapon.
There was another set of skills she needed to learn.
The gala was three days away, and somewhere out there, an enemy waited to strike.
With Trip on his heels, he headed into the garage. An open toolbox sat on the shelf—screwdrivers, a hammer, pliers, a tape measure, and a box cutter. When he closed the lid, a roll of duct tape came into view.
That’s what he was looking for.
There was one other thing he needed. Returning to the living room, he scooped the romance novel off the floor, then shooed Trip out of his way as he grabbed a kitchen chair and carried everything upstairs.
“Miss me?” He made sure his voice held lazy amusement, hoping to ease the tension in her clenched fingers, the way her body curled inward in a protective reflex.
But she hadn’t released her hands.
His throat grew tight.
Because she trusted him.
He let his gaze wander over her perfect breasts with their tight pink tips, down the gentle swell of her stomach and hips to her bare mound, before continuing down her shapely legs to her pink-tipped toes.
Everything about her was perfection.
He wasn’t the only one looking his fill. Her eyes went wide, taking in his nakedness.
And his arousal.
Focus, asshole.
Then she noticed the items in his hands.
He held up the novel. “Remember what happens after they have sex.”
Bella’s eyes widened. “He leaves her tied up and she has to get free on her own.” The stutter in her voice made his gut twist.
He placed the chair by the bed, set the duct tape on the nightstand, and freed her hands from the scarves, his heart beating a staccato rhythm.
Lifting her into his arms was too easy.
She’d never fight off a man his size, particularly one with his skills.
Her bare skin against his was everything. He’d never leave this bed if they could stay like this. Just the two of them.
The contact ended way too soon. He placed her on the chair, then scooped his shirt off the floor and handed it to her. “Put this on.”
Her brows furrowed. “Why?”
“Because I can’t think straight when you’re naked.”
A rosy flush covered her chest and moved up to her face, but she slipped into his white dress shirt and buttoned it partway, rolling the sleeves up so that her hands peeked out.
“You gave me a precious gift, baby. Letting me restrain and blindfold you. I know how hard that was. I hope the pleasure I gave you made it worthwhile.”
Her tongue peeked out to swipe at her lips as she peered up at him through her lashes. “It was.”
Satisfaction rolled through him, but did little to erase the pit in his stomach.
“I want you to feel pleasure from being restrained when it’s with me.” He hesitated, then pushed the rest of his words out. “But I also need you to know how to get out of restraints if someone ever tries to take you again.”
He reached for the duct tape and tore off a long strip.
She went rigid, her breaths coming shallow and fast.
He bit back a curse, his stomach bottoming out.
He was an asshole.
“Y-yellow,” she stuttered. “Yellow light.”
His head dropped. Shame left a foul taste in his mouth.
“Honey. Hear me out first, and if you still want me to end this, I will.” He rested his palm on her knee. “You feel vulnerable right now. Helpless.”
A soft whimper escaped her lips, and it was like taking a slug to his chest plate in combat. “If, God forbid, someone ever takes you again, that’s how you’ll feel.”
That would happen over his dead body.
“You’ll have to overcome that feeling and focus if you want to save yourself.”
Silence.
Danny’s world narrowed to the tremble in her lips, the hitch in her breath.
He’d pushed too far, too fast.
“Never mind. This was a bad idea. I’ll—”
“No.”
He hesitated. “No? What are you saying, Bella?”
“Teach me how to get free.” Fear shadowed her words, but her voice no longer quivered.
He needed clarity. “Traffic light?”
A pause, then, “Green.”
Fucking-A. Pride expanded his chest. This woman. Her strength? Her resilience?
It put him to shame.
He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”
Before she could say anything, Danny gently pulled her arms behind the chair. “Trust me.”
Keeping her wrists trapped in his hand, he swiftly placed the strip of duct tape around them. “Duct tape is designed to tear—it has very little shear strength, so we’re going to apply force in the same direction you’d use to tear off a piece.”
He moved around to her front. “Stand up. Lift your arms over the back of the chair.”
Bella planted her feet and did as he’d instructed.
“Make your hands into fists, knuckles together, and create tension on the bindings—you want them to be as tight as possible.”
He stepped in close to check if she’d done it correctly.
“Perfect. Now, bend a little at the knees, arch your back, and raise your arms as high as you can behind you. You’re going to use momentum to drive your hands down on your lower back like you’re trying to bring them all the way forward to your knees. ”
Moving back, he gave her space. “Give it a try.”
The look she shot him wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence, but she did as instructed.
The duct tape stretched. Held.
Disappointment filled her eyes. “It didn’t work.”
“That’s okay. In a real-life situation, the adrenaline shooting through you will give you the strength to get free.” He scanned the room, his gaze settling on the open bedroom door. “Try this.”
Cupping her elbow, he guided her to the doorframe. “Use the edge of the strike plate to saw at the tape until you make a cut. Then try the technique again.”
Her back to the jamb, Bella sawed at the tape binding her wrists, stopping to check her progress. “Is that good?”
He inspected the half-inch tear in the bottom section of the tape and nodded. “Now try again.”
She leaned forward, lifted her hands and slammed them against her back in a swift, violent motion, almost stumbling to her knees when the tape gave way and her arms flew past her hips.
Her head snapped up. A smile blossomed, lighting up her face. “I did it!”
Danny’s heart somersaulted.
For a second, she just stood there, breathing hard. Then she drew back her hand and smacked him hard in the chest. “Your timing sucks!”
He blinked. Then threw back his head with a laugh before sweeping her into his arms and pinning her against the wall.
“Next time, you can tie me up naked and have your way with me.” Slanting his mouth over hers, he drank her in.
Legs wrapped his waist, and suddenly, training was the last thing on his mind. His shirt had ridden up her body, and his dick slid through the moist folds of her sex as her hips flexed, igniting an inferno of need.
His grip on her tightened.
She broke their kiss with a moan. Her heels dug into his lower back as she rubbed herself up and down his cock, slowly at first, then with more urgency.
“That’s it, Bella. Find your pleasure.” He ground his back teeth together, summoning every bit of discipline he had so he didn’t come before he got inside her.
Wedging his hand between them, he strummed her clit the way he knew she liked until she stiffened and arched her back, scoring his shoulders with her nails as she came.
Badges of honor.
“Danny!”
His name was a plea and a prayer, and it snapped his control. Positioning himself at her entrance, he thrust.
“Aw, fuck. You feel so good.”
Tight, hot, wet.
He buried his face in her neck and let go, driving into her as if he could imprint himself on her like a tattoo. An unfamiliar emotion gripped his lungs in an iron fist and weakened his knees.
This was more than need.
More than sex.
If anything happened to her.
Fuck.
She was everything.
I love you. He shouted the words in his head.
Now he understood why his teammates at Dìleas behaved like cavemen when it came to the safety of their women.
They knew they wouldn’t survive if they lost the one person who meant more to them than anyone else.
The orgasm rushed through his body, exploding like a grenade. He threw his head back and bellowed Bella’s name as he poured everything he was into her.
Danny’s chest rose and fell, his heart pounding a steady rhythm against Isabella’s breasts. Aftershocks of pleasure rippled through her.
The air conditioning blowing from the vent above their heads would have chilled her if his warm body wasn’t pressed against her. Her legs still clung to his waist.
Not a terrible place to end up. A pretty awesome place, actually, considering where they’d started, with her wrists bound and her brain trying to drag her into the past.
She was a survivor. She would not go down ever again without a fight.
And, unlike her father, Danny was giving her the tools, the knowledge she needed to protect herself, not simply rely on others to keep her safe.
Danny lifted his head, and something warm and tender spread through her chest. He was looking at her like she was…precious.
Say something, she silently implored.
What did she want exactly?
A declaration of love?
A vow that he’d never leave her?
She tapped on the mental brakes. If she went down that path, she might set herself up for heartbreak.
Better to stay grounded.
The remaining tape from her wrists dropped onto the carpet. She threaded her fingers through the damp strands of Danny’s hair and kissed him. “If that’s the way all my lessons in escape and evasion end up, I’m totally down for this.”
A crooked grin spread across his face. A real one, not the facade he slipped into so easily.
He eased her feet to the floor, then gave her a quick, firm peck on the lips.
“What’s next?” She scooted around him to gather her clothes.
The smell of sex perfumed the air. Her bed was wrecked, their clothes strewn around the room, scarves dangled from the bedposts, and her kitchen chair sat in the middle of it all.
Her stomach growled.
Danny chuckled. “Dinner. Tomorrow, we’ll move on to other escape and evasion techniques. Zip ties. Handcuffs.” He waggled his brows. “Could be fun.”
He turned to collect his pants, giving her a spectacular view of broad shoulders, a trim waist, and a firm butt—a butt with divots, for God’s sake. The man had the ass Hollywood actors would kill for.
Her mood flatlined.
In three more days, the gala would be over. Her father’s campaign would move on. Her life would return to normal.
Danny would get a new assignment.
She loved him.
The look in his eyes made her think he might love her as well, but he hadn’t said the words.
And she still wasn’t sure if she could live in his world of chaos, or if he could live in her world where everything had its place.
A piece of duct tape stuck to her foot. Lifting her leg, she peeled it off her skin and held it up, examining the torn section. Satisfaction settled through her.
Regardless of what happened between them, she wasn’t the same woman she’d been yesterday.