Captured By You: A One Night of Passion Novella (5 page)

He dipped his head and seized her mouth with his own. A puff of suppressed air flew out of her lungs. Her arms snaked around his shoulders, and she participated in a kiss that struck her as both blisteringly hot and restrained.

Sherona wanted more—much more—but he lifted his head.

“What do you say, Sherona?”

She nodded once, her throat feeling tight.

His white teeth flashed in an unabashedly triumphant smile.

“Thank you. I have everything we need in the trunk of my car.”

Alarm zinged through her. “What . . . You want to do it
now
?”

“Yeah. The evening light is perfect. Do you know someplace really private? In the woods?”

“I . . .” She glanced around nervously. Her heart started to do a drumroll against her sternum. “Yes, I think so,” she said, anxiety edging her tone.

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She looked up at his face and saw his warm appraisal.

“I’ll call Katie and Rill once we get to the car and tell them you and I plan to spend the evening together,” he said.

Sherona blinked when she understood the message behind his words. He was reassuring her safety by telling dependable, mutual friends they were together that evening. Not only
she
would know she was putting herself in his hands for the night; Katie and Rill would know, as well.

It shocked her a little to realize she trusted him—a stranger—so much that she hadn’t ever considered such a precaution.

She nodded once, and they walked toward the path hand in hand.

Chapter Four

She directed him down a narrow, tree-lined country road.

“We’ll have to leave the car and hike into the woods about a mile and a half,” she said when he pulled into the empty forest preserve entrance. “This is one of the least known entrances to the forest, and hikers typically don’t venture this far when they enter at other locations. If there’s no one in the parking lot, then there’s an almost one-hundred-percent certainty that there’s no living person within a three-mile radius,” she explained, pointing to the nearly invisible entrance to the parking lot. Chance turned.

She exhaled when she saw the empty lot, unsure if the leap of her heart came from nervousness or excitement.

“Perfect.” Chance swung into a spot and gave her a swift smile.

She came around the opposite side of the vehicle from him when he popped the trunk. She glanced inside, seeing a large backpack that she suspected held his camera and equipment, although she also saw several bottles of water through a partially opened zipper, a soft-looking, folded ivory blanket and . . .

. . . rope.

He noticed her take a step back.

“It’s okay. It’s not harsh rope. It’s nylon winch rope. I use it to haul equipment up steep elevations when I’m working in the mountains.”

She just stared at him, suddenly reevaluating everything she’d agreed to.

Was she fucking
crazy
?

Was she so starved for some adventure, so desperate for hot, raw sex with a gorgeous man, that she’d put herself in danger?

One look at Chance’s concerned expression and her anxiety eased.

“It’s soft rope, Sherona, but it still looks like the heavy-duty variety. I thought it’d look . . . well, incredibly sexy, to be honest, for a made-up capture scenario—the texture of the black rope winding around your pale, soft skin.” She blinked, heat washing through her at his quiet description. “But I also have some pieces of cloth in my pack. We could use those. Whatever you want.”

Sherona strove to keep her expression impassive as she leaned into the small trunk of the sporty coupe and grabbed the two coils of rope. She gave him a sideways glance as she stood.

“Follow me,” she said.

He didn’t reply, but she heard him behind her, hastening to comply with her request.

Twenty-five minutes later, they broke the thick canopy of the woods and walked into a meadow filed with Queen Anne’s lace, goldenrod and daisies edging a small lake cupped in the valley of the surrounding hills.

“Blimey,” he breathed, staring at the meadow. “Look at that color.”

Sherona turned to him for the first time since they’d undertaken their trek. He studied the scene through a narrow-eyed gaze. She’d been acutely aware of him behind her the entire time they’d been in the woods. It was the most amazing thing, but she kept having fantasies of running and having him chase her. The crotch of her jeans had actually grown quite damp, her scissoring thighs stimulating her sex even further as they hiked.

Did her body somehow
know
she could trust him, despite this risk?

“‘Blimey,’” she repeated uncertainly. “That’s good, right?”

His grin was sex distilled. “You better believe it, gorgeous.”

She couldn’t help but return his smile.

“Well . . . I’ll let you decide where to set up. You know the best angles for light and everything,” she said.

He nodded once and walked several feet ahead of her, casing the area with the tight focus she’d observed earlier at the co-op. Her heart did a little flip-flop when he paused, placed his backpack on the ground and spread the blanket on the meadow grass.

“Here?” she asked in a quavering voice.

He nodded and knelt to his pack. “The lake is great, but I like the evening light in the meadow more. Besides, the lake calls to mind a vacation getaway, while I want to convey—”

“A perv kidnapping an innocent woman so that he can have his way with her?”

His eyebrows rose at her droll comment. “You changing your mind, Sherona?” he asked, drawing his tripod out of his backpack. He also withdrew a bottle of water and handed it to her.

“Just tell me again that you’re
not
that perv,” she said, still clutching the black ropes with one arm as she grabbed the bottle.

“I don’t think I’m a pervert,” he said, standing up. “But if you think I am because I want to photograph you naked and tied up, then that’s all that counts. We’ll leave right now.”

“Everybody is entitled to their thing when it comes to sex,” she said quietly after taking a swig of water.

“I’m glad you think that. I happen to agree one hundred percent, as long as the participants are one hundred percent consenting and responsible adults.”

She bit at her bottom lip and glanced down at the black rope. “I’ll pose for you for the photographs—do anything that you want. But . . . if you touch me at any time, I want the camera turned off. I’m not agreeing to having you take photos of me while I’m having sex.”

* * *

“No worries. If that’s the way you want it, that’s the way it’ll be,” he said quickly, wanting to reassure her. He could tell it hadn’t been easy for her to say that. On the other hand, her declaration had made his cock lengthen. Her comment had alluded to the fact that she expected to have sex with him, didn’t it?

Was this a blessed day or what?

“So what do you want me to do?” she asked awkwardly.

“I suppose we could start by having you take off your clothes,” he said, bending to straighten his tripod.

Sherona set down the black coils of rope and unbuttoned her blouse.

He saw her undressing from the corner of his vision, but forced himself to keep his gaze fixed on his task. Something told him that Sherona needed some evidence of his restraint, and drooling as she temptingly stripped down to her naked skin definitely wouldn’t demonstrate that.

Still, he was only a man, and she was beyond sexy. He glanced up from his camera when she drew off her skirt and stood on the blanket, wearing only a tight tank top and matching panties. She looked up and saw him staring.

She held his gaze as she drew her panties down over her long legs.

Blood pounded into his cock, stiffening him to stone in an instant. Her image was arousing enough, but her
expression
; she
liked
showing herself to him, tempting him.

And was he ever tempted, he thought numbly as he stared at the juncture of her slender thighs. Her pubic hair was trimmed so short, he could clearly make out her fleshy sex lips, the slit between them beckoning him.

He couldn’t wait to see her spread wide. His sexual hunger mounted until it felt as if it gripped at his throat. His nostrils flared in arousal when she reached for a strap of her camisole and started to lower it. She watched his reaction, seemingly as mesmerized as he was. The clinging material lowered slowly over the upper swells of her shapely breasts. The nipples popped out, pink and distended.

A sharp pang of lust caused his cock to lurch.

This was going to be more of a torture than he’d realized.

“Stop,” he said suddenly.

Sherona paused with the tank top just beneath her breasts. The fabric was so tight, it pushed up the already firm, fulsome flesh slightly, exciting him.

“Leave it like that,” he muttered, his gaze glued to her breasts. The woman was a walking wonder of femininity. His cock leapt again in the confines of his boxer briefs when she immediately lowered her arms, following his instruction. He gave her a sheepish smile and turned his attention to his camera with great effort.

“Is it hard for you?” he asked, trying to divert his attention momentarily from her goddess-like form. “To be so beautiful?”

When she didn’t immediately respond, he looked up. Her cheeks were stained pink, but it was the incredulity and wonder he saw in her dark eyes that undid him.

“You
do
know you’re beautiful, don’t you?” he asked quietly, stepping toward her.

Again, she didn’t respond, but he saw her delicate pulse leap at her throat. His gaze lowered over her, stunned anew by her ripe sexuality. He met her stare.

“The camera is turned off. Can I touch you—just for a moment—before we start?”

“Yes,” she replied, the movement of her flushed lips sending prickles of excitement just beneath his skin.

He stepped closer and cradled her head in his palm, stroking her delicate jaw. She blinked. He had the distinct impression she’d assumed he wanted to touch her elsewhere and more intimately. Instead, he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her parted lips. His tongue dipped ever so briefly into her wet warmth. She was so sweet.

He lifted his head and held her stare as he slid the hair band at her neck off her ponytail. Neither of them spoke as he ran his fingers through the wavy, silken auburn tresses, spreading them around her shoulders.

“There. You’re temptation itself. Are you ready to begin?”

She looked a little startled when he stepped away. He was a little surprised himself that he was able to walk away.

“I think so.”

He picked up one of the coils of rope. “Why don’t you lie down on your side while I restrain you? I want to make you as comfortable as possible.”

Her breasts swayed alluringly as she knelt on the blanket. He noticed her glancing up at him, slightly puzzled, and realized he’d been staring down at her as she lay on her side, transfixed.

“Okay,” he said with what he hoped was matter-of-fact briskness. He knelt near her feet. “Like I said, this rope is smooth, but be sure to tell me if it feels too tight. It should be snug, but I don’t want it biting into your skin in any way,” he said as he began to tie her ankles together. And what tender skin it was, he realized as his knuckles brushed against her calves. After a minute, he sat back and inspected his work.

“You’re pretty good at that,” Sherona said. She’d braced herself on her elbow and was looking at her bound ankles. He’d neatly wound the rope from ankle to lower calf. He’d been right. The contrast of the black, winding rope and her pale, smooth skin was electrifying.

His beautiful captive.

He scooted toward her waist, absorbing the image of her flawless skin and flagrant curves with his gaze.

“I told you, I have to use rope a lot when I travel in the wild,” he said, grabbing the other coil of rope.

“And that’s the only reason you’re a rope master?” Sherona asked.

He glanced up to her face sharply and saw the small smile on her lips.

“Yeah, it is,” he replied sincerely. He knew she was implying that he had a lot of experience restraining women, and he wouldn’t deny it was a preference during sex. He’d never done it with anything as hardcore as ropes, however . . . nor did he typically bind a sexual partner at her ankles. The fact that Sherona was letting him amazed and humbled him.

She didn’t respond, and he couldn’t have said for sure if she believed him or not. All he knew for certain was that she held up her hands for him, her wrists together, ready to be bound.

“You really are something, you know that?” he said gruffly. “Don’t think I don’t appreciate how much courage this takes.”

“Thank you for saying that,” she said softly. He just nodded. He bound her wrists at the front of her body.

“Okay, you’re all set,” he said when he’d finished, realizing he was panting shallowly from excitement. Damn, this whole experience was scalding hot. He grimaced as he stood, trying to ignore his erection, which was increasingly feeling like a ponderous third limb throbbing next to his right thigh.

He approached his camera and got her framed up. He straightened.

“Okay, so let’s get clear on our scenario,” he said. He grinned when he saw her eyebrows go up in wry amusement. “You’ve been taken as my captive, but you end up being turned on by the whole capture scenario, too.”

“Of course,” she said drolly. “How convenient for you.”

He chuckled. “I’m hoping you’ll think it’s just as convenient,” he teased as he peered through the lens. His finger hovered over the button.

“Do you want me to look afraid?”

His mouth went dry at the sound of her low, smoky voice. He acutely felt his pulse throbbing along his cock. Damn, what had he gotten himself into with this woman?

“Sure. If you want to,” he said, keeping his tone level with effort.

She didn’t alter her expression drastically, but the whites of her dark eyes showed.
Holy shit.
He started clicking off photos. Despite the allure of her voluptuous body, it was her eyes on which he focused; they were large, velvety . . . like a doe’s when it recognizes danger.

Sherona’s eyes were damn near killing him.

“You’re not really afraid, are you?” he asked as he photographed her.

“A little,” she murmured.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. Just relax,” he said as he took one final shot and removed his camera from the tripod.

“I’m going to take some from above you,” he said, approaching her. He straddled her knees. The motion tightened his shorts over his rigid erection. He noticed those big brown eyes trained on his straining cock and hissed a curse.

“Excuse me?” she asked, looking disoriented. Her cheeks had grown bright pink now. Her lips had deepened in color as well.

“Nothing,” he mumbled, lifting his camera and framing her up. “Do me a favor and lift your hands over your head. Arch your back. Now look at me with those gorgeous brown eyes. Ah,
too
right, Sherona. You’ve got it perfect.”

“Is this when I’m supposed to start being turned on by the fact that I’m a captive?” she asked quietly, looking up at him with the whites of her eyes in full evidence, stretched before him like a delectable sexual feast ready for ravishment.

“I’ll let you decide that.”

He paused when she anxiously licked her lower lip with a quick pink tongue.

“You’re a tease, Sherona Legion.”

“I’m just playing the part.”

“Be careful. You’re playing it so perfectly, I’m starting to believe you,” he said, clicking off photos.

“Maybe you should.”

He paused and lowered his camera. For a few taut seconds, they just studied each other.