Playing with Temptation (26 page)

She flinched at the word and the hatred dripping from his voice.
Keep him talking.
“You put the handcuffs on my door and spray-painted those words?”

“The handcuffs were a gift I thought we could use together. I mean, take a look around your store, Raina. You clearly like it hard and rough and kinky, and I could have given you that.” He took another deceptively casual step toward her. “I was waiting so patiently for you to come around, to realize that you and I belong together, and I don’t appreciate Logan taking what is mine,” he said, the spite in his voice spewing out like venom.

“I’m not
yours
,” she said, the words slipping out before she could stop them. The last thing she needed to do was agitate him further.

“Not anymore you’re not.” His gaze raked down the length of her in disgust. “Now you’re nothing more than a filthy, dirty slut, and I’m going to treat you like the fucking tramp you are.”

He quickened his steps, and in a panic, she spun around, desperate to get to the open storeroom so she could dart inside and lock him out. Just as she reached the doorjamb, he caught her hair and pulled hard, jerking her head back and throwing her off balance. Before she could regain her equilibrium, he shoved her down to the tiled floor. She hit the ground on her hands and knees. The jarring impact sucked the breath right out of her and made her head spin.

She tried to scramble back to her feet but didn’t move quickly enough. He pushed her again from behind, flattening her body to the floor, then roughly flipped her over and straddled her thighs. She lashed out with the only weapon she had—her hands and nails. She went for his face and eyes and managed to put a couple of deep scratches across his cheek before he caught her wrists and yanked her hands away.

A spine-tingling madness burned in his gaze. “Goddamn bitch!”

He manacled both her wrists in one hand, his grip so strong it felt as though he could easily snap her bones. She was utterly helpless. She couldn’t move her arms without crying out in agony. It felt as though he were going to fracture her hands, and she clenched her teeth against the sharp pain while tears of frustration filled her eyes.

He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs—just like the ones he’d left on her door. He snapped one around her wrist, then jerked her hands over her head and looped the chain around the solid steel leg of one of the shelves in the storeroom before securing her other hand, rendering her completely defenseless. He sat back on her thighs and touched his fingers to the blood trickling down his face where she’d gouged him. Fury filled his expression as he rubbed the red substance between his fingers, a cruel smile forming on his lips.

“See, I knew you liked it rough,” he said callously. “And that’s exactly what you’re going to get.”

He ripped open the front of her blouse, scattering the buttons across the floor. Her chest heaved in real terror at what was about to happen. She tried to buck him off, but he had her hips pinned beneath his weight, and judging by the lust darkening his eyes, he seemed to like her struggles. He moved down a little farther, shoved her skirt up to her waist, and tore her panties off in one fierce tug.

She cried out in anger, and when he started to unzip his pants, she knew she had one last chance to try and reason with him.

“You really don’t want to do this, Jared,” she implored softly, attempting to appeal to some kind of sympathetic and rational emotion in him. “Not by force and not without my consent. You’re hurting me, and it’s
wrong
.”

A flicker of hesitation glinted in his eyes but was quickly snuffed out by anger. “Shut the fuck up, bitch!” He slapped her so hard across the cheek with the back of his hand that her ears buzzed and she saw double. “You deserve it like this,” he yelled bitterly.

He forced her legs wide apart, and despite the pounding in her head, her blurred sight, and her shackled wrists, she thrashed her lower body, refusing to make any of this easy on him. His weight beared down on her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, her entire body stiffening against the assault to come. But instead of being violated, she felt his chest lift from hers as he jerked back with a grunt.

Startled and confused, she opened her eyes and saw Jared in front of her, still kneeling between her legs as he frantically clutched at the muscled arm wrapped around his throat. Logan stood behind him.
Thank God
, she thought in a rush of relief. Jared’s face turned red, his eyes bugged out, and awful, gurgling sounds rose from his throat as he struggled to breathe…and then suddenly his entire body went limp.

Logan dragged him off of her and threw him to the floor. A sob of gratitude escaped her, but when Jared didn’t move, horror replaced that brief reprieve. “Oh, my God, Logan. Did you
kill
him?”

A muscle in his jaw flexed, and his gaze flashed with a barely concealed violence. “I should have strangled the fucker, but I only choked him out. He’ll be unconscious for about a minute, so I need to get him restrained quickly, before he comes to.” He stepped over Jared’s lifeless form to one of the inventory shelves and pushed aside an array of toys in his search for something he could use.

“There’s bondage tape on the second shelf,” she told him. “You can bind his wrists and ankles with it.”

Logan found the item and none-too-gently secured Jared’s hands and legs before opening a new package of handcuffs to retrieve the universal key inside. He knelt by her side and freed her. She sat up, and he took one look at the reddened marks on her wrists, then at the welt she knew was forming on her cheek, and a new wave of rage transformed his features.

“
Fuck
,” he said furiously, which was so at odds with the tender way he touched his fingers to her injury. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, thanks to you. You have impeccable timing,” she said with a forced smile, then winced at the pain that gesture inflicted to the side of her face. “He slapped me, but that’s the worst of it.”

“Thank God that’s all he did.” He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and pressed his forehead to hers, their mouths inches apart. “When I walked in the back door and heard Jared’s voice, I was so afraid that I was too late, and I’d never be able to forgive myself if he’d—”

Hearing the anguish in his voice, she pressed her fingers to his lips, not wanting him to speak the words. “He didn’t.” And that was all that mattered.

A groan from behind Logan ended their conversation. He switched his attention to Jared, who was starting to regain consciousness.

Logan stood and helped Raina up, too. “Go into your office and wait there,” he said, pulling the sides of her blouse back together so she was covered decently again. “I’m going to call the police, and you don’t need to be in here with this prick when he wakes back up.
I’ll
deal with him.”

She nodded in agreement and did as he asked, grateful that the whole ordeal was finally over and she could get back to a normal life. Which also meant the end to her and Logan. Because despite everything wonderful they’d shared, she understood what he refused to believe. That the novelty of being with her would wear off quickly, and most importantly, she didn’t fit into that traditional white-picket-fence family he still so clearly wanted and envisioned for himself.

A
n hour and
a half later, Logan was finally driving Raina home. The police had arrived within ten minutes after he’d called 911, and Logan had also called Dean to let him know what had happened. Raina agreed to press charges against Jared, and the other man was put under arrest and taken to jail. Then came the multitude of questions and statements that seemed to go on forever when Logan could see just how exhausted and weary Raina was. At least he’d been able to coerce her into eating half of the chicken sandwich he’d gotten for her, even though she’d insisted that she had no appetite after the attack.

When he arrived at her place, he parked the car and cut the engine, then opened the driver’s-side door to get out, but she caught his arm before he could exit. He glanced back at her. Since leaving the store, she’d been quiet, her body language stiff and withdrawn, and he absolutely hated those walls she was already erecting between them.

“You don’t need to walk me to my door,” she said quietly.

“Yes, I do,” he said firmly.

She released a breath and finally looked at him, resignation in her gaze. “Your job is done, Logan. I’m not your responsibility anymore.”

Was she fucking kidding him
? Apparently not, and he tried very hard to keep his irritation over her sudden casual brush-off in check. She’d just gone through a traumatic event and obviously wasn’t thinking straight. She couldn’t be, given everything that had happened the past week, and especially tonight.

He gave her a tight smile. “I’m not the kind of guy who dumps a woman off at the curb under
any
circumstance, so humor me, okay?”

She said nothing more and thankfully didn’t argue further when he escorted her up to her apartment. When they reached her unit, he took the key from her hand and unlocked the door, holding it open so she could go inside before him and disengage the security system. She walked into the kitchen, set her purse on the counter, and faced him with a whole lot of distance separating them.

She tugged the sides of the sweater she’d put on back at the store to cover up her torn blouse, wrapping it around her like a shield. Her chin lifted a fraction, her headstrong personality making an appearance, which was completely at odds with the bruise already discoloring her pale cheek.

“Thank you, for everything,” she said, her tone frustratingly pleasant and bland. “But you don’t need to stay.”

“You’re still shaken up, Raina.” He could see that she was barely holding things together, trying to be so capable and strong, but the truth was, she looked pale and fragile and on the verge of an emotional meltdown, and he wasn’t letting that happen without him being there to give her the comfort she needed. “I’m not leaving until I’m absolutely sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, then shook her head, the weariness in her gaze returning. “I’m going to take a shower.”

He watched her walk away and toward her bedroom, her shutout clear and painful. He scrubbed a hand along his jaw and knew he had two choices…leave her on her own and let her isolate herself and her emotions, or force her to face those trust issues of hers and tear away every reason she had to doubt his intentions and his growing feelings for her.

His choice was a no-brainer. Raina was his, and he wasn’t giving her up without a fight.

Determination fueled his steps into her bedroom, and he followed the trail of her clothing on the floor into the adjoining bathroom. She was already in the shower, her naked silhouette visible through the frosted glass, and he didn’t hesitate to strip off all his own garments, then opened the door to join her.

She was standing still under the spray, letting it beat down on her back and over her shoulders. Her arms were crossed around her waist, and in that unguarded moment, her beautiful blue eyes were huge pools reflecting all the pain she’d tried to hide from him out in the kitchen. She looked so desolate his heart ached, and he stepped inside the glass enclosure and came to a stop in front of her. The tips of his toes touched hers, and she stared up at him, the longing in her eyes unmistakable, even if she couldn’t voice that too-vulnerable emotion out loud.

She didn’t have to say a word. He’d give her everything she needed. A safe haven. Security. Stability. And yeah, even love, he thought, knowing without a doubt he was already heading in that direction with her.

“I’m not leaving you alone tonight,” he said huskily, wanting to make sure he made that very clear.

This time, she didn’t argue.

Very gently, he pulled her arms from around her middle, then brought one of her wrists to his lips for a tender kiss where her skin was still chafed and sore from Jared’s manhandling, then repeated the process on the other. He stared deeply into her eyes. “Let me take care of you.”
Always
, he wanted to add but kept that to himself for now.

She moaned softly, as if struggling with the urge to give herself over to him so completely. Emotionally. Mentally. Physically.

He touched his fingers to her damp cheek, and she closed her eyes and gingerly rubbed her face against his palm. “Let me in, Raina,” he whispered.
Trust me not to hurt you
.

Her wet, spiky lashes fluttered back open, a combination of heat and desire swirling in the depths of her gaze. “Logan…” she breathed, a sweet, sensual hitch in her voice.

“I’m right here, sugar,” he murmured as he skimmed his thumb along her bottom lip. Whatever happened tonight, it was up to her to make the first move. But once she did, all bets were off, and he was going to make certain she knew that she belonged to him. Her heart, her body, and her soul. He’d leave no part of her untouched. Unclaimed.

Tentatively, she pressed her hands to his chest and dragged her palms down his tight abdomen, her mouth lifting up to his. “I need you,” she said against his lips, the words anguished. “
Please
.”