Authors: Natasha Rostova
The Naked Truth (31 page)
‘Let go! I swear, Logan, I am throwing you in prison for this.’ Callie kicked him in a fury, feeling a grim satisfaction when her shoe made contact with his kneecap.
‘Callie, calm down.’ Logan clamped one of the cuffs around her wrist and attached the other to a bedpost.
‘I will not calm down!’ Callie railed. ‘How could you do this to me? How could you trick your own wife into getting on this stupid boat? You know,
this
is exactly the problem! You can’t just run around thinking you’re a goddamn sheikh expecting everyone to follow your orders and kidnapping women to take to your . . . your tent in the desert!’
this
is exactly the problem! You can’t just run around thinking you’re a goddamn sheikh expecting everyone to follow your orders and kidnapping women to take to your . . . your tent in the desert!’
‘I am well aware that I’m not a sheikh,’ Logan replied dryly. ‘Moreover, I don’t even own a tent. Or a desert, for that matter.’
His total control infuriated Callie all the more. She gave him another furious kick, aiming directly for his groin. Unfortunately, he moved aside just in time.
‘Ow!’ Pain radiated up Callie’s shin as her toe slammed against the table. The pain shocked her into submission and she sank down on to the bed, panting heavily. She slipped off her shoe and glowered furiously at Logan. ‘Now look what you did. My toe is broken.’
He approached her and reached down to examine her foot. Callie yanked her foot away from him.
‘Don’t touch me.’ She peered down to look at her throbbing big toe. Before she could stop him, Logan grasped her ankle in his hand and took her toe between his thumb and forefinger.
‘Does this hurt?’ He wriggled her toe from side to side.
‘A little,’ Callie admitted grudgingly.
‘I doubt it’s broken. It’s probably just bruised.’ He left for a moment and returned with a roll of gauze.
‘You’d better go back to the bridge or we’re going to run aground,’ Callie said.
‘Don’t worry. I dropped anchor.’ Logan tore off a length of gauze and began wrapping her toe, giving her a mildly amused look. ‘I suggest you refrain from kicking anything else with this foot. Particularly me.’
Callie scowled. ‘Don’t you dare laugh at me. I am so sick of you and your damn
loas
.’
loas
.’
He finished wrapping her toe. ‘My what?’
‘That’s why voodoo isn’t working on you,’ Callie muttered. ‘It’s because you have too many protective
loas
around you. They keep diverting the power of my spells. I swear, Logan, I’m asking the mambos to put a black magic spell on you next.’
loas
around you. They keep diverting the power of my spells. I swear, Logan, I’m asking the mambos to put a black magic spell on you next.’
He lifted a quizzical eyebrow. ‘What makes you think that will work any better?’
‘It’s worth a shot.’ Callie slipped her shoe back on. The ache in her toe began to ebb a bit, but she still wished she could kick Logan from here to kingdom come. ‘Now, would you please turn this boat around and drop me off on the shore? And what is with this handcuff?’ She jiggled her wrist furiously. ‘You unlock me right now, Logan Waterford, or I swear I’m filing for a divorce.’
Logan leant his hips against the back of a chair and shook his head. ‘Sorry, calla lily. Not until we figure this out.’
‘What is there to figure out?’ Callie retorted. ‘I had it all figured out that you were an overbearing, domineering ass, and now I have it further figured out that you’re also a deranged kidnapper. See? All figured out. So take me back right now.’
He gave her a brooding look. ‘Is there someone else? That fucking Goth?’
Callie latched on to the explanation as if it were a lifeline. She’d only seen Eldrich platonically since their night of weird poetry and candle wax, but Logan didn’t have to know that. ‘Yes. Eldrich and I are lovers. There. Adultery is grounds for divorce.’
Logan’s mouth twisted. ‘Eldrich?’
‘He’s very romantic.’
‘Uh huh.’
Callie glared at him. ‘You don’t believe me? You can ask Tess.’
‘Yes, she seems like a very reliable source of information.’
‘See? There you go with the contempt again! Tess happens to be one of my closest friends.’
‘And I suppose you’ll be dying your hair green next,’ Logan replied coldly. ‘Was she the one who introduced you to voodoo, or was it your punk lover?’
‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ Callie taunted. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. ‘And wouldn’t you especially like to know that Eldrich was a much better lover than you ever were?’
Logan’s lips thinned as he came towards her. Callie recoiled slightly, remembering all too clearly what had happened the last time she criticised his sexuality. She swallowed hard at the memory.
‘Is that right?’ Logan asked in a voice that was deceptively soft. ‘And did you nearly milk his prick dry the way you did mine last Saturday?’
Callie flushed hotly. ‘You bastard.’
‘Did you?’
‘None of your goddamn business,’ Callie flung back. ‘Why? Have you been with another woman? Would it assuage your guilt if you found out the truth about me and Eldrich?’
She knew quite well that she was pushing him too far again, but she’d had enough. As a matter of fact, he should be worried about pushing
her
too far this time, dammit.
her
too far this time, dammit.
‘We’re not talking about me,’ Logan replied.
‘No, of course not! We never talk about you, do we? Everything is my fault.’
‘Now you’re channelling the Queen of Melodrama again.’
Callie struggled against another urge to hit him. ‘It’s not melodrama!’ she shouted. ‘You refused to listen to me or even to try to discuss our marriage, so why should I bother explaining anything to you?’
‘Because you’re my wife.’
‘And you’re an arrogant bastard.’ Callie lashed out at him with her free hand, managing to give him another hard slap across the jaw.
Logan’s expression darkened. ‘Not a good move, Callie.’
He reached for her free hand and the second set of handcuffs. Callie yelped in outrage and tried to scramble back on the bed, but Logan came after her. Hindered with one wrist already cuffed to the bed, Callie kicked at him with both feet and tried to rake her fingernails over his face. Unfortunately, the battle was short lived.
‘Callie, stop it,’ Logan snapped. He grabbed her flailing wrist and forced it down on to the bed. Callie thrust her knee upwards, catching him close to the groin. Logan swore and pushed her down, then straddled her waist and held her free wrist over her head.
‘Get off!’ Callie shouted. She twisted and tried to shove him off, but it was like trying to move a freighter. Tears of frustration filled her eyes. ‘I hate you.’
‘I’m beginning to discover that.’ Logan clamped her wrist to a bedpost and looked down at her, his expression hard.
Panting, Callie glowered right back at him. ‘This is really good, Logan. This is exactly the way to make me want to come back to you. You must be a fucking Einstein.’ She twisted furiously, never before having felt so helpless in her entire life. Her heart nearly stopped when her hips bucked upwards accidentally right against the hard bulge in Logan’s shorts. Oh, Christ. She stilled suddenly.
‘Don’t worry,’ Logan said. ‘I’m not about to use you as my personal sex slave.’ His mouth twisted. ‘That is, not unless you want me to.’
‘Hah,’ Callie retorted. ‘Believe me, if I wanted to be someone’s sex slave, I wouldn’t pick you as my master.’
‘Yeah? Who would you pick then? Your Goth friend?’ He didn’t move from his position, his grip still tight on her arms even though she was clamped to the bedposts.
‘As if I’d tell you,’ Callie snapped.
Something appeared in his expression that Callie had never seen before. He released her arms and put his hands on either side of her head, lowering his head slightly so that their faces were closer together.
‘In other words,’ he murmured, ‘the idea of being a sex slave isn’t entirely abhorrent to you.’
Callie stared at him. How did the man manage to twist her words around like that? Good God, his cock felt like steel against her abdomen. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it.
‘What are you talking about?’ she said tightly. ‘I don’t want to be a slave. And certainly not to you!’
‘No? Funny, I almost expected you to beg me to punish you again.’
Callie’s eyes flew open. ‘Beg you? I never begged you! You’re such a belligerent ass that you just grabbed me as if I were a sack of flour and then –’
‘A sack of flour?’ Logan chuckled and shook his head. ‘Funny, you didn’t feel much like a sack of flour to me. If anything, you felt like warm, sweet honey.’
Callie swallowed hard. How had they even started this conversation? She remembered how, that night several weeks ago when Logan had spanked her, the heat had flowed into her blood and fired her arousal. She took a breath and reminded herself that Logan had kidnapped her. This whole situation wasn’t turning her on. At all.
‘Go on, admit it,’ Logan murmured. ‘Don’t you remember trying to fuck my fingers after I spanked you?’
A hot flush rose to colour Callie’s cheeks. You wanted this, she reminded herself. Well, maybe not
this
exactly, but oh, she had wanted him to show her evidence that he was actually human. A month ago, she would have given anything for Logan to respond to her the way he was doing now. She had so wanted to see him look at her with hot eyes, his breathing rough against her skin, his discipline hovering on the edge. Of course, she hadn’t expected to be handcuffed to a bed at the time, but a woman couldn’t have everything. Yes, she had also hoped that he would look at her with tenderness, but at least he was finally reacting. Maybe he just had to be confronted with events that were beyond his control.
this
exactly, but oh, she had wanted him to show her evidence that he was actually human. A month ago, she would have given anything for Logan to respond to her the way he was doing now. She had so wanted to see him look at her with hot eyes, his breathing rough against her skin, his discipline hovering on the edge. Of course, she hadn’t expected to be handcuffed to a bed at the time, but a woman couldn’t have everything. Yes, she had also hoped that he would look at her with tenderness, but at least he was finally reacting. Maybe he just had to be confronted with events that were beyond his control.
‘You liked it too,’ she reminded him hoarsely. ‘Was it the control, Logan? Did you like having that kind of physical control over me? Or was it because for once in your rigid life you finally lost control of yourself?’
His jaw clenched. A flutter of triumph rose in Callie as she realised she’d hit a weak spot. She suspected that he disliked being reminded of his own behaviour. He might have her physically restrained, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t strike out at him with her words.
‘Which one was it, Logan?’ she continued. ‘Look at you now. A struggle with your wife, you handcuff me to the bed, and you’re already turned on. I’ve always known that you relish your self-discipline, but doesn’t it feel good to lose it just a little?’
She knew she was provoking him more than was wise. His mouth tightened as he glared down at her. His erection pressed against her belly with increasing insistence. Callie’s heart thrummed wildly like a vibrating guitar string as she realised she was completely at his mercy. For an insane instant, she remembered the Tarot card reading she had done for herself. It seemed like ages ago when she had explained to Eldrich that her future might consist of a dark, male force and captivity. If only she had known then how true her prediction would turn out to be.
‘Is that what you wanted, then?’ Logan asked, his voice edged with harshness. ‘You wanted to push me over the edge by leaving me?’
‘I didn’t even know you had an edge, let alone whether or not I could push you over it.’
‘Bullshit,’ Logan retorted bluntly. ‘That’s why you came on to those men at the dinner party, wasn’t it? You wanted to irritate me.’
‘All right, yes, I did!’ Callie snapped. ‘I know I succeeded in irritating you, but I was hoping you’d snap. When you didn’t, I realised you were a fucking oak tree. So damn solid you’d never snap.’ She paused and took a breath. ‘If I’d realised that leaving you would finally push you over the edge, I would have left much sooner.’
His weight was beginning to feel overwhelming. Callie tried to squirm underneath him, but he didn’t budge.
‘You know, you have quite a variety of reasons for leaving me,’ Logan said. His grip tightened on her arms. ‘First, I get the idea that you wanted a real fuck, then you wanted me out of your life, and now it’s because you wanted to goad me.’
He bent his head towards her. His breath brushed her hair like a hot whisper. Callie’s blood grew thick, her entire body oppressed by his weight and the anger emanating from him. Her arms began to ache from their constrained position above her head.
‘Which one is it, Callie?’ Logan asked, his voice hard.
‘All of them,’ Callie retorted. ‘And they all worked.’
Logan’s mouth tightened. ‘Did they? You’ll never get me out of your life. You can bet on that.’
His words were spoken with such determination that Callie’s breath caught in the middle of her chest. She had never even considered the idea of what might happen if he refused to let her go.
‘What then?’ she snapped. ‘You’re going to keep me chained to your bed for the rest of our lives? Interesting way to maintain control.’
‘No. Although I’m beginning to suspect that you might like it.’
Callie gasped. ‘God, you are unbelievable! You kidnapped me! Last I heard, that’s illegal, not to mention incredibly archaic.’
He continued looking down at her, his eyes darkened to a deep brown. Callie could feel the tension in every line of his body.
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