PAYBACK (A Bad Boy Romance) (3 page)

S
he had spunk
.

Not overt, but layered beneath the surface of the shy girl that she put out there.

I saw though the layers.

I saw fire.

God damn, I saw the most magnificent tits hiding beneath that Cornwall University T-shirt.

I heard her stomach rumble.

She wouldn’t beg.

I liked that about her.

But I wanted to push, to see how far I could go.

Maybe I wanted to see if that banked fire could burn.

“Remember how I said I would reward you for good behavior?”

She cast me a dark look that pretty much said, “Fuck you” and my cock stirred. Hell, I still had pizza in my damn mouth and my cock wanted to do dirty things to her sweet curves.

I was an equal opportunity man. I liked women of all shapes and sizes but there was something about Holly that made my dick hard as rock.

I grabbed another slice and practically shoved it in my mouth. It wasn’t physical hunger driving me and I knew it.

But you know, denial was pretty powerful when you were bound and determined to do the opposite of whatever your body and mind were saying.

Maybe I was trying to prevent myself from doing something I couldn’t take back.

To be honest, I was a little confused by my visceral reaction to her. She was just a chick, like any other, except she served a bigger purpose than just arm candy for the night.

I had to remember that.

“All right, so here’s how it works. Play nice and we’ll get along just fine. Pretty easy, wouldn’t you say?”

“That would depend on what you mean by playing nice.”

“Well, for starters, when I ask you a question, tell me the truth.”

“I’ve been truthful with you!” She glared. “You are the one who doesn’t believe me. I’ve been nothing but honest with you.”

“You lied to me about being hungry,” I reminded her softly. “Truth is, your stomach is growling like a bear coming out of hibernation.”

Her tender mouth tightened as if she didn’t want to admit I was right but a second yowl from her belly only made my point.

“Fine,” she bit out. “Yes, I’m hungry. Is that what you want to hear?”

“That’s a good start,” I said.

“Does that mean you’ll feed me?”

“Perhaps if you ask nice enough.”

She lifted her hands. “I can’t eat like this.”

I regarded her with a steady gaze. Would she run? I almost hoped she would that way I could justify the things I wanted to do to her. I took my pocketknife and slowly sliced through the rope.

She gasped with relief, rubbing at her reddened skin. “Thank God,” she breathed, groaning a little at the chaffing. “I could’ve lost my fingers.”

I ignored her complaint. Grabbing the pizza box, I opened it up and offered her some.

Holly hesitated for the barest minute, then selected a slice.

The moment her mouth opened, my erection nearly burst through my pants. That red, hot mouth, sweet and soft…I wanted her lips wrapped around my cock.

I’d never been so jealous of pepperoni in my life.

Finished, she surreptitiously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and then sat awkwardly, trying to avoid my gaze.

But I liked looking at her. For one, it made her uncomfortable — and that was a bonus in my book — but two, there was something I couldn’t quite define about her that appealed to me.

“Stop staring,” Holly snapped, her gaze darting.

“No.” I made no apologies. “I’ll do as I want and there’s nothing you can do about it. Sucks being helpless, doesn’t it?”

“You’re a big man, taking out your rage on a woman,” she retorted, cutting me with a look. “Do you drown puppies and kittens in your spare time, too?”

I held back my laughter. Even when she was clearly at a disadvantage, Holly still found the courage to spit and hiss.

Damn, I liked that.

She was fine as fuck and I wanted her.

Did I want her because she was Butcher’s sister and I wanted to put my mark on something that was his? Maybe.

But did it matter?

I wanted her, plain and simple.

I guess that was my problem.

“Where am I supposed to sleep?” she asked, the faint distress in her expression amusing. If she thought the sofa was disgusting, wait until she saw Tito’s bed.

“Well, this ain’t no Hyatt,” I returned, scooping up the pizza box and carrying it to the rickety kitchen table. “Only one bed. Guess that means you’re with me.”

“We can’t sleep together,” she balked. “That’s not going to work at all.”

“Do you snore?”

“No.”

“Then it should work just fine.”

Holly’s mouth worked as if she wanted to protest but she knew it was pointless. Smart girl.

“How do I know that you won’t…take advantage of me?”

“You don’t.”

I enjoyed watching her squirm.

“So I’m supposed to climb into bed with you and just accept whatever happens, happens?” Some of that banked fire flared in her eyes. “Think again.”

I chuckled. “I don’t see that you have much bargaining power.”

“My brother will kill you if you hurt me.”

Ahhh, finally, something truthful
. “I thought you said you didn’t matter,” I reminded her. “Seems now you’re changing your story. Which is it? Are you important to your brother or not?”

Holly had trapped herself.

She chose to remain stubbornly silent.

Goddamn, this woman intrigued me whether I wanted it or not.

“Well, if you’re not up to talking, I guess it’s time for bed,” I said. She visibly jumped when I walked toward her, shrinking away from my outstretched hand as if I were offering up poison. I laughed. “You’re a jumpy thing, aren’t you?” Before she could answer, I jerked her onto her feet, pulling her right into my arms.

She landed with a soft
oompf
against my chest. Her pupils dilated instantly and her lips parted on a gasp. “What are you doing?”

“Not sure yet,” I admitted but I liked the feel of her in my arms. She fit like a glove against me. I wondered where else I might fit so snugly. “But we’ll find out.”

Releasing her, I grasped her hand and pulled her with me to the bedroom.

Holly yanked her hand away and tried to bolt for what she mistook as the front door.

I gave her props for trying but really, it was a misguided attempt as she stared in dismay at a cluttered closet. “Feeling domestic?” I asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm. “Honey, there are other ways to play house, you know.”

“Screw you,” she hissed, whirling quickly to reach for the actual front door but I was faster.

I pulled her roughly away from the door seconds before her grasping fingertips could reach the door handle and spun her toward me. Then, I shocked her by hoisting her up over my shoulder.

The solid weight of her curves wasn’t easy to manage but the softness of her body was an instant turn-on, as if I wasn’t already packing a boner hard enough to pound nails.

I tossed her to the bed, grinning as her bountiful tits jiggled like gelatin. That shirt had to go. Did she have tight budded nipples, dark and tasty, or were they pale and sweet, begging to be sucked?

Holly tried scrambling away but I caught her ankles and pulled her to me. “Where you going?” I asked, laughing when she started kicking. “Oh, aren’t you full of piss and vinegar…”

True fear flashed in her eyes, dousing my fun. I shouldn’t care. She was Butcher’s kin. But I could feel the subtle shake in her limbs even if I tried to ignore the brimming of tears in her big eyes.

Fuck.

Since when did I become the sensitive one?

“Knock it off,” I barked. “I’m not going to touch you. Just quit kicking like a fucking mule or I’ll tie you to the toilet and let you sleep on the bathroom floor.”

That seemed to get through to her. Holly gulped and scrambled away, pressing herself against the wooden headboard. “You’ll leave me alone?”

“For now,” I grumbled, not wishing to give her the impression that I was soft. “But if you keep pissing me off, I can’t promise anything. Understand?”

Holly nodded slowly, finally glancing around the room. It was only slightly better than the living room.

Before she could get any bright ideas, I grabbed her hands with the intent to tie them again but her whimper made me pause.

“Please…my wrists hurt,” she said.

“And that’s supposed to matter to me why?” I countered softly.

“I won’t run.”

“Why wouldn’t you? I would.”

“Because I don’t know where I am.”

Fair point. “Something tells me you’re a smart girl, you’d figure out a way home.”

Holly bit her lip. I wanted to run my tongue along that pink divide. “I’ll make you a deal,” I surprised her by saying. At her wary silence, I said, “Either I tie your hands or you sleep buck naked. Take your pick.”

Holly’s eyes widened. “That’s hardly a fair deal.”

“I didn’t say anything about it being fair,” I replied. “Here’s how I see it…either I tie your hands so I can secure you to the bed or I take all your clothes and take the risk that you aren’t willing to walk naked through a bad neighborhood in a place you don’t know, on the off-chance that you might find a way home.”

I could fairly see the wheels turning in her little mind. She was right — it wasn’t fair. But I wasn’t interested in fair. I was interested in winning.

“Y-you won’t touch me?” she ventured, chewing that delectable bottom lip.

I scoffed, if only for my own benefit, “I have better offers waiting for me than a short, plump chick with a bitchy disposition.”

The lies tripped off my tongue so easily.

I liked her curves. All that curvy flesh. A nice fat ass and a banging rack. And that was just her body. Holly wasn’t ugly by any means.

I mean, those glasses were kind of hot.

In a dirty secretary sort of way.

Holly lifted her chin as if relieved by my rejection but I sensed it was an act. I could practically feel the pain of her bruised feelings.

Well, fuck it; life sucks, princess.
I wasn’t trying to make friends.

“Yes, I’m sure the women are lined up to hitch their cart to your busted ass wagon,” Holly returned, shocking me with salt. A slow smile tugged at my lips. Yeah, I was fairly certain Little Miss Prissy Pants was a firecracker in bed because that kind of spirit was hard to contain. “I mean, I’m sure you’re a real catch.” She purposefully let her gaze wander the shitty little house, implying that this was all I had to offer someone.

“Damn, girl. You got claws hiding behind those soft paws, don’t you?”

Holly couldn’t stop the indignant blush.

I let my smile fade. “Make your choice. Tied or Naked.”

Her voice was barely audible. “Naked.”

Ahhh, girl. Good choice.

I
tried not to move
.

But I was intensely aware of my own body lying next to Cason. I’d never slept beside anyone.

I’d never had a real boyfriend.

Hence, the whole “I’m still a virgin” confession.

I could smell him.

And it wasn’t awful.

No, in fact, it was…spicy and male.

Almost…
delicious
.

Was that an appropriate way to describe my captor?

No.

It was something an idiot would say.

I liked to think I wasn’t an idiot.

And yet, I was inhaling deeply, trying to catch another whiff of whatever yummy scent was coming off him in waves.

Like my nose was being assaulted by sexy smells.

“You should bathe more often,” I said with a delicate sniff. “All I can smell is you.”

That part was true.

I added, “It’s turning my stomach.”

That part was a lie.

His silence was unnerving.

“I suppose you’re accustomed to sleeping beside a stranger but I’m not,” I said, trying to find a comfortable spot on a lumpy bed. I wiggled a little, wanting to turn on my side but that would leave my backside facing him and frankly, I wasn’t that brave.

But I never slept on my back and I knew sleep wouldn’t find me in this position.

Unlike Cason, who seemed completely at peace.

Was he already asleep?

Of course he was.

I was nothing to him but a pawn. Why wouldn’t he sleep peacefully? He had what he thought was the winning move.

His slow, even breathing was soothing, even if I wanted to stuff a pillow over his scruffy face.

A thought occurred to me. If he was already asleep…maybe I could grab my clothes and run.

That could work, I realized with a sliver of hope.

I needed to bide my time, wait to make sure he was in deep sleep before I tried anything.

That seemed doable.

After what seemed like an eternity, Cason started lightly snoring and I knew it was my time to go. I cast a short smirk his way. And he’d asked if
I
snored? Ha.

I slid my feet over the side of the bed and gently tried to maneuver away from him without jostling the bed too much.

But just as I was about to slink out of the bed, an iron grip on my wrist caused me to yelp.

“Where are you going, baby girl?” he asked, his voice roughened by sleep.

“I…I…have to use the bathroom,” I said, thinking fast.

“Need help?”

“No,” I said, horrified. “Eww.”

Cason chuckled and released my wrist. “Make it quick.”

Damn it. Of all the bad luck, Cason was an incredibly light sleeper it seemed. And now I had to pretend that I needed to use the bathroom so he didn’t become suspicious.

The pale moonlight cast an eerie glow around the room, casting shadows on the walls that seemed to move if I stared too long.

The moonlight might as well be a floodlight seeing as I was naked as a jaybird.

And I was supposed to traipse across the room to the bathroom like it was no big deal?

I cast a surreptitious look Cason’s way. His eyes were still closed.

“Either do it or get back in bed,” Cason grumbled, prompting me to move quickly.

I scuttled to the bathroom and shut the door, flipping the light as I breathed for the first time since Cason had abducted me.

The bathroom was cramped, like everything else in this place, and definitely home to a bachelor. I don’t think that bathroom had seen a toilet brush in years. I might as well be using an outhouse.

As luck would have it, I did have to pee.

Good gravy. I’d rather pee in the sink.

I hovered over the nasty bowl, careful not to let anything touch my skin. I wasn’t sure if I could get hepatitis from a toilet seat but I wasn’t taking any chances.

For all I knew, I could become Patient Zero from whatever was lurking on that porcelain.

Right about now, I was lamenting my lack of gym time as I squatted, using thigh muscles that I didn’t know I had.

I flushed and cursed my luck. There had to be a way out of this mess.

Clearly, Cason didn’t believe me when I tried to tell him that Butcher wasn’t going to care about me enough to do whatever it was Cason wanted him to do.

Butcher was all about business.

I was just a loose end that he had to deal with.

Some sense of family honor tied us together but I didn’t doubt the thread was tenuous.

Maybe if I sat in the bathroom long enough, Cason would fall asleep again and then I could sneak out because I wouldn’t be disturbing the bed.

After long enough, I squared my shoulders and prayed for light feet.

I turned off the light and quietly opened the door, expecting to see Cason still in the bed, but he wasn’t. I yelped when he was right on the other side of the door.

“I thought maybe you’d fallen in,” he said, shocking me. Cason didn’t look sleepy at all. A hunger burned bright in his eyes as he let his gaze roam my body.

Heat warmed my cheeks as I fought the urge to cover myself. He surely couldn’t see much in this light. But Cason made me feel as if he’d just seen everything I had to offer and wanted his tongue to taste each place his stare had touched.

My breath caught as my heart quickened.

My insides felt like jelly.

My legs trembled.

My fingers itched to touch all that hard flesh, to marvel at the sheer strength encased in supple skin.

My lips parted as if readying for a punishing kiss.

No one had ever made me feel this way.

And thank God, for that
, a voice reminded me shrilly.

Cason was a bad man.

He kidnapped you, forced you to strip, and had more than once threatened to take whatever he wanted, including your virginity!

Yeah, not the kind of guy every girl hoped to end up with.

Not the kind of guy you could take home to the parents.

Not that I had parents.

“Now, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were deliberating pushing my buttons, sweetheart. Do you want to see how far I can be pushed?” Cason asked, his tone silky but dangerous.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I denied, swallowing. “I had to pee.”

“So you weren’t trying to wait me out so you could bail?” he asked with a small smirk. Of course, he knew that was exactly my plan!

“No,” I lied.

“Hmm…you’re a terrible liar,” he said, pulling me out of the bathroom. I stumbled after him, hating how easily he maneuvered me. I wasn’t used to being man-handled.

A shameful part of me actually found it arousing, but then the logical part of me, screeched about how I shouldn’t enjoy being tossed around like a piece of meat.

I expected him to flop onto the bed after me, completely ignoring my presence as he had before but that wasn’t his plan at all.

“What are you doing?” I managed with a small squeak as he climbed my body, stationing himself above me, those strong arms bracketing my head. “You said you wouldn’t…”

“I never said that,” he corrected softly. I shivered, painfully aware of how quickly my nipples had hardened. “I…I promise I’ll go to sleep.”

“I don’t think you’re tired,” Cason said.

“I am,” I protested, my breath shallow. Cason was sucking up all the oxygen in the room. He was the only thing that existed at that moment. The ripple of muscle in his forearms sent a tingle of something straight to my lady parts. I squeezed my eyes shut. “See? So tired.”

“You say you’re a virgin,” Cason said and my eyes popped open warily.

“Yeah…”

“So you’ve never had a man between your legs,” he said.

“Generally that’s what that means,” I replied, shifting with indignity. “Please get off me.”

But he did the opposite and settled his weight fully on top of me.

OHMYGOD, was that his…?

It was.

Cason’s PENIS was wedged between my legs with nothing but a thin blanket between us. I could feel something nudging me, rubbing against something else that felt torturously good.

Something that made me want to grind my hips against him.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” I asked, trying to sound bored but even to my own ears, I sounded Marilyn Monroe-breathy.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Pressssident. Happy birthday…to youuuuu
.

“You make me want to fuck you raw, just to prove a point,” he said.

“I’d hate to waste your time when you have so many better offers out there,” I tossed at him, trying not to shift my body so that his erection rubbed against me harder.

It was hard to maintain the frost in my tone when I was melting inside. But he sure as hell didn’t need to know that.

I would die before letting him know that he affected me at all.

“Kiss me.”

His request startled me. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“No.”

“Kiss me or I’ll kiss you.”

“What’s the difference?”

He chuckled, as if amused by my naivety. “Because if I kiss you…I get to pick where I put my lips.”

Ohhhh. Myyyyy. God
.