Riding Steele: Untamed (4 page)

Steele scowled. “I don’t want ransom. Fuck, you are a hard woman to convince.”

With that, he turned around and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.

*

Steele plodded up the stairs. The thought of lying beside the hot woman sharing his bed and not being able to do anything about the surge of need that rose in him every time he got close to her had kept him downstairs drinking with the guys far longer than he’d intended. The others had finally all staggered off to bed, leaving Steele nursing his drink alone. He’d finally tossed it back, knowing he had to head to bed eventually.

Now it was very late, and he was tired. Which was just as well. Hopefully, he’d fall into bed and go straight to sleep.

He pushed open the door. The room was dark, except for the dim light of the moon glowing in the window. He could see the rounded shape of the young woman lying in his bed, one arm extended over her head and attached to the bedpost by the handcuffs.

He stripped off his jeans and T-shirt, then drew back the covers and slid in beside her. Her back was to him, and he closed his eyes, trying to ignore her soft, warm body so close by, but he couldn’t. His cock swelled at the thought she wore only a thin T-shirt over her naked body. And she was only inches away from him.

He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, willing sleep to come. He was tired. Exhausted, actually. He should be able to drift off easily.

But his cock had other ideas. He’d had more to drink than he should have, and maybe he wasn’t thinking as clearly as he should be, but it seemed to him there’d be nothing wrong if he just drew her soft body close to his. He wouldn’t
do
anything.

And she’d snuggled up to him last night.

He shifted toward her and wrapped his arm around her waist, then drew her close to him. She was warm and soft, and her hair smelled of wild flowers.

*

Laurie woke up the minute the door opened. She’d felt him climb into bed behind her. She’d lain very still, hoping he’d just go to sleep, and at first she thought he had, but then he’d moved toward her. His arm slid around her and drew her close.

She tried to keep her body relaxed, hoping he’d think she was asleep. Hoping he’d move away. But when he pulled her a little tighter, she could feel his cock hard against her back and she stiffened. She could smell alcohol on his breath and … oh, God, he was obviously turned on. Was he going to do something about it? Would he … force her?

“What are you going to do?” she asked, her voice quavering.

“Fuck, I’m not going to
do
anything,” he responded, his speech a little slurred. “I keep telling you that. I don’t know why you don’t fucking believe me.”

“Maybe because you’re holding on to me and … well, you’re clearly turned on.”

He cursed under his breath. “Is that a crime? Being turned on?”

He rolled away and got out of the bed, then started pulling on his clothes. He strode to the door and grabbed the doorknob.

“Wait. Before you go …”

“What?” he asked impatiently.

“I … have to go to the bathroom.”

He scowled, but he walked to the dresser and picked up the key to the handcuffs, then walked to the bed and released her wrist. She scooted from the bed and headed to the bathroom. When she returned, he cuffed her again. As he stepped away, she noticed that the cuff around her wrist hadn’t closed as tightly as before.

As soon as the door closed behind him, she grabbed the cuff with her free hand and tucked her thumb into her palm and pulled her other hand against the metal, trying to wiggle it free. She stared at the door, willing him not to come back. After a few moments, with no sign of his returning footsteps, she finally pulled her hand free.

She stood up and peered out the window. She could see Steele walking in the moonlight outside, heading toward the beach. If she could sneak downstairs and get out the front door, which was on the opposite side of the cabin, maybe she could get away.

She pulled on the clothes Raven had brought her earlier, then walked to the door. She pulled it open and peered into the hall. The way was clear, so she slipped from the room and tiptoed down the stairs.

As she stepped toward the door and reached for the doorknob, she saw a shadow in the window. Oh, God, Steele must be coming back. She leaped back from the door and scurried into the kitchen. She raced into the room, then peered out the door to the hallway, waiting to see if the front door would open.

If Steele came in, she only had minutes before he realized she’d escaped. As soon as he went up the stairs, she’d hurry and slip out the front door, then disappear into the woods.

“Fuck, it’s good to see you, baby.”

At the sound of Steele’s voice behind her, she gasped, and would have spun around, but his strong arms came around her waist and he pulled her tight to his body. His cock pressed into her mound as his lips nuzzled her neck.

She could barely catch her breath. He turned her around and in the shadowy kitchen, claimed her lips. His tongue dove into her mouth, opening her lips wide as he explored her mouth. His tongue swirled inside her, forcing her jaw wider. She could taste the liquor on him.

His hands stroked down her back, then cupped her ass and he pulled her tight to his body, his erection grinding against her sex.

“Baby, I need a good fuck, and I need it now.”

She panicked as she heard the sound of a zipper.

She started to protest, but his lips covered hers again, his tongue demanding. She struggled against the big body pinning her to the wooden door.

“Oh, yeah, baby. Fight me. I like that.” He grabbed a handful of her T-shirt and pulled it from her jeans, then slid his hand underneath and cupped her breast.

His tongue slid into her mouth again, preventing her protest. His hand moved down her side, then he unzipped her jeans. When his big hand slid down her belly, then dipped into her panties, she panicked and struggled harder.

She whimpered against his mouth. In one second, he would know she was wet. She hated it, but being in his arms upstairs, and now his dominant control of her … Was it a sickness that being dominated by a strong man turned her on? Her experience with Donovan should have cured her of that completely.

His finger brushed against her slick folds and she wanted to moan in pleasure.

“Fuck, you’re so wet.”

His hand slipped from her slickness and then she felt hot, hard flesh brush against her.

She shook her head until she freed her mouth.

She sucked in a breath. “No, don’t do this. Please.”

“Ah, fuck, Raven. You sure?”

“I’m … not … Raven,” she said between gasps.

His big body, which still pinned her to the door, stiffened. She could feel her own body trembling.

He drew his head back and stared down at her. She could barely see his face in the shadowy room, but in the hint of moonlight she could tell he was frowning.

“Fuck. What the hell are you doing out of the room?” He grasped her shoulders and squeezed. “How did you get out of the cuffs?”

She just glared at him.

His eyes narrowed as he drew back. “So what was your plan? Sneak out in the middle of the night? Try to walk back to town?” He shook her again. “I already told you there are bears out there. And God knows what other kind of predators.”

“You mean like you?”

“I thought you were Raven.” He scowled and grabbed her by the shoulders, then turned her roughly. “Hell, I don’t need to explain to you.”

She zipped up her jeans as he prodded her forward, then he dragged her down the hall and up the stairs. He said nothing until he shoved her into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He flicked on the switch by the door and the lamp came on.

“I should just let you go, right now. Let you figure out whatever mess you find yourself in. There’s no reason me or my men should wind up in trouble because of you.” He grabbed her shoulders and glared at her. “But you’d probably turn us in to the police, and charge us with kidnapping, even though we were only trying to help.” He stared at her. “I really want to just kick your pretty little ass out of here, but I can’t do that.”

He grabbed the key from the dresser and unfastened the cuff from the headboard, then he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him, then snapped the cuff around her wrist.

“Take off your jeans.”

Obediently, she dropped them to the floor, shivering, but not daring to argue with him.

He walked behind her and pushed up the back of her T-shirt. She gasped. He unfastened the hooks of her bra, then walked in front of her again. She stared at him nervously.

“You don’t want to sleep in that thing, do you? Take it off.”

She didn’t want to pull off the T-shirt, then remove the bra because it was clear he wasn’t going to look away, so she wrestled her way out of the first strap by pulling it out the sleeve, then pulling her arm into the sleeve enough to pull the strap over her hand. She freed the second strap, though it was a little harder with the handcuffs dangling from her wrist, then she reached under the shirt and pulled out the bra. Her nipples pushed against the fabric and his gaze flickered to them.

“Lie down,” he commanded.

She sat down on the bed, watching him warily. He clamped his big hand around her uncuffed arm and pulled it over her head, then he grabbed the empty cuff attached to her other wrist and pulled it around a post on the headboard. The cold steel clamped around her second wrist.

He walked to the dresser and shoved the key in the top drawer.

“I tried to be nice before. Immobilize just one of your arms. But if I can’t trust you not to run off in the middle of the night, I’ll have to be more cautious. And less generous.”

He dropped his jeans to the floor and stepped out of them, then shed his shirt. His big cock was still swollen, barely contained in his snug boxers.

“Fuck, do you know how hard it is sleeping beside you and not doing anything about it? And you look so fucking sexy lying like that?”

With her arms pulled over her head, her breasts were thrust upward, and with his intense gaze on them, her nipples peaked, pushing against the fabric.

He sank onto the chair facing the bed and pulled his cock free, then wrapped his hand around the considerable length. He began to stroke, watching her, his eyes intense. She couldn’t help staring at the massive shaft as his hand glided up and down, stimulating it. God, if she weren’t his prisoner, she would love to get up and kneel down in front of him, then wrap her hand around it and stroke, just like he was doing now. She’d love to capture that huge cockhead in her mouth and suck. Feel the hard flesh fill her mouth.

Damn, what was wrong with her? Her insides quivered. Oh, God, if he unfastened her cuffs right now and commanded her to sink to her knees in front of him and suck him to climax, then swallow every drop, she would do it. She
wanted
to do it.

And that’s why she hated herself right now.

She watched transfixed as he picked up his rhythm, pumping himself harder and faster. The only sound in the room was his heavy breathing and the sound of skin moving roughly over skin. She felt her own breathing accelerate in time with his bobbing fist. Then he groaned and, as she watched, a stream of white erupted from his cock, then spill down over his hand, which still jerked up and down. Her insides tightened at the thought of what it would feel like if his cock had been deep inside her when he’d come.

He grabbed a tissue and wiped himself up, then disappeared into the bathroom. When he returned a few moments later, he turned out the light, then climbed into bed behind her.

“Fuck, roll over.”

She started to roll toward him.

“No, the other way. I’m not going to be tortured all night by the sight of those pert breasts of yours pointing at the ceiling.”

He moved close and his arm came around her waist, then he drew her tight to his body.

“With your hands cuffed like that, you’re bound to roll onto your back again when you fall asleep. I don’t want that to happen.”

His arm tightened around her waist and with her arms pulled over her head, she wouldn’t be able to stop him from brushing his hands over her breasts if he wanted to. His big fingers were only inches from them.

And, God help her, she really wanted him to reach up and cup her breasts in his big hands.

Her heart thundered and she waited, but then his deep, even breathing told her he’d fallen asleep.

This man had been responsible for kidnapping her. He kept her trapped in this cabin, and handcuffed to his bed. But he could have taken her anytime he wanted—and he’d definitely wanted to—but he hadn’t.

He seemed to be an honorable man. And she almost believed she could trust him.

And that thinking was exactly why she knew that tomorrow she had to find a way to escape.

*

The first thing Laurie sensed was that there was no longer a hard, muscular body behind her. Then she had the feeling someone was watching her. She opened her eye and found herself staring at the ceiling. Her shoulders ached and when she shifted, she felt the pinch of metal around her wrists.

“I’m sorry about last night,” Steele said.

Her gaze darted to Steele, sitting on the same chair where he’d found his release last night, but this time he was fully clothed, and looked quite intimidating with his bulging shoulder muscles brimming from the very short sleeves of his T-shirt, his snake tattoo coiling down his arm.

He stood up and walked toward the bed, then released her wrists. She lowered her arms slowly against the aching muscles, then rubbed her wrists, ever conscious of his hard, masculine body so close.

“I had too much to drink and downstairs I thought you were Raven, or I never would have …”

She nodded. “I know. I get it. And you were mad that I tried to escape.”

He sighed and stepped away from the bed. “I wish you’d believe me that we’re trying to help you.”

Now that his big, intimidating body had moved away from the bed, she sat up, frowning.

“Most people don’t go this far out of their way to help someone else.”