Take Me Now (Take Me Series) (5 page)

So far, he had stolen more liberties with her that he had
initially intended. Just what were his boundaries? What were hers?
From
what he’d seen of her reaction, she had enjoyed every pleasure that he had
taken with her. He had felt her orgasm, her muscles tightening around his
fingers, pulsating with every stroke, yet she denied it–denied that she wanted
him. Was he missing something?

He scrolled down and continued to read through the files.

He took hold of her ankles and
shoved her knees toward her chest, pressing them down so that she was open and
ready for him. He held them there, moving between them while smothering her
mouth with his own, to stifle her cry when he penetrated her.

Sari certainly had a way with words, he thought.

He read more, realizing that she liked the struggle,
  
the fight, the challenge, the thrill of the
chase.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was 4:20 pm.
He’d been at the computer for over two hours. He walked to the porch and
stretched. He couldn’t even think about food, but from the way that Sari had
eaten breakfast she must have been famished. Maybe he could get away with a
simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Hell, it was his game. He could do
whatever he wanted.

~~~~~~~~~~

A zillion questions bombarded Sari as she lay alone in the
darkness. Who was he, she wondered? How had he known about her fantasies? Had
her captor sent the reply–
game time
?
Again, she thought of Lana. This had to be some kind of prank that the woman
fabricated? She could only hope.

Still, how was she going to return to work without thinking
of him? How would she keep from blushing when her colleagues inquired of her
vacation? Then her thoughts returned to what she had feared the most. If it was
not some hellish prank, what plans did he have in mind for her?
 
Was he ever going to release her?

Her thoughts ceased instantly when she heard the creak of
the door and bare feet cross the floor to the bed. Her stomach lurched. She
couldn’t possibly handle another moment of seduction, not today. He was wearing
her down.

“I’ve brought you some dinner,” he said.

Relief washed over her at hearing his words.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Brady poured his third cup of coffee and considered his
next plan of action. The game was about to become even more interesting. His
stomach growled and he realized that they hadn’t eaten breakfast. It would have
to wait, he decided. It had taken him all morning to get his mindset into the
game and he didn’t need the distraction, now.

Opening the duffle bag, he removed the ski mask and stared
down at it. This was one fantasy that was definitely going to require his
acting skills. He gathered his hair and slid the hair-tie around it, pulled the
mask down over his face and tucked his ponytail in the back to conceal it. He
looked at himself in the mirror and was satisfied that there was little to
identify him.

A moment later, he was strolling to Sari’s room with
confidence. He sat down on the bed beside her, lifted her chin and held it
firmly in his hand. “We’re going to play a little game,” he said in a throaty
voice. “I’m going to set you free. You’ll have three minutes to make a run for
it then I’m coming for you.”

 
He unfastened her
restraints, removed the blindfold and stood.

Sari squinted as her vision was filled with light. She sat
up and relished her freedom
–
a freedom that would be short
lived if she didn’t make a swift run for it.

“Three minutes,” he said. “Go!”

Her eyes looked past him to the door and she bolted.
 
Her breathe hitched when she saw her SUV parked
on the side of the cabin. She raced for it, flung the door wide, then panicked
when the keys were nowhere in sight. She turned in a full circle. From what she
could see of her surroundings, the pines stretched for miles in every
direction. There was no sign of civilizations to speak of.

She started down the dirt lane. He’d find her too easily,
her mind screamed. Taking no notice of her bare feet against the rocky, pine
floor, she headed through the forest at a dead run. Three minutes was all that
she had and she’d already wasted a minute of it searching for her keys.
 
Trees and shrubby rushed past her. Pain
creased her side and nearly doubled her in two, but she pressed on, running
until she could go no further.

 
She collapsed,
panting.
 
With any luck, he’d have no
idea where she turned into the forest.

It was minutes before her breathing resumed to normal and
her strength returned to her. A squirrel flitted overhead from one limb to the
next. She leaned back against a tree and closed her eyes, relieved that he
hadn’t found her. She drew a lengthy breath. The scent of pine filled her
nostrils and she was a child again, searching through the needles for pine
cones.

Suddenly, she heard the snapping of twigs and her eyes flew
wide open. Her heart lurched when she realized that her captor was standing,
not twenty yards in front of her. Scrambling to her feet, she took off at a
dead run
–t
errified, when she heard him
gaining on her.

She hadn’t gone another step, when his arms went around her
waist and she was flung to the ground, flipped over on her back and straddled.

Brady pinned her hands at her sides. Now that the blindfold
was removed, he could see the sheer fright in her eyes. But there was something
more that he hadn’t anticipated–that he hadn’t seen because of the blindfold
–
a
wanton look of desire.

He let go of her wrists. When she pounded his chest then
tried to remove his mask, he tugged the rope from his pocket, caught them up
and bound them together. “You’re a wildcat,” he hissed. He yanked his knife
from the sheath at his side, plowed it into the ground above her head then
lifted her wrists over the handle.

 
She glared up at
him, her chest heaving, struggling to fill her lungs.
God
, he wanted her.

He ripped her robe open and gazed down at her breasts. They
were plump and full, the circles of her nipples dark against the dappled
sunlight that fell across them. He wanted to pull them into his mouth, but the
mask was restricting.

Instead, he slid his tongue into her ear, then rolled the
tip her nipple between his fingers, gently at first, then harder until she let
go a sharp cry. He felt her quiver beneath him; felt her panting against his
hair. He wanted more of her
–
all of her.

He nearly exploded when she arched her pelvis against his
groin. He stood and yanked his boots from his feet, then unsnapped his jeans,
shoving them down over his knees to the forest floor and stepping out of them.

Sari’s breath hitched in her throat at the sight of him.
His prick was thick and hard as the rest of his muscles. She felt the heat
ignite between her thighs and suddenly wanted it buried deep inside of her,
filling every inch of her aching body.

Brady stared down at the subtle parting of her thighs; the
soft, wet curls; the hot flesh screaming to be penetrated. He shoved her knees
toward her chest and moved between them. The head of his penis butted against
her clitoris and he resisted the urge the enter her.

“Surrender to me,” he whispered. His voice was lustful and
panting.

He waited. Agonizing seconds ticked by. When Sari didn’t
reply, he rolled away from her and stood. As much as he desired her, he
wouldn’t forcefully take her
–
not the way that she had
described it in her fantasy. Not ever, not unless she asked it of him.

He stared down at her. Her lips were full, her cheeks
flushed. For a brief instant their eyes locked, and Brady could have sworn that
along with her fear of him, a hint of disappointment flicker in her green eyes.
Sari was enjoying the game as much as he was, but she was wearing him down.
When push came to shove, he was the one who was closest to surrendering. If he
wasn’t careful, he was afraid that he was going to ignore her denial and take
her regardless.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Brady dressed, removed the knife from the ground and
sheathed it. An instant later, Sari unexpectedly kicked out with the heel of
her foot, catching him in the knee then the shin.

“Why do you keep doing this to me,” she screamed.

He grabbed her by the arm, hauled her to her feet, and
glared down at her. The fire in her eyes excited him, as if he wasn’t already
aroused. He yanked the blindfold from his pocket and secured it in place.

Tugging the mask from his face, he lifted Sari’s chin, and
smothered her with a kiss
–
hard, demanding, and passionate.
He slid his tongue to the hollow of her throat, to her ear. His warm breath
skated over her neck and breathed into it.
 
“Why do I do this?” he asked.
“Because I can.”

 
Brady released her,
stuffed the mask into his pocket and shoved her to a walk.

The going was rough, stumbling blindly in the darkness as
he tugged on the rope. Now that she wasn’t fleeing for her life, she was well
aware of the hard stones and the sharp pine needles beneath her feet. A handful
of times, she felt her captor snag her arm to keep her from falling.

Sari had no idea that she had run so far. It was a half an
hour before they reached the cabin
–a half an hour to reflect on the
game.
 
Who was he, and why had he chosen her to toy
with?
 
It was exasperating that she could
be frightened of him, hate him, and love him, all in the course of a day.

She had seen the lust in his eyes, the fullness of his
penis; felt the hunger of his kiss. He wanted her with a passion, but he
wouldn’t take her forcefully. That was obvious, now. If that had been his
intention, he’d certainly had the opportunity.

A smile curled Sari’s lips
–s
he was winning the game and
relished every minute of it. Before the end of the week, she’d break him, wear
him down
–
force
him
to beg
her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Brady pulled a pair of red lace panties from the Sari’s
suitcase. The vision of her swollen breasts and soft curls sent him into a
whirlwind of desire. He needed a reprieve. Rifling through her suitcase, he
chose a tank top and a pair of shorts.

Shoving her in the direction of the bathroom, he pinned her
against the wall with the pressure of his hand to her chest. His eyes roamed
over her, scrutinizing every inch of her flesh from head to toe.
 
Pine needles were entwined in her hair, her
knees were scuffed and there were smudges of dirt on her legs and arms.

“I’m going to untie you, and again
–
do
not even attempt to remove the blindfold.”

Sari held her breath and stood perfectly still when the
cold blade pressed against her abdomen, moving lower, stopping just above her
clitoris, and resting there.

“Do I make myself clear?” he asked.

She swallowed hard and choked out her reply. “Yes.”

Brady saw the tremor of her lip and smiled coltishly. It
felt good to be in control again. Withdrawing the blade, he untied her hands
and passed the clothing to her. “Take a shower and put these on. Call me when
you’ve finished.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Relief washed over Sari when Brady led her to the bedroom
and lowered her to the mattress without retying her hands, but his sudden words
worried her.

“I’m changing the rules,” he said.

Brady set his computer on the bedside table. “I’m leaving
you my laptop. I’ve opened the file that contains your fantasies. I want you to
look them over carefully and YOU choose one.”

Sari swallowed the lump in her throat. How humiliating, she
thought. He not only held her deepest secrets, but he wanted her to choose
which one of them she wanted him to fulfill.

 
“When you hear the
door close behind me, you’re free to remove the blindfold. Enjoy your reading.”

Her heart leaped, excitedly. This was her chance to escape,
Sari reasoned. She listened to the footsteps fading across the floor, the door
closing tight, the key turning in the lock. She ripped the silk scarf from her
eyes and stared despairingly at the wrought iron bars on the windows. Bears,
she remembered. It was not uncommon for the windows to be barred in such a
remote area. She was foolish to think that he’d be so stupid as to allow her an
easy escape.

She plopped down on the bed, exasperated, staring at the
laptop as though it was her nemesis. It contained all the ammunition necessary
for her captor to tease her into arousal and bring her to surrender. Hell, he’d
nearly done that several times already. But hadn’t she done the same to him? So
far, the game was looking like a stalemate.