As her eyes glazed over and her breathing accelerated, he lowered his mouth to hers, making another promise. “Maybe if you let me touch you, I’ll let you see the other one, too.”

From the words that were coming from his mouth, she was panting now, and he could see her breasts rising and falling rapidly. He wanted to fuck her so badly, and he was positive his cock had never been harder.

Obstinate as ever though, she shook her head.

“No? Okay then.” He crushed his mouth down onto hers.

Pushing his tongue deep into the warmth of her mouth, he felt her suck on it immediately, and he almost lost his own footing. Like a piece of his candy, she sucked him in deep as she tilted her head to the side, angling their mouths, so he could get even deeper inside her.

Growling in the back of his throat, he fisted his hands behind him as she continued to take what he was willingly giving for now. As he kept his hands away from her, he felt her arms reach down between their lower bodies.

At first, he was certain she was about to touch him, and he just hoped he could rein in his reaction. But as she moaned against his lips, he realized he didn’t feel her hands on him. He leaned back to glance down between them, and what he saw made him feel as though she had cut him at the knees. The little minx had one of her hands grinding down hard between her thighs while she looked him over as though he were her latest dirty magazine.

“Stubborn, stubborn woman. Just say the word,” he muttered, lowering his head. Pressing his mouth to hers, he promised, “Say the word, and I will make you come with my hands and my mouth.”

“No. No touching.” She panted desperately as her hand rubbed against herself.

“Fine then. Show is over.” He abruptly removed his mouth from hers and turned, making his way back to the pile of clothes.

He quickly got dressed, and when he turned to face her, he was shocked to find her in the exact same spot with her hand burrowed between her thighs. As he headed toward the door, he took a good look at her and arched a brow.

“I suggest you lock the door after I leave. It’s late, and you wouldn’t want anyone to come in and find you with your pants around your ankles and your fingers deep inside yourself.” Gripping the handle of the door, he nodded once. “Have a good evening, Rachel. It’s been interesting.”

With that, he walked out into the night.

5

Rachel pushed through her front door and slammed it shut. Leaning back against it, she rested her head on the wood and closed her eyes.

Cole had been wrong. She hadn’t taken care of herself after he’d left. Oh, she had been tempted, but knowing he’d suggested it grated on her nerves.

So now, she was standing in her apartment at two in the morning, frustrated and alone.


Pulling out her phone from her bag, she then dumped it onto the floor. As she moved straight to her bedroom, she checked her phone for any messages.

Four missed calls. No surprise they’re from Mason, Mason, Josh, and—yep, I knew it—Mason.

Sighing, Rachel ran a hand through her hair and hit play to listen to the voice mails.

“Rach, just calling to make sure you got home okay. Call me.”

Shaking her head at Mason checking in on her, she hit delete and listened to call number two.

“Rach, call me.”

Kicking off her heels, she trashed another one of Mason’s messages and hit play on Josh’s message.

“Mason told me to call you to tell you to call him. So, please, Rach, call him. It’s one forty-five in the morning. You know he’ll worry until you do.”

Looking at the photos on her dresser, she focused in on the one of her and Mason at his wedding. She had to laugh a little. Surely, one day, he’ll quit worrying, right? Playing the final message, she felt her heart warm at Mason’s concerned voice.

“Okay, Rachel Langley, I know you’re an adult, but it is now one fifty in the morning, and you left at eleven fifty. Shh, Lena…she knows I hate that she has to catch a taxi so late at night...I know she’s an adult.”

There was a pause, and she could hear him sigh and rustle. It was probably from the bed he was lying in.

“I am not going to sleep well until you text me. I’m worried. Love you.”

She typed a text to both her brother and Josh.

I’m home, safe and sound. I was not mugged, accosted, or taken by a sex addict (I should be so lucky). GO TO SLEEP. —R

Standing, she unzipped her leather pants and peeled them off her body. I thought I would be doing this in front of Cole. Guess not. Apparently, that man had decided on a different agenda. It was a pity he hadn’t filled her in on it before she got herself all worked up.

Once she was naked, she slipped between the sheets, closed her eyes, and immediately drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Turn around,” his voice commanded in her ear.

Obediently, Rachel turned, so she was facing the wall in their bedroom.

“I got a little gift for you today,” he said as he unzipped his jeans.

He had called her earlier and told her she should be naked by the time he got home because he needed to fuck her. At first, she had been hesitant, especially after their argument last night, but she knew if she didn’t do as he suggested, the evening would be that much worse.

“I just love your ass. I’m going to have it one day, I promise you.”

Rachel shivered. He knew how she felt about having his cock near her ass, but he constantly liked to push. Instead of protesting though, she kept her mouth shut, just as he preferred it.

“Maybe tonight?” He planted his palms against the wall by her head and pushed his erection against her bare crack.

Being this close to the wall, Rachel felt cross-eyed, so she shut her eyes and turned her head, laying her right cheek against the wall. Lately, it was becoming more and more obvious she needed to end things with him. But every time she approached the subject, he would turn the tables, and she would end up apologizing before she took off her clothes.

That was the problem with their relationship. He never listened, and she couldn’t help the way he made her feel. What the fuck is the matter with me? How can I get off on the way he treats me? To be more precise, it was the way she let him treat her.

In the beginning, it had all been fun, having a little kink in the bedroom, but over the last year, he had become more aggressive, more demanding. When he would be in the right frame of mind, it would turn her on more than she had ever imagined. Lately though, his moods and disposition had become volatile, and that frightened her.

“Hands behind your back, Rach.”

Slowly, she moved and rested the backs of her hands against the curve of her waist right above her ass. That was when she felt the cool hard snap of a handcuff encircle her right wrist. Automatically, her shoulders stiffened, and she raised her head from the wall.

Looking back over her shoulder at him, she locked eyes with hot, annoyed ones.

“Handcuffs? I don’t think that’s a great idea.”

His lip curled in a cruel twist as he lowered his face close to hers.

“I don’t remember asking for your opinion. Now, turn around, and shut your mouth.”

Biting down on her bottom lip, Rachel lowered her eyes and tried to control the shiver that racked her body. Something didn’t feel right. The way he had looked at her with a glint in his eyes that hadn’t been there before felt evil.

“Spread your legs,” he demanded, his warm breath skating along the skin at the top of her spine.

Opening her eyes, she slowly spread her legs as she felt him snap the left cuff around her wrist. Rachel could feel her heart beating faster, and despite her growing fear, she could feel herself becoming more and more aroused.

When she heard him removing his jeans, she closed her eyes again, waiting for whatever he was about to do.

“I ran into your brother today,” he said, his voice cutting through the air.

The words were so unexpected and so inappropriate that she had no idea what to say or if she was supposed to say anything at all.

“He’s such a player. He’s always got a new piece of pussy on his arm. Wonder what he does to make the women flock to him.”

Rachel stiffened. Turning around, she was ready to tell him to get lost. As she faced him, he reached out, and with a strong palm to her breastbone, he pushed her hard against the wall. Looking up at him, she could feel her breathing accelerate as fear fully replaced any kind of arousal she had been feeling. Her arms hurt as he moved in close and crushed her against the wall, forcing the metal cuffs to bite into the skin on her wrists. Sliding his hand up to her neck, he squeezed as his eyes narrowed.

“Your precious Mason told me to let you know he heard from a friend of his.”

Rachel’s brain was trying, trying to catch up, but nothing was making sense. “You’re hurting me. Can you please move?”

“No, I can’t fucking move, and you aren’t going anywhere either. Who’s Josh?”

Josh? What the fuck is he talking about?

“Josh, an old family friend, according to Mason. He told me you used to have a big old crush on him.”

Rachel swallowed, trying to think, willing her brain to catch up. Josh? She hadn’t seen or heard from Josh in years. Yes, she’d had a crush on him in high school, but that was fucking high school.

The man in front of her had completely morphed, and there was no way he was going to listen to her. Changing before her eyes, he had gone from a man she had found comfort with to a man she no longer knew. He had become a man who terrified her.

“Let me go. You’re being ridiculous, and I don’t think this is the time for me to explain anything.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” He took a step back and removed his shirt.

Rachel looked him over as she stood there, shaking. “Well, I’m not staying here with you.” She moved to push past him and leave the room, but she didn’t get far.

Before she knew it, he grabbed her shoulders and threw her on the bed. She landed on her back, and as he straddled her body, crushing her hands beneath her, the pain in her arms ricocheted up to her shoulders.

“Get off me!” she yelled as she thrashed underneath him.

“No! You’re going to fucking lay there while I show you exactly who you belong to,” he growled. He held her shoulders and pinned her down, leaving her utterly helpless.

“Get the fuck off me, Ben!”

She bucked her hips up just as he raised his right hand, and he slapped her hard across the cheek. Closing her eyes to the pain that blasted up the left side of her face, she felt the tears sting her eyes as they escaped down her cheeks. As the weight on her shifted, she turned her head, hoping to block out some of what she knew would follow.

Preparing herself for a second blow, she was shocked when she felt fingers lightly graze her stinging face, wiping away her tears. A strong grip took hold of her chin, pulling her face back, as a voice filtered through her throbbing head.

“I know I shouldn’t touch you, Rachel, but I wanted to.”

Her eyes fluttered open and met with heated hazel.

Naked from the waist up, Cole straddled her hips as she realized her hands were suddenly free and clasped together above her head of her own volition. Her core clenched while she stared up at exactly what she wanted.

His mouth pulled into a tight smile as he reached forward with a large hand. Automatically, Rachel flinched, but it didn’t deter him. He gently pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear as he lowered himself down until his lips were against hers.

“Keep your hands right there above your head for me.”

After nipping her bottom lip, he shifted and brushed a kiss against her cheek. “I won’t touch you again until you ask.”

Rachel felt her mouth part as he moved away from her. She was about to ask. She could feel it. And that was when…