Bound in Blue Read Free Page B

questions, the way he’d defended her at the club, even his
persistence in the face of her refusals, all of it communicated
dominance and power. This man was used to being obeyed. She
wondered what it would be like to do a BDSM scene with him. She
could find out if she wanted to, if she wasn’t so tired of loss, of
hurting.
    “Silly Sara,” he said. He slid a hand across
her cheek, then cupped her face. She studied his Western features
in the dim glow of the surrounding shop lights. Wide-set,
long-lashed blue eyes, a straight, handsome nose, and full lips
that curved in the most seductive way. His shoulder-length brown
hair was pulled back, but some stray strands escaped. Under the
streetlight she could see other colors reflected in them. Gold,
mahogany, brass.
    “Why did you call me silly?” she asked.
    “Because you won’t come to the hotel with me.
You want to. You just won’t.”
    “I can’t.” A stupid, vague excuse, but she
couldn’t be more specific. She couldn’t confess that one night with
him would probably destroy her, because nothing afterward could
ever live up to it. She hated this sexy, powerful, enthralling,
foreign man. She also wanted him more than she’d ever wanted
anything in her life.
    “I’m very kinky,” he said. “You would have a
lot of fun with me, because I think you’re very kinky too.”
    She looked around self-consciously. There
were people everywhere, coming and going from the clubs. “That’s
good to know. Let go of me, please.”
    He didn’t let go of her. “Do you have a lover
here, Sara? Someone who satisfies your needs? I hope so. I hope
that’s why you’re turning me down.”
    “I’m turning you down because you’re
leaving.” To her horror, she felt tears glossing over her eyes.
That was all she needed, to start bawling in front of him.
    “I’m not leaving yet.” His fingers trailed
over her jaw line. “I have three days. Maybe four.”
    “One night,” she heard herself say. “One
time.”
    Really, Sara? After all that, she was
going to give in? But the pull…the pull was so strong.
    He let go of her face and touched her arm.
“If you like, it can just be a scene. No sex. It can be anything
you want it to be.”
    She gave a short, fluttery laugh. “No
sex?”
    “Or sex. Lots of sex. Either way.”
    She hugged her bag closer. “This is a
horrible idea.”
    “We’ll probably have a horrible time, but as
you said, it’s just one night.”
    She ignored his teasing, his beguiling smile,
and spoke with intensity. “I meant what I said. One night, because
you’re leaving and I don’t want to get attached to you only to say
goodbye. I don’t want you trying to talk me into anything else. Not
two nights. Not three nights. One night together. That’s all.”
    “Okay. One night.”
    “You promise? Say it to me. ‘ I won’t try
to talk you into anything else .’” She stared at him so he would
understand how serious she was.
    “One night,” he said after a moment. “I won’t
try to talk you into anything else.” Again, the teasing edges of
his mouth turned up. “You’re awfully demanding for a slave
type.”
    “I’m not making demands. I’m
negotiating.”
    He threw his head back and laughed. It was
such a rich, surprising sound that she couldn’t hold back an
answering smile. She hadn’t smiled in so long.
    One night. She’d earned it this last couple
years. She would deal with the loss of him later. She told herself
it was better than dealing with the loss of him now.
    He slid a hand around her waist and placed
another on her neck. He squeezed, not hard, but hard enough to make
her tremble. “Do you like it rough or gentle, Sara? Playful or
intense?”
    She should lie and say gentle. Playful. He
was a stranger, someone she hadn’t known a couple hours ago.
    But he would know if she lied. He stared at
her as if he was analyzing every feature, every whisper of emotion
on her face. In the end she gave him truth, because they only