RockYourSoul Read Free

your knees.”
    She blinked, stunned at the power and command in his voice.
As the control washed over her, she wanted to respond, but she found herself
too annoyed things weren’t going according to plan. While she’d expected him to
ask her questions to find out what he was in store for, she didn’t expect
anything of this magnitude.
    Angry, she returned his glare.
    He smirked. The reaction caused her insides to turn to jelly,
her vitriolic thoughts vanishing on the chilly night air. Why did he have to be
so goddamn handsome and annoying at the same time?
    “I suggest you listen if you want me to consider taking you
on as I don’t like repeating myself. To. Your. Knees.”
    She opened her mouth to protest and he tilted his head down
just enough to give her another message. A very stern one she couldn’t help but
listen to. He would not be ignored.
    She dropped her hands to her sides and slowly lowered to her
knees. The rough rocks immediately bit into her shins, but she wouldn’t give
him the satisfaction of showing him she was in pain. She heard the unmistakable
sound of buttons popping on his jeans and looked up just in time to see him
part the denim. What in the Sam hell did he intend to do? If he expected her to
suck his dick right here and now, he’d better think again.
    “Eyes down.”
    The authority behind those two words coursed through her,
compelling her to obey. It had been a long time since she’d had this kind of
reaction. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she complied. The denim pooled
around his ankles and she found herself staring at the pile.
    Just as she started to wonder if Elena had been out of her
mind to recommend this man, his hand slid against the top of her head. His touch
was almost calming and, despite her annoyance, a feeling of tranquility washed
over her. His fingers combed her hair, catching the elastic holder from her
ponytail, pulling it free. He continued to run his fingers through the strands,
fanning out her hair. She relaxed under his persistent touch. The pain in her
legs melted away and she gave a soft sigh as her body started to quietly buzz.
    Yes.
    The crunch of rocks jolted her back to the moment. She
listened to him move away, leaving her alone on the rock path in front of his
house.
    What in the hell?
    Beth looked to the left and her eyes widened in surprise as
she spotted him. He strolled toward the small lake at the front corner of the
field, towel swinging in his hand as he walked. Those jeans of his were at her
feet and she now had an unobstructed view of his bare ass.
    A very firm, very tan, perfectly formed ass.
    Christ on a slinky going down an up escalator if he
doesn’t look even better out of those jeans. Transfixed by the bunch and
pull of the muscles in his thighs and butt as he walked over the uneven ground,
she forgot her place and openly gawked.
    When he reached the bank at the water’s edge, he dropped the
towel and walked right into the lake. She expected him to dive under the
surface, but instead he slowly moved until the water lapped as his hips. He
sunk as if he were a knife cutting through the water, disappearing with no more
than a quiet ripple disturbing the surface. The lake smoothed in seconds.
    The only indication she ever had company were those damn
jeans on the ground in front of her.

Chapter Two
     
    Under the water there was silence.
    No voices. No anger. No screams.
    Nothing.
    Ryan Flynn learned long ago how to mute the sounds that used
to dominate his life. But occasionally, when the pain got to be too much, he
had to do something to shut the reminders away. Otherwise, he couldn’t find a
foothold. He’d hoped the sanding pass on the boat would help put him deep
enough to push things aside. But tonight the pain roared louder than he was
capable of balancing.
    He hated the fact he possessed a weakness strong enough to
break him.
    When his lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, he slowly
surfaced, deliberately inhaling the powerful scent