Quinn - Iris Johansen [77]
Now!
Her wrists came down whiplike on the bridge of his nose.
She rolled into his body, and her knee lifted and struck upward into his groin.
He grunted and bent double.
She rolled past him, jumped up, and took off for the trees.
She made it five yards before he tackled her and flipped her over.
She brought her tied wrists up and struck him in the side of his neck.
“No!” He was glaring down at her as he straddled her. His nose was bleeding, and he looked as fierce and barbaric as she felt. “Dammit, it’s not going to be that way. I told you that I won’t have you—” He stopped, staring down at her, the ferocity slowly faded from his expression. “Even bound and drugged, you managed to almost do it. Wonderful … Damn, you’re wonderful. That’s why it should have been you.” His one hand was holding her wrists and with the other he loosened her hair, which was tied back in a chignon. His fingers combed through it until it was tumbling around her face and shoulders. He added softly, “And beautiful. This was the way you were when I saw you in the lake. You were all golden silk and shining ebony. I only got a glimpse of you, but it made me so hard I couldn’t think of anything else for hours afterward.” He was stroking her hair, slowly, sensuously. “And every time I stopped to sleep, I remembered…”
He was hard now. She could feel him against her. Feel the heat he was emitting. His eyes were dark and glittering in his taut face. His lips were half-parted and full and sensual. She stared up at him in helpless fascination. Dammit, her anger was abandoning her. She was having trouble breathing. Her breasts felt full, taut …
It was impossible. This mustn’t happen. She had to get him away from her. She tore her gaze away from his own. “My hands are tied. Is that the way you like it? Are you going to rape me?”
He stiffened. “It was damn close.” He got off her. “But it wouldn’t be rape, would it? I’d see that it would just be another road of the journey we’re on. And you liked that journey as much as I did.”
He jerked her to her feet. “These ropes are loose enough. I’m going to tie you to that oak tree so that we can both get some sleep.” He was pulling her toward the oak. “Neither one of us has been getting much of that in the past weeks.”
“This doesn’t make sense. Kill me or let me go.”
“We’ve discussed that, and those aren’t options.” He shrugged. “And maybe I don’t want them to be options. You’ve cheated me of what I thought was my way out. I think you should keep me entertained until Quinn shows up as a replacement.” He shook his head. “And I don’t mean that in the sexual sense. I don’t believe you’ll let me—but that’s up to you. Maybe you’ll decide that you should use me to distract yourself. I’m at your disposal.”
She wouldn’t look at him. She was still feeling the heat that had touched and scorched her only minutes before. “Make up your mind. An hour ago you were ready to kill me.”
“Was I? But that game is over.” He was roping her to the tree. He took her jacket and put it beneath her head to cushion it against the trunk. “I’ll let you lie down full length next time I’m awake enough to watch you. Do you want me to fasten your hair back up?”
“No!” She didn’t want his hands on her. That loosening and threading had been unbearably sensual.
“Good. I like it down anyway.” He turned and stretched out before the fire. “But I can see how you’d want it out of your way when you were after me. But that’s all over now, isn’t it?”
“No, this is just an intermission.”
“I believe you’re wrong. I think we’ve entered a new phase.”
“And I think that you’re fooling yourself.”
“It’s possible.” He rested his cheek on his arm, his gaze focused on her. “But it feels different. You look fantastic with the firelight on you. I’m going to enjoy looking at you until I go to sleep.” He made a face. “Well, maybe not enjoy. I’m definitely experiencing some discomfort at the moment. But that goes with the territory. It’s worth it.”
She was silent. “Why are you saying these things?”
“Because we’ve reached the end of our game. No subterfuge.