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“We can move things to the bedroom if you want,” Rath offered. “Or not—whatever makes you comfortable.”
I appreciated how he wasn’t pressuring me. I didn’t know what I had seen in the shadows, but it wasn’t Rath. The face I had seen was long and narrow—a human man, not an Orc. And he had burning red eyes which shouldn’t be familiar but somehow were…
It was the face I had seen in my nightmares, I suddenly remembered. But why was I seeing it now, when I was trying to get over my intimacy issues and finally get close to Rath—maybe even finally lose my virginity? Was something about the situation or position we were in triggering me? I just didn’t know.
“Maybe we should move to the bedroom,” I said doubtfully. “It might help.”
“We can do that.” Rath nodded and rose from the couch. Then he held out a hand to me.
I took it and he pulled me up, his muscles rippling with the motion. God, I had never seen anyone who looked so good with his shirt off! He smelled really good too—like some dark, otherworldly spice that had a deep masculine undernote. His scent along with everything else called to me. I wanted him.
The question was, would I be able to have him?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Rath led me into the bedroom but instead of kissing me again, he sat on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. Then he spread his arms so that his wrists were against the tall wooden bedposts on either side.
“Um…what are you doing?” I asked, frowning.
“Putting you in charge,” he answered simply. “Use your magic to bind me. What happens next is completely up to you.”
“You want me to tie you up?” I looked at him uncertainly. “Seriously?”
“I want you to feel safe,” Rath emphasized. “So go on—tie me up. Just like you did with that fucking Hydra.”
I thought about refusing, but when I considered it, the idea actually appealed to me a lot. I liked the idea of being in charge of the situation. And Rath was right, if there was something in my past that was triggering me, letting me take control might help me get past it.
“Well…all right,” I said. “If you’re really sure.”
“I’m really sure,” he promised. “Go on—do it.”
I concentrated for a minute, closing my eyes and picturing the magic thread in my hands.
“Grow,” I murmured to it. “Get thicker—stronger.”
The thread obeyed me at once. This time I didn’t form a steel cable though—I wanted a rope, but a soft one that wouldn’t chafe the big Orc’s wrists.
When I had the first one fashioned, I sent it to him and we both watched as it wrapped securely around his right wrist and the wooden bed post.
Rath tugged at it experimentally and I saw his biceps bulge as he tested the magic rope.
“It’s good,” he said, nodding as he relaxed his arm. “I can’t break it. Now do the other one.”
This time I didn’t protest—I fashioned another magic rope in less than half the time I had taken to make the first and sent it to tie his other wrist to the other bedpost. Rath tested this one too and nodded.
“Good work—that’s some strong magic you have, baby.”
“Thank you—but you really don’t mind being tied up like this?” I asked.
He rumbled laughter.
“To tell you the truth, I think it’s kind of hot,” he admitted. “In every relationship I’ve ever been in, I’m always the biggest and the strongest. And most women expect me to take charge—which I like, don’t get me wrong,” he added. “But I’ve never been with anyone who’s stronger than me.”
“I’m not stronger than you!” I protested.
“Your magic is stronger than my strength—of the two of us, I’m the weaker one,” he told me.
“And you don’t mind that?” I asked. “Most men would hate it.”
