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As soon as it clicks shut, my insides coil with a tight knot of dread. My heart pounds through the silence, drowning out the sounds of my frantic breathing. Panic grabs me by the throat, its grip cold and suffocating. I gasp for air, trying to calm my racing thoughts.
It’s like I’m trapped in a prison and there’s no escape. Deep down, I know this is only temporary. It’s only a form of bondage. It’s nothing like being locked up in a burning apartment. Roman will return soon with something like a dildo.
Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.
My hands curl into fists.
Seconds pass. Maybe minutes. My brain knows he hasn’t left for long, but my fight-or-flight response is going into overdrive and screaming at me to run. Every nerve becomes over-sensitized, with sweat rolling over my skin like balls of mercury. I thrash my arms, struggling to break free, but the rope only tightens around my wrists.
No matter how many times I try to reassure myself, every instinct screams red alert. My nostrils fill with the remembered scent of smoke, and I cry out.
“Roman?”
Nothing.
“Roman!”
The door swings open. Roman returns holding a piece of paper, his eyes wide. “You okay?”
Shudders seize my bones, and I squeeze my eyes shut. “Fuck.”
He scrambles onto the bed, his hands working through the ropes with an urgency that matches my racing pulse. “Emberly, talk to me.”
“I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m…” I gulp. “I’m okay.”
“You’re not.” He releases my wrists and pulls me into his arms. “You’re trembling, and your heart is pounding. Tell me what I did, baby?”
“Nothing,” I say with a sigh, my muscles finally relaxing. “It’s just me.”
Roman’s strong arms tighten around my waist and shoulders, and he rocks me from side to side. His heart pounds as hard and fast as mine, as though my panic attack shook him to the core.
“Was it the bondage?” he asks.
“No, that was really hot,” I say, my voice still shaky.
“Then what?”
“You left me tied up.”
He rubs circles over my back. “Did you think I would leave you there all night?”
“No,” I rasp. “My mind is fucked. This is a new fear unlocked.”
“You’ve never been tied up?” he asks.
I shake my head. “This was my first time. It was fine when you were on top of me. I knew you would eventually let me go, but the moment you left the room, my mind went into overdrive.”
“I’m so sorry, baby,” he murmurs, his lips pressing against my ear. “We won’t do this again unless you ask. I wasn’t even thinking.”
“Roman, it’s not your fault.” I throw my arms around his shoulders and squeeze him tight. “Now, give me that contract and let me take you out on a nice, expensive date.”
FIFTY-TWO
ROMAN
I’m officially an asshole. An asshole driving us both to a dangerous precipice in a car with no brakes, careening toward the edge of a cliff. I’m too obsessed with Emberly to let her know the truth. Too selfish to let Emberly jump out and save herself from being tied to me for life.
But I’m a determined bastard who’s willing to risk everything to make her mine. By the time Emberly discovers what I’ve done, she will hate me with the firepower of a thousand automatic rifles, but she won’t be able to leave.
