Page 175 of To Catch a Sub

“You came,” she breathed.

“I’ll always find you,” he promised. “No matter where he took you, I’d have come for you.” He swallowed, throat working. “But not in time to stop this.”

“You came,” she repeated. “Last time, I knew no one would.”

Landon kissed the corner of her mouth, away from the split in her lip. With her next breath, something inside Colette relaxed, and she exhaled, feeling more herself.

“I don’t think I can do this by myself,” she said ruefully. “Though I did look for cutting pliers.”

Landon pulled back, and seeing her smile his expression relaxed. “Pliers?” Landon hooked two fingers under the wrist cuff and gave it an experimental tug.

“Well, that’s not going to do it,” she said with a laugh. “The hospital tried a few things, but didn’t have anything heavy enough.” She held up her wrist. “I think the big rings are gold-plated stainless steel. Gold is malleable, so if they were pure gold the hospital would have been able to do it with pliers.”

“Bolt cutters,” Landon declared, squeezing her hand. He knelt, turning the chain on her waist until he found the small jump rings. “Fucker really liked waist things, didn’t he?”

“His cock was hard once these were done.” She pointed to her waist and then down at her ankles.

Landon gripped her thighs gently, silent for a moment, his head bent so all she could see was his hair. “Did he rape you?” His question was so soft, she could easily ignore it if she wanted to.

“Not with his cock.” She touched his cheek, and he looked up. “Just his finger. Apparently, I was still a virgin.”

Landon snorted, and she was glad to see the dire expression melt away. “I wonder what exactly he thinks a virgin is.”

“I truly have no idea. I was a little worried he’d be able to tell that you’d recently fucked me senseless.”

“Fuck.” Landon pressed his face to her thigh, and his mouth’s proximity to her pussy had her body sitting up and taking notice.

The stirrings of arousal were a relief. She knew she’d have to deal with, and process, what had happened, but it was good to know it hadn’t killed her sex drive.

He breathed against her for a moment, then sat back, looking up. From this angle the crude, heavy gold hoops in her nipples were impossible to ignore.

“Are the nipple rings welded closed?”

She nodded.

“I’m so sorry they did that to you, love.” Landon rose to his feet. “I thought they’d removed the nipple ones, at the hospital.”

“They tried. And they offered to get other tools. But I didn’t want to stay there.”

He reached for her breast, but stopped. “Can I look?”

She nodded, and he bent, one hand gently cradling the bottom of the breast he was examining. “Fuck,” he muttered, taking in the swollen, red flesh and the fresh trickle of blood, no doubt courtesy of catching the ring on the towel.

“It…hurt,” she admitted.

“I know it did. I know.” He gathered her into his arms, turning her so her side was pressed to his chest, and not her abused breasts.

“Will you be okay here for a minute?” he asked.

She wrapped an arm around his waist. “Do you have to go?”

“Actually no, that fucker Andrei can go buy me bolt cutters.” Landon shoved a hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone.

THIRTY-NINE

“Fire dancers are too mainstream,” Andrei insisted, leaning against the edge of the bondage chair Colette sat in.

“But fire is sexy,” she pointed out.