Page 94 of Run

“You should use real handcuffs.” Megan stepped inside. “These won’t hold him.”

It was clear Elle never should have involved Megan in her plans. But her choice of someone to help was sorely limited. Julia would faint if she even thought about buying naughty cuffs, and Rachel was too busy destroying a dirty cop. So that left Megan. And, apparently, Megan’s help came with lots of unwanted sex advice. None of it good.

“The whole point of these handcuffs,” Elle said as she followed Megan through the house to the kitchen, “is that he has towantto be restrained. Not that I’m forcing him to stay where he doesn’t want to be.” Elle didn’t know why she bothered. It wasn’t as if anything she said would make an impact. Megan did Megan. Full stop.

“Whatever.” Megan had already tuned Elle out. “I still don’t see why we couldn’t have just swung by your apartment at the office to pick up the pink cuffs you already have.”

“Uh, cops? Crime scene? TV cameras? Any of this ringing a bell?”

Megan waved a dismissive hand. “I would have gotten us past them. I spent years sneaking past my brother, I’m an expert. Anyway, I picked up some other stuff for you while I was in the shop. And something for me.” She grinned. “I bought a corset that will knock Dimitri on his backside when he sees me in it.”

“Just as long as the rest of us don’t see it, I’m sure it will be great.” She eyed the brown paper bag Megan had given her with suspicion. “I’m almost too scared to see what else you got.”

“Don’t be a wimp,” Megan said as she raided Elle’s chocolate stash.

With a sigh, Elle peered into the bag. “Cinnamon lube? What the heck am I supposed to do with that?”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Elle already had—it was going in the bin. She lifted two furry pink disks adorned with long pink tassels from the bag. “You got me nipple pasties?”

“To match the cuffs!” She was so pleased with herself that Elle felt embarrassed on her behalf.

“I’m going to use the cuffs on David.”

Megan scrunched up her nose. “Well, I suppose you could stick those on him too, but I don’t think it would be very sexy.”

“Okay, we’re done here.” Elle turned her friend around and propelled her toward the front door. “Thanks for shopping for me. Let’s never do it again. Now go away.”

“You know you’re making this way too complicated,” Megan said. “When I want to seduce Dimitri, I just strip and stand in front of him. That always works. You should try it.”

“Not all of us feel comfortable getting naked in front of people. We’re still new. I’m still nervous. You, on the other hand, would strip for a busload of tourists without batting an eyelid.”

“Whoa,” Megan said as Elle shoved her out of the house. “Being horny makes you mean.”

“Love you too.” Elle shut the door in Megan’s face.

* * *

David was exhausted.Ever since pulling Elle out of Tommy’s wet room, he’d had nightmares about it. And when he wasn’t waking in a cold sweat, terrified he’d been too late to save her, he was waking up several times a night just to check she was still breathing.

It was inevitable he’d finally crash.

Which is exactly what he’d done when he’d gone to bed that evening.

And it was also why someone had managed to get the drop on him while he’d been asleep. A very smug, blue-haired someone, who currently sat astride his naked body—when he was certain he’d worn pajama bottoms to bed. Not only that, but Elle had also managed to lose her clothes while he’d been out cold. Well, most of them. She appeared to have curtain cords dangling from her breasts.

When he reached out, intent on pulling one of the cords to see what happened, his wrists caught on something. Glancing up, he found himself secured to the headboard by a set of fluffy pink cuffs.

“Elle, why am I cuffed to the bed?”

“For sexy times.” She grinned.

The sight made him relax for the first time in weeks. Between mourning for Marcus, denial over Ryan, and anxiety over the violence she’d experienced, Elle hadn’t been her bubbly self since he’d rescued her. Until now. And he couldn’t have been happier to see her back to normal.

Except for one teeny, tiny detail. “Why are you wearing curtain cords on your breasts?”

She glanced down. “I suppose they do look like something you’d use to tie back your curtains. But these are nipple pasties. Megan bought them for me.”