Page 108 of Missile Strike

And his arousal.

Focus, asshole.

Then she noticed the items in his hands.

He held up the novel. “Remember what happens after they have sex.”

Bella’s eyes widened. “He leaves her tied up and she has to get free on her own.” The stutter in her voice made his gut twist.

He placed the chair by the bed, set the duct tape on the nightstand, and freed her hands from the scarves, his heart beating a staccato rhythm.

Lifting her into his arms was too easy.

She’d never fight off a man his size, particularly one with his skills.

Her bare skin against his was everything. He’d never leave this bed if they could stay like this. Just the two of them.

The contact ended way too soon. He placed her on the chair, then scooped his shirt off the floor and handed it to her. “Put this on.”

Her brows furrowed. “Why?”

“Because I can’t think straight when you’re naked.”

A rosy flush covered her chest and moved up to her face, but she slipped into his white dress shirt and buttoned it partway, rolling the sleeves up so that her hands peeked out.

“You gave me a precious gift, baby. Letting me restrain and blindfold you. I know how hard that was. I hope the pleasure I gave you made it worthwhile.”

Her tongue peeked out to swipe at her lips as she peered up at him through her lashes. “It was.”

Satisfaction rolled through him, but did little to erase the pit in his stomach.

“I want you to feel pleasure from being restrained when it’s with me.” He hesitated, then pushed the rest of his words out. “But I also need you to know how to get out of restraints if someone ever tries to take you again.”

He reached for the duct tape and tore off a long strip.

She went rigid, her breaths coming shallow and fast.

He bit back a curse, his stomach bottoming out.

He was an asshole.

“Y-yellow,” she stuttered. “Yellow light.”

His head dropped. Shame left a foul taste in his mouth.

“Honey. Hear me out first, and if you still want me to end this, I will.” He rested his palm on her knee. “You feel vulnerable right now. Helpless.”

A soft whimper escaped her lips, and it was like taking a slug to his chest plate in combat. “If, God forbid, someone ever takes you again, that’s how you’ll feel.”

That would happen over his dead body.

“You’ll have to overcome that feeling and focus if you want to save yourself.”

Silence.

Danny’s world narrowed to the tremble in her lips, the hitch in her breath.

He’d pushed too far, too fast.