Page 58

“Now. Fucking crawl to me.”

The air in front of me shifted as he rose. There was a sharp tug on the garland binding my wrists.

I can’t believe I’m about to do this!

I tugged back, but only to have enough length to adjust my skirt. I was not going to rip this dress! My bare knees rubbed against the plush rug as I shuffled.

Guided by the festive rope, I crawled.

“So pretty,” the husky praise growled through the room.

I was instantly soaked for him.

The moment I gave up fighting the inevitable pull, the heat of the room crackled over my already sizzling skin. I had no idea what was coming next, but I wanted this.

I wanted him.

So badly.

Time slowed as I inched forward. I didn’t let myself picture how I looked. I focused on what I felt. There was power in knowing the fantasy. How many times had I envied maidens sacrificed to monsters in fiction? I would have rushed to mine if I wasn’t bound and blind!

So, I crawled to him.

Arousal was slick against my shifting thighs. The heat of the fire threatened to burn. But I was more alive than I’d ever been. Guided by the festive rope, I moved toward the stranger, the only man I felt safe enough to play this game with.

“Stop.”

I froze. My heart thumped in my chest. Each breath was a desperate pant.

“Stand.”

It was a struggle to find my footing. It didn’t get easier as my arms were lifted over my head and my body was shoved against something bristly.

The tree.

He was tying my hands to the top of the tree!

The branches were impossibly soft on my bare arms. A real tree should have scratched me. Whatever this was made of, it embraced me. I sank into the tree, realizing it was sturdy. The masked man clearly had it in with the Ravellos that they’d had this perfect tree placed in this room ready for his use.

I didn’t have a chance to dissect that further as his touch skated over my ribs and around my back.

“Time to unwrap my gift,” he murmured.

Anticipation made me rub my thighs together.

“You know, when I selected the dress, I imaged peeling it off you.” He found the zipper and gave it a tug. “I wanted one with long sleeves, but that would never do, would it?”

I gave him a small shake of my head.

The gown fell away, slipping off my body and leaving me naked. Heat from the fire licked the right side of my body, and I was glad for the warmth.

The masked man stepped into me. “You are the only thing on my Christmas list, Rose.”

I shivered at his possessive tone.

His arms wrapped tightly around me, forehead resting against mine. “Warm enough?”

I nodded, soaking up the feel of him.