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Unlocking the truck, he opened the passenger-side door, placed his hand on the top of her head, and guided
her inside the car, giving her no choice but to obey. He slammed the door shut and was halfway around the front when she popped out of the vehicle again, the small purse hanging from her shoulder slapping against her hip.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Cole,” she said stubbornly, and yanked at the hem of her dress, which had ridden up on her thighs.
His jaw clenched in aggravation. Keeping his gaze off her long, bare legs, he stalked back and silently, but firmly, forced her back into the leather seat. With one hand on her squirming shoulder to keep her in place and his upper body blocking what he was about to do, he opened the glove compartment and withdrew a set of steel handcuffs he kept tucked in there for emergencies. And this situation definitely qualified. He looped the cuffs through the handgrip on the dash, then manacled one of Melodie’s wrist, then the other. Then he slipped out of the car again and closed the door on the sound of her outraged gasp.
She fumed as he pulled out of the parking lot, then finally unleashed the resentment simmering inside her. “I don’t appreciate you treating me like a common criminal.” She gave her shackles a fierce tug, but they didn’t budge.
He eased the SUV onto the freeway toward Oakland. “I’m ensuring your safety since you don’t seem capable of doing it for yourself.”
“This is unbelievable,” she said with a slow shake of her head, then stared out the window and the darkness beyond. “What about my car?”
“We’ll pick it up tomorrow. You’re not driving anywhere tonight. Your father would kill me if you were picked up on a DUI charge,” he muttered.
Her head whipped around fast, causing her hair to swirl around her face. The heat of her gaze bore relentlessly into him. “Excuse me?”
Damn. He shifted in his seat. If she ever learned of the conversation that had transpired between himself and her father they’d both be dead meat.
With a calm expression in place, he looked her way. “I said, the last thing I’d want is for you to get picked up on a DUI.”
Her gaze narrowed suspiciously, but she didn’t call him on his comment. “I’m not drunk,” she insisted, and rested her head against the back of her seat. “And I can take care of myself. Take me home.”
That’s what he’d originally planned, but wondered if he could trust her to be alone in her current rebellious mood. Would she crawl into bed and sleep off the alcohol she’d consumed after he left her apartment, or would she summon an Uber and head back to the nightclub? The dilemma ate at his conscience.
You’re the only one I trust to keep an eye on her.
He groaned at the reminder of Richard’s unconditional faith in him and knew what his decision would be. Preparing himself to deal with another argument with Melodie, he headed toward home. His home.
CHAPTER TEN
Melodie kept her gaze trained out the passenger window and ignored her grumpy, temperamental chauffeur. She still couldn’t believe that he’d gone to such extremes as to handcuff her, or that he thought he needed to save her from herself. Of course, Cole was under the wrong assumption that she needed protecting. And for some reason, he’d assigned himself the job of being her savior.
She released a soft sigh. Tonight wasn’t turning out at all as she’d imagined. Then again, where Cole was involved, nothing went the way she expected.
The evening had started out well enough. While she’d been initially uneasy about going to Paxton’s alone, Matt and his two friends had invited her to join them at their table, which had helped to calm her nerves. They’d been polite and fun and she’d enjoyed dancing and conversing with them, but there had been no sparks or real chemistry. How could there be when she’d compared each one to Cole and found them lacking in some way?
She couldn’t say she was completely surprised to find out that Cole had followed her to Paxton’s. She’d even been pleased by his appearance, since his presence had allowed her to feel a bit more secure and at ease. It was his boorish, take-charge attitude that had rubbed her raw and instigated a flare of rebellion.
Despite still being mad at him, a small smile touched her lips as she recalled their naughty escapade out on the dance floor. For those few precious moments he’d been hers, with nothing between them but desire and pleasure. That tryst had been one of the most erotic, thrilling experiences of her life, and she’d basked in her body’s instantaneous and effortless response to Cole—until he’d abruptly decided that it was time he took her home.
Hurt and confusion had prompted her to defy him by any means available, which accounted for her reluctance to leave the club with him. It was beyond her comprehension how Cole could make her body burn for him one minute, then withdraw in the next, shutting her out physically and emotionally. Even now her nerves still thrummed for something more, and there he sat across from her, impenetrable as stone.
She wondered what it would take to truly crack that resolute demeanor of his, to completely unleash the intensely sexual man she’d seen glimpses of in the past week. The thought fascinated and excited her and caused a flush of intrigue to sweep across her skin. But then reality intruded and reminded her how carefully Cole guarded his responses to her.
The vehicle came to a stop and Cole cut the engine. Melodie frowned as her surroundings came into focus and she realized they were parked in his driveway.
“What are we doing here?” she demanded.
“You’re staying at my place for the night.” He turned to face her, his chiseled features illuminated by the streetlamp outside. “I want to be sure you don’t do anything careless while you’re still intoxicated.”
Frustration welled up in her. “I’m not drunk,” she insisted for the umpteenth time, then sighed, knowing he still didn’t believe her. She was wasting her breath trying to convince him. “My shoulders and arms are killing me in this awkward position. Uncuff me, Cole.” He hesitated long enough to ignite her temper all over again. “Oh, for God’s sakes! I don’t need to be restrained.”
He lifted a dark brow, silently mocking her. “You know, I remember a time when you were sweet and accommodating and I never would have had to cuff you. Now you’ve turned into a hellion and I have no idea what you’re going to do next.”
Being passive had gotten her nowhere, and she liked her newfound femininity and the confidence that came with it. Even if Cole didn’t. “What are you going to do, cuff me to your bed for the night to make sure I don’t go anywhere?” The words slipped out of their own accord, and what was meant to be a sarcastic comment took on a very sexual connotation.
His eyes smoldered with heat. “Don’t tempt me,” he said, his tone low and rough.
