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“I…” No, I couldn’t challenge his authority, not now. He was too wired.
While I obeyed him, my stomach churned even more. When he touched my hand, gently rolling his finger across my knuckles, I finally allowed a single moan. He flicked his eyes into mine then continued caressing first one hand then the other. As he started to wrap the tape around my hands, I couldn’t have been more shocked.
“You must be careful when using the apparatus, Candy. It’s not a toy. I have every bag built to my specifications. They are not meant to be used for regular exercise. However, since you seem interested, I’ll give you a single lesson.”
Why were his words still so cold? Had he shut down so completely that there was no future possibility of breaching his armor? I had to get him talking. Maybe he’d open up.
And maybe you’re dreaming.
“You’re a boxer. A hobby?”
He chuckled, the sound still cold, impassive. I didn’t expect an answer. “I’ve boxed since my early twenties.”
“For money?”
“Not for money, Candy. To settle scores.”
I shuddered from the thought of what kind of scores could be settled over beating a man until he was bloody. “Are you any good?”
“I’m still standing here, aren’t I?”
A sudden wash of visions allowed me to invent a terrible scene where the loser would be stoned to death by the audience members after the event. My crazy mind was trying to figure out what the winner received.
“What happened to your hand? Is that where you went, to settle a score? Were you the winner?”
“There are some aspects of my life that you don’t want to know about. As I’m certain you’ve already thought of, there are no winners in my line of work, only losers. And I never intend on being on the losing end.”
“That means you killed somebody.” I wasn’t posing a question. I already knew the answer.
His sigh was one of annoyance. “Is that what you really want to know?”
“Yes. Don’t lie to me. Please?”
“If you’re asking whether I kept my promise to you, the answer is yes.” He lifted his gaze to remind me of the payment he required. I’d once been able to get lost in his glorious eyes. That wasn’t something that would ever happen again.
When he was finished, he reached over, pulling open another drawer and dragging out a pair of boxing gloves. I was surprised that his actions were tender, just as he’d been before. He took his time securing them, then pressed my hands together, peering down at me.
“Face the bag.” He didn’t wait for me to respond, shifting me around to face the stationary object. “Use careful jabs. Don’t allow it to come back and hit you. I assure you the force will knock you down.”
When he backed away, the experience didn’t feel the same as before. I was stiff, uncertain how to make the first hit. It hadn’t been like before when I’d used my frustration as the driving force. I felt inferior.
But I took a swing, the sensations rocketing through my hand entirely different. Then I took another. Within seconds, I believed I had the swing of it, pummeling my fists against it with the ferocity I’d used before. It felt good, damn good.
His eyes never left as I swung and he didn’t take more than a few steps away. Maybe he was prepared for the possibility that I would turn on him, taking out my aggressions. Just seeing his reflection in the mirror did more for my resolve than the adrenaline flowing through my veins. I smacked the bag several additional times until my arms were exhausted, stopping too close to the swinging mass. As soon as the heavy object boomeranged back, he was there to catch me before I fell, dragging me out of harm’s way then turning me around to face him.
His hold was firm, controlling, but he’d allowed true concern to replace his icy stare. “I think you’ve had enough. Besides, you’ve lost your freedoms for now.”
He did know I’d tried to escape. Shit. Shit. Gritting my teeth, I turned around to face him. There was also a hint of amusement in his eyes, as if he’d won a bet.
He didn’t need to tell me to hold out my arms. I did so automatically, still breathless from the experience as well as his heated mass of a man standing in front of me. I couldn’t stop shaking, my nerves as much on edge as they’d been before. I was just as aroused as before as well, the sole reason I could tolerate him being so close.
Somewhere deep in my mind I was fully aware I had to fight my feelings, the needs that had become so unbridled I could barely breathe around him. But as with everything else about the man, I couldn’t seem to shake the hunger.
“Did you enjoy searching through my things, moy milyy angel?” He took his sweet time untying the strings.
I should have known he’d have someone always watching me. “Do you have cameras installed in every room?”
He seemed amused, lifting a single eyebrow. “To answer your question, there are cameras in every room except for my suite. However, I make it my business to know when someone has invaded my space.”
