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The question pulled me from the memory, and I nodded because how could I admit I wasn’t? I knew he wasn’t asking about my mental state—that question was one I’d have to consider at length and in private. After a moment, he nodded as well and returned to his examination. I was stunned by how gentle his strong hands could be. Quite opposite from the hands of Jay that had held me in place and had wielded a strap against me. Rye’s touch was warm and soft.
“I’m not hurting you, am I?” He didn’t look up as his attention was focused intently on each thorn.
His question had me realize I’d given a soft moan at his touch. Still, I huffed. “Your brother wasn’t concerned about that when he was strapping me in the woodshed.”
Rye continued to remove the thorns, never making eye contact. “We both know you had that coming. Be glad we decided to let him handle it instead of each of us taking a turn. Your punishment could have been a hell of a lot worse.”
“Honestly? Did you just use the wordpunishmentlike it’s normal to say to a grown woman? You actually think I had astrappingcoming? You can’t be serious.”
Rye plucked the last thorn out of my arm. “I am. If you’d obeyed and not acted like a rebellious teenager sneaking out the window we all heard you fall from, it wouldn’t have been necessary.” He finally looked up. “So, not only do I know you had a strapping coming, you now know there will be more where that one came from if you don’t behave.” He ran his fingers along my arms, my legs and then my hands tenderly. “I think I got them all out. Can you feel any more?”
My head spun with all the different sensations coursing through me. My body stung from all the thorns and scrapes. My ass burned from both the strapping and the fucking I’d received, and my inner core still throbbed with desire. I’d had a small taste of his fingers on me…
I wanted more.
I wanted more of Rye’s touch… and what was totally confusing was that I didn’t particularly care however he chose to give it. Hard and demanding or soft and giving—it didn’t matter. Yes, there had to be something wrong with me. I was just with his fucking brother!
I needed to stop overthinking everything. It wasn’t like I was in a conventional situation. I’d been kidnapped by three brothers who expected me to play wife to them and act like we were all one big happy family. How could I expect I would act normal when my life was far from it? Still, I needed to try, right?
“No, I think you got them all. Thank you.”
Rye applied some ointment on the bigger scrapes and placed some bandages on the ones still bleeding.
“You’re welcome.” He packed up the first aid kit. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”
My heart skipped a beat. If only hetrulymeant what he said. Spending a night in his bed—or in anyone’s bed—seemed like one hell of a good idea. Knowing that wasn’t what he meant at all, I followed him out of the kitchen and up the stairs with disappointment weighing heavy.
When we reached the hallway between all the individual bedrooms, we both paused in awkward silence. There was something about Rye that made me want to wrap my arms around him and entice my way into his bed, or perhaps invite him into mine. But at the same time, I wanted to strangle the jerk. I wanted to kill every single one of the Barrett Brothers in their sleep about as much as I wanted to… well… to fuck each one of them.
After tonight—and Jay having me admit my most hidden and taboo feelings—I wanted them all more than ever before. Was it that every one of them was incredibly good looking, their bodies so fit, so incredibly hard that I ached to run my hand… my lips, my tongue over every inch of their skin? Was it the strength, the overprotectiveness, and their dominance? I couldn’t figure it out.
Rye was the first to break the silence. “Next time you do something like that, I won’t be so gentle.”
I nodded in understanding.
“Good night, Goldie.”
The huskiness of his voice made my heart pitter-patter and my knees go weak. God I wanted him.
“Good night, Rye.” I walked into my room and closed the door behind me.
In somewhat of a stupor, I moved across the floor, pausing when I reached the bed. Looking down at a cut on my arm that Rye and I had missed, I could see I needed another Band-Aid or risk getting blood on the sheets. I had no choice but to go to Rye, who I knew was still awake, to see where the first aid kit was stored. Standing and retracing my steps, I slipped out of my room and went to knock on his door.
He opened the door with a devilish grin on his face.
“I need—” I began.
He grabbed me by the back of my neck and pulled my lips to his. There was no hesitation. There was no silent ask for permission. He was a man who took what he wanted, and clearly right now he wanted to kiss me.
The wet heat from the kiss, the way his tongue demanded entrance between my lips, dissolved away all thought and reason from my body. The distant urge to resist kept slipping further and further down a cave of forget.
I should remember who this man is. I shouldn’t ignore the fact that he was one of three to force me to this cabin against my will. And I should not allow this kiss to just happen. To allow it to ignite a fire within my core. But as I panted for air between his assault on my mouth, I could only focus on Rye. On him. On one. The other two men faded in the distance as Rye took over every sensation in my body.
Rye’s hands were so huge as they moved from the back of my neck to the front. Tightening his grip, he restricted my air just enough for a sizzle of danger to run through my veins. I gasped for breath as this beast of a man reminded me just how primal he could be. There was no romanticism to this kiss. He was indeed my captor and his hold on my throat was a reminder of that fact.
And yet… I had no desire to break free from the chains either.
The sound of pent-up passion I’d been trying to hold back, exploded from what little air Rye allowed with his grip. His hands tightened more as his dark eyes locked with mine. The struggle for air only heightened every feeling of want and hunger inside of me.
