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“People who want to hide from something worse,” he said steadily. He reached out a long finger toward my cheek and I thought for one mad moment that he was going to smooth it down my skin, but he took a lock hanging out of my braid and tucked it behind my ear. “You can tell me, Laura. You have to tell me. It’s the only way out of this for you.”
“Don’t pretend to care what happens to me. We both know why you’re here. The bond is worth millions,” I ground out. The words felt like a lie, though. There were more than business concerns in Bennet’s eyes.
“I’ve got money, sweetheart,” he said quietly. The endearment made me melt a little. “I care about doing the right thing,” he said.
I nodded. “Of course you do. Excellent Marine with a pristine record, selfless philanthropist, and do-gooder boss. I’m not your next cause, Bennet Archer. I don’t need your help,” I said, feeling those annoying tears pushing at my eyes again.
Bennet let out a long breath, putting his hands to his hips. He ran one hand through his close-cropped hair, an agitated tell. He tilted his head to the side, nodding slightly, as if accepting something.
“I know you believe that, Laura, you really do. You’re a strong woman, and I’m not going to lie, it’s impressive, but I think you need my help. You just don’t realize it yet,” he said quietly. His eyes fell to my lips again, and I had the sudden impression that this man wanted to kiss me.
It shook me.
A man I admired, a man I was attracted to, wanted to kiss me, but he didn’t. Bennet Archer didn’t just take what he wanted. It was a first for me, and I fell a bit in love with him at that moment.
I wet my lips, testing his response. His gray eyes darkened, and he stepped closer. Yes, for some incomprehensible reason, this desirable man wanted me. I had power here, though it was power I had no idea how to use. I parted my lips and tilted my head back. Maybe I could use it to my advantage? I’d already sunk so low, what was a few more meters into the earth?
“And what exactly would you help me with if I asked you?” I let my eyes linger on his and drop to his mouth.
His jaw flexed. “Whatever you need,” he growled.
I raised a teasing eyebrow. “Whatever I need? That sounds scandalous for some reason.”
“Maybe you just have a dirty mind,” he said, the shadow of a smirk playing around his lips.
“You have no idea,” I murmured, and he really didn’t. Twenty-one years old and never touched, I’d entertained some pretty elaborate fantasies about made-up men in my head. From now on, however, I knew exactly who I was going to fantasize about.
“Laura, sweetheart, you have no idea how much I’d like to find out, but I have a gut feeling that you’re playing me, and I never doubt my gut,” Bennet said quietly, so close now that if I leaned up on my toes, our lips would meet. I swallowed hard. I was forgetting my end game here. Being this close to him was making my head spin.
I was about to open my mouth and tell him that right now, I didn’t care about anything else. To take me back to Brian. I knew he would, and I’d have no choice but to opt for Plan Z, but first, indulge my last wish. If I was on death row, Bennet Archer and an hour of uninterrupted privacy would be my last request.
But Bennet had gotten so close, and his guard was low, despite his words. I felt his unlocked handcuffs beneath my fingers as he crowded me back against the sink. I put one hand to his hard chest, letting it trace down his t-shirt. I felt his nipple turn to a hard point beneath my fingers as his breath grew tight. His belt was notched out, pushed by a hard-on I’d love to see. Gathering my courage, I let my hand fall to his belt buckle, putting gentle pressure against him. He groaned, his eyes narrowing.
“You’re paranoid,” I whispered. “You caught me, fair and square. I’m not arguing about that. You wanted me to be honest with you. Here I am, being honest. I-I want you,” I confessed quietly. God, I didn’t think I could blush more than I was right now. My skin could set the towel on fire. Bennet took a steadying breath, moving his hips against me.
“You’re driving me crazy, sweetheart,” he muttered, and his eyes slid down, past my face, and he closed them for a second. “I have to be a gentleman and tell you—your towel is slipping.”
“So let it. There’s no one in here but us,” I muttered, angling my head, and feeling fire burn in my veins. I’d never been more turned on or needy than I was right now. “No one needs to know.”
My soft words sent a shadow of a frown across Bennet’s brow, and I realized my mistake. I’d broken the spell, by reminding him about the outside world. Before he could pull away, I reached up and pressed my lips against his.
He stiffened, tension cording through his body, as he seemed to battle his better sense and his body’s longing. Then, just like that, he melted into me, grabbing me against him. He kissed me hard, his tongue delving between my lips and stroking along mine. It was all I could do to keep up. I’d never really been kissed before, not with passion, not like this. I felt dizzy, like there wasn’t enough air in the room. He pulled me against his ridged pants, and his hands went behind me to grip my waist, and then fell to my ass, barely covered in the towel. He slid his hands up, under the fluffy edge and cupped the globes of my behind, sinking his fingers in with just the right pressure.
“Jesus Christ, you’re killing me,” he muttered against my lips, using his grip on my as to rub me against his hard-on. I groaned as the movement hit my clit just the right way. My hand curled around his neck, while the other went for the cuffs. The shower rail was just beside his right hand, and an enclosed rail made to help people out of the shower. I was so close; I could taste it. The problem was his kisses had a drugging effect, dragging me under and making me forget what I was doing here. One of his hands moved from my cheek, slipping inside, his palm spanning the breath of my cleft, as he ran one hot finger up and down my folds.
“Do you have any idea how wet you are right now? And you tried to run away from me. You tried to run away from this,” he muttered in a pained voice.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered in his ear as he lowered his head to my neck, kissing the skin and dragging his stubbled lips downward, making me squirm.
“You should be. From now on, no more running, no more lies. You’ll tell me everything and let me help you.” His voice was so commanding. I wanted to burrow inside there and live forever. I couldn’t imagine feeling that confident about anything in this world, and Bennet Archer seemed utterly fearless to me at that moment.
One of his thick fingers sank inside my entrance, and I cried out softly. “Tell me you understand me, Laura. I need to hear it.”
He was distracted now, and his other hand was closer to the bar than ever. With one hand proving more flexible that I’d ever thought it could be, I maneuvered one cuff around the bar and held on to the empty end, preparing myself to close it around his thick wrist. His eyes were on me, and one of his hands was definitely busy, fucking slowly into me, exploring and stretching where no man had ever touched. His other, though? That was mine.
“I understand what you want,” I murmured in his ear, pressing him forward, and angling the cuff. “I’m sorry I can’t give it to you.”
My words took a moment to register, and by then, I’d closed the cuff around his wrist. He stilled for a moment, and then pulled his hand roughly from me, and reached for his restrained wrist with a roar. I stepped away quickly, out of his reach. My towel dropped to the floor as he made a grab for me after quickly realizing that I’d closed it well.
