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Chapter Six
When Reed returnedinside Casey’s after helping their bouncer Eric evict a disorderly patron and Brett told him Lily was getting a tour upstairs, his leaping pulse nearly jumped through his skin. Brett, the jerk, laughed. Jordon’s curiosity shone in his eyes.
Slapping him on the shoulder, his brother stated, “Come on. Let’s go up and get them.”
Returning and striding up the stairs, his thoughts centered not on getting her out of there but binding her to an apparatus. The persistent pipe dream of tying her to him popped up on the direct heels of fantasizing a long session tormenting her delectable body and savoring her responses. That ongoing craving had lessened before seeing her again but never subsided all the way. Taking a fortifying breath before entering the upper private floor, he went inside. One look at her face confirmed what he started to suspect when he first took her in his arms downstairs, and his determination to apologize and let her go crumbled like a ton of bricks.
The cavernous space echoed with the shut of the door behind the girls and Brett, and Reed braced to do what he must. Marching over to Lily, he fisted his hands on his hips to keep from touching her again. Holding her close on the dance floor had been enough torture for one night.
“You figured out it was me in costume,” he stated, getting right to the point.
She didn’t appear mad or upset when she dipped her head. “Yes, but not until you walked away and stepped under the light, removing your wig and mask. Great disguise.”
Her soft lips tilted upward at the corners, signaling her acceptance without passing negative judgment – for now anyway. The easing of his conscience went a long way toward leaving him open to other possibilities, like maybe she wasn’t still as mired in her negative past relationship as he’d believed.
Relying on honesty was always the best policy, he replied, “I started to tell you who I was when I saw you in the welcoming line, but then you stopped me, and I let you.” No excuses there. “Seeing you outside caught me by surprise. I thought you were in the back somewhere or already left, and when I noticed you were upset, I could only think of one thing. To help in any way I could. Did I choose the wrong way?”
With only a slight hesitation, Lily placed her hand on his bare forearm, the light touch seeping into his skin, her golden-brown eyes darkening. “I’ll be just as open and honest. No. Besides, being who, or”—she glanced around the room—“I should say, what you are was exactly what I needed. At the time.”
The quick way she added those last three words amused Reed but also prompted him to question whether they were true or not. They were alone now and talking with open candor. A perfect combination to test the waters it appeared they were both wading through, albeit, likely for different reasons. For her, he would guess a slight interest on her part for more of those climaxes that released hidden inhibitions and need. His only longing had always been for her.
“Are you sure?” Clasping her hand, Reed dared taking another chance on her and tugged Lily toward a single chain dangling from the ceiling and shorter one at the bottom of the wall. He gave her a second to eye the cuffs on the end of each then asked, “Lily, do you trust me?”
“Yes, of course.” Her reply burst out as fast as her denial seconds ago.
“That’s key. Brett, Allie, Vickie, and Jordon all know we’re up here, so answer me this. Do you trustme, not last weekend’s stranger in disguise, enough to give a short bondage scene a try?”
Lily glanced at the chains again, not with indecision but curiosity. The tiny pulse in her neck picked up speed as she slid her eyes back up to him, jerking her head in agreement.
“I need the words, Lily.” He couldn’t afford any misunderstandings between them.
“Yes, I trustyouenough. As weird as it sounds to me, I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else right now. Maybe because you already broke the ice last time or because I know you, at least better than anyone else who does”—she waved an arm around the room—“this.”
“Odds are, your interest, for whatever reason, has been there since you first heard aspects about the lifestyle from my relationship with John. Kick off your shoes,” he instructed, moving forward without delay before one or both of them decided this wasn’t a good idea.
As she toed off the blue pumps, he lifted her right hand and wrapped the cuff around her wrist. She dropped onto her bare feet, sucking in an audible gasp from the tighter stretch then tugging on her raised arm, face flushing. Reed drew further encouragement from watching her nipples peak under the thin silk and reached out to graze one finger across a puckered nub.
“Your body is speaking for you, but, again, I need your words, Lily.” He started to say “sweetheart,” but she’d heard endearments all too often from John, who tossed them out to all women with a frequency that lacked any real emotion behind them. She’d heardjust wordsenough.
“I wasn’t prepared for the...I’m not sure how to describe it. Sorry.”
“Don’t be. That’s the honesty I want,” he returned, pleased. Squatting down, he attached the lower cuff around her ankle, the scant three-inch chain keeping her close to the wall and restricting the movement of that leg. Rising, he cupped her face, holding her head tilted back. “Say red if you want me to stop.” Keeping his gaze pinned to hers, he slid one hand around to hold her nape under the long braid, the other to mold one soft breast in his palm.
Lily trembled, the slight arch forward of her chest instead of shying away another sign of acceptance. Like last week, her quick responses amazed Reed, confirming how little he really knew about her. Or, maybe it was as simple as her not realizing what she could have had for years if she hadn’t focused so long on saving a doomed relationship with a man she was once deeply in love with. He suspected that profound emotion had been dead long before she’d come to terms with the loss.
“What now? I mean...what are you going to do?”
Slight confusion and a wealth of longing colored her voice.Perfect.Reed released her breast to toy with the thin strap over her unbound shoulder. “Touch you while you get used to limited movement options. It will give you an idea of what full restraint will entail and whether or not you want to go that far next time.”
