by J. L. Beck
She bit at her lip. “But how am I going to eat, to—you know, go to the bathroom, shower? Everyday needs!”
He sat back a little. “Yeah, I suppose I didn’t think that far ahead.”
Rolling her eyes, she asked, “So…you’d better get started.”
Noah stared at her.
Her blue eyes were glittering at him.
“Started?” he asked.
“Yeah, carry me over to the toilet and sit me down so I can pee, then wipe me dry.”
He sucked in a breath as he stood up. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
“So I pee right here then?” she asked.
The woman was clever, he had to admit. Challenging him like this to throw him off. “I’ll just take you in and…” He lowered his face close to hers. “…I will wipe you…” he purred to her lips. “Nice and clean. Just a long, sweet swipe.”
Her body trembled.
“Damn, you are cute that was a good one.” He chuckled.
“I-I mean it. I have to pee.”
He sighed and scooped her up. “I only just tied you up, Ridge. And already—”
“Hurry!” she yelled in his ear.
He did. He rushed her in and lifted the shirt as he sat her down. Then he turned his back.
“Oh, so mister slimy kidnapper isn’t going to watch?”
He rolled his eyes. “Have fun at this game Ridge. Just have your fun.”
Silence reigned behind him as he waited.
“Okay. Now give me the toilet paper,” she demanded.
He turned and rolled some off as he stepped close.
“Oh, hell no,” she seethed. “Just put it in my hands. You, Mr. Beautiful Kidnapper, aren’t touching me again!”
He waited a few moments then stepped forward to scoop her up from the toilet. “We’ll see about that little hostage.” He let out a faked evil laugh.
“Oooh!” she yelled. “You can’t be serious about this!”
He shook his head as he carried her out through the bedroom and into the living room. What did he have to do to show her, he was in fact, deadly serious?
“So, no tying me to the bed posts,” she sneered.
“You wish.” He smirked.
Ridge looked so angry. Her face was beet red.
He knew better than to laugh. She was already beyond raging. He was tempted though to tease her. “Do you want me to?”
Her eyes got beady as she let out a very pronounced harrumph.
Now, he did laugh. “Admit it…” He stopped in front of the couch. “You want me just as much as I want you.”
Her face reddened some more. “Not anymore I don’t!”
He again smirked. “Want me to prove you’re lying?”
Her mouth popped open in shock.
“I suggest you quit aggravating your captor, sweet cheeks,” he warned.
Her eyes went beady again.
Oh dammit, he loved this. He’d never been so enthralled with a woman like this.
“Or what?” she challenged.
He raised a brow as he dropped her on the couch. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve considered spanking you.”
She gasped.
He now laughed as he sat her up. “Seriously, I have thought about it. Only I would have my fingers filling every one of your holes while I did it. You would like it, believe me.”
Again, with a gasp but more of a shuddering type gasp. Then she fell silent.
He kept his smirk to himself. She did need to know she couldn’t manipulate him.
She stayed silent for a long while.
Deciding it was safe enough, Noah glanced over at her.
Her large blue eyes stared back at him. Her luscious lips were pressed into thin line of anger.
So now, she refused to talk to him eh? Yes, he knew she wasn’t done. God, how he loved this challenge. “So, I will feed you, dress you and bathe you. It will work out fine,” he stated casually.
Her body trembled next to him.
He waited. She would take the bait…
She tried to get up.
He simply tipped her back.
Now, she looked away from him with another harrumph.
Damn, she was really angry now. He smiled.
He waited for another few minutes as silence fell deep and angry in the room.
Without any warning, he scooped her up. “Well, I can see we need to cool you off before you explode.” He carried her past her room to his. He went through the door and through a large bedroom to a really large bathroom. The shower had a bench. He set her down.
She hadn’t said a word the whole time.
The old but ever traditional silent treatment that women from long ago had perfected to an art. Yes, he knew. His grandma had been the best at it. Well, he just had to push a bit more is all. She would talk. He reached down and tugged his sweats off.
Her eyes widened.
He kept the smile from his lips. He wore boxer briefs so she wasn’t getting the whole picture. No, he didn’t plan on anything involving his dick. Tempted as he was, he wouldn’t go that far. Have her tied up and…his thoughts drifted a little and he got rock hard. Dammit, his control was slipping again.
Stepping in to the shower with her, he turned on the jets. Now… for the hard part.
Her eyes widened when he turned to look at her.
He aimed the jets toward her.
She flinched when the warm water hit her.
He grabbed the shampoo and sat next to her. He poured some into his hand and then lathered up her hair.
She still hadn’t spoken a word. Dammit, she was tough. He would crack her though. He massaged her scalp for a few minutes.
Her head lolled as she relaxed into his fingers, then he gently tipped her out a bit toward the water so he could rinse her hair. Next, he put conditioner in and untangled her locks, once again, he reveled in the color and her long curls. Her body felt so relaxed in his arms. At least that was an improvement. Rinsing her hair again, he turned her around.
She closed her eyes.
Oh, so shutting him out completely, eh? He glanced down and regretted doing so.
Her shirt had become transparent with the water her nipples protruding from the fabric.
He got hard instantly. Okay, the tables just got turned. Before he could think it over, he lowered his mouth and nipped at her nipple.
Her body rippled.
Yes, feel that sweet cheeks? He leaned forward and did it again.
She moaned.
Yes, a sound and one he liked. He reached down and caressed her thighs as he suckled her other nipple.
Her breathing was rapid and he knew her heart was pounding. He eased his fingers closer to her mound.
Her legs opened.
Noah knew she’d wanted his touch there earlier in the kitchen. He wanted to touch her there now. He steadied himself. He knew better than to fuck her yet. He needed to control this, not the other way around, even if it killed him to do it. He stroked her clit.
Again, her body rippled with pleasure. He eased a finger in. Damn, maybe he’d taken this game far enough. Or maybe not far enough. He wanted to lower her down and fuck her senseless. He hadn’t intended that when he started this. He raised his head. He’d suddenly lost all sense of what he had intended to do.
Teach her a lesson. Make her talk. Let her know she couldn’t play games with me. Right?
Dammit, he couldn’t keep this up. He removed his fingers.
Her body almost slumped when he did so. “Nooo,” she whispered.
Okay, she spoke, so he would stop this now. He knew it was chicken shit. But he wasn’t made of steel. He was way too tempted here. He knew to quit while he was ahead. He stood her up and moved her to the jets, then he rubbed between her legs to wash away the wetness…her wetness he’d felt there before.
Again, her body shuddered. His did too, but he was so not going there.
Breathing hard, she allowed him to move her around.
He didn’t like this part, not really. Yes, he had to tie her up. She was planning to go. He just wanted to buy some time, so she might see how stupid that idea was. Now, she had kept nearly silent for a full hour. He helped her out and grabbed a huge towel.
Noah faltered for a moment.
How was he going to get through this part? Her wet shirt, the ties around her wrists. Shrugging his wide shoulders, he reached out and ripped the shirt she wore open.
He refused to look at her bare tits. No, he would be doomed if he did. He was smart enough to know this. Okay, so now he had another problem. Getting it off of her wrists. “Fuck it!” Disgusted with this entire game, Noah reached down and untied her wrists.
She gazed down at his hands, a surprised expression on her face as he released her.
Kneeling at her feet, he untied her ankles too. Then he gazed up at her. “Spread your thighs,” he whispered.
Her eyes rounded as she did what he said.
He knew he shouldn’t, but he pressed his face to her pussy lips and gave her a long, slow sensual swipe.
“Ohhh,” she gasped out.
Noah clenched his hands into fists. God, she tasted better than he’d dreamed. He licked her essence from his lip. Sweet. He fought for control. Then he slowly stood up. Yes, he hoped it would keep her here with him. Call it an invisible tether. He grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. Melting her essence and his flavor together into her mouth. He pulled her close and imprisoned her with his arms and his lips.
Branding her. He knew it at some level. That was what he was doing. Letting her know she was his. He would keep her. If he promised enough with his body and his lips, she would stay to get more. He kissed her breathless, then stepped back, wrapping a towel around her, he pointed to the cabinet. “The blow dryer is in there.” Rushing from the room, he left abruptly.
The game had almost taken him in and he was out of moves that wouldn’t end up with him buried so deep inside her, he may never leave.
CHAPTER NINE
Ridge stood in the bathroom, soaking wet, in more ways than one. The man had tied her up, teased her, showered her, got her hot, and then leaves? God, how she wanted him. But he was holding back. She knew he wanted her, but he just runs away.
Yes, she’d been angry. The man had actually tied her up. This she just could not believe when he did it. He’d said he had to stop her. Now she remembered what he said. He cared about her and she would die out there. Finally, her good sense pushed its way past her silly emotional sense. He was right. She would never make it down in all that snow.
She finally seemed to snap out of the daze he’d left her in as she gazed around.
Her shoulders slumped as her anger dissipated along with a bit of her pride. Now since she knew they hadn’t had sex, she realized she’d envisioned it, had an all out visual fantasy and when she’d only just met him too. She covered her face with her hands. She felt like all kinds of a fool. Panting after him, offering to blow him. She again, wondered about herself and her past. Was she a slut? A nympho? Cause her actions here told her she might be.
She just needed to remember. Then this would all be over. She paused. Do I want it to be over? Her body shivered as she remembered that swipe of his hot, velvety tongue. She knew he could take her to heights of the likes she’d never known. Raising her eyes to the mirror, she saw a woman there and truly one she didn’t know, skin flushed, eyes bright, body hungry. She needed to get a grip, dammit! Releasing a breath, she pushed all the sexy things he did just now away.
Stepping forward, she opened the drawer he’d pointed to. She just needed to act normal. She rolled her eyes as she plugged the blow dryer in.
Normal? Trapped on a mountain with the hottest guy I’ve ever seen while having no memory!
She dried her hair and made her way out of the bathroom. This was a room she hadn’t seen before. Larger than hers. This had to be his room. She bit at her lip. She might find something here to tell her who he was.
“Ridge?”
Startled out of her sneaky plans, she gasped as she saw him standing by the dresser. “Dammit! Are there secret doors in the walls? How long have you been standing there?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Long enough to know you are still plotting.”
Her eyes widened. “Plotting? Plotting what?”
“Can’t say that I know that part, but whatever you’re thinking…Just know there are more men’s ties in the dressers.” He raised a brow at her.
Her eyes went beady again at the threat. “Okay.” She lifted her chin and admitted it, “I was going to snoop.”
His green eyes twinkled at her. “Snoop?”
Nodding, she decided to just come clean, “I want to find out who you are. Then maybe I will remember who I am.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Interesting theory.”
“Makes sense to me.” She tugged the towel up over her breasts. “You said I had to be coming up here to find you. So why you? You’re the one who has my answers.”
“Maybe. But I have to be careful. And the shirt was bad enough. You do know you can’t wear a towel, right?”
Feeling a bit bitter about the treatment, the teasing and the cock teasing as well, she decided to challenge him. “What if I was nudist or something? You know like I walked around naked all the time.”
The twinkle in his eyes nearly sparkled now. “Another interesting theory. So, do you feel the need to shed the towel?”
She tried to keep her expression blank. Now, he was pushing back. Dammit. Score another point for him. “So what do I wear then?” She wanted to kick herself for being such a chicken shit.
“The clothes I gave you. In the other room.”
“So this is your room then.”
He cocked a brow at her. “Not really.”
“Vague much, Harris?” Disgusted, she stepped past him heading to the door.
Chuckling, he followed right on her heels, all the way into her room.
Yeah, laugh it up, you bully. She headed to the bed and looked through the clothes. The sweats would be too long but she could roll them up. She grabbed a tee shirt. Yes, she knew he stood right behind her. Dropping the towel, she heard his intake of breath. Now she could smile. Say hello to my sweet cheeks, bully! Turning around, she opened her mouth to promptly ask him to leave.
He was gone.
Stomping her foot, she felt so frustrated. She got nowhere with this man. Then she wondered again about his ability to appear and disappear. Like a ninja, she’d observed before. Or a soldier, a highly trained soldier. The thought entered her mind and stayed there. Like is he a spy? Rolling her eyes, she knew this was silly. Locked up on a mountain with James Bond. She laughed aloud. She dressed and as she did, she went over all his actions that were unusual. Then the tattoo could be military.
Her head throbbed and she stood up rubbing her temples. A face appeared in her mind. A man’s face. Blue eyes and a warm expression. He was smiling as he said with a shrug, “To the victor goes the spoils.” Gasping at the sudden clarity of this, she sat down on the bed. Tears streamed down her face and she was startled to feel them there. “What does this mean?” Who is this man?
“Good. You’re dressed.”
Her head rose up.
Harris noted her tears and rushed over. “What is it?”
“I-I had a memory.”
He sat down next to her. “Of what?”
“A man.”
His body tensed next to hers. “Just some man or…?”
Shaking her head, she explained, “He was smiling and he seemed so familiar, he said, ‘To the victor, goes the spoils.’ Why? Why would this be what I remember?”
Harris shook his head. “Did you feel anything when you saw him?”
She swiped the tears from her cheeks. “I was crying before I even knew it.”
“So he is important.”
Blinking her eyes, she gazed over at him. “You said there were only a few who knew that
phrase. That knew about the tat. He has to be one of them.”
Harris nodded. “Maybe.”
She stood up. “You need to clue me in. You need to tell me what you know!”
He sighed. “I-I can’t. I—”
“Dammit, Harris! You need to help me here.”
He studied her. “Tell me what he looked like.” The green in his eyes had darkened.
Shrugging, she stared down at her hands. “Blue eyes, dark hair. Handsome I would say, and he was smiling.”
“And you say he had this tattoo?” Harris stood up as he asked.
“I don’t know if he does…” Her gaze rose to see his thunderous expression. “What is it?”
“The other people who had this tattoo, who knew our phrase…”
“Yes?” She stood up feeling excitement that he was finally going to tell her what he’d been hiding.
“They’re all dead,” he stated in a cold voice.
“What?”
He turned away. “All of them are dead.”
“B-but how do you know that?” Her stomach clenched and her chest hurt at this statement.
“Because I was there.” His voice was deadly quiet.
“NO! So he’s dead?”
He turned back to her. “I’m afraid so and the man you described that would be Tanner.” He watched her face closely.
The name wasn’t familiar. “I never heard the name before.”
He shook his head. “It wouldn’t have been his real name.”
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t get it?”
“Exactly. You won’t either till your full memory returns. Now that you have had a bit of it return. It probably means you will remember all of it.” He went out through the doorway.
“Wait!” Ridge followed. “Where are you going?”
“To get a drink,” he growled.
She caught up with him at the bar. “But I’ve never seen you drink before.”
He grunted and slammed a bottle on the bar.
Jumping a bit, she stared at his still thunderous expression. “Tell me. Tell me about it!”
