Love Bound Read online

  The shrug and full bloom of blush confirmed it without the almost imperceptible shake of his head. “You know, with our luck someone would walk in.”

  “Probably.” He was trembling just as much as I was trying to contain the wild urge for ripping fabric and skin against skin. My eyes drifted to the nape of his neck and I bit back the need to run my tongue up the strong line to his ear. If I did that, there would be no stopping us, cubicle or not.

  Instead, I reached for the bottle of water behind me on the desk, cracked it and took a sip. “So, you really should go.” Unless of course, you want to rent a hotel room downtown and I’ll skip the meeting. The thought didn’t make it past my lips; they closed around the words, presenting a hint of a smile as I sipped the water again.

  He smiled, picking up his notebook, but did not move and I started stammering again, something about how much his friendship meant to me. I was painfully aware of the driveling but helpless to stop it. The alternative would leave us naked and panting in a 9x9 fabric box.

  Shut up!

  The command from my mind ignored by my mouth, just like a little child ignores their parent and he, of course, had all the perfect response to every benign piece of nonsense that fell from my lips.

  God would I ever shut up?

  Dimples creased his cheeks and his lips curved into a suppressed smile. “I know what you mean.” His eyes drifted to the clock. “I really should go.” This time he stood.

  Damn it. Just ask him if he wants to take this somewhere else! You’re such an idiot! “Yeah, you probably should.” BECAUSE I’m a driveling fucking idiot!

  The Cheshire cat grin appeared and I pointed at it.

  “We’re both gonna be smiling like that for hours and you know the people I’m meeting will be wondering why I’ve got a shit eating grin on my face.”

  His rich laughter filled the room. “Don’t smile like that.”

  “Like I can help it. I’ll catch you on Monday.”

  He nodded and gave me one last look, his chest rising as he pulled in the air, slowly lowering as he exhaled. “Have a good weekend.” And he was gone, taking the heat between us with him.

  The second the door to the hallway latched, the cold air chilled me to the point my teeth chattered. I wasn’t sure if the quakes were from the air conditioning vent, or if they were the reaction to the sudden release of sexual tension.

  On impulse, I reached for the phone, stopping before I touched the smooth plastic.

  I didn’t know if he’d be at his desk. I didn’t know if he’d agree to a hotel room and I didn’t stay long enough to find out.

  * * * *

  Email became our life-line for conversations we couldn’t broach at work, triple x discussions. The ones that left me glad I wasn’t anywhere in the vicinity of where Jake was because I’m not sure common sense would prevail.

  Of course, he wasn’t quite as gifted with words as I am, but he made a valiant attempt, explaining everything he wanted to do to me with his hands, his mouth, his body, leaving me hot and wanting even from thirty miles away. And I, I painted the fantasy in words, just enough to leave him wanting more. He always wanted more and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.

  Why me?

  Why did he want me?

  I’m nothing special, sure I can write a romantic scene that leaves the reader breathless, but I’m not beautiful, I’m not super model quality. I’m more like the frumpy girl next door, the mousy one with dark hair and glasses, one step away from a lonely librarian with one exception, my nice solid C-cup rack.

  So why?

  The answer surprised me.

  “You know when you first meet someone — there’s a spark, a connection there that you can’t ignore,” he said.

  “Like an electrical current?”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  “Like two magnets pulling toward each other.”

  “Yes.”

  So he had felt the jolt, the instant da-yem that overcame me when we first met. More directly, when our eyes first locked and created this irresistible attraction.

  * * * *

  It was another three months before the stars aligned again in the empty office space entombed by marble, and again the meeting was his idea.

  We stared at each other, me in perpetual motion, swinging the chair side to side trying to contain the sexual tension, and Jake, he certainly wasn’t looking at my face.

  “Is it rude to stare?” His eyes locked on the curve of my cleavage revealed in the low cut dress I wore.

  “No.” I laughed and his gaze flicked to mine and then back at their objective, the dimples in his cheek deepening along with the blush.

  “I’d like to see more.” He met my gaze with a tilt of his head.

  I back peddled, after all, we were still in the office and it definitely wasn’t after hours like last time. “Not here.”

  He swiveled toward the open door and then back to me. “Think if we closed the door . . .” He trailed off.

  I stood and crossed, closing the door before I returned to the chair, taking the seat again with a half smile. I exposed my tan line, which didn’t involve moving the fabric of my bra. He looked at the contrast between the bronze skin and the stark white patch my bra strap bordered and then cocked his head further. “That’s not quite what I was thinking.”

  “I know. But we’re in the office and it’ll have to do.”

  His eyebrow rose and he stood, I followed suit, stepping closer to him. His height offered him a better view of my ample bosom, but it wasn’t quite enough. His fingers traced my skin at the edge of the fabric and he leaned over, planting his lips on mine.

  That sweet peppermint kiss claimed my breath, my body, my heart, fanning my burning need into a raging fire. When the kiss broke, I stared into his bright blue eyes and sighed, my hand lightly tracing his shoulder and arm, feeling the nervous energy jumping in his muscles.

  “We’re in trouble aren’t we?” It wasn’t so much of a question as an observation and his nod of acknowledgement did nothing to quell the desire. I pulled my hand away, breaking the physical contact, breaking the electrical connection before it swept common sense out the door.

  We stepped apart, staring at each other, remembering where we were.

  * * * *

  Sleep had been impossible and I thanked god I was working from home today, the office would have been excruciating, especially if we ran into each other. I wasn’t ready to see him yet; afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep the poker face or my hands in place.

  The drone of the people on the teleconference, white noise, my mind still honed in on his kiss, memorable, ha, that was an understatement. The doorbell rang, interrupting the pleasant daydream.

  I slid off the stool in the kitchen, carrying the muted phone with me. When I swung open the door, all conversation was lost on me, their words becoming faint foreign murmurs in the wake of who stood before me.

  Jake smiled at the sheer surprise on my face. “Hi.”

  I froze, staring into his bright, humor filled eyes as detached voices called my name. I pressed the phone to my ear. “Um, uh, I’m sorry, but I, I have to go.” I didn’t wait for an acknowledgement, I just pressed the off button and stepped aside, swinging the door open so he could enter, my eyes never leaving his.

  Taking in the two-story foyer, he stepped into the house and glanced back at me.

  I swung the door shut and finally found my damn voice. “Jake, what . . .”

  That’s as far as I got. He pushed me against the closed door, crushing the words with his lips and this time the kiss carried the urgency we felt yesterday in the office. Hard, delicious, insistent and his hands tugged on my sweater. Thank God I shaved my legs. The thought brought a laugh to my lips; my hunger matched his and I reached my arms around his broad shoulders.

  The kiss broke, his lips blazing a path to my neck. “Surprised?” The whisper of his breath tickled my ear and his teeth bit down on the sof
t flesh of my earlobe. I inhaled sharply, wincing from the sudden sting, so different from the tenderness of his hand sliding up under my sweater and molding to my breast. He chuckled at my reaction, stripping his coat, discarding it on the floor and navigating me toward the stairwell, his lips never leaving my skin for more than a second.

  He paused long enough to peel my sweater off.

  “Yes very surprised.” I said, stepping onto the first stair as he tossed my sweater casually over his shoulder. The playful man I teased in the office was gone, this one, he had one goal in mind and I could see it in his eyes. And god, it thrilled me more than any of the less than innocent office banter.

  “Good.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, dangling them in front of me with a grin.

  Oh my. I answered with a grin and took another stair, tracing the dangling metal with my finger before I brought my gaze back to him. “Are those for me?”

  He shrugged and slipped his shoes off before taking the first step. “Perhaps.”

  Before he could move them out of my reach, I plucked the handcuffs out of his grasp and headed up the stairs. “You first.” I smiled over my shoulder, meeting his predatory gaze and I led him into the master bedroom.

  He smiled at the four-poster bed.

  “Where are the keys?” I tossed the handcuffs onto the nightstand.

  He toyed with me, pulling them out of his pocked and swinging them slowly in front of my eyes. A small chuckle came from his chest just before his arm snapped out, clasping my waist and yanking me to his chest. “Not so fast.” He teased, kissing me again.

  I almost sank to the ground; this was the slow, seductive kiss that took my breath away, and left my legs rubbery appendages, mesmerizing me to the point where I’d do anything for him. But I wanted to control this, I wanted to make it last, so I resisted.

  “Take off your shirt.” I whispered, pushing him away. I put my hand out for the keys, putting them on the bureau after he dropped them into my outstretched palm. He stripped the midnight blue oxford over his head and dropped it on the ground.

  The lines of his chest met my level and I looked up at him, running my hands over his bare flesh. Skin on skin.

  “Anything else?” He asked.

  My fingertips throbbed in time with his heartbeat and I closed my eyes, blowing the air out between my lips, regaining control and stepping away long enough to yank the bedspread away. “Lie down.” I flashed him and innocent smile, picking up the handcuffs and dangling them from my forefinger. “On your back.”

  He chuckled and did exactly that.

  I knelt over him and snapped the handcuffs on his right wrist, threading it through the bar connecting the posts before attaching the other end to his left wrist. “My, oh my,” I ran my fingertips on the inside of each arm, tickling him lightly. Glee enveloped me, along with the power I now held over him. I could do anything I wanted. Anything and I laughed. “I could just leave you here, you know.” I teased, barely grazing his lips.

  He let out a soft laugh, but there was a moment of doubt, a shadow cast over his sapphire eyes that asked She wouldn’t dare, would she? He was at my mercy and suddenly wasn’t sure about letting me have this much control.

  “What? You don’t trust me?” I sat up on my heels, still straddling his stomach.

  He shrugged. “I let you chain me to the bed.”

  “And now I’ve got all the control. Lucky me.” I whispered, finding the sweet curve of his lips, before I slipped off the bed. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?” He asked.

  I turned at the doorway, meeting his gaze. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

  The deep emerald satin slip felt good on my hot aching skin. I grabbed a satin slash off one of the bathrobes hanging in my closet and crossed the threshold, dangling it in a grand spectacle as I entered the room. “Blind fold.” I said to his questioning eyes.

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re kidding.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  His eyes darted from me to the fabric in my hand, undecided on how to answer. “Kinky as hell, but honestly, the practical application makes me nervous.”

  “I promise I won’t bite.”

  The smile betrayed him. Kinky won out.

  I folded the sash in half, kneeling over him again and quickly tying it in place, blinding him. I had to take a deep breath to keep my hands from shaking with anticipation as I slid them down his chest, tracing his skin from nipple to belly button, sinking lower until I reached his belt buckle. He inhaled as I ran my finger along the waistband, teasing, playing him like a concert violin.

  The jeans peeled off along with his underwear and I took a moment to relish him. My heart pumped in my chest bringing heat to every crevice of my skin. I ran my hands up his legs. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

  “You already know what I want.”

  I straddled him, the satin of my slip, grazing his skin as I leaned over, flicking his lips with my tongue. An idea shot into my head, one that would turn the kink up a notch “Hot or cold?” I whispered in his ear, sliding my tongue along the line of his neck I craved. The move I didn’t do in the office, elicited the response I thought it would.

  “Jesus.” A whisper and his chest and arms broke out in vague bumps — the result of the chills I sent through him.

  “Hot or cold?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Do you want hot or cold?” I teased, moving down to kiss his chest.

  “Hot.”

  “Hot it is. I’ll be right back.” I hopped off the bed, leaving him tied and blind.

  He let out an exasperated laugh. “Hey, where you going?” He called as I descended the stairs. “Heidi?”

  It only took a couple seconds to heat up the bottle I grabbed out of the refrigerator. The floor creaked when I stepped into the room and I couldn’t help the evil chuckle that escaped. I was going to have so much fun with him!

  “What do you have?”

  “Something sweet.” I crawled onto the bed next to him and tipped the container over his chest, squeezing a drop.

  He winced when the heated liquid hit his skin and the sweet smell overpowered the room. “That’s hot.”

  “Sorry.” I ran my index finger over the opening on the bottle, covering it with the warm dark liquid. “Open.” I stuck my coated finger in his mouth.

  He sucked the sweet liquid off and smiled. “Chocolate.”

  “Yep.” I licked the drop off his chest. “Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, warmed in the microwave.” I drizzled a thin line of chocolate from his chest to his belly button and set the bottle aside. “I love chocolate.” The mixture of sweet chocolate with the salty tang of his flesh flowed over my taste buds and created a heat between my legs that was hard to contain. I wanted to taste him, I wanted to feel him, hell I wanted him every way possible. Pressing my chocolate smeared lips to his, I allowed him a taste. “Almost as much as you.”

  “Mmm,” he replied, licking his lips.

  I reached for the chocolate, drizzling it on his chest.

  He groaned when I sucked the sweet liquid off his skin.

  I toyed with him, flicking my tongue over his nipples, licking the chocolate off, playing with the hard flesh between my teeth.

  “Ow.” He pulled away, sucking the air through his teeth. I must have bit harder than I meant to.

  “Sorry, but I lied about biting.” I kissed the spot I just bit before returning to his lips. Again, the same slow, soft kiss, but this time I allowed it to build, increase with passion, until a rumble of satisfaction rolled up his throat. It was enough to make me wet. I pulled away, tracing the smooth angle of his neck to his collarbone with my lips. The satin fabric of my slip grazed his skin as I worked my way down, my hair fanned out trailing, tickling and my kisses covering every glorious inch of him.

  “Ah God.” His voice raspy, his breath shallow and fast, and he inhaled sharply with every change in nuance, motion and
sensation I created. He had the bar the cuffs were clasped to gripped tightly in his hands, the muscles of his arms rippling, dancing under the skin in anticipation.

  I was driving him crazy and I paused to smile, grazing him with my eyes as I reached for the syrup. Ah the belly button, an inny, so much more fun to drizzle with chocolate. I poured, letting it overflow so thin streams ran from the bounty. I licked each wayward path back to the source, sucking the last traces from his belly button, slowly rolling my tongue to get it all.

  He tilted his head back and whispered, “Heidi.”

  I moved lower, taking his hard member in my mouth, licking the tip. Warm chocolate rained over his hard cock, streams running down his ample length. I licked slowly. “Yummy.” I heard the deeper tone of my voice, this slow seduction driving me as mad as it was driving him.

  I moved lower and his smile of ecstasy faded. I grazed his hips with my lips and then ran my bare teeth in miniscule bites up the inside of his thigh. I could see him straining against the hand cuffs.

  “Relax.”

  He let out a small laugh at my request. “Yeah, right.”

  I offered him a laugh of my own.

  “Suck me.”

  I kissed his thigh. “Beg.” My hair fanned out over his hard shaft as I moved my way down the inside of his leg with my mouth. I wanted to taste every damn inch. When I reached one ankle, I started my way up the other leg. Not really listening to his plea between the grumble in his chest.

  “Please, I want your mouth. I want to cum in your mouth.” His voice no more than a hoarse whisper, blocked by the well of passion building.

  “Not yet.” I licked the tip of his hard cock and then moved up his body again.

  He tilted his head back. “Please. You’re driving me insane.”

  I kissed him, putting my full weight on his body and running my hands up his arms, feeling them quiver under my touch. “Tell me.” I said against his lips. He opened his mouth, welcoming my tongue, slow at first and then increasing speed until I pulled away, out of breath. God, he certainly knew how to kiss. I pushed the blind fold up for a moment.

  His deep blue eyes looked back. ‘Tell you what?”

  “Tell me what I want to hear and I’ll give you what you want.”