“Yes,” he whispered. Her gaze jerked back to his. “I would love to tie you to that bench, ligos Vesuvius. On your back, with your hands bound above your head so I can watch your eyes when I take you.”
Heat shot all through her body, condensed in her belly, and slid lower. She pressed her hands against her burning cheeks, realizing he’d read her mind again. “I hate how you do that.”
He smiled, a mesmerizing grin that made him so damn sexy, her blood grew even warmer. “You’ll learn to block me soon enough.”
“I will?”
He nodded. “The guardians all do, and they’re not half as powerful as you.”
That didn’t ease her anxiety at the moment. She looked back to the contraptions in the room. She knew he was as frustrated with the situation as she was. But he couldn’t touch her, even with his gloves. What did he think restraining her was going to solve?
The thought of him tying those other females down and using them for his pleasure brought a fresh wave of nausea to her stomach. And then realization hit.
He hadn’t brought her here to tie her up in the same way. He’d brought her here to show her what he needed. To tell her he was going back to that life.
No. No, no, no…
Pain ripped through her heart and soul, and she took another step back.
“I told you I don’t want anyone but you, Tasa.” His harsh voice drew her gaze his way. Determination glowed in his eyes. A determination that kept her rooted in place. “That hasn’t changed and won’t. Ever.”
Her heart raced. Confusion clouded her mind. Confusion and heartbreak. So much it felt as if it were dragging her under.
He pulled his gaze from hers and crossed the floor. His gloved hands closed over a length of red rope. He unhooked it from the rack, then came back to her.
She stared at the rope in his hand. Didn’t know what he was doing. Didn’t know anything.
“You’re right,” he said softly. “I don’t want to bind you. I want you to restrain me. And then I want you to touch me. Wherever and however you want.”
Natasa’s gaze jerked up to his face. “What? No.”
“Yes.”
Thoughts swirled. Over the last few weeks, he’d tried almost everything—magic, spells, herbs, drugs—nothing had worked. But maybe, if he was proposing this…
A tiny sliver of hope cut through her doubt. “Has something changed?”
His lips thinned. His eyes searched hers. He was so silent, her pulse soared. Finally he said, “No. Nothing’s changed, but I want this.”
What? No. She stepped back until her spine hit the solid, cold door. She wasn’t doing it. She’d seen the pain she could cause him with just a casual brush, and that was when his skin was covered with leather. She wouldn’t purposely hurt him. Not even if that was the kind of thing he “liked.”
“Tasa…” He stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the room. “Look at me.”
She squeezed her eyes tight and shook her head. Then she felt his arms cage her in against the door even if he didn’t touch her.
“Please, baby. Just look at me.”
Fear and sickness rolled through her. But there was such panic in his voice, she slowly pried her eyes open and met his hazel gaze. Helplessness swirled in his gorgeous eyes. “I need you. I’m dying here. Every second I can’t touch you is pure torture.”
“It’s torture for me too. But I can’t—”
“Yes, you can. You’re the strongest person I know. You gave up everything for me. When I think about what you did on that island…”
His voice hitched, and his eyelids fell closed. Her heart squeezed even tighter when he opened them again, when she saw the tears flooding his beautiful eyes. “I want to give you this. All of me.”
“Titus…” Tears blurred her own vision. “What you’re asking me to do… I can’t intentionally hurt you.”
“Please? Please?” he said again, panic cutting through his voice. “I’ll tell you if it gets to be too much. I just…gods, I miss you. And I love you so much. Please just let me do this for you.”
She stared into his eyes. His warmth and sweet scent made her light-headed, made her weak. Her heart thumped a wild rhythm beneath her breast. “I love you too,” she whispered. “I…”
Indecision swept through her. Gods, she wanted—needed—him too. So much. But she was afraid. And she couldn’t handle being the source of any more pain for him.
“I’ll be okay,” he said, reading her mind. “Stay with me, and nothing bad will happen.”
“I would never leave you.”
“I know you wouldn’t.” He placed the rope in her hand. The threads were some kind of nylon or fabric, not rough like she’d expected.
Slowly, he stepped back. Her palms grew sweaty as she watched him drag his T-shirt over his head, as she watched him drop it on the floor, rip off his gloves and drop those too, then step toward the padded bench and bend to raise the lower side.
“No.” Was that her voice? It was thick. Raspy. It didn’t sound like her. She cleared her throat. “N-not there.”
He stopped. Muscles in his arms and back flexed. She swallowed hard and scanned the room again. She pointed toward the bed. “There.”
A slow smile spread across his face. A gorgeous, heated smile that did wicked things to her blood. He straightened and moved for the bed. “Whatever you want, ligos Vesuvius. This is all about you.”
No, this wasn’t about her, it was about him, and she couldn’t believe she’d agreed to this insanity.
She looked down at the rope in her hand. Couldn’t even imagine tying it around his wrists. If he pulled or twisted, it would bite into his flesh. That would hurt too.
She eyed the rack and noticed the leather cuffs.
The clicking of her shoes sounded like an ominous warning as she crossed the concrete floor. She hooked the rope back on the rack and reached for the cuffs.
“Ankles too,” he said from the bed.
Her hand paused against the restraints. Her eyes slid closed. She tried to stop her spinning stomach. Couldn’t.
“I don’t want to accidentally kick you,” he added.
Oh, gods…
She drew in a ragged breath and slowly let it out. She could do this. She could try. For him.
Resolve firmly in place, she opened her eyes, grasped both sets of cuffs, and moved back to the bed where he was sitting. He’d taken off his boots and socks. Dressed in low-cut denim and nothing else, he sat in the middle of the mattress, waiting for her.
Oh…he was gorgeous. Even his feet. Sculpted muscle and smooth, tanned skin. Her mouth watered as he pulled the tie from his hair and tossed it on the ground. Thick, dark waves fell around his handsome face. “Hook the restraints to my wrists and ankles, then attach them to the bolts in the frame.”
Her hands shook as she did what he said, careful to keep her fingers against the wide leather strap so she didn’t accidentally brush his skin. When she finished attaching the ankle cuffs to the bolts, he lay back on the mattress and held his arms out so she could restrain them as well.
Her gaze shot from the dark hair fanned out beneath him to his wrists. This was a bad idea. It was so wrong. And she hated that a tiny part of her was excited by it all.
“It’s okay, Tasa. Just breathe.”
Breathe. Right. Easier said than done.
She finished with the cuffs, then stepped back and looked at him. He was spread eagle, laid out on black silk sheets, looking like her own private offering. Looking like Prometheus must have looked to her mother.
A burst of rolling fear rushed through every inch of her body.