Chapter 11: “No Cuffs”

The steady ticking of the clock on the nightstand was the only sound in the room.Each second dragged by, feeling longer than the last.

Then the sharp click of the bathroom door handle broke the silence.

“Alexa, set the mood,” I commanded.

My voice was low, steady, and carefully controlled.

The first low beat of the music rolled through the room, slow and heavy. One by one, the lights dimmed until the room glowed red.

Tilting my head back just enough, I caught a glimpse of Julian’s shadow through the narrow gap beneath the blindfold as he walked toward the bed.

He stepped out of the bathroom with a white towel draped loosely over his shoulders. Water dripped from his dark hair, trailing down the hard planes of his bare chest. Dressed in nothing but a pair of low-slung pajama pants, he stopped in the doorway.

His gaze landed on me.

Under the red crimson glow, his blue eyes looked almost black. He didn’t say a word or make a move.

He just stood there, staring at me.

I slid off the bed, the silk duvet whispering against my skin. The music pulsed through the room, and I let my body move with it. Swaying to the heavy beat, I danced toward him, slow and deliberate, closing the distance between us one step at a time.

By the time I reached him, I was close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body.

Julian didn’t move.

He stood perfectly still, every line of him rigid and controlled. Only the slow rise and fall of his chest gave him away as his gaze tracked my every movement.

Slowly, I rolled my open palms up his chiseled chest. His skin was wet and burning hot beneath my hands, the hard muscle underneath rock-solid. I leaned in, tilted my head up, and let my lips brush softly against his jawline, tasting the salt and water on his skin.

He didn’t flinch. He simply stood there, refusing to move.

Only his jaw hitched, locking tight as his breathing deepened.

I wrapped my fingers around his massive forearm and gently pulled him toward the bed. He let me lead, his heavy footsteps following behind mine until I pushed him onto the mattress.

Julian sank back into the dark silk sheets.

I climbed onto the bed and straddled his lap. The thick, rigid length of his erection pressed hard against my inner thigh through his pants, the heat of it burning through the thin white lace.

I reached to the side, my fingers searching across the mattress until they found the handle of the whip. I lifted it and held the leather between us.

Julian didn’t blink.

He stared up at me through the crimson glow, his gaze fixed on mine, daring me to use it. The sheer force of it made my hands tremble.

My grip loosened.

I let the whip fall onto the sheets and reached instead for the polished steel cuffs.

Julian’s hands had remained tucked behind his head on the pillow this whole time. Then his voice cut through the pulsing music.

“No cuffs.”

The words were rough, calm, and absolute.

Frustration flared up inside of me. He said it like he already knew exactly where I was going with that.

I dropped the cuffs onto the mattress. They landed with a sharp metallic click.

Fine.

If I couldn’t bind him, I’d have to find another way to get the upper hand.

And this time, I was going all in.

I let my hand drift lower to his pelvis and slipped my fingers beneath the waistband of his pajama pants. The moment my palm closed around his dick, the sheer size of it stole my breath for a second. Heat rushed through my body.

Julian let out a sharp, ragged hiss through his teeth, a sound of pure strain.

Even then, his hands remained exactly where they were, tucked behind his head.

He simply looked up at me, his gaze still locked on mine, refusing to touch me.

I slipped my hand out of his pants. Determined to break his agonizing restraint, I grabbed both of his large wrists, pulled them down from the pillow, and placed them directly against my breasts through the white lace.

Julian’s control snapped.

His fingers instantly dug into my flesh, squeezing with bruising, desperate possessiveness.

A sharp jolt of unwanted pleasure shot straight through my core. My skin tingled beneath his touch, and my breath hitched. A loud, breathless gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it.

My body betrayed me again, responding to his touch even as every rational thought in my head reminded me that he was the enemy.

Before I could even catch my breath or gather my thoughts, Julian moved with terrifying speed. He flipped our positions in one powerful, seamless motion.

He rolled completely over me, pinning my upper body straight into the bed under his massive weight. His solid chest crushed tight against my breasts. His hard erection pressed brutally between my thighs. For a breathless, terrifying second, I froze. My heart pounded wildly against my ribs as I braced myself for whatever came next.

He rolled over me in one swift movement, pinning my upper body to the bed beneath his massive weight. His solid chest pressed tightly against my breasts. His hard erection pressed between my thighs. For one breathless, terrifying second, I froze. My heart pounded wildly against my ribs as I braced myself for whatever came next.