Free Bind Me Before You Go (Entangled Brazen) (Serve) by Harper Kincaid

relief, and she moved her hand from his mouth and rested it on his firm chest. “Okay,” he said.
    “I know I was apprehensive before. Hell, I still am, but I hate the idea of you touching anyone but me.”
    “Cass, honey, I don’t even want to touch or fuck anyone but you.” He pulled her into his body and laced his fingers together on the small of her back. “So this is how this is going to go. We’ll get up there. I’ll do my thing. And if at any time you’re not feeling it, you tell me and it stops. We’re in this together.”
    She nodded. “Okay.”
    “I mean it,” he said, putting his forehead onto hers. “I get that you’re new to this whole scene. Usually I don’t deal with newbies, but for you? Fuck, honey. I couldn’t turn away from you if I tried.”
    “David,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
    He moved his head back. “I can’t make you a lot of promises, but I can promise you that as long as you’re with me, I’ll take care of you. Make you feel safe to do or say whatever the fuck you want to do. Understand me?”
    It wasn’t quite the happily-ever-after promise she’d dreamt of as a little girl. But then again, he’d told her from the beginning that he wasn’t boyfriend material.
    “Yeah, I get you.”
    Leo touched his shoulder. “Hey man, it’s time.”
    David looked away from Cass and gave Leo a slight nod, but he didn’t break the hold he had around her. He turned back and brought his face closer to hers.
    “I want you to remember something before we do this.”
    She raised an eyebrow.
    “It’s just you and me up there. No one else matters. Got it?”
    She nodded, unable to respond with words. Her emotions were too close to the surface, and she needed a moment to quell the rising wave.
    He took her by the hand, grabbed a bag that Leo gave him, and led her through the crowd, up the elevator, and to a private room with a small stage toward the back end.

    People had already gathered around, standing room only, waiting for David to do his thing. Except for a single spot light, the room was dark.
    As he led her to the stage, the crowd parted for them, and a hush descended over the room. She’d never experienced a room become completely silent so quickly. As they got to the stage, she noticed a large wooden ring was suspended by long rope hooked to the ceiling. He dropped the bag and had her stand in the middle.
    With the light shining down on them, she realized she couldn’t make out anyone in the audience, and with everyone being so quiet, it was as if they were in a large, empty, blackened room. The only way for her to tell otherwise was the heat. She could feel their collective body warmth surrounding her.
    She blinked a few times and stared out into the dark, trying to find a bit of air. Just then, David turned her around so her back was to the audience.
    He whispered in her ear, “Forget they’re even there, honey.”
    “I know, but it’s so…hot in here. I don’t want to faint on you.”
    He pressed his hand to her forehead, neck, and back. “You’re fine. A little warm. We’ll cool you off.”
    She gave a half-smile.
    He offered her his water, and she took it and drank. Its coolness cascaded down her throat, totally refreshing and renewing her. Meanwhile, David took the cloth and ran it over her body—the back of her neck, the pulse points of her wrists, and down her spine.
    “Better?”
    “As good as I can be without knowing what to expect.”
    “That’s a fair answer,” he replied, then offered her a wide and genuine grin.
    Damn, watching him smile made her feel melted and squishy inside, and she knew she would do almost anything to make him smile like that more often.
    “I’m really happy you’re here, Cass. I wouldn’t want anyone else.”
    “Really?” Her voice betrayed her joy at hearing his small confession. They’d spent so much time focused on what she wanted that she only now realized she’d barely gotten a glimpse into his own hidden