Free Bound Temptations: Stories of Temptation and Submission by Shiloh Walker Page A

pictures of me, no
notes or anything. The flowers today...that was a
first."
    "If it is
him...?"
    "If it is, if it isn't, no
matter...once they have a name, anything I can go to court with,
I'll press charges." She stared down, not seeing anything. "I won't
be that victim again. Not again."
    He nuzzled her temple. "I'm
sorry. Nobody's got the right to do this to another
person."
    "No. And I won't let it
happen to me again." She blew out a breath. Closed her eyes. Then
she smiled. "It feels good to get that out, you know. Not too many
people know."
    He remained silent, his hand
stroking her back. Rocki stared at her hand on his thigh and tried
to tell herself she needed to just finish up her meal. Have him
take her home. They could set up their real date and then see what
happened.
    Except she couldn't think
about anything but the feel of his hand on her back, of his thigh
under her hand. His warmth. The way his mouth pressed against her
brow.
    "Cole?" She tipped her head
back, studying him. "You know, I should probably just get this out.
It's been a while since I've dated and all. But I don't sleep with
men on the first date."
    "Ah..." A muscle jerked in
his jaw. "Well, I don't think we'd really even gotten to that
point, right? This isn't a real date."
    "Right. So when you take me
home—to either your place or mine-and we sleep together tonight?
Just to be clear...we haven't had a date."
     
     
     
    He hadn't heard her
clearly.
    Cole closed his eyes,
replaying her words in his head, but they still sounded the same.
Lust did bad, bad things to a man's ability to think clearly, that
was all he could figure out.
    "Okay, at the risk of
sounding like an idiot...what did you just say?"
    That smile of hers—oh, hell,
it did bad, bad things to his ability to think at all. She
tightened her fingers on his thigh, her nails biting lightly into
his skin, even through the sturdy denim of his jeans. "Oh, come on
now, Counselor...that's what they call lawyers, right? I think you
heard me."
    "I heard you." He dropped
his gaze to her mouth—that wide, sexy mouth—and thought he just
might die if he didn't get to kiss her, seriously kiss her, and
soon. "The problem is I think I heard something completely
different from what you just said."
    "And what do you think I
just said?"
    "It had something to do with
the two of us going back to your place, or my place. But that
couldn't be what you said."
    Rocki scraped her nails
along his jeans. "But it was." She curled her free hand around his
neck. "So. Which one sounds better to you?"
    In reply, Cole reached into
his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Blindly, he pulled out
some money and glanced at it. Without bothering to do another
thing, he threw it down on the table. "Please tell me you're ready
to go now."
    The smile on her face had
nerve endings exploding. Cole stood up and hoped to heaven, hell
and every place in between that his hands weren't shaking as he
offered one to her. She uncoiled from the seat, placing her hand in
his. The firelight danced off the pale skin displayed by the
unbelievably fucking sexy top...corset...whatever it was that she
wore.
    Unable to keep from touching
her, he reached out and trailed his fingers along the smooth skin
that rose in a swell above the gleaming black silk.
    "You are so damn beautiful,"
he muttered.
    Rocki reached out and curled
her hands around his waist. "You're not so bad yourself." She
swayed closer, pressing her mouth close to his ear.
    "Can we go?"
    "Hell, yes."

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Earlier, she'd been
cold.
    So cold.
    But now,
even the heavier fall of snow couldn't manage to cool the burning
in her blood. Part of her brain was whispering, This isn't smart. You need to just go home.
    The rest of her, heart,
soul, and body—oh, damn, her body-demanded,
    Go home?
To that empty, lonely bed...again ?
    After five years of being
alone, she'd met somebody who made her not want to be alone. That
was what she'd been hoping for. Brant hadn't