Bought by the Boss

I smile with her, loving how she seems to ramble before coming back to make her point. It’s cute.

She shrugs away her thoughts and continues, “I’m just saying that any man who would do that to his child can’t have a perfect family. All he has is lies.” Her rod suddenly shakes, a fish taking the first bite, and like a pro, she jerks the rod, hooking the fish. “Oh, yeah, baby, we’ve got dinner.”

I can’t look away from her, or even think about moving. It’s like I’ve never even met this person before. The Mallory I know is Liam’s assistant. The woman who sits quietly next to him in meetings and takes notes, every so often offering words of advice or wisdom. I knew she was smart, always on point when Liam calls on her. But this emotionally wise, sweet, and sexy as fuck woman…it’s like I’m seeing her for the first time.

Once she reels in the large trout, she scoops it up with the net I left in the canoe and raises the fish up to her eye level. “Look at him, so big and fat.” She glances over the net and grins. “Yum.”

I chuckle and shake my head softly, reeling in my line and placing my rod back in the canoe. I’ve never met a woman—except my mother—who’d ever even touch a fish, let alone eat one that she caught herself. “What do you need me here for?” I quip. “Look at you fishing like a boss.”

“Of course, I need you here,” she says seriously then she cracks a smile. “You have proven to be quite capable of giving me the most fantastic orgasms.”

“Ah, better be careful, Mallory, you might make me believe that’s all I’m good for,” I joke.

“Don’t you worry, that won

’t happen.”

I arch a brow. “Why is that?”

Her eyes twinkle, mouth twitches. “Because I think you’re forgetting that I kicked your butt and caught a fish first, so that means I do need you.”

“For?”

She winks. “Cleaning and cooking this most delicious dinner I caught for you.”

“Deal.” I laugh.

Mallory

My belly is happily full of fish and salad, and I find myself back in the kitchen, drying the last dish before placing it in the cupboard and shutting the door. The second I slide the drying towel through the stove’s handle, I’m suddenly aware of the strength behind me. It’s that damn stare of his again. There’s weight to it. When I glance over my shoulder, I’m unsurprised to find Jackson there, a grin on his face. What does surprise me is what’s in his hand. A black bandana and a bundle of black rope.

“We’ve got a few hours before the sun goes down,” he murmurs, arching an eyebrow in that sexy way he does. “Want to play another game?”

Heat roars through me instantly, remembering what his games are like. “Yes, I’m all in.”

“No hesitation at all?” He chuckles, gesturing at the items in his hands. “Are you sure that’s wise since you have no idea what I have planned for you?”

“I can only imagine anything you have planned will end in a mind-boggling orgasm for me.” I grin. “So, again, I’m in.”

He holds up the items in his hands. “Any objection to the rope or the bandana?”

“None at all.”

“Excellent.” He steps forward, closing the distance, and the air gets real hot when he stops in front of me, offering the bandana. “The rules of the game are as follows. Run and hide. Get naked. Blindfold yourself with the bandana and wait for me.” He steps closer and lowers his voice. “I’ll come find you.”

My heart begins to race, nipples pucker into tight knots. “You want me to go into the forest and blindfold myself…alone?”

He nods. “That is the game.”

I hesitate, of course I do. The blindfold unnerves me.

Something he obviously recognizes. He gently adds, “If you don’t want to wear the blindfold, then don’t. If you don’t want to stay in the forest, then come back to the cabin and whistle, and I’ll come find you here. This is fun, Mallory. You’re safe here. The game isn’t meant to scare you.” He hesitates then his mouth twitches. “Well, maybe it’s meant to scare you a little but that’s what brings the intensity.”

“And that’s fun to you?” I have to ask.

His smile is pure sin. “Yes, finding you will be thrilling for me.”

A fantasy of his, maybe?