Claimed

It felt odd to be driving in the wrong direction, whizzing past the three lanes of cars inching forward toward the skyscrapers in the distance. He hadn’t been lying in that regard—it had been a long time since he’d taken any vacation, or even the occasional sick day. Shit, he could probably take off a full six months and still not use all his accrued time.

Not that he was going back.

There was no going back.

He could never let her go. No matter what threats he made or promises he extracted, he could never trust that Kelsey would remain silent.

The only way forward was together. Whether bound by hate or love, they were bound forever. For him, of course, it was love. He hadn’t meant to force her, but the passion behind the act remained pure in its essence. He loved her. He had loved Kelsey Anne Rowan from the first moment he’d seen her face. It was as if he’d been waiting all his life to find her, though he hadn’t known until the moment he saw her that he’d been waiting.

He wasn’t foolish enough to think Kelsey felt anything close to love for him at this point. He would have to teach her about love. True love. The kind of love that made you willing to die for another person.

He pulled into his driveway and slid the car into the garage. “Honey, I’m home,” he called out with a grin as he burst into the kitchen. Tugging at his tie, he pulled it from his shirt and draped it, along with his suit jacket, over a kitchen chair. He picked up the handgun from where he’d left it on the table. Pulling open the basement door, he thundered down the stairs.

Reaching the storage closet, he turned the lock in the doorknob and yanked the door open. Kelsey was lying on her side. Her eyes flew open as he entered the space and crouched beside her. Her bare breasts looked so luscious. He couldn’t help it—he reached out and stroked the impossibly soft skin, his hand sliding to her nipple, which he rolled between finger and thumb. His cock strained in his pants.

Kelsey whimpered at his touch, her eyes swinging to the gun in his hand. He followed her frightened gaze to the weapon. “As soon as you can show me you aren’t going to try anything stupid, we can put this thing away.”

“I won’t, I promise.” He wanted to believe her. “Can you untie me?” she begged. “My arms are asleep.” Her eyes were red, her cheeks streaked with tears, her nose running.

James felt a sharp pang of remorse at how he’d left her, but what choice had he had? “You promise? I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

She struggled to sit upright. “I promise, James.”

James.

Even in her fear, she caressed the word with her throaty, sexy voice. She had never called him Jim.

He set the gun carefully on the floor just outside the closet. Reaching forward, he helped Kelsey to sit and then hoisted her by her shoulders to a standing position. Tugging at the tie he’d left knotted loosely around her neck, he led her out of the closet and turned her body so he could untie her wrists. Her hands were purple and he made a mental note not to tie her so tightly next time.

For there would be a next time. He found he was quite aroused by the sight of his girl bound in his neckties. Even if he had ruined them, it had definitely been worth it. It turned him on more than he’d expected to see her helpless and at his mercy.

He had always enjoyed bondage and BDSM porn sites, even if he’d never before dared to incorporate that kind of play in real life. But the rules were different now. There were no rules, except those he chose to make! The thought made his cock throb.

As the ties fell away, Kelsey’s arms flopped down to her sides. James shoved the ties into his pocket and reached for her arms, rubbing them gently for a few moments. Bending down, he retrieved the handgun and waved it toward the small bathroom he’d had installed in the basement so he could wash up after his workouts.

“Go wash your face and use the toilet if you need to. Don’t dawdle.” Kelsey did as she was told, while James waited impatiently outside the open door.

When she was done, he again gestured with his gun, this time toward the gym equipment. “Go over there and lie down on your back on the weight bench,” he ordered.

“But—”

“No.” He cut her off. “No buts. Don’t say a word. Do what I say. Do it now.” James pointed the gun at her, and Kelsey did as she was told. She lay on her back, balancing herself with a leg on either side of the bench, feet flat on the ground. She wrapped her arms protectively over her torso.