Golden Binds

“You’re little.”

“Compared to you most people are,” she shot back.

He smiled. “They are.” His voice was filled with satisfaction.

She rolled her eyes and sat up, pulling off her sweatshirt.

“What are you doing?” he asked with a hint of alarm.

“I’m hot.” Minutes before she’d been chilled. Now she had to get rid of the sweats before she started sweating. Although removing the top had little effect on the heat waves battering her. She moved her hands to the pants.

“Don’t,” he said in a tight voice.

She paused, heeding the warning note in his voice. He sounded like he was on the edge. She watched him warily. His jaw was clenched, the muscles in his neck were tense, and his breathing had become faster.

“I still have my boxers on underneath,” she told him. She’d tried to sound angry, instead her voice was a little breathless. It was a heady feeling, realizing he was aroused because of her.

She slid off the pants.

“Jesus fucking Christ, do you know what you’re doing to me?”

Oh, that heady feeling grew. And it pushed away those little voices telling her to proceed with caution.

Yeah, like caution had ever been her strong suit. She wouldn’t find herself in these situations if it were.

“No. Why don’t you tell me?”

She threw the sweats away.

His eyes flickered to where they fell then back to her.

“You’d do best not to tease me, little girl.”

“Stop calling me that!” she said with heat. “I might be small but I’m not a girl.”

“But you are.”

It was like a smack to the face. It made her want to curl in on herself and hide with shame. “Garret told you.”

His gaze narrowed. He watched her. “What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? What could be wrong?” She laughed. It was a dry, brittle sound.

“Something is wrong. Something I said upset you.” He ran a finger over his chin. “I said you were a girl. What is wrong with that? You see it as an insult when all I spoke of was your age in comparison to mine.”

“You’re not that much older than me.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

What did that mean?

“Then you said, Garret told me. What could you be worried about Garret telling me about your age?” Then his gaze turned thoughtful. “Unless you weren’t talking age.”

“I was talking about sex. He told you I haven’t had sex.”

“He did.”

“Jesus, you’re not even going to fucking try to deny it?”