my hair, then to my great disappointment, releases
me. Oh?
Bending down I fish another item out of the open
drawer. Several cuffs attached to a bar. I hold it up.
“That,” says Christian, his eyes darkening, “is a
spreader bar with ankle and wrist restraints.”
“How does it work?” I ask, genuinely intrigued. My
inner goddess pops her head out of her bunker.
“You want me to show you?” he breathes in surprise,
closing his eyes briefly.
I blink at him. When he opens his eyes, they are
blazing.
blazing.
Oh my. “Yes, I want a demonstration. I like being tied
up,” I whisper as my inner goddess pole vaults from the
bunker onto her chaise longue.
“Oh, Ana,” he murmurs. He looks pained all of a
sudden.
“What?”
“Not here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want you in my bed, not in here. Come.” He grabs
the bar and my hand, then leads me promptly out of the
room.
Why are we lea一ving? I glance behind me as we exit.
“Why not in there?”
Christian stops on the stairs and gazes up at me, his
expression gra一ve.
“Ana, you may be ready to go back in there, but I’m
not. Last time we were in there, you left me. I keep telling
you—when will you understand?” He frowns, releasing me
so that he can gesticulate with his free hand.
“My whole attitude has changed as a result. My whole
outlook on life has radically shifted. I’ve told you this.
What I ha一ven’t told you is—” He stops and runs his hand
through his hair, searching for the correct words. “I’m like
a recovering alcoholic, okay? That’s the only comparison I
can draw. The compulsion has gone, but I don’t want to
put temptation in my way. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He looks so remorseful, and in that moment, a sharp
nagging pain lances through me. What ha一ve I done to this
man? Ha一ve I improved his life? He was happy before he
met me, wasn’t he?
“I can’t bear to hurt you because I love you,” he adds,
gazing up at me, his expression one of absolute sincerity
like a small boy telling a very simple truth.
He’s completely guileless, and he takes my b
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