JR (33 page)

“You lied.”

Her steely tone gave no clue to how she took the news. Luke glanced into her piercing green eyes but he didn’t see judgment or condemnation. Instead, the reflection of his guilt-torn expression captured his attention, forcing him to admit it.

“Yeah. They’d already signed the paperwork.”

“So the ad for a subject…”

“I had my secretary put it on your desk. Kurt didn’t know about it.” He sighed. “I found out later she’d called your family and told them your sister’s aid had been rescinded after listing the large fee in the phony ad. I told her to make it irresistible. I should have been more specific. Shit, I’m sorry, Becca. I hope you know Kurt would never have yanked his sponsorship. No matter what happened.”

“Kurt’s sponsorship?”

“Um, yeah. Son of a bitch. He funds the grant you, and now your sister, receive. I thought you knew.”

Shock, anger, disbelief, fear, violation and relief cycled through her expression. He squeezed her hand tighter, letting her ride out the storm of emotions.

“It seems I keep fucking things up more but I’m trying to do the right thing here, Becca. I never meant for you, or Kurt, to get hurt. I’m so sorry. I’ve done despicable things…”

“I forgive you, Luke.”

“You do?”

“Yes. You fucked up. The board, Kurt and you, Luke. Big time. But I forgive you.”

He nodded in awe. “I’m not sure I deserve it…”

She cut him off once more. “I’m sure you don’t. But sometimes our decisions are driven by more than logic. And now you owe me. You
will
help me get what I want.”

His tentative smile transformed into an irrepressible grin at her audacity. She could have threatened to report him for improper behavior or challenged his professionalism but she hadn’t. This debacle struck Becca on a personal level. The determination to claim Kurt for life flared in her emerald eyes. Her passion scorched him from this distance, proclaiming her a woman on a mission.

His best friend didn’t stand a chance.

“Of course,” he agreed. “Kurt needs some convincing. You have to understand, Becca. He’s never been in love before.”

For a moment, her composure cracked. The gap allowed him to glimpse the vulnerability behind her courageous intent. Her eyes flitted from his. Luke was glad he’d said the words. She needed reassurance to stay the course and prove it to Kurt. It wouldn’t be easy.

“Did he tell you that?” she whispered, some of the ferociousness leeched from her bearing.

“No, but it’s obvious to me.” His placed a chaste kiss on the back of her hand. “How do you want to do this?”

She blinked then cleared her throat. “I need you to bring him to the lab. I’ll need some assistance to get him on the table.”

A chuckle of approval rumbled from his chest. “I like the way you think, Dr. Williams. You’ll have to give him tonight to dry out. I wasn’t joking about the binge. I’ll have him there first thing tomorrow morning. Deal?”

She nodded. “Deal.”

Rebecca paced the limited open space of the laboratory floor. The fine tremors of her legs complicated the difficult process of staying upright on her five-inch heels as she considered the drastic step she was about to take.

If she’d had to endure much longer in isolation with her conflicted thoughts she might have changed her mind but, just then, the door opened.

When Luke entered the room, her heart froze in her chest. He bore Kurt’s limp, unconscious body over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. Yesterday, he’d convinced her to leave this part of the plan to him but she never imagined he’d go to such extremes.

She rushed to his side. “Is he all right? What did you do to him?”

“He’s fine. I put a mild sedative in his drink at dinner last night then let him crash at my place. I think he’s starting to come out of it. Let’s hurry.” Together they arranged Kurt on his back across the table.

When finished, Luke stretched his arms over his head to work out the kinks then turned to face her. The way he stopped short, eyes widened, pupils darkening, Rebecca assumed her outfit had the desired impact. She’d selected the thigh-high, leather lace-up boots, crotchless fishnet stockings and black satin bustier to enhance her confidence as well as her womanly assets.

“Damn, honey, that’s one killer getup.” Luke whistled as he circled her. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Thanks, Luke, for everything. I think I can handle it from here.”

“Just in case, I’ll be across the street at the diner. If you run into trouble, call my cell.” He bent to place a sweet kiss on her lips before walking out, shaking his head.

With quick and methodical motions, Rebecca began to remove Kurt’s clothes. She attempted to lever his torso up from the table but his deadweight made the task impossible. He moaned in his unnatural slumber when she jostled him. Desperate, she grabbed a pair of scissors from a drawer in the table base then slit the garment along the seams.

She tugged away the dangling scraps while trying to ignore the way the light played over the definition of his muscled chest.

His slacks were easier to dispose of. A sharp inhalation cut the silence when the heat of his abdomen singed the fingers she slipped inside his waistband. She coaxed the stubborn fastener with shaking hands. Finally undone, she discovered his bare flesh beneath. Her pussy clenched in response.

She rushed, stripping his pants past thick thighs and elegant calves until he lounged naked before her. He mumbled again in his sleep. Did he call her name or did her imagination play tricks with her hope?

When she paused to admire his form on display, she observed his cock responding, hardening. Whether due to her presence, a dream or no reason in particular, she couldn’t say, but her mouth watered at the sight of him.

Rebecca began to strap Kurt to the table.

First, she cinched the belt straps around his chest and waist. She had to loosen them significantly to accommodate his powerful build compared to the settings he’d used on her. Then she progressed down his legs to his ankles. By the time she secured his left arm, the only part of him not already restrained, his hand twitched and he groaned. Hurrying to finish before he awoke, Rebecca fastened the last buckles around his firm biceps.

“Becca?” His groggy question rasped through the room.

Standing beside his shoulder, she reached out to smooth his hair back from his face. “I’m here, Kurt.”

“What the hell is going on?” After a few blinks, he started to regain awareness. He tried to sit up. His muscles jerked when he reached the limit of the bonds encircling him. The leather creaked but held without budging.

She continued to stroke his shoulders, calming him as his eyelids popped open and stayed this time. His raptor gaze locked onto hers.

“That bastard drugged my fucking pasta?” Kurt’s breath came in rapid pants as he worked himself up from confused to furious.

“I made him help me.” Her gentle murmur held an edge of steel.

“Why? What’s this all about? Release me now, Becca.” He yanked on the ties, testing their strength but, she knew from experience, his attempts were futile. He couldn’t escape.

“No, Kurt. I’m not letting you go.”

“What!” His incredulous tone lost its tinge of wonder when her seriousness dawned on him.

“I’m not letting you go,” she repeated more sternly. Focusing on the fight for their future, she braced herself then plunged ahead. “I’m not letting you loose from this table until you admit you’re in love with me.”

Kurt sucked in a lungful of air then peered at her, all of her, for the first time. As his stare wandered from her face, scanning the rest of her body, she stepped back to ensure he got the picture. She’d primed for battle.

His rage seemed to ebb as he resigned himself to playing by her rules. He gave her his full attention.

Though he acted the part of her captive, he pinned her under his perusal.

“That’s not going to happen, Becca. You’ve misunderstood.” His hollow words ached with regret.

Prepared for such a claim, she annealed her resolve. “No Kurt, things are just starting to make sense.

Thanks to you and the Dream Machine.” She circled the table. Her fingers trailed across his exposed flesh as she paced with the crisp snap of her stilettos on tile. His muscles bunched and tensed in anticipation of her glancing touches.

“Becca, stop this. Let me up so I can apologize properly.”

She shook her head.

“There are things I need to tell you. Things that might shock you and I don’t want to be stuck here, unable to help you if you need me.”

“Things like how Dr. Wexford tested the Dream Machine on me when I fell asleep at my desk? Things like the shenanigans the board pulled on you to twist your arm into participating in the experiment with me? Things like the fact you planned to make me your partner all along, before the situation provided you with the perfect opportunity to exercise your lust?”

“Fuck! I wanted to tell you. They threatened to fire me but it shouldn’t have mattered.” His head clunked against the table as his hands fisted. If the restraints hadn’t immobilized him, she could picture him kicking something.

Then his bloodshot eyes bored into her until she couldn’t dismiss his apology. “I’m sorry for deceiving you.

It was wrong. I should have told you how much I wanted you. I should have told you about the break-in. Only a total asshole would hurt you like that.”

His sincere apology squeezed her heart. He’d made mistakes—true—but in her soul, she’d already forgiven him. The admission gave her the confidence to pursue more than the formal partnership he’d envisioned.

“Don’t you see, Kurt? Hiding the truth from me is a compelling piece of evidence. Everything you’ve done goes against your nature. Hell, look at what I’ve done to get you here this morning.” Standing between his spread legs now, she skimmed one fingernail down the center of his chest and abdomen. His cock jerked in response. It grew with each heartbeat.

“Becca, what are you talking about?” His bewildered gaze flicked between her face and hand. She suppressed a grin when his arousal distracted him. Like her, Kurt needed to stop thinking and start feeling. Until they made a breakthrough, she would start with the basics.

“You love me, Kurt. And I’ll prove it to you.” With a sigh, she turned from his swelling erection. She ripped off the sheet covering the whiteboard in the corner, revealing a list of premises required to support her theory.

“Don’t do this to us. It’s not what you think. Don’t ruin what we have.” He strained against the bonds, ignoring her proof.

“This time I won’t let you hide, Kurt.”

“Don’t make me argue against you.”

“Don’t make
me
use the ball gag I found in the closet.”

His stare whipped to hers, incredulous.

“All I’m asking is that you evaluate the evidence without passing judgment. In fact, I think I’ll add to the list.”

She uncapped a dry-erase marker then squeezed in one more bit of logic at the top of the chart.

Subject cannot separate emotion from decisions relating to his assistant although he typically excels at
maintaining rational objectivity.

She dropped the marker in the tray then returned to his side. “For each point you consider with an open mind, I’ll reward you. Fair enough?”

“Shit, Becca…” He gaped at her.

“Dr. Williams.”

His jaw hung slack for a second or two. Then a new fire blazed in his eyes when he nodded his understanding. “Yes, Doctor. I admit you distort my judgment. It’s harder for me to think rationally when you’re around. Now, get your pretty ass over here and touch me.”

“Your begging needs some work.” But she longed for skin to skin contact. Bravado hid her nerves, but didn’t erase them. Only the passion he inspired would ground her.

She began with a kiss.

They both contributed emotion to the simple act until the glide of their lips evolved into a complex expression of desperation, relief and turmoil.

She sank into the seductive caress of his tongue on hers until she realized he had her on the verge of relinquishing control. With a sigh, she separated them. Kurt growled, attempting to pursue her until he reached the limit of his confinement. His muscles flexed, restless, beneath the leather straps.

“Next point.” She indicated the list on the whiteboard.

It took a few breaths for him to gather his composure, but then he turned his face to read her argument as she paraphrased.

“You could have your pick of women. Ones much thinner, prettier, richer and more desirable than me.

Instead, you went to a lot of trouble to have me.”

“There’s no one more attractive than you, Becca. You’re smart, dedicated, loyal…” The points he ticked off dug him deeper as his gaze turned smoky. “…voluptuous, sensual, generally submissive…”

She almost laughed at the rueful look he shot her but she bit her cheek to maintain her game face.

“…and—now—uninhibited. You’re all I could want in a lover.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, humbled by his reverence. Her hands pet his chest, kneading the tense muscles there until he calmed.

“Mmm. Yes, Be—Doctor.” She rewarded his learning by following the path of her fingers with her mouth.

She nuzzled, sucked and nipped a moist trail along his neck, over his collarbone, to his firm pecs. She placed a tender kiss above his heart then licked his nipple.

When he jerked on the table beneath her, power flooded her veins. The spike of adrenaline helped explain the seductive power of the games they’d played. Like trying on a costume for Halloween, she enjoyed seeing things in a new light but she wished she writhed beneath his commanding touch instead.