Legally Bound (7 page)

“I thought you weren’t feeding me grapes this
weekend,” she said, then opened her mouth wide like a baby bird waiting on
dinner.

“Feeding is one thing,” he said, dropping the grape
into her mouth. “Peeling is another. A man’s gotta draw the line somewhere.”

“So…it’s a compromise?”

“Of sorts.”

“I thought Doms didn’t compromise,” she teased,
unable to conceal her smile.

“Some don’t, I suppose.” He fed her another
grape. “Some are just in it for the power trip, the rush of adrenaline that
comes with having absolute control over another human being.”

“But not you.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Not me. My father on
the other hand, that’s a different story.” The note of resentment in his tone
had Eve pausing mid-chew. His eyes were different now, solemn. She’d never seen
him quite so serious. Although consideration for his privacy told her to bite
her tongue, the need to know more about him urged her on.

“If your father is a Dom then that would make
your mother his—”

“Poorly treated submissive,” Donavan finished and
flexed his jaw. “By my definition she’s nothing more than a slave.”

“I hadn’t realized there was a difference.”

“There’s a difference.” He locked eyes with her. “A
Dom values his submissive’s opinions and ideals as much as he values his own,
even though he is the one in control. He respects and cherishes her, and in
everything he does, he keeps her best interest in mind. A true slave is viewed
as nothing more than a fuck-toy on a leash, a human shell made for pleasure and
whatever else their Master sees fit. Although some Doms refer to their
submissive as slave that’s all it is, a term their using to clarify the role
between Master and sub.”

“Have you ever had a real slave?”

“Never,” he snapped, seemingly appalled she would
ask such a question.

“I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

He lifted a hand to stop her apology then plucked
another grape off its stem and held it up like a peace offering. This time when
he reached over to drop the fruit in her mouth, she clasped his hand in hers
and squeezed. Instantly his eyes softened, shadowed by the hint of a painful
smile. In that moment, Eve wanted to drag him down on top of her and encase him
in a comforting embrace but the intimacy that came with it stopped her from
doing so. That type of intimacy would only bring them closer, putting her
secret in further jeopardy.

“I’ve spent a lot of years worrying that I might
have unknowingly inherited some asshole genetic from my father that I just
haven’t tapped into yet. One that could turn me into what he is.” Donavan was
looking at her but at the same time somehow looking past her. “I’ve also spent
a lot of years trying to convince my mother to leave the bastard. Unfortunately,
she’s a very loyal woman.”

“On the upside, that quality must make her a very
good submissive,” Eve said, trying to shed light on a grim situation.

“I suppose it does, but it’s also the reason she
makes very stupid decisions.”

Although his words were harsh, Eve understood
where the passion came from. She knew first hand it wasn’t easy watching
someone you loved make bad choice after bad choice.

“Well, at least your mother’s loyalty lies with
an actual human being. My mother’s only loyalty is at the bottom of a bottle. I
can’t tell you how much time I spent as a little girl wishing she took half as
much interest in me as she did in any cheap bottle of whiskey she could get her
hands on.” The words were out of Eve’s mouth before she could stop herself.
That was the most information about her past she’d confided in anyone other
than Caitlyn.

“She must have done something right.” He smoothed
her hair back from her forehead and then ever so lightly brushed his knuckles
down her cheek. “You’re quite the woman.”

The conviction in his tone and the sincerity in
his eyes somehow transformed her into a puddle of complete mush. Things between
them were teetering dangerously towards total honesty and although the moment
would have been perfect to confess her secret, fear wouldn’t allow her to tell
him the truth.

“Yeah, I suppose she did something right,” Eve
started as she edged away from his touch. “She gave me a guideline to remind me
of the type of person I never wanted to be.” With that said, she swung her legs
over the edge of the bed and sat up. Emotion choked her as she searched the
room for her clothes. She needed to leave before things between them became
anymore intimate.

“What are you doing?” he asked when she crossed
the room to collect her gown from the floor. Tension knotted in her shoulders
as she stood with her back to him, clutching the dress in her hands.

“If I leave now I won’t have to drive through
downtown after midnight. In my experience all the crazies come out after
midnight on a Friday.”

“The terms of the bet were for the entire
weekend,” he reminded. “Not for one night.”

“I know what the terms were,” she said casually,
then stepped into the safety of her gown. She tugged it up until it loosely
hovered around her breasts. Though she couldn’t manage the laces on her own at
least she wasn’t naked any more.

“As far as I’m concerned,” she continued. “You
didn’t win the bet. I still won the case like I said I would.”

“Ah, and we enter into a shade of gray. I say it’s
a matter of perspective.”

“Look,” she started in her most logical tone. “We
argue for a living and could both come up with supporting cases on who won what
but wouldn’t it make more sense for you to walk out that door and find a more
than willing ass to flog rather than hold me to the terms of what we both know
was a ridiculous bet?”

“Eve, the only ass I’m interested in flogging
this weekend is yours.”

A shiver raked through her.

When the trembles subsided, she placed a firm
grip on her dress and turned, fully prepared to tell him exactly what he could
do with his flog. She didn’t get that far. Her lips parted but no words came
out. Only a faint, appreciative sigh. Her eyes traveled the length of his very
naked, very heavenly body. Candlelight flickered over his tanned skin, making
the lean muscle throughout that much more pronounced. Eve nearly moaned.

No man has a right to look
this good naked.

“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” she muttered
and tried to divert her eyes from his body. “I think I won the bet, you think
you won the bet—we’re back at square one.”

“The only difference is I hold the key to the
door. That means I call the shots. So, this can go one of two ways—I can chain
you up for the weekend or you can willingly climb back into bed with me.”

His cock-sure smile snapped her eyebrows
together. “You’re not serious.”

“Oh, deadly serious.”

An unwanted quiver teased her pussy and she
subtly squeezed her thighs together. Damn him. He was right. He did hold all
the cards right now. She couldn’t convince him that she didn’t want him
sexually. Not after the steamy bout of sex they’d just shared. Hell, she couldn’t
even convince herself of that. Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that every
minute she stayed with him put her secret at further risk and without the key
she was as good as his prisoner. She needed that damned key.

Eve lifted her gaze to his and narrowed her eyes
but he merely smiled.

“Might I suggest the second option?” he replied,
light amusement in his tone. “Rumor has it, sleeping in chains isn’t overly
comfortable.”

Chapter
Four

The sound of rushing water carried faintly
beneath the closed bathroom door. Eve squinted one eye open and gripped the bed
sheet. After three minutes passed, she decided Donavan would be at least
another ten in the shower. That gave her ten minutes to find the key, get
dressed, and leave before he was none the wiser.

Silent as a church mouse, Eve swung her legs over
the bed, dragging the top sheet up with her as she rose. Pick your battles.
That was a motto she lived by, and last night she had laid down her sword and
crawled into bed with hopes of fighting another day. Today was that day.

After Donavan had fallen asleep, without the
candelabras ablaze and no windows in the room she hadn’t managed to find a light
switch, let alone the damned key. This morning, though the candles remained
snuffed, an artificial glow hummed from a set of fluorescent track lighting
lining the walls. Surely she would have better luck searching for the key now
that she wasn’t bumbling around in the dark.

Quickly, Eve tip toed over to Donavan’s side of
the bed and pulled open the drawer, careful not to cause a clunk or scrape. Her
heart pounded as she shifted her gaze toward the bathroom to make sure he hadn’t
stepped out yet. Deciding the coast was clear, Eve focused back on the drawer.
As she peered down into a vacant hole, her shoulders sank.
Damn it. The key
has to be around here somewhere.

As quietly as she’d opened it, Eve slid the
drawer shut and took a quick scan of the room. The last time she saw him with
the key was before he chained her up. That had to mean he’d stashed it
somewhere on his person before things got out of hand. Her eyes locked onto the
dark slacks lying on the floor near the ankle restraints.
Bingo.
She
chewed up the distance in three long, light-footed strides and then dropped
into a crouch.

It has to be in his pants. I’m
running out of time.

She secured the bed sheet around her breasts so
she had both hands free to search then began rummaging through the pockets
frantic as a junkie in search of her next fix. Shit. Empty. Chewing her bottom
lip, she snatched up his shirt, turned it upside down and gave it a shake.

“Looking for this?”

Eve launched to her feet and swung her gaze
toward the bathroom. She met Donavan’s arched eyebrow with a look she was sure
screamed, ‘guilty as charged.’ Her heart pounded as she spotted the key
dangling from his fingers. No wonder she couldn’t find it. He had the damn
thing on him the entire time—the little weasel probably slept with it under his
pillow.

“As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what I was
looking for.” she said, making the mistake of lowering her gaze from the key
down his damp, muscular chest and washboard abs. Hypnotized, she followed a
series of water droplets beading down his tight, tanned flesh. With only a
towel slung around his lean hips and a smaller one over his shoulder, the man
looked good enough to eat. Eve fought hard not to lick her lips and forced her
eyes back up to his face.

“Did you really think it was necessary to take it
with you into the shower?” She arched a pointed stare.

“Well,” he took the towel off his shoulder and
scrubbed it over his wet hair a few times, “considering you didn’t give up
looking for it last night after bumping into the wall three times, and the
second time actually did sound quite painful, I figured if I wanted you to stay
the rest of the weekend then taking it with me would be a smart move.”

Eve pressed her lips together in a firm line. She
couldn’t argue with his logic. If he hadn’t taken it with him she’d be halfway
through the parking lot by now.

“Hungry?” Donavan stepped toward the small café
table and pulled out a chair. The table once occupied by only an icer and
bottle of champagne now boasted a wide arrangement of elegant stainless steel
serving trays and a decanter of what Eve assumed from the aroma to be freshly
brewed coffee. At the thought of breakfast, her stomach growled. Other than
grapes, she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch with Caitlyn and was starving.

Donavan gestured for her to sit and Eve wondered
if putting her escape on hold for breakfast was a good idea. He waved his hand
again, this time with a more commanding motion. Torn between freedom and
hunger, Eve secured the sheet tighter around her breasts and crossed the room.
Taking a few minutes to have breakfast wouldn’t cause any harm, would it?

That’s a good girl, Donavan thought, nudging Eve’s
chair in as she lowered her heavenly form before him. His eyes coasted along
the line of her bare shoulders—the only part of her left uncovered by that
frumpy wine-colored sheet. If he had his way, she wouldn’t be wearing anything
at all. However, at this stage in their game of cat and mouse he couldn’t
exactly strip it off and fuck her senseless. Although that would get them
instant gratification like last night, it wouldn’t get him what he wanted. To
accomplish that he couldn’t go in guns blazing. If he was going to get answers
from her, a more strategic approach was in order.

He took the chair opposite her and made note of
the waves of nervous energy radiating across the table. She clutched the sheet
so tightly her knuckles were nearly white and her jaw twitched with a nervous
tick. What was she so afraid of?

“Coffee?” he asked, lifting the decanter.

“Yes. Please.” She barely lifted her eyes. “When
did this get here?”