Yours to Keep part 3: Billionaire CEO Romance (Captured and Claimed) (2 page)

She sagged into him and struggled against the bindings. Quinn quickly released her, rubbing the red chafe marks on her skin. Another rush of anger cut through him. The fucker had strapped her too tightly and nearly cut off her circulation. He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. After he’d seen her to safety, he was going to enjoy coming back here and fucking the bastard over some more.

With her muscles seizing and her joints rebelling, her body was about to collapse. He ran his hands over her arms, gently massaging her muscles and warming her cold, clammy skin, but she began to shake harder. Christ, she was going into shock. He quickly gathered her in his arms and scanned the room for a blanket.

To work against the shock, he hurried to the aftercare room and grabbed a blanket from the electric, stainless steel blanket-warmer cabinet. He swathed her in it and darted outside, nearly crashing into Jacob as he rushed up the castle stairs toward them.

Jacob’s eyes widened then he hissed in air. “Felix?”

Quinn nodded. He jerked his head toward the door and lowered his voice. “Get ahold of security, but I want to see him before they take him away. I’m not done with him.”

Jacob nodded. “What about his father?”

“Alexander Coffrey might own the castle and half the island, but he’s a reasonable man. I’ll deal with him later. Right now I need you to send a medic to my cabana.” Jacob nodded and Quinn hurried down the stairs, desperate to get Rebecca away from all this.

Quinn ran through the resort, anger seething from every pore in his body. He mentally kicked himself. How could he have let this happen to her? She was so unsure of this world that he’d brought her into, and he’d promised he’d to take care of her, that he’d always ensure her safety. He was a man of his word—he prided himself on that—but he’d let her down. No way could he ever forgive himself for that.

A soft sound caught in her throat, and her body shook, almost violently. He gathered her closer and ran faster, his mind going over the events of last night and what he could have done differently. One thing was for certain. He should have taken Felix’s key. Regardless of who his father was, he should have taken the key and had him removed from the island for abusing his sub. A hard lesson learned, and a mistake he wouldn’t make with any other Dom who sidestepped the rules.

He reached his cabana and shouldered the door open. Once inside he hurried to the bedroom. He removed the utilitarian blanket and tucked her between the soft Egyptian sheets so she’d have something familiar against her body, then pulled the comforter over her. She blinked rapidly, and he slid in beside her, offering his warmth and security.

“Quinn,” she murmured.

He went up on his elbow and pulled her in tighter. “I’m here, Rebecca. I’m here. You’re safe.”

Fear reflected in her eyes as she pressed a shaky hand to his chest. He closed his palm over hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze as worry clawed at his gut.

“Take me home,” she said, jerking her hand back. Shit, she hadn’t been touching him for comfort, she’d been pushing him away.

Her rejection stung like a slap in the face, but he fucking deserved it. “The doctor is on his way. You need to be looked at.”

She shook her head, the soft brush of her hair on the pillow grating over his heart at her rejection. “No, what I need is for you take me home right now.”

“Rebecca…” he began cautiously, then shut his mouth when she shook her head harder.

“I need to be away from all of this.” She turned from him, and he couldn’t see her face when she curled up in the fetal position and added, “Away from you.”

Rebecca closed the file on her desk. She let out a slow breath, stole a glance at her clock and sank back into her chair. The familiar noises outside her office gave her a modicum of comfort, reminding her she was back in Manhattan, safe from Felix…the blindfold. It had been three days since she’d left the private island and while she wanted to forget about Felix, and the darkness that took her back to the fearful days of her childhood, she was having a much harder time putting Quinn out of her thoughts.

Quinn.

He’d been so sweet, incredibly concerned and caring after finding her tied to the cross, and for the first time since they’d met, she’d seen him come undone. She hadn’t
seen
him beat Felix half to death, since she had the blindfold on, but she’d heard each curse that had fallen from Quinn’s mouth as he pummeled his fists into her captor’s face. But after he’d taken if off, she saw the mess of blood on the dungeon floor, saw Felix rolling around in it and moaning in agony. She had no idea what had happened to him after the beating. Her only thought had been to escape, return to the comfort and familiarity of her condo in Manhattan. Quinn had only told her that he would take care of matters, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know any more than that.

A shiver moved through her, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she climbed to her feet and walked to her window. She glanced at the sofa, or more specifically, to the package she’d found waiting for her when she returned to her office Monday morning. It had been delivered to her office complex last Saturday, which meant Quinn must have arranged to have it here for her when they were still at the resort.

Two steps took her to the sofa. She picked up the parcel and was about to drop it into the trash, but hesitated. Her fingers rasped over the pretty bow, and even though it might not be in her best interest, she gave a little tug. The silk fell away and she lifted the top of the pretty box to find a sexy red bra and panties. She removed them from the white tissue paper and smoothed her fingers over the material. Her glance moved to the slip of white paper and the instructions to wear them to work Monday morning.

Had Quinn intended to show up, to remove them from her body? She touched the warm, buttery leather on her sofa. It was just last week he’d taken her right here. Put her over his knee and disciplined her. A cry lodged in her throat, half of her wanting to be with him again while the other half wanted to run farther away. The constant tug of war on her emotions and her senses was turning her into a mad woman.

She threw the lingerie back into the box and struggled with the lid, slapping the corners with her palm to force it back in place. Giving up on it, she turned to her window, bracing shaking hands on the sill as she struggled to find some semblance of balance. Horns blared on the street below as heavy rain clouds darkened the sky and blackened the pavement—a fitting match for her somber mood.

There was, however, a part of her that was grateful her friends were all free tonight. She’d called them first thing Saturday night after Quinn had dropped her off at her condo. They were anxious to hear the details of her weekend, but the instant they caught the tremor in her voice they knew something had gone terribly wrong. They’d wanted to check in on her, but she just needed time to herself, and instead of explaining it three times over, she convinced them to meet tonight after work. The less she rehashed the events of the night and the way the situation had dredged up memories best left buried, the better.

Giving her head a hard shake to clear it, she pushed away from the window and grabbed her purse from her desk drawer. She slung it over her shoulder and snatched her umbrella from the rack near her door. She turned her lights off, left her office and hurried down the hall to the waiting elevator. A few seconds later, it deposited her on the main floor, and Tim, the building’s main security guard, gave her a worried look as she signed out for the night.

“How are you this evening?” he asked. His tone held concern. This wasn’t idle chit-chat.

A wave of embarrassment moved through her and her cheeks warmed as she lowered her eyes and scribbled her name on the pad. God, did everyone who played at the resort know what had happened to her? Whatever happened to the rule “what happens at Freedom stays at Freedom”?

She mumbled that she was fine and darted outside. A flick of the switch on her umbrella opened it and she slipped into the stream of people rushing along the sidewalk. Zigzagging through the crowded streets, she hurried to Onyx, her favorite Manhattan cocktail bar. The heavy front door opened just as she reached for it, and she came face to face with fellow lawyer Rick Douglas, a guy she’d dated in the past.

“Rebecca,” he said, his smile so bright, his teeth so straight, she couldn’t help but think he’d paid for some dentist’s summer home. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you around lately.”

“Didn’t know you were looking.” She closed her umbrella and ducked under the overhead awning with him.

He laughed, and his gaze fell from her face, the look in his eyes almost lecherous. “You know, I always loved that smart mouth of yours.”

“Oh yeah?” She held back a smart-assed reply. She knew what it really was about her mouth that he loved. Too bad he never reciprocated such favors in the bedroom. Between the sheets it had always been about his needs.

Blue eyes that any other girl would get lost in narrowed in on hers. “Yeah, so where have you been?”

“Busy working,” she explained, not about to tell him anything.

His smile widened. “Beautiful and driven. You’ll be partner before you know it.” He looked over her shoulder. “You alone?”

With the tip of her umbrella, she pointed to the lounge area. “Meeting my friends.”

He stepped closer, crowding her. “Then maybe we can meet up for a drink later. I’ve missed you.” He gestured to a restaurant across the street. “I’m meeting a client in a few, but we should be wrapping up around eight.”

Her first reaction was to say no. Been there done that. If she wanted an empty experience that let her know something was missing from her life, she’d use her vibrator. But with Quinn out of the picture and the BDSM lifestyle behind her, if she ever wanted to feel a warm body next to her again she’d soon have to settle for someone like Rick, and a sex life that was less than orgasmic.

But as she visualized herself between the sheets with him, her blood turned cold—her body’s way of saying it wanted Quinn, and Quinn only. She shivered, crossed her hands over her chest and hugged herself. For some reason Rick took that as an invitation to touch her. He pulled her into his arms and ran his hands up and down her back to create warmth with friction. Too bad all he succeeded in doing was cementing her belief that climbing between the sheets with him would leave her with nothing but a dull, needy ache in the pit of her stomach.

She shook her head, once again wishing she’d never met Quinn, never felt his touch or known the pleasures of submission. She breathed deep and let it out slowly. Honest to God, the man had ruined her for every other.

“Thanks,” she said. “But I can’t. I’m seeing someone.”

Rick’s eyes narrowed and he angled his head, those ocean-blue eyes of his moving over her face.

“Oh, I didn’t realize.” He rolled one shoulder, like he was brushing it off because he didn’t believe her. “Well, if things change between now and eight, you know where to find me.”

He pulled the door open for her and she slipped inside. She exhaled slowly, fixed her damp hair, then made her way to her friends. From the empty drink glasses in front of the trio, it was clear they’d been there a while. She dropped into her chair beside Sophie, and three sets of eyes stared at her with unease.

Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh, her mood lightening slightly. Either that, or she’d crossed the line from mad to crazy. Quinn was right. She really did have great friends. As ribbons of tension left her body, those three pairs of eyes narrowed in on her.

She held her hands up. “I’m fine.”

Directly across from her, Lilliana reached out and grabbed her hand. “Who are you trying to convince of that? Us or you?”

“Quinn better not have hurt you,” Sophie said.

Rebecca turned to look at her friend and had never seen such worry in her eyes. If looks could kill and Quinn was anywhere in the vicinity, he would have been dead by now.

She exhaled slowly. “He didn’t, but Felix did.”

“Felix?” Melanie asked, pushing a cocktail Rebecca’s way. “Who’s Felix?”

She took a much-needed drink, leaned forward in her chair and told the entire story.

“Oh, my God,” Sophie said, putting her hand on Rebecca’s back and giving it a rub. “Thank God Quinn got there in time before he…before you were…well, you know.”

Eyes still wide with worry, Melanie gestured to the bartender for another round, and Rebecca tagged on, “After that, I came home, and now I’m putting that whole world behind me.”

“Wait, when you say whole world, do you mean Quinn too?” Melanie asked.

Rebecca fished the olive from her drink and plopped it into her mouth. “Yes. I mean Quinn too.”

“Becs,” Melanie began. “I’ve never seen you so happy before, and the chemistry between you two was off the charts.”

“You need more than chemistry to make a relationship work,” she said matter-of-factly.

“So you’re saying you want a relationship with him then?” Lilliana asked.

“Yes,” she answered without thinking, but as soon as that word left her mouth, her head jerked back with startled surprise. “Wait, no.” A beat passed and then, “I don’t know.”

Was it possible that she wanted a real relationship with Quinn? Hadn’t she learned to keep a measure of distance because no one ever stayed? That when someone was done with her they tossed her out like she was yesterday’s garbage?

“It doesn’t matter,” she added. “He told me there was no middle ground with him. I want him to be happy, and I can’t give him what he wants.” She pushed her hair from her face and looked at Melanie. “Enough about me, what have you three been up to?”

Melanie smiled. “Sophie just made partner.”

“What!” Rebecca squealed. She turned to Sophie. “Oh my God. Congratulations.” She pulled her friend in for a hug. “Here I was monopolizing the conversation when you had something very important to share.”

“You weren’t monopolizing, and what you had to say was just as important, if not more so.” Rebecca’s heart squeezed, and she touched her friend’s hand. Sophie smiled in return and added, “The firm booked Onyx for a private gathering Friday night. I hope you’ll come.”