Bound and Determined by Shayla Black Page A

bargain. What do you say?”
    “You’ll help my brother if I agree to this insane idea.”
    “If I’m getting what I want, you’ll get what you want.”
    Thoughts raced through her brain faster than headlines changed on cable news. His suggestion was unconventional at best, exploitive at worst. So why did it arouse her? She was a modern woman. Okay, so she had a few old-fashioned tendencies. Despite that, letting a man call all the shots settled about as well as static cling with her. But somehow, the idea of giving herself over to someone as sexy and dangerous as Rafe had inexplicable, undeniable appeal.
    Lord, did that make her as bubble-headed as Mark’s wife, Tiffany?
    Kerry’s gaze strayed to his hands and stubbornly stayed. What would he do to her with those? Caress down her spine, plump her breast, squeeze her nipples, probe the part of her that was growing wetter with each passing second? And if the theory about judging the size of a man’s penis by his fingers was true, then Rafe’s intelligence wasn’t the only thing above average. Hell, she knew it was true; she’d seen every hard inch of him with her own eyes.
    “The clock is ticking,” he reminded her. “Where is your brother now?”
    Kerry closed her eyes, reality slamming her again. “The Pinellas County Jail, awaiting trial.”
    “Which starts . . . ?”
    She swallowed. “In less than two weeks.”
    “And you’re waiting for what? I’m asking for a simple yes or no. It’s completely your choice. If you’re not interested, just say so.”
    The bargain should be that simple, but it was also that complicated. She bit her lip. What would he say if he learned she was a virgin? He’d think she was an undersexed freak. And not that she’d been saving herself for marriage, but the idea of trading it away pricked her with disappointment. Yeah, she was going to have to lose it sometime—hopefully soon. But bartering it to keep her brother out of prison wasn’t what she’d had in mind. She wanted it to mean something to the guy she gave it to. Losing it here in Dominating Dave’s Love Shack seemed as unromantic as doing it in a bathroom stall at Denny’s.
    And then there was Rafe himself. She didn’t know him well, and allowing him anything and everything . . . well, that meant giving a lot of trust.
    “What is it? You look worried. Talk to me.” Gone was the wicked grin, replaced by something serious, edged with concern.
    “I—I’m thinking.”
    Suddenly, he reached for her hand and took it in his warm grasp, thumb caressing her knuckles. “No apologies. When I see something I want, I go after it. But I know that no means no, Kerry. I’d never hurt you.”
    “And this isn’t about revenge?”
    He glanced down at the tented sheet. “Do you think I’d rather have revenge or sex?”
    She met his gaze, thick with lust and anticipation. But she saw sincerity beneath it all. For some bizarre reason, gut reaction maybe, she believed him.
    Helping Mark was her priority, without question. But after sleeping less than three minutes since she’d arrived at the cottage, damp sheets haunted by the remembrance of Rafe’s mouth on her, Kerry could not deny that she wanted another taste of the man.
    “A-all right.”
    “Yes?”
    She nodded, feeling suddenly emboldened and shy at once. Finally, she’d know more about a man’s touch than drunken pawing at the prom. But what would he expect? What should she do?
    “I’ll need a hand free, sweetheart.”
    That demand set her suspicions on alert. “No.”
    “Yes, or I can’t touch you the way I want to. Gotta touch you. I’m dying for it.”
    Obviously he thought she’d been born in the last five minutes. “You’re just saying that to persuade me to uncuff you.”
    Rafe laughed, something mirthless. “Did you fail to look down?”
    Kerry looked again and found the sheet tented up by an erection that, if anything, had become more impressive. Her eyes widened. “Oh,