Bound and Determined by Shayla Black Page B

my.”
    “Manipulating you would not put me in this state. I assure you, it’s all about the idea of touching you. And I’ve got to tell, I won’t be able to do that well with this thing around my wrist.”
    Faced with such irrefutable evidence, she felt herself caving in. Shocking that a hunk of man like Rafael Dawson would get so thoroughly aroused by her, particularly after her ranting over the phone and abducting him. Miracles never ceased.
    “I’ll even give you my left hand.” He held it out.
    She’d bet he could manage plenty of sensual devastation with that hand.
    Kerry hesitated. She didn’t know Rafe, shouldn’t trust him. But how many choices did she have?
    She looked at his hands, his fingers. Why did her body remember his touch? She felt like a radio tuned in only to his frequency. Butterflies danced in her stomach.
    Damn, she needed to focus her thoughts on abduction, not seduction.
    “Kerry? You want to help your brother. I want you. Yes or no?”
    Rafe was right.
    Slowly, she lifted the chain from her neck and thrust the little key into the hole. The cuff came unhinged with a quiet click. Quickly, she deposited the key on the far side of the sitting area, directly on the windowsill. The spot was just beyond his reach, even with the pulleys fully extended. Still, she watched him for anything suspicious.
    Rafe seemed to ignore her, instead flexing his fingers. “Much better.”
    By his side again, Kerry sent him a lame nod. Silence fell. What now?
    Then Rafe sent a stare her way—scorching with sexual promise, possessive even. The inky spikes of his lashes fanned up toward the sweep of his dark brows, framing unforgettable eyes that gleamed like brushed silver.
    At that look, Kerry forgot to breathe. The butterflies had suddenly grown by leaps and bounds, either that or taken up air hockey. She wasn’t scared or intimidated. Nervous, definitely. She couldn’t even claim she was out of practice, since she’d never had much in the first place.
    “I’ve thought about this all day,” he murmured.
    Her stomach coiled so tight, Kerry wondered if she’d ever be able to eat again.
    “But,” he added, “I’ve also had something else on my mind.” The wicked grin captured his mouth again, signaling the return of the devil inside him.
    “Oh?” Kerry held her breath.
    “One of the things I remember most vividly about the limo ride is your sheer little black panties. I want to see you in those.”
    Kerry sucked in a breath. “You do?”
    “Yeah,” he said in a voice now sandpaper rough. “And nothing else.”

Chapter 3
    K erry knew her eyes widened like a kid’s at a horror movie, but she couldn’t stop the reaction. “N-now?” “Right now.” His gaze consumed her.
    Her stomach plummeted to her toes. Why, oh why, had she done laundry last night when she couldn’t sleep? Why had she put those little panties on again this morning? No reason, except they made her feel daring, wanton, in control of her sexuality. Like the kind of woman who could handle abducting a sinfully attractive man. The kind of woman she wanted to be.
    Kerry tried to drown out the voice in her head that cursed her hare-brained theories. It was too late to back out. A deal was a deal. Anything and everything, he’d said. All she had to do to help Mark—and help herself to a big dish of Rafe’s sex appeal—was cooperate.
    He wanted her to strip for him. Scary, yes. But oddly arousing, too—wildly so. A tingling took up residence between her legs, as confidence and curiosity converged in her chest.
    “All right.” Her voice never wavered.
    He smiled, his stare devouring and challenging her at once. “Excellent.”
    His cocky expression told her he didn’t believe she wouldfollow through, and normally Kerry feared he’d be right. But she’d be damned if she’d allow herself to be outdone by a man wearing nothing more than a sheet, handcuffs, and a killer smile. He could make demands, true, but she had the