Chapter Two
In twenty-four hours, Katie’s life had turned upside down. After she’d placed the call to her brother, he’d done all he could to get her out of the house where she’d been living for the last four years. He was able to get her into an apartment close to work. Thankfully, Kyle and Erin had helped her move, or she’d still be lugging boxes to the new place. She hated having to tell them why she had to move, but she knew they’d be there for her. Having to move into the same apartment complex as Chad hadn’t sat well with her, but it was the only opening that Alex could get her on such short notice.
Katie made her way back outside of her apartment to the truck they’d been using. Her heart squeezed against her chest at seeing her two friends in an embrace, kissing. Deep down she wanted that so much, yet after all the problems with Kaden, and seeing her parents’ destructive marriage crumble as a child, Katie wondered if she could ever trust a man. Sure, she trusted her two brothers, but that was different––they had always been there for her. They’d never hurt anyone, unlike their father. They’d protected her when no one else would. It just didn’t seem to be in the cards for her to get married or be in a relationship, and she’d come to terms with that over the last four years. No man would want to be on the run with her, not when her psychotic ex could pop up at any time.
“Seriously, you two, do you have to kiss all the time?”
“Well, let’s see, usually when we’re not working, we’re in bed not answering the phone,” Kyle said as he wrapped his arms around Erin’s waist.
“Oh my God! I so didn’t need to know that.”
“See why I can’t take him anywhere?” Erin said, laughing.
“Yeah.”
“You know, you should let me set you up with Chad and see where it goes. It would be great now that you two are living so close to one another. Mark my words, he likes you. Didn’t you see the way he looked at you the other night at dinner?”
Oh, crap. Erin had the same expression on her face as the last time she wanted to play matchmaker. Of course, Katie had seen the desire on Chad's face, but feared trying to date again. Her thoughts drifted back to the kiss they’d shared in the lounge. Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled the way her body had molded into his. She wanted to feel that again, but she had to guard her heart this time, to stay safe.
“Thanks, guys, for helping me get moved and all. My brother was flipping out, and I swear I could see his neck veins popping out through the phone. He’s coming down Friday to put in a security system.”
“Don’t try that, changing the subject on me. It doesn’t work. Speaking of Chad, he’s coming your way.” Erin looked past her. Katie turned and saw him coming out from the apartment right next door to hers. First she had to deal with him at work, and now he lived in the same complex, and right next door to boot. Hell, no one had said anything about that. That’s all she needed, was to hear him bringing home a date and their having sex.
“I’m not going to go out with Chad, so just drop it,” she said as she turned back to face Erin and Kyle. Mentally, she told herself to relax and not even think of him. But that would be easier said than done when it came to the man who was walking her way.
“We’ll see about that.” Erin winked at her and a smile lit up her face.
“What are you three doing here?” Chad asked, coming to stand next to Katie.
Her breath hitched, and she could feel him staring at her. If only there was a way to stop the thoughts running around in her head––especially the one of her and Chad in bed together, and his filling her aching sex with his cock.
“We just finished helping Katie move in.”
“Oh, so you’re the one moving into the empty apartment next to me?”
“I guess so.”
“We’ll have to get together and have a drink sometime.”
“Yeah, sure.” Katie found herself agreeing, even though that’s not what she wanted to do. Maybe if she were lucky he’d forget all about the drink, and she’d be off the hook. The first thing that needed to be done was to get into the house, to safety. Her brother had given her clear instructions to not spend too much time outside. Suddenly, it was as if she sensed someone watching her. Katie quickly glanced left, then right, but no one was there. She wrapped her arms around her waist and stuffed down the anxiety that wanted to claw its way to the surface.
Kyle stepped forward and drew her into an embrace, which shocked her. She locked eyes with Erin, who just shrugged her shoulders. It didn’t take long for her to find out why he’d done so. “Katie, if you hear anything, I don’t care what time it is, you call us. I’ll come over and check things out for you any time.” Something stirred deep within her heart. Having people other than her brothers care for her was a new experience. In that moment, she knew Erin and Kyle would always be there for her. Katie nodded her head, appreciative he’d whispered so Chad wouldn’t hear. She couldn’t thank him out loud. Bad enough her brothers knew the reason she’d moved so fast, now her two closest friends had found out.
“You know we’d do anything to help you at any time. I’ll call you later to finish our talk about you-know-who and you-know-what.”
“Fine. See ya later.” Erin and Kyle walked the short distance to their car. Katie stood on the edge of the sidewalk and watched as they drove away. Turning, she bumped into Chad, forgetting he was there. She smiled at him and headed toward her apartment. If she stood there too long she’d ramble on about something random and sound stupid. Her phone rang the moment the locks were in place on the door. With her luck, it was one of her brothers calling to check on her, again. Knots twisted her gut in two, and all she could do was hope she’d be safe here. But for how long, that was the question.
****
Chad shook his head and headed toward the car, where Katie waited. Fear appeared to lurk in the depths of her green eyes and still, she tried to play it like everything was all right. Of course he knew why Katie had moved in next door to him. He’d talked with her brother and had helped make the arrangements for her to get into a safe place. At one point, he thought of telling Alex that he couldn’t have her this close, but then he’d have to admit his attraction to Katie.
One of her brothers, Kevin, had already warned him if he touched her in any way other than to protect her that he’d cut his balls off. To say her brothers were a little overprotective of her would be an understatement.
Chad grabbed two more grocery bags and headed back to his apartment. He went about putting things away and tried to keep his mind off Katie.
His mind wandered back outside when a sudden breeze blew her strawberry scent his way. It conjured up images of her luscious body and he damned near went down from the force of it. Someone needed to tell his dick that he couldn’t sleep with her––not after everything she’d been through. He couldn’t use Katie like every other girl he’d dated. She deserved a good man, along with the “white picket fence” dream, and he couldn’t give that to her.
. Chad ached to be the man who could earn her trust. He longed for her to smile at him, like she had at Kyle outside earlier. Her eyes sparkled when she genuinely smiled at someone. Damned if he wouldn’t do anything to earn that from her. Maybe having her living next door would give him the chance he needed.
Chad took two steps, grabbed his keys, and headed to her place. No better time than the present to start trying to earn some of that trust. He had to play it cool, like he was there to help, so if something happened, or she received any threats, she’d feel comfortable enough to come to him for safety. Her brothers were close by, just an hour away, but he was just outside her door and would be damned if he’d let Kaden get anywhere near to hurt her.
The sweetness of Katie’s voice drifted out from behind the door as he waited for her to answer. She opened the door, a shocked look on her face. In the past ten minutes, she’d changed into a pair of cut-off denim shorts that showed off the tanned, smooth, long legs that had been hidden by the jeans she’d worn earlier. A light blue tank top hung close on her chest and he couldn’t help when his attention wandered to her cleavage. In the four years they’d worked together, he’d never seen her hair down. It was something that he’d like to see more of—make that spread out across his bed, as he fucked her.
“What are you doing here?” Katie asked, leaning against the door frame.
“I thought you could use some help unpacking.”
“Um…yeah, thanks. Come on in.”
He shouldn’t stand there and watch the way her hips swayed as she made her way back toward one of the unpacked boxes, but something deep within him couldn’t help it. With a sigh, Chad stepped into her apartment and shut the door, but not before taking a quick glance outside to be safe. If he played his cards right, then it would be later tonight when he left. At least then there would be no doubt Katie was safe. The only thing that could make this arrangement better would be if the walls were thin, so he could hear better if something happened to her. If Katie started to trust him, then he wouldn’t need to worry. She’d come running to his place if anything happened.
Need tightened deep within his gut as he watched her bend over and grab something from the box. Feelings that he was sure he’d completely buried came rushing back.
“If you could get that box over there, that would be great.” Katie’s sweet voice broke through his thoughts.
For the next hour they worked in near silence, with Katie giving occasional directions on where things went. For the moment, this suited him fine, as there was no way to be sure he wouldn’t stick his foot in his mouth.
“I’m going to order a pizza. Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“That sounds good.”
He stepped over to a box and took out the pocket knife that was hooked to his keychain. With the flick of a wrist he swiped through the tape, being careful not to nick something in the overflowing box, and opened the flaps. Books almost spilled out from the top of the box. One in particular caught his attention. Reaching in, he pulled it out and read the cover before flipping it over. Chad smiled to himself as he lifted his head, and watched Katie from across the room. She turned to look in his direction, as if sensing he was staring at her. The phone was pressed to her ear and a hand rested on the curve of her hip, right where his hands ached to touch and caress her body. If he didn’t get his mind in control, Chad thought, he would never make it through tonight.
The first impression he’d had of her, that she needed to loosen up, had been right. The book he held was a book on bondage. He flipped it open and trailed his finger down the Table of Contents, which had headings such as Bondage 101, Getting Started, and What to Expect from Your Partner, among other things.
If she was curious about bondage, she could ask him. He’d be more than happy to give her an education she wouldn’t forget. The jeans he wore grew a little tighter. If only he could get her to relax. Something told him that his uptight Katie would find freedom in letting him take care of her pleasure. However, first she had to learn to trust a man again.
****
“What book do you have there?” Katie asked. She crossed the distance between them, a distance which had started to feel smaller the closer she got. Need had tightened in her gut when she'd opened the door earlier and had seen him standing there. His scent had wrapped around her and for the life of her she couldn’t place what it was.
“It sounds like a spicy book.”
Oh, no. He’d found the books that she’d bought recently. The ones she’d never tell anyone about—the ones that were her deepest secret. Katie had no idea how in the world to explain. If only she’d been thinking when he’d headed toward that box, she would have stopped him. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she felt hot.
“Give me that. It’s nothing at all.”
“Doesn’t sound like nothing.” Chad quirked a brow at her and moved a step closer, heat deep in his sea-green gaze, a gaze set on making the beating in her chest louder. Chad’s fingertips caressed her bare shoulder, creating arousal on which she'd long ago given up. One that, if Katie was truthful with herself, she wasn’t sure she wanted to end.
“It seems to me that you’re interested in bondage.”
“I, no, I mea––”
“Don’t lie to me.”
There was no mistaking the command in his voice. It wrapped around her body and sent an ache coursing through her veins. Katie debated if she could admit her attraction to Chad, or if she should keep her emotions under tight wrap. Chad dropped the book back into the box and drew her into his arms, forcing the breath from her lungs once again. “Yes,” she said, then nibbled on her bottom lip.
“Those books can’t help you understand. Not like real-life experience can.”
Had she heard him correctly? Right now wasn’t the time to start a relationship, or anything else, for that matter. But a small part of her was intrigued with the idea of learning about bondage from Chad. Raising her hands to his chest, she met a hard mass of muscles. Katie had every intention of pushing him away, but the second she touched him, a shock coursed through her body and she couldn’t.
“I don’t know. I just bought them to see what it was like.” She drew her focus to the molten look in his eyes and forced a deep breath into her lungs. “It’s nothing at all.”
“If that’s the truth, then I wouldn’t be able to smell your arousal,” he challenged.
There’s no way he could know––or could he? The thought made Katie’s stomach tighten even more with need. What she should do was run away from him. There had to be something wrong with her thought process for this to turn her on. What woman wanted a man to dominate her? No, she was an independent woman and didn’t need a man for anything.
“I don’t do that sort of thing. No man will have any control over me, ever again.” There was nothing wrong with reading about it, but that would be as far as the fantasy ever got for her. That’s all it was, nothing more, even though she’d secretly wanted this since she was sixteen. At first with Kaden, it seemed she’d found a real Dom, but had she ever been wrong about that.
“How do you know unless you give it a try?” Chad’s eyes darkened to an almost black color. Everything about him shouted confidence and authority. A shiver raced up her back as he trailed a fingertip up her spine. Katie arched her back against his hand. Her mind told her to stop, and yet the sensations he produced felt so good that she couldn’t.
It had been two years since she’d had sex with a man. After leaving Kaden, she couldn’t give herself to a man in that way, except one night when, after having too much to drink, she gave into the guy she’d been dating.
In all her previous relationships, the time she’d spent with Kaden would replay in her mind until she’d picture him, and relaxing enough to have sex never happened. When Katie finally told the guy about her ex, he couldn’t handle it. The thought of her hiding from a crazy ex who could show up at any minute had been too much, and he wanted nothing to do with her. Katie had decided not to worry about having a relationship. Her work would be her husband. The plan had been working great, until she met Chad.
His hand brushed against the side of her breast, before he rolled her nipple between his fingers. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she bit down. She tried to stay silent, except what he was doing messed with her thinking. Before she could think, she moaned softly.
“I’m not sure I want to try this.”
“Give up the control you hold so tightly to. Trust me.”
Those words should have sent her running for cover. For once she was comfortable with a man. Yet, she still wondered if she could give up control. Chad leaned in and kissed her mouth with a hunger that made her want to try. He walked her backwards until her back met the wall. With his thigh, he wedged her legs apart. Katie placed her hands against his chest and felt the heat seeping from beneath his shirt. The hard muscles secretly made her ache and want to have his weight on top of her as he drove deep into her. Fisting her hands into his shirt, she tried to pull him closer, to feel him everywhere. Chad grabbed her hands, locked her wrists into one of his huge palms, and raised her hands over her head. With his other hand, he traced a trail down the outside of her arm, past her breasts, to her waist, before he moved back up to her breasts.
He continued to devour her mouth, driving her nuts. With each swipe of his tongue he took more, letting her know who was in control of the kiss. Moisture trailed from her sex when he pinched her nipple into a hard nub.
“You have nothing to worry about. I’ll give you pleasure like you’ve never experienced before.” He whispered in her ear, before his tongue slipped out and licked down her neck.
Every part of her wanted to experience the pleasure he talked about and had no doubt he could give it to her. His erection pressed against her sex as he ground into her. A small gasp slipped from her lips.
A loud rap at the door forced them apart. Chad stared down at her, panting. The knock came again, and he moved so she could go and answer it. Katie pulled her shirt straight and ran a hand over her hair before opening the door. The pizza delivery guy looked at her with a barely held-back smirk. Oh, great, not only had she gotten lost in the moment, he could tell what they’d almost done.
She paid the guy and took the pizza to the kitchen counter. Her body still flamed with heat, and she knew that Chad stood close by. Her body hummed to life any time he was near. Reaching, she grabbed two plates and placed pizza on them before turning to hand him one of the plates.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
admit. She was attracted to Chad, no doubt about that. So much, in fact, that all common sense seemed to leave her at the slightest touch. He was a man, and because of that he couldn’t get close to her. They could be friends, but beyond that nothing else could happen. She picked at her pizza, only taking a couple of bites. The way Chad looked at her with hunger in his eyes made her body ache.
She had to get rid of him before she further gave into her attraction. Neither of them said a word. Chad told her what he wanted with the heated gaze he gave as he surveyed her body. He reached around her and put his plate in the sink, then took her plate from her.
“Katie, I want you like I’ve never wanted another woman.”
Her breathing hitched, and for some crazy reason she believed him. It didn’t look like he would be the one to stop this, so she’d have to take matters into her own hands, even as her body warmed to his touch.
“Chad, stop. We can’t do this.”
“Why not?” He pulled her against him.
“There are things you don’t know about me. Complicated things. I just can’t do this right now.”
“Tell me. I want to know all about you.”
Oh yeah, tell him all about the psycho ex who she'd thought was out of her life for good, until she'd found out last night from John in the ER he was in town. So that he could run away once he found out about her being under police protection. Thanks, but no thanks. She didn’t need to feel that sting again.
“I can’t talk about it. I think it’s time for you to leave.” She slipped from his arms and went to the front door, holding it open for him. He shook his head as he moved towards her. Bending, he kissed her lips. She almost caved and let him stay. But this was for the best. “Thank you for the help.”
“Any time. If you change your mind about what we talked about earlier, you know where I live.”
“Thanks for the offer. I won’t be changing my mind.” She shut the door and leaned her back against it, closing her eyes. That was harder than she thought it would be.