pair of handcuffs. Instead she felt something smooth and unbearably soft against the inside of her right arm which still rested next to her face on the pillow.
Whatever he was using to caress her felt like a strip of silk or perhaps satin. He was trailing this item slowly along the sensitive skin of her elbow and then her naked armpit. She felt like cringing. No one had ever touched her there. Not ever. She'd always considered it a rather nasty body part, prone to unwanted hair and sweat. And yet her skin seemed to come alive as he slid the material over that sensitive crevice again and again.
Just when she was getting used to this unfamiliar sensation, he abruptly slid one of his powerful hands beneath her neck and lifted her head easily from the pillow. In a flash the silk scarf he'd been using to torment her was wrapped around her eyes and secured firmly in a knot above her right ear. It all happened so quickly she wasn't quite sure how to react. Should she continue to pretend she was asleep? Try to escape? Moan some encouragement?
Before she could decide on an appropriate reaction he was leaning over her again. Grabbing her wrists in a vise-like grip, he pressed them into the pillow, effectively pinning her to the bed. Shifting slightly, he lowered his large, muscular chest until all the wonderful ridges and contours of his upper body were flattened against her from hip to breast.
'Now,' he said, breathing directly into the sensitive shell of her ear. 'You can stop playing opossum. I know you're awake and I can't wait a second longer to make all your dirty dreams come true.'
Chapter Three
Holly felt herself responding to his playful tone with a smile of her own. As much as she needed to make her home invasion fantasy feel like a threatening situation, there was something about his demeanor that told her he considered her scenario just a great big sexy joke. He wasn't taking it seriously at all. She should have been offended. Her sanity was on the line here. She really couldn't think of anything more unpleasant than experiencing the slow and steady unravelling of her mind. Especially over an incident that should have lost its power over her months ago. And yet he was amused by the whole thing.
Instead of bristling at his flippant attitude, she wondered if maybe this was exactly what she needed. An opportunity to lighten up and enjoy life again instead of focusing on what could have happened to her. Was that what her subconscious had been trying to tell her? Worse, had the frosty Miss Bright been right? Should she abandon herself to whatever pleasure she could find and forget about why she was doing this? Or try to make it as real as possible? Or maybe both?
'Get off me,' she gasped, jerking her ear away from where his warm breath still tickled against her earlobe. She began to struggle against him, bucking her hips in a futile attempt to dislodge him and twisting her wrists to release them from his grasp. But her efforts were useless. He was just too big. And to be honest, she really loved the sensual glide of his big body pressing against her. His substantial weight should have felt oppressive and yet she had the clear sense that he was purposely taking care not to crush her much more delicate frame.
'Whoah!' He said, laughing as she turned her head in an attempt to nip his arm with her sharp teeth. He jerked his arm out of range and gave her a gentle little shake. 'No biting, Sweetheart. Unless you plan to kiss it better afterward.'
'I'm not kissing anything of yours. Now. Get Off Me!' She redoubled her efforts, bucking wildly and twisting to the side.
'Oh, you'll be kissing a very big part of me before the night is over. And you'll like it. I swear.' He said, just as she managed to get one hand loose. He quickly subdued her again, chuckling as she groaned in frustration.
'I am going to scream my head off if you don't get your hands off me and leave.' She said bravely, wondering if there was any way in hell she would have been able to react like this in real life. She hoped so, but was fairly certain that she would have been a quivering, pathetic mess if she'd been forced to confront her real attacker. Ultimately it didn't matter. This was her fantasy and she was in complete control. If she wanted to be a warrior when faced with imminent danger then she had the power make it happen.
'Oh. You'll be screaming alright. But feel free. Those fossils next door must be deaf and the guys on the other side are away, so no one will hear but me.' He leaned down and lowered his tone until it was a rough growl. 'And I can't wait to hear you scream.'
He pressed a hot kiss against her temple and Holly felt some of the fight drain out of her. His lips were very soft and no one had touched her with such tenderness in a very long time. She'd forgotten how pleasant it was to be close to another person. Not to mention the fact that his voice was positively hypnotic.
But how did he know about her neighbors? She'd mentioned the Kleins to Miss Bright, so she supposed he might be aware of her elderly neighbors, but Kevin and Randy, the gay couple on the other side, had never been discussed. How did he know they were gone to the Island exactly? Did SFs usually do such thorough surveillance? Perhaps it was part of the contract, but a brief lick of unease swept over her as she wondered exactly who was lying on top of her.
'The boys came back early and the Kleins aren't that deaf, so unless you want to spend the rest of the night in prison, you really need to get out of here.' She said through gritted teeth, testing to see how much he actually knew.
'Nice try. But I'm not going anywhere until we get your little problem sorted out. Now, if I let go of one of your hands for a second, do you promise to behave?'
'Oh, absolutely. I'll just lie here like a docile little lamb and wait for you to have your wicked way with me.'
He chuckled again. 'I seriously have my doubts about that, but I'm willing to trust you. Don't disappoint me now.' He brought her hands together in front of his chest and held them tightly in one massive fist. Then he eased to the side and reached towards the floor again. This time Holly did hear the distinctive sound of metal rattling as he brought forth the next item from his bag of tricks.
While he was leaning over the side of the bed, she was unable to resist pushing her clenched hands against his firm chest, sending him momentarily off balance. He let go of her wrists long enough to catch himself before he topped off the bed completely, but the momentary lapse gave her just enough time to roll away from him and make a break for it.
She had nearly scampered to the other side of the bed on her hands and knees when something enormous and very heavy landed on her, flattening her against the mattress and forcing the breath from her lungs in an 'oomph' of exhaled air. She snatched at the duvet, trying uselessly to pull herself out from under him, but he just grabbed both of her outspread hands and stretched them over her head, pressing them into the white eyelet comforter until she was very effectively trapped beneath his large, hard frame.
'I thought you were going to be a docile little lamb?' He said against her temple, still sounding amused at her antics. He eased up slightly so she could breathe, but still covered her like the world's sexiest blanket.
'Fuck you!' She grunted, wiggling around wildly to dislodge him. She wasn't usually big on the profanity, but the situation seemed to warrant it.
'If you keep doing that, I will. And without the foreplay either.' He growled, grinding his very obvious erection against her soft buttocks. The gesture should have been crude and mildly threatening, but it was done with such a devastatingly sensual rolling motion of his hips that it felt more like an act of seduction than a threat.
Holly went completely still. There was no denying it. The impressive physical evidence of his desire gave her a huge thrill. She knew she should be defiant, but all she really wanted to do was spread her legs a little and feel more of his swollen flesh against her suddenly very moist folds. But no, her fantasy demanded that she exhibit some real hostility towards her would-be attacker. Giving in so easily was not in the game plan. Or was it? If he kept flexing like that she really wouldn't have much choice but to allow herself to be seduced.
It really wasn't fair. She wasn't supposed to be enjoying this. Why was he making this so fun anyway? Couldn't he just be a big, rough jerk like she'd requested? But no, he had to be weirdly gentle and amusing. He was ruining everything.
Feeling daring and not a little frustrated, she called his bluff, half hoping that he would carry through on his warning. 'Go ahead and do it then. Get it over with if that's what you want.' She said, pressing her hips upward, purposely goading him to take her hard and fast. On some level she knew he wouldn't do it. She had no idea who he
