His dark eyes were hungry and impatient. “If it gets the rest of your clothes off right now, then yes, I stand by whatever I said earlier.”
“About expanding our horizons?”
This gave him pause. “What did you have in mind?”
I slipped away from him-no small feat-and produced my purse and the purchase I’d hidden in it: the bag from the sex-toy store. I pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
“Are you serious?” Kiyo asked, not sounding particularly opposed so much as curious.
“That headboard’s got a nice spot to lock your wrists in.” I might dream of Dorian restraining me, but right now, it was the thought of me being Kiyo’s captor that aroused me.
“Me?” This was a surprise to him too. He hesitated only a moment, though. There was desire and lust radiating from him, and while he might have preferred simply jumping in and having his way with me like usual, the bottom line was that he wanted me, period. One way or another. “Okay.”
He pulled off the rest of his clothes and lay back against the bed’s covers, hands stretched up. I paused to admire his body, filled with such strength and power. After removing my own clothing, I leaned over him and fastened one wrist to the headboard. I heard his breath catch as I did, my breasts only a few inches from his face. His other hand immediately went out to my hip and ran up along the side of my body. I pulled away, out of reach.
“Not allowed,” I warned. “You don’t get to call the shots here.”
He gave me a saucy grin. Being tied down wasn’t in his nature, but he felt bolder with only one hand bound. He was still able to feel in control.
“I’ve got another hand and two feet,” he pointed out.
I smiled sweetly and reached back into the bag. I pulled out three more pairs of handcuffs. His smile faded to astonishment.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ve got it covered.”
I made sure all his hands and feet were locked into place, putting him at my mercy and ensuring he wouldn’t do anything I didn’t want him to. And as I lowered my hips down near his face, spreading my thighs so that the warmth of his mouth and tongue had no choice but to lick and suck as long as I wanted, I felt smug satisfaction in knowing for certain that I would be the one who got off first tonight.
Chapter Twelve
Kiyo took off as soon as we got back to Tucson, saying he had to go to work. He also added that I shouldn’t expect him later that night since he’d promised Maiwenn he’d come visit. Normally, that would have set my mood plummeting-and I won’t lie, I wasn’t thrilled as it was-but after last night, I felt superior and confident in my position with him at the moment. Somehow, I doubted he’d be looking at Maiwenn with the same awe he kept regarding me after I’d ridden him to exhaustion last night. If the crossroads in Yellow River-which we’d visited before heading out of town-had only yielded some answers this morning, I would have considered the trip a resounding success.
“Nice of you to spend some time around here,” Tim told me when I emerged from the shower. As usual, he appeared to be cooking something.
“What’s that?” I asked, watching him roll out dough.
“Cinnamon rolls,” he replied. “The second batch I’ve had to make, thanks to someone raiding the kitchen while they cooled.” He shot a glare over in the direction of one of the dogs-Yang, I thought-lying under the table. Yang looked extremely pleased with himself.
“Sorry,” I said, even though it wasn’t exactly my fault.
Tim finished rolling out the dough and sprinkled the surface with a mixture of cinnamon and brown sugar. “And don’t think you’re going to change the subject about never being around.”
I found a Coke in the refrigerator and sat down, a little irritated over the scolding. “Well, sorry you miss my company, but I don’t really see how it matters. Our deal is you live here rent-free in exchange for cooking and cleaning. Me not being here means you have less work. Besides, I’ve had things to do.”
He scowled. “Yeah, I suppose. But do your ‘things’ actually involve your job-the one that gets the mortgage paid? Your secretary called last night and said you missed an appointment. And you know, dealing with her isn’t part of my rental agreement.”
Despite having never met, Tim and my receptionist, Lara, had an antagonistic relationship over the phone. I had no time to give to their drama today, though. The other news was too startling. “I did what?”
I took out my phone, which also doubled as my planner. In addition to two missed calls from Lara, I discovered I had indeed missed an appointment for a banishing last night. I’d been so fixated on my quest in Yellow River that I’d totally forgotten I had it.
“Shit,” I muttered, dialing Lara’s number. As keen as I was on these missing girls, Tim had a point-my human jobs paid the bills. Not the gentry ones.
“What happened?” demanded Lara as soon as she answered. No hello.
“I got distracted by something else,” I said. “I’m really sorry. You think we can reschedule? Give them a discount or something?”
“Probably,” she conceded. “I mean, it’s not like they’ve got many other options to get rid of a ghost. In the meantime, though, I’ve got some other pending clients.”
I hesitated. Normally, I wouldn’t think twice about accepting as many jobs as I could. It was good for my bank account and a good deed for the world. With as much as the Otherworld was preoccupying me, however, I couldn’t afford losing the time right now-or possibly missing another appointment.
“Reschedule the one I missed and book only one of the others. Tell the rest we have to wait-list them.”
Lara was silent for several seconds. “Are you serious?”
“Afraid so.”
She sighed. “Okay. You can still pay my salary, though, right?”
“Yes,” I laughed. “I haven’t gone bankrupt yet.”
“Okay then.” She sounded only moderately pacified. “But for the record? Your roommate needs to learn some manners. He was a total asshole when I called last night.”
Before we disconnected, Lara made sure to remind me about two jobs I had later that day. She wouldn’t get off the phone until I repeated the times and places back to her. I was just as eager to take care of them as she was, as sort of a mental retribution for the missed one from last night. I’d never forgotten a job before. My career might be an unusual one, but I still considered myself a professional and didn’t want to start falling into bad habits as a result of all this Thorn Queen business.
And yet…as soon as I finished those jobs, I had to send myself back to the Otherworld. I only intended it to be a quick visit, though. I simply needed to check Shaya’s progress and find out if the runaway girl had been located. Questioning her would make this whole search and rescue a lot easier and let me get on with my human life.
The news wasn’t good, however.
“No sign,” said Rurik, once I hunted him down in the castle. I’d found him in a compromising position with one of the cooks. “We’ve got people scouring the area but haven’t had any luck. We did, however, find where those bandits have relocated. Do you want us to go after them?”
I hesitated. I did want to round them up, both to take the pressure off the villages and see if they knew anything about the girls that my prisoners hadn’t. In the end, I shook my head. If they still had that fire demon summoner, I didn’t want to go after them until we had an overwhelming show of strength.
“No. Not yet. Just keep looking for the runaway.” I gave a sidelong glance toward the kitchen, into which the woman whose skirt he’d just had his hand up had disappeared. “You know, if it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”
At least the news from Shaya was good. The supplies Dorian had sent me home with had been shipped out, and apparently Leith had contacted her to say that after going through the irrigation book, he had some ideas for us. Naturally, he wanted to meet with me again. I suspected an ulterior motive, but it was something I’d happily
