However, when he started getting undressed and I realized he intended to get in bed with me, I protested. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not sleeping with you.”
He shrugged. “Sleep, don’t sleep, whatever. Just don’t keep me awake.”
Suddenly terrified, I jerked my body to the side of the bed as far as possible and yanked my foot, trying to get away, though I knew it was hopeless. My heart beat so fast it felt as if it were trying to escape my chest, and I had to force myself not to hyperventilate.
“Hey hey, calm down.” He squatted beside the bed, his face level with mine, and I tried to jerk away again, despite my bonds. “I’ll keep my underwear on, and it’s just sleeping. I’m a lot of things, but rapist isn’t one of them, Ice… Grace.” He shook his head. “Gonna take some time to get used to the new name.”
I tried to call on my inner bitch, but she’d forsaken me for the moment, and my eyes watered as I told him, “I don’t want to be here. I hate this.”
He tilted his head as if making a decision, and then stood, his face cold. “Should’ve thought of that before you accepted a job to screw over the RTMC. Go to sleep, Grace. I don’t know when Duke’ll arrive tomorrow, but you need to be in top form to deal with him.”
His harsh words brought my inner bitch out, and I glared at him as he walked around the bed.
My ankle tether was connected to the center of the bottom of the bed, with enough slack I could get my foot to within about six inches of the side of the bed, but couldn’t get my foot over the edge. The tether at my wrist would let me easily put my body in the center of the bed as long as I was lying on my left side, but I wanted as far from him as I could get.
I chose to put myself as far on my side of the bed as I comfortably could, and Brain easily took up his half of the queen-sized bed.
I’d had quite the view of his beautiful, hard-muscled body while he’d squatted in front of me in nothing but boxer briefs, and I thoroughly chastised myself for it as I lay in bed, wide awake. Why did the man have to be so damned sexy? And, for that matter, why was I turned on by him, no matter how sexy he might be? Bash was quite the hunk, too, but he did nothing for me. Of course, he was a cruel, sadistic bastard, while Brain had been nice… considering the circumstances, he’d been more than nice, despite holding me captive.
No! This was just a sick game of good cop/bad cop, designed to make me trust one of them and fear the other, so they could play on my emotions. If I was attracted to Brain, it was some sort of sick, fucked up Stockholm Syndrome. Nothing more.
I finally fell asleep, but it was full of stops and starts, fitful, and I knew every time Brain moved. My body must’ve decided it was safe to go into a deep sleep at some point, though, because I awakened spooned backwards into his warm, hard, luscious body.
I froze when I realized where I was, I even stopped breathing as I identified the feel of his hard-on against my right ass-cheek. His arm was draped over me, not holding me, but I didn’t know if I could move away without waking him. Oddly enough, the terror I expected to take hold, didn’t. I remained rational, which was a godsend.
I had to try to move away from him, though, so I lifted his arm and went to move forward, but he snugged me back, closer to him.
“Let me go, please.” I kept my voice soft, quiet, but hoped he heard how serious I was.
“You weren’t sleeping well until I held you. Kept me up with your tossing and turning.”
I stopped fighting his arm because it was fruitless at the moment, so I considered how best to get him to let me move back to my side of the bed.
“I can feel your hard-on. You said nothing would happen.”
“And nothing will. I have a beautiful, smart, sexy woman in bed with me. My cock might have a mind of its own, but it isn’t in control of the rest of my body, and I promise nothing will happen. Once Duke gets here I can take a shower without leaving you alone with Bash, and I imagine I’ll beat off to thoughts of all the delicious ways I’d play with your body if you hadn’t brought harm to the MC. Now, go back to sleep. Nothing will hurt you in this room but me, and I’ll only hurt you if you give me reason to.”
“Was that supposed to be reassuring?”
“Don’t want to lie to you, and telling you that you’re safe isn’t true. You’re safe as long as you hold up your end of the bargain, and play nice.”
“Why are you being nice to me?”
“Easiest way to get what we want out of you. You never gave the info the Russian Mob wanted out of you, and you’ve lived a life of hell since your escape. I know you were tortured by them and managed to get away. The only reason you’re accepting our offer now is because you’ll take on a new identity and never be Ice again. You’re saying goodbye to her. We’d never have gotten anything out of you by torturing you.”