Pursued(59)

That seemed to work better. She could still see his erect shaft, but it was mostly hidden by his thighs. And with his hands cuffed behind his back, he seemed much less threatening somehow. She was sure having him in this position wouldn’t bring up any unwanted memories.

Before she undressed, Elise went around behind him and tied on the blindfold—the black sash of a silky black and red robe one of the girls from the Mother Ship had given her for her trip. It covered Merrick’s eyes pretty well, though she thought he might be able to peek out a little from under the bottom edge which was mostly lace. Still, it gave the illusion that he was unable to see and Elise found that made her feel much more at ease than if he’d been blatantly staring at her. She finished by arranging a pillow under his head to make sure he was comfortable.

“There.” She stepped back at last, examining her handiwork. Merrick looked a sight. Naked, lying on his side with his arms bound behind his back and his eyes blindfolded, it was as though he was a hostage she had taken. A prisoner, helpless despite his size and strength.

It looked kinky but it wasn’t, not really. It was about his desire to help her, to give her what she needed without frightening her. Once more Elise felt touched that he would offer her this level of trust. She wondered if he’d ever allowed anyone else to make him this helpless and knew he had not. He cares, she realized. Really cares. And I don’t think it’s just the artificial bond…or not all of it, anyway.

“Not to rush you or anything, but I’m ready when you are,” Merrick rumbled and she realized she’d been just standing there, staring at him for a full minute.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Quickly she began to disrobe. The dress she was wearing was loose and simple, easy to slip out of. What wasn’t so easy was what came next—taking off her bra and panties. Elise looked again at the edge of black lace on the bottom of the blindfold. Was Merrick watching her? “Can you see me?” she asked uncertainly.

“I can smell you,” he growled softly, not answering the question. “I can smell your sweet heat from over here. You need this baby, so stop worrying and come take it.”

Elise decided to do as he said. Quickly and decisively, she pulled off her lacy white bra and panties and dropped them in a little heap on the floor. Then, though it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, she crawled naked onto the bed with him.

She wasn’t sure what to do at first—how to touch him. She thought about hugging him but she was shy about starting with such an intimate embrace. The idea of pressing her naked body to his made her nervous and also incredibly hot. Then it came to her—start at the top and work down.

She’d always wanted to touch his head, she realized. To feel the prickly black stubble of his skull-cut hair. Lightly, she ran her hand over it, enjoying the warmth of his scalp, the roughness of his hair against her palm.

Merrick shivered and she drew back at once. “I’m sorry. Is that okay?”

“Fine,” he assured her, his voice slightly hoarse. “I just wasn’t expecting it. But go on, baby. Touch me however you want—I don’t mind.”

The warmth and reassurance in his deep voice gave her courage to try again. Scooting a little closer, Elise ran a hand over his head again and then let her fingers trail down one rough cheek. She was pretty sure that he shaved often but she had never seen him without a beard shadow—it must grow fast.

She turned her attention to the rest of his face. His features were blunt…solid, as though carved out of granite, yet they felt soft and mobile beneath her hands. She ran a finger down the bridge of his nose and over his lips, which were surprisingly full and sensual for a man.

To her surprise, Merrick kissed her fingertip, prompting her to linger there. When she didn’t move, he parted his lips for her—an obvious invitation. What did he want? Elise wasn’t sure until he sucked her finger gently into his mouth. She gasped in surprise but didn’t pull away. The warm, wet suction seemed to do something to her, especially when she felt him bathing her finger softly with his tongue. What was he trying to show her? How he would kiss other parts of her body if he got the chance?

"Mmm…" The low purring growl of desire rising in his throat as he lapped gently at her fingertip seemed to confirm her thought.

Disturbed and aroused at the same time, Elise pulled back slowly and cupped his cheek again. Then she turned her attention to something else that interested her—his scar.

Carefully, she traced one fingertip over the cruel white line which ran the length of his face, bisecting his eyebrow and narrowly missing his eye. Merrick shivered under her touch like a nervous animal but said nothing.