“Secrets can be fun,” he agreed with a wink.
She reached for her shirt’s hem and stopped. “Don’t watch me. It feels weird.”
He chuckled and turned away, unraveling the rope. It wasn’t the thin type, but it wasn’t substantial either. The way he handled it, he looked like he could do a lot of things with it.
“How much rope is that?” she asked.
“Thirty feet, maybe more.”
“Are you going to use all of it?”
He turned to her as she stood, blushing and nervous, in her sheer pink lace bra. “I might,” he finally answered. “We’ll see how things go.”
“Fuck,” she said, unbuttoning her jeans.
“What?”
She blew out a breath as she pushed them down. “I’m wearing panties with llamas on them. Why today, of all days? This is so embarrassing.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. They’re perfect,” he said. “See, secrets are already coming out. I never would’ve suspected you’re the llama-panty type.”
“I never would have suspected you pack rope in your luggage.”
He gave her that point with a polite nod and took a step closer. “Ready?” he asked, meeting her gaze.
Was she ready? She wasn’t as scared, now that she’d taken the step to get partially naked, but she was still nervous.
“Maybe you should take off your shirt too,” she suggested. “That way I’m not the only one showing some skin.”
“Okay. That’s fair. Hold this for me.”
He handed her the rope so he could take off his shirt, and she took the time to explore it, studying the weight and texture.
“It’s jute rope,” he said. “My favorite. It’s got a great tooth and makes pretty knots.”
She looked up. “A great tooth?”
“Tooth is the sensation of it. The friction factor, the way it feels against bare skin.”
She wanted to think about what he’d just told her, but she was too busy taking in the sight of his bare chest. Oh, Ethan, you’ve been hiding this under your clothes all this time? His shoulders were broad and strong, and his abs made a gorgeous ladder to the low-slung waistband of his jeans. His chest had the perfect amount of hair to get her blood flowing. Oh, and that dark brown thatch trailing down to the very enticing bulge in his crotch…
“Here, feel it.”
For a minute, she thought he was inviting her to grope him, but he meant the rope. He traced the tip of it over her shoulder, then slid it across her arm, rubbing it back and forth.
“Mm,” she said. “Feels toothy.”
He shook his head. “Are you going to be trouble? Come here.”
His “Come here” was beautifully imperious. She stepped closer, feeling naked even in her underwear. He was so beautiful and smelled so good. Deodorant or cologne?
“What now?” she asked. “How does this kink demonstration start?”
“It starts with you relaxing. Your shoulders are up around your ears, Rube. Turn around.”
She obliged, wondering if he was checking out her ass. She had an okay ass. Kind of jiggly when she didn’t keep up on her squats, but some guys liked it that way. If only she hadn’t worn the llama panties…
“Relax,” he chided, giving her a tap on the ass. “Or we’ll start with some kinky spanking, instead of rope.”
Yes, then. He’d been checking out her ass. Nothing wrong with that—she’d shamelessly ogled his body too. She took a moment to think about Ethan spanking her, deciding she was ninety-five percent on board with the idea, then sighed as he started massaging her shoulders into submission.
“That feels good,” she whispered. “So, so good.”
He didn’t reply, just made a soft mmm sound and dug his thumbs into her nape. When she was sufficiently relaxed, he draped the rope over her shoulders, so the long tails trailed down the front of her body and onto the floor. “Are you starting now?” she asked.
“Shh. Yes. I’m not going to give you a blow-by-blow account of what I’m doing either. Your job right now is to trust and feel.”
He’d told her about that, the trust thing, the connection, and now it was happening. He was going to help her experience it. She felt like she was falling under a spell, bewitched by his scent and the way he touched her.
“You can lean back against me if you’re feeling shaky,” he said. “I’m going to tie the first knot, and we’ll go from there. Okay?”
“Yes.” Her voice sounded hoarse. She traced the waist of her low-cut panties just to have something to do with her hands. “Yes, I’m relaxed. I’m ready for this.”
“And we can stop anytime if you don’t like it. Just let me know.”
Nope, she thought. No way we’re stopping. I’m in for the long haul on this, Ethan, so tie me the hell up.
3.
Ruby wasn’t much of a poet, but she could have written poetry about the way Ethan leaned his head over her shoulder, his cheek brushing her hair, his breath against her ear, and tied the first knot right over her racing heart. It wasn’t a complicated knot. Just a twist and a flip, and tucking the tails through. When he finished, he pulled the tails beneath her arms and started another knot behind her back. This one felt more complicated and took more time.