Read Online Lone Rider by Lauren Bach - Free Book Online Page A

opened one eye, expecting to find him leering over her. He wasn’t.
    Cautiously she turned her head. Wearing only a pair of white briefs, Dallas stretched out beside her, eyes shut. His thick dark hair, freed from the ponytail, was even longer than she’d realized. She could see lines of weariness etched on the side of his face. The chain on the handcuffs jangled as she relaxed her arms a fraction.
                  Dallas ’ eyes opened. She tensed once again expecting the worst.
                  Rolling onto his side, facing her, he propped his head on one elbow and looked pointedly at the handcuffs. “I know they’re not comfortable, but you should be able to find a decent position for sleep if you slide up on the pillow a little and bend your arms.”
    “You certainly know all the ins and outs, don’t you? How many women before me have been handcuffed to this bed?”
    “The others asked to be.”
    Instantly he regretted the sharp retort. He knew her biggest concern. Rape. It was written all over her face in spite of her barbed words.
    Not that he didn’t want her. Christ, she was lovelier than any woman he’d ever met. And sexy as hell in a naive sort of fashion. Her response to his kiss had seemed downright innocent. Which intrigued him. But her fear of him was as effective as a cold shower.
    He purposely lowered his voice. “You can relax, Tess. If it means anything, I’ve never made love to a woman who didn’t want me to. And I don’t intend to change now.”   He grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed.  She shook her head at his offer to cover her.  “Suit yourself,” he said.
    Turning his back to her, he moved to the opposite sid e of the bed leaving a good two fee t of space between them. He wanted her to know she was safe, in that regard, with him. He also didn’t want to alarm her with the erection he knew would happen if he kept looking at her.
    Tension drained from Tess like air from a balloon, leaving her depleted. Relieved.
    Exhausted.
    She stole another glance at his back. He hadn’t moved.
    Did she trust him? Oddly enough she wanted to. It was his damn eyes again. How convenient to be a criminal with honest eyes.
    She relaxed slightly, stretching her legs. Her own eyes felt scratchy, tired. The remnants of the tranquilizer suddenly seemed to conspire against her.
                  Following Dallas ’ cue, Tess rolled away, drawing her knees up slightly. The digital c lock beside the bed read 8:00 a.m. . An early riser, she’d normally have been up four hours by now.
                  A yawn escaped her, followed by another. The last thing she wanted to do was sleep. She needed to conc entrate on planning her escape .
    *    *    *
                  Tess snuggled deeper beneath the blankets, tucking her nose under the sheet to scratch it. Groggy, she looked at the clock. It read 4:17. In the afternoon? The hand cupping her breast twitched, squeezing lightly , then relaxing.
                  Immediately her eyes widened with recall. She’d been on top of the blankets -- handcuffed -- when she’d fallen asleep. When had that changed?
                  She moved experimentally , confirming that her hands were indeed free and discovering yet another shocking surprise. She didn’t have any pants on! Underwear, yes. Jeans, no. And her jewelry had disappeared.
                  A gentle snoring sounded in her ears. Dallas !
    They were curled together, under the blanket, spoon fashion, her rear end fitted tightly against his groin and held firmly in place by a well-muscled leg cast over hers. His arm was slung over her , too, his hand anchored squarely between her breasts.
                  Sometime during the night -- no day -- he must have unfastened the handcuffs. And removed her jeans. And she hadn’t even noticed! What else had he done?
    She inventoried her body parts. She didn’t