I suddenly felt weak, limp even. And, for a moment, I was thankful for Big Jim’s stability.
Eric continued rapping his mouth while this guy, this beautiful stranger, stared at me as though it pained him to not come rip off the annoying piece of rope and carry me off somewhere. Eric caught me staring and flitted his fingers in the air, waving at me. Embarrassed, I shook my head, breaking myself from the mystery man’s stare, and planted my focus on the open field.
But I still felt his eyes on me.
More words resounded through the bullhorn. “All right, everyone. At the sound of the whistle, I wanna see you hobble. People are waiting at the cones with your shots. Drop ’em back and keep it moving. Ready? On your mark . . . Get set . . .” The whistle shrilled.
I was too preoccupied, wondering if the stranger was still looking and why it even mattered to me, that I didn’t move right away. But I didn’t have long to think about it.
Big Jim took off like a bullet.
I lurched forward, my feet tripping over themselves. Not wasting time, he grabbed me around the waist, supporting my weight as he continued to run. My body turned rigid as it banged against his side. His fingers wrapped around the edge of my belly, and my core tightened, wanting to throw him off me. He forced his grip deeper into my flesh and hoisted me higher until my toes were dragging on the ground.
I screeched, punching him in the chest out of instinct.
He merely laughed and pulled me tighter. “Come on, beautiful. You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”
And that was it.
My body stopped its fight. My field of vision closed in tighter and tighter, until it was merely a pin-hole in front of my eyes. I went down in slow motion, and then the world disappeared.
“Come on, beautiful. You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”
I’m pinned against the wall, his body pressing into mine so tightly it’s hard to breathe. His mouth clamps down over mine, his tongue probing between my tight lips, trying to gain entry.
In his sweet, coaxing tone, he threatens. “The harder you make this for me, the harder I’ll make it for you in the long run. Do you want everyone to know our little secret?”
I shake my head violently.
His hand snakes up my throat and grabs my chin. “I didn’t think so.” He scrapes his thumb along my mouth. “Now open those rosy little lips for me, beautiful. I can’t wait another second to have you.”
There’s no use.
Relaxing my lips, I tighten my eyelids so I don’t have to watch. His tongue enters my mouth, mingled with a wet saltiness, and he moans. The rise and fall of my chest slows as I give myself over—go somewhere else. It’s just a body. My soul can go anywhere.
His hand trails down my side. He’s not being rough, but every touch feels sharp, like nails being raked across my skin. It comes to rest on my thigh, at the end of my shorts, and he skims his finger along the perimeter before tugging sharply at the edge.
My hand flew down to claw at his fingers.
Voices.
“Dude, can’t you see she’s freaking out? Give me a hand, fucker!”
Warm breath touched my ear. “I’ll get this untied, sweetheart. Just hold still.”
Blinking, I turned my head in the direction of the friendly voice and found myself staring into the bluest pair of eyes I’d ever seen. Worry and compassion seeped from them as he placed a hand to my cheek and spoke again. “You’re okay. I’ll have you free in a second.”
It was him. The guy Eric was talking to. And up close he was even more mesmerizing. Calm washed over me until I registered the weight bearing down on the lower half of my body. Big Jim was laughing uncontrollably, in drunken hysterics.
My body shot up, knocking him to the side. “Get off me!” I screamed at the oversized oaf as I tried to tear at the rope that still bound us together.
Beautiful stranger trained his eyes on Big Jim. “Dude, I’m telling you right now. If you don’t stop and let me get this off her, I’ll cut your leg off to get her out.” He looked just as bothered as I was for some odd reason.
“All right. All right. Jeez, what’s wrong with you guys?” Big Jim rolled to his side and folded his hands on his chest, waiting to be cut loose.
My fingers fumbled haphazardly with the beautiful stranger’s, both of us struggling to set me free. He stilled my hands with his, his voice low and gentle. “I’ll do it. Just hold still a sec. Can you do that for me?”
Nodding, I sucked my cheeks in, holding back tears.
Jace ran up to us, huffing and puffing. He put his hands on his knees and bent forward, trying to catch his breath just as this unnamed man finished untying the last knot.
I looked up at my best friend, silently pleading for his rescue.