Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5)(37)
Her breathing grew erratic, and her arms trembled when he started to apply the rope binding. Ryder circled around to face her, knowing what might help her relax. “Look at me.” She met his gaze, and her nervousness was palpable. “Breathe in with me, Baby, and on the exhale release all nervousness and negativity.”
Ryder took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, and she was only a second off. “Continue to synchronize your breathing with mine.” After several paired breaths, Ryder found himself becoming calmer, too, which surprised him. Apparently, he’d missed being in Dom mode—or Top mode in this case.
Perhaps he missed having control over something—or having someone who trusted him. He gave a mental shrug. Whatever, he enjoyed a sense of oneness with her as they breathed together.
“Now I want you to keep breathing steadily as we have been while I return to standing behind you. Set the pace of our breathing this time, and I will synchronize mine to yours. Cast your gaze to…” He looked behind him to find a focal point. “The rug in front of the fireplace.”
When he faced her again, she visibly cringed, and he knew that rug wasn’t something she wanted to look at. “On second thought, focus on this spot on the floor.” He tapped a place about two feet in front of her, and her gaze followed. “Now breathe.”
Resuming his place behind her, he waited for her to begin breathing. When she did, he adopted her rhythm, as he began restraining her arms into a dragonfly sleeve. He created the first knot and slipped the rope loops up her arms and over her shoulders, centering the knot between her shoulder blades. Remembering to breathe with Megan, he added a new knot every three or four inches as he worked down her back. Just below the center of her back, he added his first handle, then fashioned two more knots and another handle before tying off her wrists.
Ryder sighed before realizing he was no longer breathing with Megan. To finish off the dragonfly he needed to run the ropes between her legs and up to her shoulders.
Breathe. In. And out.
He soon was in sync with her again. Before he proceeded, he pulled her hair behind her again and let it hang down her back. It was short enough it wouldn’t cover either of the handles, but long enough for him to be able to get a good grip on it.
“Spread your legs a few inches apart, Megan.”
He let the ends of the rope dangle and walked around to stand in front of her again. When she started to lift her head, he instructed, “Keep your gaze downward, even if I’m obstructing the place I asked you to focus on now.” He didn’t want her to see his face in case he lost his own focus while working in close proximity to her sex or her breasts.
Beautiful. She wore a tank top with padded cups. He longed to cup her breasts himself, but when he heard her inhale, he remembered he was supposed to be breathing with her. Grounding himself in their synchronized breaths, he bent and reached between her legs to pull the rope ends quickly through and up to her shoulders where he tucked the right one in until he was ready for it.
As he created the sliding knot on the left, the back of his hand brushed her breast, and he became hard instantly. Her breathing hitched, and he realized having her gaze fixed on his lower body was a bad idea at the moment. Soon she recovered although the way her lips quivered, he knew she fought to contain her smile.
Ryder stepped up his pace and finished off the tie before walking around behind her again. Slowly and deliberately, he reached for a hank that included more than half of her hair and wound it around his fist.
“Listen to your body, Baby. Continue to take slow, deep breaths.”
His own body sizzled with pent-up energy. With each twist of his hand, he reined her in, preparing to exert control over her body.
Jesus, I’ve missed this.
The way she leaned against him told him he probably wouldn’t have any trouble with her fighting him. Thankfully, he had the handles on the rope binding in place. If her fight-or-flight reflex kicked in, things could become ugly fast. But judging by how docilely she accepted the restraints, he didn’t expect either of them would be hurt in a struggle.
Without warning, he yanked her head back against his chest using one hand on her hair and the other on the arm bindings. For an instant, her reflexes kicked in, and she tried to pull away. Just when he’d begun to wonder if she might be a Dominant after all, her body went limp, melting against his. He grinned.
Submissive to the bone.
“Feel the sensations. Listen to your body.”
He continued to hold her, enjoying the feel of her body against his. He just hoped he hadn’t unleashed something neither of them was prepared to deal with.
Chapter Twelve
“That’s my good girl. Trust me. I won’t harm you. Just listen to your body.”
Megan’s mind had gone blank when he’d pulled her against him, nearly yanking the hair from her head. For a moment, she’d been ready to use the martial arts techniques Patrick had taught her to take him down to the ground. Then her body simply—surrendered. Without any struggle at all.
“Breathe…in…out.”
She obeyed as though her body was no longer within her control. Even though he held her in a way that could have been dangerous in the hands of the wrong man, she had no fear. Ryder wouldn’t do anything to harm her. She trusted him.
“What are you feeling?”