Tell Me You Want Me (Search and Seduce, #2)(30)

“Sweet Jesus,” Dex said on an exhale, his green eyes raking over her entire body. Pausing at her breasts in the detailed demi cups. Then he trailed that gaze down to her panties. The lace lined her hips perfectly. Wearing these items made her feel powerful, but having Dex look at her in them? Made her feel special.

“Any critique?” she asked, a little nervous.

He shook his head. “Any man that has one word of critique for you is a damn fool. And I’m a lot of things, baby, but a fool isn’t one of them.”

A blush hit her cheeks, and she wanted to walk right over and plant herself against the sweet SAR and not come up for air until she’d fully kissed the breath from him. But she was on his time now. In his wilderness. And she had to play by his rules to survive.

“I have one request,” he said, his eyes meeting her face. “I’d love a full view of your amazing work on your amazing body.”

With a small grin, she slowly turned, displaying her ass and the thong panties and matching bra she was proud of.

She heard him hiss, and she looked over her shoulder. He was staring her up and down, running his big palm over his mouth and shaking his head.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m trying to figure out where you came from.”

“New York,” she said honestly.

He adjusted in his seat, and if she wasn’t mistaken, there was a hard rod tenting his jeans. Just looking at her turned him on? That made her feel powerful in a way she’d never experienced.

She slowly turned back around and faced him.

“Well, boss man, now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me?” she asked.

A wicked, sexy gleam hit his eyes. “A hell of a lot more than I was planning on.”



Dex could die now. He had seen the finest thing ever created, and her name was Michelle. He could officially hit the pearly gates a happy man. To hell with that, he wanted to experience the finest thing he’d ever seen until he did die. Because holy hell, the woman was stunning. Long, creamy legs, wild, red hair that was down and loose and so rich that he wanted to run his fingers through it. And that wicked black lace that barely covered her? Perfection.

Yeah, he was lucky. And he’d ride that luck until she discarded him. Because she was incredible. Strong-willed and stubborn and standing before him in nothing but her hard work. That was brave. But what bothered him was what he saw on her face—a little insecurity.

Something he was set to change.

He stood and took one step toward her. “You’re beautiful,” he said, and those pretty blue eyes softened. He reached out and trailed the back of his fingers from her ribs to her hip, watching that milky skin jump with goose bumps beneath his touch. “And your design is incredible. I don’t know what it takes to make these, but that’s what you should be doing.” He traced the lace around her hips. “You have talent.”

The way she looked at him made him feel like a man. As though with one compliment, he’d just changed her whole world. Hell, it wasn’t even a compliment, it was just the truth. She was talented.

“If you need a second opinion, I’m happy to watch you model whatever designs you make in the future. You know, to be helpful.”

She laughed. “Oh, you’re so kind.”

He shrugged. “I live to serve.”

It was funny how she’d pegged him on that earlier. He did like to be needed. People called out for him, and he went running. Being discarded or ignored never sat well with him, no matter how much of a reality it was in his world. Class, money, and title mattered. To a lot of people, at least. And Dex always came up short. So what he lacked in highbrow reputation, he made up for with fun and an easygoing time.

Which was what Michelle was looking for. They both had their reasons for not expecting or wanting any more.

Except right then, how she was looking at him, nothing about holding himself back was easy. He wanted to get lost in her, even if it was just for tonight.

“You find yourself in a predicament, princess.” He reluctantly stepped away and grabbed a single item out of his pack. It was on the floor near the table, so he didn’t have to go too far. “You’re at a disadvantage, in a new place, and now…” He pulled out the duct tape, and the snapping sound of him unwinding the spool made her smile. Oh yeah, he liked her. “Now you’re going to need to free yourself.”

She held out her hands, wrists together for him.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you like being tied up,” he said, remembering her enjoyment from the other night. And now she was clearly eager to be bound again. She had a naughty side to her, and he was a sick bastard for tapping into that and loving it.

“I may like it,” she admitted coyly. But the second he wrapped her wrist with the duct tape, her breasts rose on fuller breaths, and her skin flushed. Oh, she more than liked it. And he more than liked it back.

“If you’re restrained, how would you get out?” he asked. The duct tape was secure, and she wiggled her wrists but gained no ground.

“Show me,” she asked.

“Use your surroundings. Like the doorjamb.” He opened the bedroom door and ran his finger along the sharp edge of it. “Running the tape along this edge will eventually cut it. Wear it down so you can rip it.”