“Your balance seemed a bit off.”

“Oh, really? I wonder why?”

“Try relaxing your legs.”

She raised a single brow. “I don’t think my stance was the problem.”

“Debatable, Miss Sinclair. But either way, I don’t see how this is my fault.”

“If you would behave yourself I could beat you blindfolded.”

“Is that right?” His mouth twisted in contemplation. “Wait here a moment,” he instructed before leaving the room. He returned a few minutes later with what appeared to be an airline sleep mask. As he drew closer he stretched the elastic wide and lifted the mask over her head.

Laughing, she took a small step back. “It was only a figure of speech.”

“Afraid of the challenge?”

She rolled her eyes, but when she made no further protest, he slipped the mask over her head. The room went dark and then his hands were on her shoulders, turning her in a circle.

“I’ll even point you in the right direction,” he said.

On her next two tosses she heard the darts thud against the wall, then clatter to the floor.

“I’m not familiar with all the rules, Alessandra. Does the floor count as negative points?”

She could hear the smug amusement in his voice. “Okay, you made your point. Can we get back to the real game now?” Anxious to put an end to the pointless exercise, she reached for the edge of the mask.

“Wait,” he said. Her hand froze in midair. Hudson was suddenly behind her again, his lips hovering at her ear. “Keep it on.”

“Keep it on?” Why on earth did he want her to keep the blindfold on? Oh . . .

“I want to take you further.” His voice was low and full of dark promise. “Will you let me do that, Allie?”

Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard. When she spoke it was barely a whisper. “Okay.”

“Good. Don’t move.”

Allie heard footsteps followed by the creak of the door. And then nothing. All she could hear was the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears. When had the music stopped playing? She inhaled slowly, trying to calm her erratic breathing as she waited. And waited. She fidgeted, wondering what was taking him so long. But more importantly, what was he going to do to her? He’s probably a little kinky, too. A tremor of uncertainty ran through her as Harper’s words replayed in her head.

The door shut behind her and she jumped. Hudson was in the room. She couldn’t see him but she could feel his presence. It made her skin tingle. The sound system hissed to life and a few seconds later the hypnotic rhythm of U2’s “Moment of Surrender” wafted down from speakers above her. She listened intently, trying to decipher where he was, what he was doing. The unknown was driving her crazy.

Something brushed her hair aside and her head jerked. His fingertips—no, his lips—touched her shoulder, then her neck. “I won’t push you any further than I think you can handle.” His words sent a mixture of anxiety and excitement coursing through her veins. “If it gets to be too much, all you have to do is tell me to stop. Do you understand, Allie?”

Her heart pounded in anticipation. “Yes.”

“Then let’s start by getting you naked.” He ran his fingers down the buttons of her shirt, unfastening each one at an excruciatingly slow pace. When he finally finished he pushed it off her shoulders and tossed it aside. His fingertips traced the edge of her bra cup and she shuddered. Her nipples tightened against the white lace, eager for his touch, but he left them bereft and straining against the rough fabric.

“I already removed these once,” he said, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her borrowed boxer briefs. She felt him drop to his knees in front of her as he swept them down her legs. “Don’t make me do it again.” Reaching out blindly, she steadied herself on his shoulder as he lifted one foot and then the other. “I want you ready for me to have anytime and anywhere I wish.” He gripped her hips with both hands and yanked her closer. She gasped as he nuzzled the apex of her thighs, inhaling deeply. “Turn around.”

She complied immediately and felt his knuckles brush the length of her spine. It was as if every nerve in her body sprang to attention. He unclasped her bra, then let his fingers skim her shoulders, leaving a trail of goose bumps in his wake as he slipped the straps down her arms.

The blindfold might have denied her the sight of him, but her other senses were keenly aware as he pressed in close behind her. The sound of his breathing, the smell of his skin, the heat radiating from his body. All of it was brought more sharply into focus.

His hand fisted in the hair at the nape of her neck and he pulled. Angling her head to the side, he ran his tongue up the side of her exposed throat before softly kissing the skin beneath her ear. “I want you to think of nothing but what I’m doing to you,” he whispered, his voice hot and impassioned. “Don’t feel anything but me.”

Everything below her waist tensed with need as a wave of lust and want seized her.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, releasing her hair.

“Of course.” She answered without hesitation, and as she spoke the words she realized that, despite her earlier concern, she did trust him. Completely.

He cupped her elbow and led her across the room, turning her so that her back was against the wall. “I’m going to cuff you now.”

Allie inhaled sharply. Cuff me? This was so beyond anything she had ever experienced, or even imagined. And yet she couldn’t deny the excitement pulsing between her legs.

“Give me your hands.” She held them out and he took her right hand in one of his, kissing the inside of her wrist before securing the cuff. “They’re soft, so they won’t hurt.”

She had expected some sort of metal handcuffs, but what Hudson strapped around her felt like a wide band of fabric. Leather, maybe. Something hung from the end of the cuff and she felt it brush against her naked thigh. She assumed it was the other cuff but there was something else as well; something cold, like metal. A chain? Her breathing grew shallow as longing and desire mixed with nervous anticipation.

“Hands above your head,” he ordered. His voice had taken on a hard, authoritative edge. She quickly did as she was told, and whatever was attached to the other end of the chain now dangled by her shoulder. She felt him reach for it and a moment later heard the sounds of something rough sliding over wood. The image of the beams spanning the ceiling before arching down to meet the walls flashed through her head, and at once she realized she was being chained to one of the trusses. She pressed her thighs together, shocked at the dampness she felt there over the thought of being chained to Hudson’s ceiling, completely at his mercy.

Hudson took her left wrist and brought it to his lips before lifting it back above her head and securing the second cuff. He was standing closer now, so close she could feel his warm breath on her face. So close she could lean forward and run her tongue along the soft stubble on his jaw. So close her lips could find his. She inclined her head ever so slightly but he stepped back, leaving her feeling vulnerable and exposed.

The sultry beat of the music was the only sound in the room and yet she knew he was still there, watching her. Even blindfolded she felt the heat of his stare. The thought of those piercing blue eyes drinking in every inch of her made a warm blush wash over her skin.

“You look beautiful like this,” he said. Then his arms were around her, hauling her against him as his mouth claimed hers in a deep, possessive kiss. “Remember,” he rasped over her lips, “all you have to do is tell me to stop.” He kissed her again and she went lax in his arms. “Do you want me to stop, Allie?”

“No.” Her answer was more breath than voice.

“Good.”

Allie felt him pull back and she longed to wrap her arms around him and keep her chest crushed against his. She tugged on her restraints but it was no use, and just like that, he was gone again. She heard the slow metallic sound of a zipper opening, followed by the shuffling of fabric, and she knew that he was naked. Her heart thudded faster as she waited for his return.