definitely had the potential to wear her down and weaken her willpower. The chemistry between them was undeniable. Grace knew he felt it, too, because he looked at her like she was already his.
“No, I’m not going to join you,” she said as she grabbed her duffel and walked toward the stairs.
Sarge stepped toward her and hooked her around the waist, stopping her progress. “I can’t let you do this. It’s too dangerous out there right now.” The heat from the gravelly words spoken right next to her ear sent a shiver down her spine. He knew exactly what his actions were doing to her and it pissed her off.
Grace regained her balance from the sudden stop and swung her arm, punching him on the side of his face.
Sarge laughed low in his throat. “Feisty. I like feisty.” Then he wrapped his arm around her waist, lifted her, and carried her like a laundry basket, wedging her against his hip.
Grace tried to get away from him, and for a moment, she thought she’d gotten loose, until he chuckled again and tightened his hold on her. He was toying with her.
“Now you’re getting me all worked up with that wiggling around,” he said, smiling.
“Put me down,” she seethed.
He did. He threw her on the bed, straddled her waist, and held her hands above her head. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Grace gasped at the sensation of his weight on top of her. “Get off,” she said through clenched teeth, horrified by the pleasure she took from his body over hers. Moisture gathered from deep inside her, coating the walls of her vagina and ultimately seeping onto the material between her legs.
He leaned over her. His lips brushed her ear. “Are you going to stay put, Gracie?” The moist tip of his tongue trailed the outer shell of her ear. “Or do I have to tie you down?”
She absorbed the sensuous dare, felt the hot air hit her ear, along with his words, and almost groaned out loud before she snapped her mouth shut.
She was infuriated, both with him and herself. She recognized and then condemned the small part of her that loved his sexual aggression and the confident guarantee of ecstasy in the undertones of his voice. Pressing her lips together, not trusting herself to hold back the words of defiance that were balancing precariously on the tip of her tongue, she sighed and stopped struggling.
He looked reluctant when he let go of her arms and swung his leg off of her. “Okay, truce?” he asked.
She sat up on the bed and gave him the coldest stare she could muster. It didn’t seem to faze him a bit. This man didn’t react to her cold rejection like others did. In fact, it seemed like the harder she fought, the more sexually aggressive he became.
Grace picked up the bottle of tequila he’d brought down with him and drew two long gulps from it before setting the bottle on the cement floor next to her.
“Come on, Gracie,” his deep voice goaded her. “I promise next time I rub on you, it will be because you want me to.” His eyes slowly perused her body.
Grace snorted. “Don’t hold your breath.” Silence fell between them while she gathered her thoughts together. “Listen, I’ll stay until I think it’s safe for me to make the trip back home. But, we need to set some ground rules. I’m not some wallflower who you can order around. I make my own decisions. Got it?”
“Damn you’re sexy when you’re riled,” he said, stepping forward and taking the bottle off the floor. He took a long gulp then set the bottle on the table. “It’s going to be so much fun taming that stubborn streak you have. You ever been handcuffed, Gracie? Have you ever given a man the privilege of your total submission?”
Grace realized that he was purposely antagonizing her. Two could play that game.
She looked at him in the eye. “Yes, I have,” she taunted. “But you’re going to have to imagine what that privilege would be like, because you’re never going to get it.”
Sarge groaned. “You underestimate