Handcuffed by Her Hero Read Online Free PDF Page A

smiled, too. It seemed he’d been
really worried about her, not just a chest-beating thing to get his
testosterone card punched.
    She was relieved
too, though her mindset stemmed from a different purpose than Zeke’s. Much different. She debated revealing it, but realized this might be her only chance
of attaining it. She’d never be in this position with Zeke again. And she’d
never have the guts to ask it of anyone else.  
    “So if it’s
healed, you can take it out, right?”
    She expected his
smile to fall. It did. She expected his moment of contemplation after it, as
well. But his shadowed scowl? That wasn’t on the checklist. Nor was the retort he
gave back in a guttural murmur.
    “Why do you want
it out?”
    She actually
laughed. “You’re kidding, right?” She met his stare now, inch for unblinking
inch. “You have to be kidding. You think I need a memento of that hell?
A reminder of what happened?”
    Zeke shifted his
hands to the tops of her thighs. His grip was steady, matching his entire mien.
“What they did to your body healed, but what they did to your soul hasn’t. And
you’re not treating that wound, Rayna. Now it’s becoming infected,
dysfunctional.” He jerked his head toward her meds bottles on the desk. “And
it’s why you still need all that shit.”
    Hell. She should
have kept her intention to herself. Just gone to a piercing parlor and let some
stranger get the ring out of her. Now she had to deal with what Z’s words did
to her heart, the rip they widened inside. “What’s your point?” she bit out.
    Zeke caught the
hand she lifted to cover her eyes. “The remembering is what heals you,
Ray-bird. It’s what makes you stronger. Better.” She sniffed, unsuccessfully
battling tears. The torment got worse when Z intensified her horror by guiding
her hand down, then down some more, until she touched the steel circle that
felt like an alien implant to her body. “Feel it,” he directed. “Do it. Feel
your body. Love it again. You’re so fucking stunning, Rayna. You’re warm,
you’re vibrant, and you’re alive. You did it. You survived.” He took her
index finger and swirled its tip around the little jewel embedded into the clit
ring. “This piercing isn’t your shame. It’s your true medal of honor. Touch it.”
    The tears came
faster. He was a mush of colors across her vision but in the mirrors of her soul,
she’d never seen things more clearly. She could practically hear the storm
canopies being thrown free off her psyche, exposing the skies of her spirit,
the heights of her strength. And ohhhh yes…the pulsing needs of her body too. She
set them free a little bit more, using her fingers to spread the wings of her
sex, gasping as pulses of lust tore through her intimate tissues, now welcoming
them. Rejoicing in them.
    It was all
because of him. Her wisdom. Her hero. Her friend.
    But damn it,
right now, she didn’t need a friend. She needed more. If only for tonight, for
this hour of liberation and light, she needed him as more.
    “Zeke.” It left
her on a desperate breath. His fingers still twined with hers, though she now
realized he was following her lead, not the other way around. “Please…” The
supplication made their breaths mingle, too. She smiled as she pulled on his
middle finger, leading that beautifully long digit toward the opening into her deepest
core. The motion brushed his thumb against her ring, moving the metal directly
on her clit again. She throbbed with wet need. “Shit!”
    He moved over her
on an urgent surge. His breath, cool as rain yet warm as summer, blew across
her neck and face.
    “Ray-bird.” His
voice was husky, his stare dark with his complete focus on her. Rayna gazed
back, trying to smile through her lingering tears. That effort went to hell
when he caught a drop with his lips, wicking it from her with a little kiss. He
did it to another. Another.
    Forget crying
now. Or breathing. She surrendered them both to wonderment.