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“Enjoyed our little nature walk?” I ask, unable to keep the smirk from my face as I take in her appearance.

Her auburn curls are wild around her face, twigs and leaves caught in them like she’s some forest nymph. Her cheeks are flushed, those green eyes blazing with fury, and Christ, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

“Fuck you and your ‘nature walk,’” she spits, tugging at her bound wrists. “Is this where you dismember me and feed me to whatever wild animals are in these woods?”

I can’t help but laugh, the sound echoing in the small space. “If I wanted to dismember you, cariad, I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of bringing things here to make your stay more comfortable.”

Her eyes widen as she glances around, really taking in the details. “You—to make my stay more comfortable? Are you serious?”

“Don’t sound so shocked. I may have kidnapped you, but I’m not a monster.” I flex my fingers, watching her throat bob as she swallows. “There will be no dismembering on the agenda tonight. Or ever. Promise. I’ve never even had a speeding ticket in my life, so no way would I immediately go for such a serious crime first.”

“Oh, so there’s a proper way to become a criminal then?” She cocks her head, trying to bait me.

“Probably there is, but I’m not interested in it. I already have a career. And I’m really successful at it.”

I swear she chuckles for a brief second, but she gets all serious right away. I rise from the chair, approaching her slowly, deliberately, enjoying the way her body tenses. Her eyes track my every movement, like a cornered animal assessing a predator. But there’s something else there, too; the same heat I saw by the river, a curiosity she can’t quite mask.

“Stay away from me,” she warns, but her voice lacks conviction.

“You don’t mean that.” I close the distance between us, dropping to my knees in front of her. My hands hover just above her thighs, not touching, just close enough that she can feel my body heat. “If you did, you wouldn’t have let me taste you by the river. And you wouldn’t have swallowed my cum like it was your favorite dessert.”

Her cheeks darken, but she doesn’t look away. “I was tied up. What choice did I have?”

“Once again, we both know you could have bitten it off,” I remind her, echoing our earlier conversation. “Although I’m thankful you didn’t. Somewhere under all that sass and fury, you’re enjoying this Halloween night as much as I am.”

“You’re delusional,” she says, but her pupils are dilated, betraying her arousal.

I stand abruptly, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her off the bed. She squeals in surprise, her bound hands pressing against my chest as I carry her to the chair I just vacated and set her down.

“Stay,” I command, my voice dropping to the growl I use on stage. “No more running through forests, okay? My cardio isn’t that good by the end of the tour.”

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “You’re the one who left the door unlocked, genius. What kind of kidnapper does that?”

I wince, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. “Yeah, that wasn’t how things were supposed to go. In my head, we arrived here, and you were still unconscious, and I laid you on the bed all romantic-like, you’d wake up, be a bit shocked but then turned on because I’m hot and even if I kidnapped you, you can’t deny the attraction and then—”

“Oh my god,” she interrupts, her eyes widening in what looks like delighted disbelief. “Please don’t tell me you have, like, a dark romance bucket list or something?”

The heat rushes to my face so fast I’m sure I must resemble a fucking tomato. I open my mouth to deny it, but no sound comes out.

Her laugh starts as a giggle, then grows into a full-bodied sound that fills the cabin. “Oh boy, you do! You actually do!”

“Shut up,” I mutter, but there’s no real anger behind it. Her laugh is possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard—musical and genuine, nothing like the artificial titters of women trying to get backstage.

“The frontman of Dark Distortion has a dark romance bucket list...” She’s practically wheezing now. “Oh man, this is gold!”

“I said shut up,” I growl, stepping closer, trying to regain control of the situation. I grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up to mine. “Or I’ll make you.”

But instead of cowering, she fucking smirks at me, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Aw, look at you. Such a good boy trying to be bad.”

My cock stirs in my jeans, hardening instantly at her words. My mouth goes dry as she turns my fantasy on its head, and I find myself completely thrown off balance. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. She’s supposed to be scared, then gradually won over by my dominance, not... whatever this is. She’s tied up, and yet she’s in control.

This is hot.

Oh boy, I’m in trouble.

“That’s not fair,” I manage, hating how plaintive I sound.

“Everything’s fair when I’ve been kidnapped by a rockstar who’s clearly an amateur, okay?” She shifts in the chair, the movement drawing my attention to the curve of her hips. “I’ll use everything at my disposal...”