Owned By Fate by Tessa Bailey

effect made it look as though one could walk through it into another dimension.
    Caroline, interested despite herself, wandered farther into the living room, her feet sinking into plush white carpet. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, although instead of crystals, white hands hung down in tiers as if reaching for her below. Two rosy-cheeked lawn gnomes stood on either side of a massive fireplace, as if on guard duty. A beat-up copy of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s Slaughterhouse-Five was bookmarked on the mantel.
    All these little things spoke volumes about him, having the audacity to make Caroline like him even more. The feeling scared her into action. After casting a quick look over her shoulder to make sure Jonah hadn’t returned, she wound through the living room and pushed open the first door she saw.
    His bedroom. It was massive in size, yet nondescript when compared to the living room. As if he’d designed it with the intention of keeping his personality out. Caroline didn’t allow herself time to puzzle over that before she began to strip off her dress. No more conversation or peeks into each other’s lives. Tonight had been arranged for one reason, and she couldn’t lose sight of that. In the process of pulling her dress over her head, Caroline found her attention arrested by something metal hanging from the ceiling. A…bar? She squinted to get a better look, but it was so high up, she couldn’t make it out. Then it hit her. In her online research, she’d seen pictures of suspension bars. As in, a bar used to secure your partner using ropes or cuffs. So he or she couldn’t get free. Jonah had one in his bedroom . In her bedroom, she had a gumball machine and a Breakfast Club movie poster. If that didn’t reiterate their Grand Canyon of differences, she didn’t know what would.
    It dawned on her then that she could use this to her advantage. Blast right out of her comfort zone so far she’d have no choice but to go screaming back to it. Away from Jonah in the process.
    “What are you doing in here?”
    Caroline spun around to find Jonah leaning against the doorjamb. He’d stripped off his shirt to reveal his rugged, muscular chest. He radiated such base sexuality, it caught her momentarily off guard. Unlike most of the citified men she’d seen shirtless, Jonah had hair on his chest, and she could actually feel herself being ruined for smooth, hairless chests forever. Ruined.
    Underneath the dark brown hair, a blue anchor tattoo stretched across his pecs, reminding her that he’d been in the Navy. Worked with his hands. Ropes. Shadowed eyes raked her from head to toe, reminding her that, thanks to impulsiveness, she now wore only a red thong. With a tremendous effort, she didn’t squirm under his heated regard but stood her ground and let him look his fill. “I didn’t want to wait.” Ignoring the heat settling between her legs, she encompassed the room with a gesture. “Isn’t this where we were going to end up anyway?”
    “No.” He pushed off the jamb and came toward her, all but daring her to back away. “My bedroom is on the other side of the apartment. I don’t sleep here.”
    “What do you—” Caroline broke off before she could finish her absurd question. Right. A second master suite used only for playtime. She could just envision that real-estate listing. For the bondage enthusiast in all of us. “If that’s the case…if you use this room for other things, why wouldn’t we have come in here?”
    “I want you in my bed, Caroline.” Even he seemed surprised by that admission, but his dark stare didn’t waver, dipping to her naked breasts hungrily. She’d obviously upset him by coming in here, but he wanted her enough to overlook it. This is good , she reminded herself vehemently. They were back on an even playing field.
    She took a fortifying breath and pointed at the ceiling. “I want to use that.”
    Jonah’s jaw worked. “Are you out of your mind? You think going from being