Rough Ryder by Elizabeth Veatch, Crystal Smith Page A

pulled them over her head.  “Keep them there.”  His voice was soft. 
                        She watched him as he slid his hand under the pillow her head lay on, pulling out a bundle of rolled yellow rope.  Her breath caught.  She now knew his intentions.  This was different than anything she had ever thought she would allow.  But the way Ryder could make her respond to him pushed her eagerness to go on.  From shaky to excited in the flash of a rope.
                        She studied every movement he made.  From folding the first piece of rope in two, to wrapping it around her first wrist, ending with it knotting around her other.  She pulled slightly, testing the tightness of it.  She watched a sly smile appear on his lips.  He was pleased with her reaction.
                        He slid his hand under the pillow again, this time pulling out a larger red bundle of rope.  Trinket wondered how she hadn’t noticed it before.  Surely she would have felt it there.  But then her nerves were in hyper drive. 
                        She watched as he folded the rope the same way as he had the first.  He wrapped it around first one ankle, pulling the rope around and through the loop it had created.  He smiled again, and then leaned down, taking the end of the rope, wrapping it around the foot of the bed frame. 
                         He ran the rope to the other foot leg, wrapped it before bringing it up to her other ankle. 
    “Relax your legs.”  He pulled the rope, her left leg sliding out.  His hand gripped her right calf, sliding it out, opening her to him, he wrapped the rope keeping her leg in place before kneeling and securing the end of the rope to the bed.
                        He slowly stepped back, staring at her, until his back touched the wall.  He leaned against it, crossing his arms as if he were just relaxing against it.  She didn’t understand.  What the hell was he waiting for?
                         She found her excitement leaving and being replaced by irritation.  She rolled her eyes looking up at the beams of the barn. 
                         “I didn’t tell you to look away.  In fact, I told you I wanted you to see.  To watch me.”
                         Her eyes went back to his.  This was a bad idea.  She should have never have let him tie her up like this.  She should have never have gotten involved with him.  The minute she had seen him here, she should have left.  Her mind went crazy with what she should have done.  Now, she wasn’t going to lay here and let him stare at her.
                        “Untie me, please.”  She thought being nice would get her out of the ropes.  She thought wrong when he shook his head.
                         “You’re going to stay there.”  And there it was.  His voice changing quickly.  His body language changing as he stood tall and walked towards her.
                         “You can’t make me stay here.  If you just wanted to stare at me naked, you didn’t have to tie me.  I can sleep naked while you get your rocks off watching.”  Her attitude got the best of her.
                         Her heart began beating quicker as he stepped to the side of the bed.  “What were you doing tonight?”  He asked.
                         “That’s none of your business.”  Again she rolled her eyes, looking away from him.
                         “Look at me.”  He ordered but his tone was completely calm.
                         She turned her head again, glaring at him.  Anger flashing in her eyes, there was no reason to even try to hide how pissed off she was.  This wasn’t anything like she had expected as she watched him rope her