Cody sighed. Might as well get it over with. He removed the
shackles, returned them, and bent over her. "Shay, wake up."
Her eyes flew open. She planted both hands against his
chest and shoved, knocking him on his back, then sprang on
top of him. "How dare you handcuff me to a bed?" she
yelled, punctuating each word with a shake that rattled his
brain. He didn't fight back. She had to get it out of her
system, and he didn't blame her. He'd be more than pissed
if someone shackled him.
She landed a fist into his stomach, and the breath rushed
out of him. Okay, enough was enough. He captured her hands
and rolled, trapping her under him.
"Get off me, you oaf."
"I'll get off when you stop beating the snot out of me."
She let out a war cry and lunged for his throat, teeth
bared. Intrigued, he hesitated a second too long, and she
sank her teeth into his neck. A jolt of desire shot
straight to his groin. He'd never been one for the rough
stuff, but damn! He pulled back before she could do more
than leave a bruise. He trapped her legs with his and held
her hands above her head, letting his full weight press her
into the soft mattress. She still struggled but could move
only enough to get him excited.
"I'm sorry, Shay. I had to do it. It was too dangerous
to let you go traipsing through the woods. I had to keep
you safe."
"What if he was hiding in one of the other bedrooms and
sneaked in here while I was handcuffed to the bed? You left
me so I couldn't even protect myself."
"Lach heard him out in the woods, but that's why I
locked the door, just in case. If this guy had broken it
down to get to you, you would've screamed, and I would've
come running. I was never far from the house." He'd heard
every name she called him.
Her eyes still flashed fire, but her breath was
steadier, and she kept glancing at his mouth. He thought
that was a good thing. He wondered if she'd calmed enough
not to hit him, because he should move. She had to notice
the effect all the wiggling around was having on him. He
felt her hips push against his, and he groaned. He relaxed
his grip and lowered his head, letting his lips touch her
chin. He kissed his way to her mouth, and she head butted
him in the nose.
While the stars exploded in his head, she shoved him
aside and bolted out the door. He jumped up and went after
her as she pounded down the stairs. He caught up with her
outside. She was swinging her purse like a whip, headed for
the car.
"Where are you going?" he demanded.
"Get away from me."
"You can't leave."
"Watch me." She opened the door. "I'm tired of people
hiding things from me. I thought you were going to stop.
Now you're handcuffing me to the bed."
"I explained it to you."
"Don't touch me," she said, jerking away when he grabbed
her arm.
"You're not leaving."
Shay straightened her shoulders. "You can't stop me."
He grabbed her, tossed her over his shoulder, kicked the
car door shut, and stomped up the steps.
"Put me down!" Shay kicked and twisted, cursing at him.
He dumped her on her feet inside the door.
She blew her hair out of her face, and as soon as she
could see, she threw a punch at his chin. He deflected it
and grabbed her arm. "Stop hitting me."
"How dare you throw me over your shoulder like some kind
of caveman," she spat, trying to wrench her arm free. It
didn't work, so she used her knee.
"Ah, not there." Cody trapped her knee. "I made the
mistake of letting you leave here nine years ago without
listening to me. By God, I won't do it again. You'll listen
if I have to sit on you," he growled.
She drew back her other arm, and before she could throw
the punch, he had her on the floor and was sitting astride
her, pinning her wrists to the floor. She bucked and
twisted, but he held her down. "We can do this all night if
you want, but you're going to listen to me this time."
"Listen to more lies? You're still hiding things from
me. Like the fact that you have Nina's entire house under
surveillance. Like the fact that you've got a Bat Cave in
your basement. Like the fact that you were in Scotland when
the stalking started."
"You think I'm your stalker?" he yelled. "Me! I'm trying
to keep you alive. We're all trying to keep you alive.
That's what the clan's been doing your whole damned life,
trying to keep you alive! And just like always, you're
making it hard as hell. Your father wasn't a bloody spy,
and that thing in your living room wasn't a man!"