Reinstated Bond Read Online Free Page A

actually
taking the time to feel how fine and coily each individual strand was. He
hadn't noticed before, back when he let his cock be C.E.O. of Carter
Incorporated. He didn't notice many fine details back then, such as how her
dimples only appeared when she was grinding her teeth. "When'd you turn
into such a cynic, baby?"
    She shrugged. "Pretty sure it was a gradual thing."
    "It wasn't me, was it? Did I start it? Did I do it to
you?"
    She rolled off him and reached for the remote, not answering.
She turned up the volume of the television and tried to cross her arms over her
chest, but Carter gave her cuffed arm a small yank back to the center of the
bed.
    "You ain't gotta answer that," he said.
    "Super."
    They stared at the screen for a while, not talking. He looked
over at the sullen fugitive and the hard set of her jaw and decided that, yes,
he did do
it to her. How fair was that? He was about to let her down once again.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Carter still had the exact same laugh. It was a full-bodied
laugh that filled his face with light and made the bed shake. It was infectious
and Marilyn was having a damned hard time not letting the contagion spread. She
pressed her lips together and ground her teeth as she stared ahead at the dopey
sitcom. She'd remembered it was one he had enjoyed back in high school and had
groaned when she'd flicked past it and he asked, politely, if she'd turn it
back.
    "I've only seen this episode once," he explained.
    "Mm-hmm."
    So, he watched.
    She plotted. Perhaps wait for him to fall asleep and find the key to the cuffs? The key had to be on his body somewhere or maybe in his wallet. If she could
get his clothes off…
    He gave her a little nudge. "Sorry, baby. I drank about half
a gallon of sweet tea at your mom's house." He scooted toward the left
edge of the bed.
    "Huh?" She followed along, not having much of a
choice. Besides, she was curious about how he was going to negotiate hitting
the head without dragging her along as a witness.
    "Yeah, damn good supper." He led her to the bathroom
door and reached into his back pocket with his left hand. He loosened the cuff
on his arm and immediately clasped it to the bathroom door.
    "Fucker."
    "Yeah." He entered the small bathroom and pushed the
door closed.
    She kicked it. "Patience, baby. You'll have your chance,
too," he said from inside.
    She growled and pulled futilely at the doorknob.
    He flushed, washed his hands, and carefully pulled the door in.
"You need to go?"
    She was about to tell him "no" seeing as how she
hadn't gotten to drink half a gallon of sweet tea like certain people had: tea
that was meant for her probably. She bet he even ate her chicken. He kind of had that
smell about him.
    "Yes," she lied.
    He loosened her cuff and she considered giving him a
junk-punch, but he backed up, obviously anticipating that ploy.
    She stomped into the bathroom and shut the door. She paced in
the small room for a minute, pondering her plight, and decided that if she was
going to be tossed in the hoosegow anyway, she should at attempt one fantastic
gambit. She kicked off her shoes and socks, stripped down to her underwear, and
pulled the elastic tie from her hair. She teased out her curls, gave her
breasts a fluff in her demi-bra, and took a deep breath.
    How bad could it be? Okay, maybe she was being slightly
self-serving in her not-so-subtle seduction attempt, but Marilyn of age
twenty-six was a practical woman. Sex didn't necessarily equate to love, at
least in her experience. She hadn't loved any of the guys she'd been with in the past few
years. Sure, she'd acquired some affection for them all, but beyond that they
were mostly warm bodies next to her at the movie theater or someone to pick up
the check at restaurants.
    Around age twenty or so, she had gained an appreciation for the
great love her parents shared--the one that had her father, not a wealthy man
by any means--making repeated drives down to Houston where her mother lived as
a young