Restrained and Willing Read Online Free Page A

his ass for ten more hours, but his
mind would be across town in a downtown loft, consumed by the woman who lived
there and the things he planned to do to her.

Chapter Three
     
    Heather spent the week stocking up on groceries and
re-familiarizing herself with her hometown. In general, keeping busy enough to
keep her mind off the fact she hadn’t heard a peep out of Pierce. Pop and her
brothers had been in constant contact. But not as much as a measly How ya
doing, brat? from the person she most wanted to hear from.
    Was she deluding herself? Maybe he wasn’t interested. Had he
even read her fantasies?
    Ugh!
    She trudged up the stairs and let herself into her condo.
Dropped her keys and purse on the narrow maple side table.
    What she needed was a healthy dose of patience. A virtue
she’d never quite gotten the hang of.
    She braced her hand on the wall and toed off her shoes,
leaving them on the small rectangular rug in front of the door before making
her way to the kitchen.
    She crinkled her nose at the nagging sense of insecurity
she’d been fending off. A previously foreign concept since she hadn’t lacked
confidence even when on her own, miles away from home, her first year at Yale.
    At least she hadn’t spent the past week sitting at home,
twiddling her thumbs. She’d been out and about, making contacts, evaluating the
Cleveland area for the possibility of starting her own marketing company.
Between very lucrative investments and an impressive portfolio after an
accelerated master’s program, she could well afford to put off looking for a
job for quite a while if her plan of becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t a viable
option.
    A quick maneuver around the long kitchen counter placed her
in front of the fridge where she grabbed a bottle of green tea, discarded the
cap and took a deep drink.
    On Wednesday she’d gone shopping for a new wardrobe. A
friendly chat with a young woman behind the counter of an adult toy shop had
netted the name of an upscale boutique on the near Eastside. The mention of the
woman’s name to the saleslady there had gained her entrance to its private back
room. The large, awe-inspiring space was filled with clothes and accessories
one would never find at the local malls.
    Heather had spent a small fortune there.
    The thought of Pierce’s reaction when he saw what she’d
bought made every penny spent worthwhile.
    That is, if he ever actually did see it.
    Or her newly waxed pussy.
    Today was Friday and in anticipation of being with Pierce,
she’d booked herself for a half-day at the spa for a much-needed manicure,
pedicure, hot stone massage and waxing in the hopes he’d call.
    She expelled a long sigh. Took another refreshing swallow of
iced tea.
    Ah, well. Maybe he needed a bit more time to—
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the red light blinking
on her answering machine. As tech-savvy as she was, she liked the old-fashioned
dependability of a landline.
    She placed the half-empty bottle of tea on the granite
counter and pressed the button to access the call.
    “Heather, this is Pierce.”
    During a prolonged pause, a breath hitched in her throat.
    “I’ve read your diary.”
    She inhaled, taking pity on her starved lungs.
    “I’ll be picking you up at eight o’clock for dinner. Be on
time.”
    The command in his voice made her heart race.
    “Since most women own a little black dress, I’ll assume you
have one. Wear it.”
    She captured her lower lip between her teeth.
    “Nothing else.”
    Her knees threatened to buckle, even as her panties became
damp.
    “You’re intelligent enough to know what I expect. If it’s
more than you’re willing to give, keep the condo dark. I’ll leave and we’ll go
on as before.”
    The message ended with a soft bleep.
    Go on as before! The man was delusional if he thought that
to be true.
    She’d waited far too long to get a taste of those full
sensual lips. Run her hands over those acre-wide shoulders and all those
beautiful bulging