“You can’t just keep me here like a…a…” She practically spat the word. “Like a pet or something.”

“Can’t I?”

Suddenly he was standing over her, casually unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off his shoulders. Her eyes widened until they felt like they were practically bulging. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’re a bright girl. You’ll figure it out in a minute.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“I dare much, now that my heart—” He cut himself off abruptly, and she heard the click of his teeth coming together. What the hell was going on with this guy?

Off came the trousers, the socks, the underwear. Nude, Dick was exceedingly yummy…long legs, broad shoulders, and a tasty flat stomach that made her think about hot fudge sauce and whipped cream. His chest was lightly furred with blond hair two shades darker than the hair on his head. His muscle definition was excellent, and she had a sudden, maddening urge to touch him to see if his skin was as smooth as it looked. It would be, she thought, like velvet encased in steel. Or marble…he was quite pale.

He reached out and flipped off the light…click. She consciously dilated her pupils and could see him again, a pale blur in the dark. A blur with glittering blue eyes.

She felt his cool hand on her thigh and then his fingers were nimbly unbuttoning her dress. She kicked out again, to no avail. He popped open the clasp on her bra—stupid front clasps!—and with odd care, gently tore her panties down the middle. She hissed at him. Twelve bucks at Victoria’s Secret! The bitch’s secret was that she marked up her underwear by six hundred percent!

“You are an asshole,” she said clearly.

“True enough.” He pulled her panties free, spread her dress wide, and then pushed her bra out of the way. “Umm. Very nice.”

“Go fuck yourself, perv.”

“I’d rather not…besides, you’re here, so why should I have to? We have hours until sunrise.” He chuckled. It sounded like cold water flowing over black rocks. “And Jane…I’m sooooo hungry. I’ve been waiting and waiting for you to wake up.”

“I hope I poison you. I hope you choke until your lungs explode. I hope my blood burns your windpipe. I hope—”

“I get the gist. I hope the next time you agree to spend the evening with me, you keep your word.” Then he was on her so suddenly she didn’t have time to pull in air for a gasp. She braced herself as best she could for his brutal entry, for teeth and blood and pain. Oh, when I get out of here I’m going to use your vertebrae for dice. See if I don’t. And I won’t cry, either. So there.