I had gotten as far as the hallway when Tyler grabbed me. Honestly, I don't know how he could have caught up so quick but there he was, tackling me to the ground. After a brief struggle, he ended up on top of me, pinning me to the ground, looking down at me with rage.
With his hands on my wrists, I extended my right arm to get him off balance before twisting my entire body. In one fluid motion, Tyler ended up the one being pinned down.
Once I had the position of power, I realized that I had no idea what to do with it. Did I even want to escape? It seemed like the thing I should be doing, since I was his hostage and all. But this was an extraordinary circumstance, one that didn't terrify me so much as intrigue me.
"You're lucky I don't actually want to hurt you." Tyler muttered, eyebrows drawn together but lying still.
"Right back at ya."
"You were pretty stupid for not tying me up, ya know."
"I won't make that mistake again."
We'll see about that. The words were on the tip of my tongue but I didn't say them.
As I stared down at him, my hair falling in front of my face, breathing heavy from the struggle, I felt something shift. I was instantly aware of every inch of our bodies touching and the proximity of his face to mine. My eyes bore into his, heat growing in places it shouldn't have.
Just as quickly as the moment was there, it was gone. Tyler used my loosening grip to his advantage, flipping me and pulling me upright. He held onto my arm to drag me back into his apartment. I sat on the couch. Standing in front of me, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and met my gaze with a glare.
"Here's the deal. If you try to run again, I'll tie you to a chair. If you hit me, I'll tie you to a chair. If you do anything at all that I deem as a threat, I'll tie you to a goddamn chair." He warned me. "Got it?"
I just stared at him for a moment, speechless at how many words just came out of his mouth. "Wow. You do know how to speak in full sentences."
Tyler's glare deepened. "Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"This isn't a joke, you know."
I shrugged. "Life's too short to take everything seriously."
Tyler apparently didn't know how to respond to that. So he held out his hand and looked at me expectantly, though I hadn't the slightest clue why.
"Give me your shoes."
I blinked, confused.
"You can't run without shoes."
"Oh." I slipped off my black converse and handed them to him. He went into the kitchen, putting them high on top of the cupboards before going to the front door. Flipping every lock, including the chain, he made sure it would take me twice as long to get out if I were to try again. Satisfied with his new plan, Tyler went back to standing in front of me.
"I really don't want to tie you up again."
"You don't have to. I'm not gonna run." I told him.
Tyler just raised an eyebrow as if to say, oh really?
"Seriously, I'm not. But there's some stuff I'll need if I'm going to stay here."
"I didn't know hostages could make demands."
"You know I could make this way more difficult for you, right? I could scream. I'm sure the neighbors would love that." I shot Tyler a sweet smile in warning. "I could also fight some more, tear this place apart if I wanted to."
"Or I could just lock you up with a gag, how would you like that?" He challenged.
"Not before I got in a good scream, you couldn't."
Tyler's glare deepened.
"Besides, we both know you don't want to be in this situation as much as I don't. So let's just try to be civil, okay?" I said.
It took him at least a minute to concede.
"What do you want?" Tyler asked finally.
"Food, mostly. I'm not eating your dead animals." I hadn't taken a bite of meat in over four years, I wasn't going back now.
Tyler nodded, so I continued.
"Clothing, probably. Maybe some body wash, unless you want me to smell like you." Though honestly, I wouldn't mind that. Whenever he was close, I always got a whiff of some earthy soap with a hint of whiskey from working at a bar. I don't why, but it was a delicious combo.
"Anything else?"
"I don't think so." As far as girls went, I was pretty low maintenance. I didn't need makeup, or face wash, or conditioner. As long as he had an extra toothbrush and some sort of soap, I would be completely fine.
Looking at the clock, I realized he wouldn't be able to go to the store until tomorrow. It was already close to nine.
"I have some cereal if you want that." Tyler offered. I nodded. I would take almost anything at this point.
After eating, I realized it was almost bed time. Tyler was sitting on the couch watching TV so I took a good look at it, trying to figure out if anyone could even sleep on it. It was pretty small, more like a loveseat than a couch, but it might still be possible to curl up in. I could do it.
"Can I shower?"
Tyler didn't tear his eyes away from the tv. "Sure. Towels are in the bathroom closet."
I made my way into the bathroom and shut the door before searching through everything. The sink was relatively clean, with only a razor and a toothbrush resting on top. The shelves in the closet were well stocked, with extra towels and random health stuff. Nothing feminine in here.
Stripping off my clothes, I stood underneath the hot water and let it wash over me. I used his soap and realized it smelled much better on him than it did on me.
After I was done, I stepped onto the tile and stared down at my pile of clothes.
I had skinny jeans, a wire bra, and a loose T-shirt. None of those sounded appealing to wear for bed, except maybe the shirt. Not willing to sacrifice my comfort for modesty around a guy who didn't even think of me that way, I threw on my black undies and shirt and called it good.
I didn't realize I had made a mistake until I stepped back in the living room.
Tyler's eyes were immediately on me, taking in every inch of my body. He seemed to be especially stuck on my breasts, since my nipples were pretty much poking out of the thin fabric. Trying to ignore it, I just strutted past him and into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
Thirty seconds later, Tyler was standing in front of me, holding out one of his t-shirts. "Wear this."
"No thanks." I tried to step around him, but he blocked my path. We bumped into each other for only a split second, but it was enough to make him quickly jump back. Once a more comfortable distance had been established, Tyler spoke again.
"I'm not asking."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"You seriously have to ask?"
I smiled with my hands on my hips, putting the girls on full display. With a tilt of my head, I asked, "You're not interested so what's the problem?"
"Put this on or I'll tie you up."
"Kinky."
I swear I saw a blush on his face. The five o'clock shadow made it hard to tell, and it was quick, but I swear I saw it. That small victory was enough to widen my lips into a taunting smile. Not interested, my ass.
"Just fucking do it." Tyler demanded, clearly not amused. He threw the t-shirt into my arms and stormed back over to the couch, letting the television show distract him.
Still pleased with his reaction, I decided to do what he wanted. And honestly, I think I liked how I looked in his t-shirt even better. It was baggy and long, so it hid most of my curves and left my long legs on display.
After getting ready for bed, I walked back into the living room but Tyler wasn't there. He was in the bedroom, standing next to his bed.
He was shirtless. And pantsless. The only thing covering him was a pair of thin boxer shorts. I stopped walking, stopped breathing, my heart the only thing working and even that was a struggle. All I could do was stare at the masculine marvel standing in front of me, with his back on full display. Tan, lean, and rippled with muscle. Never before had I seen such perfection.
When Tyler realized I was in the room, he turned to face me. At seeing my expression, there was a twinkle in his eye. Mischief. Arrogance. He knew I liked what I saw.
"So am I sleeping on the couch or are you?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but it cracked near the end. I internally swore at myself. Pull it together!
"Neither of us are."
"What?"
"I don't trust you enough to be by yourself."
I scowled at him, though obviously I wasn't disappointed. I climbed into bed, hiding under the covers. Don't look at him, I tried to coach myself, he's not into you. Don't give him any more power than he already has.
Ignoring my inner voices, I looked at him again. I couldn't help myself. If he wanted the power, he could have it.
I was just examining his chest tattoo, a quote of some sort, when I noticed what was in his hands. Tyler walked over to my side of the bed, looking at me expectantly.
"No." I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
"Yes." He held out the rope, waiting for me to give up my hands.
"At least take me to dinner first."
"Don't make this harder than it has to be."
"You don't have to tie me up."
"You already tried to run today."
"Yeah, cause you were being dumb. I didn't really want to escape." I defended myself, though I wasn't sure how much of a lie it was.
"I can't take that chance."
I let out a deep sigh. "Fine."
I held out my right hand, putting it close to the headboard. Keeping my eyes on his, I watched as he gently tied my hand to the post, his calloused hands warm and rough against my skin. I could feel the heat creeping up inside of me as I watched every arm muscle flex and unflex throughout the process. I had to admit, it was starting to turn me on.
When Tyler was finished, his fingers lingered on my wrist just a tad too long. His dark, intense eyes met mine, showing a similar hunger that I knew mine were displaying. It felt like time stopped in that moment, everything else in the room disappearing. Then he blinked, removed his hand, and walked to the other side of the bed.
It was going to be a long night.
I gotta say, writing about all of the tension that they have in the beginning is the most fun. Do you think Tyler is lying about being uninterested?
Thanks again for reading! If you see anything I could improve on, I'd love to hear your opinion!