Chapter 38

She had known on an instinctual level that the man wanted her, so she wasn't entirely surprised by his response. She stepped back, attempting to put space between them. His hand dropped from her, but his knuckles brushed across the peak of her breast, tightly wrapped in the dress. Her body responded involuntarily, a spear of attraction shooting through her.

"What if I say no?" she asked, breathlessly. "What if I want to leave? Will you let me go?" She knew the answer before he spoke.

"No, I'm afraid that's not an option, Claudia."

"Why?" she asked, the constrictive band tightening around her chest once more. "That's that's kidnapping."