Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 181

"Randal! Put me down!" she struggled violently, her fists pounding against his back as her legs kicked wildly in the air.

He said nothing, his arm locked like a vise behind her knees as he carried her steadily down the hall.

The angle sent blood rushing to her head, making her dizzy.

Passing the hallway, she caught sight of their distorted reflections on the wall. "Put me down," she demanded again, her voice losing its strength.

Randal ignored her, kicking the master bedroom door open and throwing her onto the mattress.

Her back hit the bed, the springs protesting with a sharp squeak. Her hair was a tangled mess from the struggle, leaving her looking utterly disheveled.

Before she could even scramble up, he was already over her.

He pinned her leg down with his knee, using one hand to hold her shoulder flush against the mattress while the other reached for the nightstand.

A drawer slid open, followed by the sound of something being pulled out.

Willa heard the crisp clink of metal. Her chest tightened, and she quickly turned her head.

Randal was holding a silver chain. It wasn't overly thick, but it looked heavy.

One end was a cuff, the other a heavy clasp.

Her blood ran completely cold. She froze, her mind short-circuiting in pure shock.

It wasn't until the cuff snapped securely around her wrist that she began to thrash wildly.

"Randal, are you out of your mind? I don't want this, let me go!"

Her voice trembled with a mix of fury and terror.

She turned her head and unintentionally locked onto his predatory gaze. His eyes were like a dark, bottomless void.

There was no light in them, only an all-consuming madness that threatened to swallow her whole, dragging her heart and soul into the abyss.

He released her shoulder and took the other end of the chain, clasping it around the sturdy bedpost. A twisted smile curved his lips. "I never thought I'd actually have to use it."

He seized both her wrists, pinning them above her head.

The chain rattled, the metallic clinking deafening in the quiet bedroom.

He forced his knee between her legs, pressing his full weight down on her.

When he leaned in to kiss her, she turned her head away, his lips landing on her cheek instead before he chased her mouth again.

Amidst the struggle, his right hand slipped past her waistband. His palm, slick with a light sweat, pressed against her lower abdomen, tracing the smooth skin downwards.

"Randal, don't do this!" she cried out in sheer panic, her voice cracking into a sob.

Randal's body went completely rigid.

"I can't," he breathed against her ear, his voice broken and utterly shattered. "I can't let you go. I tried it five years ago. Willa, you belong to me."

He brought his mouth down on hers with bruising force, kissing her as if he wanted to devour her completely, his hands desperately pulling at her clothes.