Caroline's Choice

Chapter 1-4

The expected knock on the door of her house brought a strange sense of excitement mixed with discomfort. She rose from the sofa and moved in the direction of her formal front entrance—not the side door into the mudroom she and her friends all used.

What does this feeling mean? Since when did my Saturday liaison with my boyfriend cause anxiety? It must have been last week when pinned my arms down… or the week before when he blindfolded me. A cold dread dampening her usual ardor, she twisted the knob and revealed the tall, stately form of her man: dark hair with silver wings, dignified and handsome. His dark eyes burned with an expression that made her deeply uncomfortable.

Should I say something? I don’t want to seem like a prude.

He stepped into the room and began to move toward her with a stealthy, predatory step.

She couldn’t help but step back. Apparently, I am a prude, but this game doesn’t excite me. “William, what are you doing?” she demanded, straightening her spine. She set her heels, trying to seem taller.

“Playing chase. It’s just a game. God, Carrie, don’t you want to have fun in bed? Does it always have to be serious?”

“Please, don’t call me Carrie. I’ve asked you not to, and this doesn’t seem like fun to me. You’re scaring me. Stop it.”

His grin grew even wider until the sight of it made her want to hide. “A little fear can make it even better.”

Gulping down her rising panic, she lifted her chin in a show of bravado. “For you, maybe. William, if s*x is fun, it’s got to be fun for both partners. I don’t like what you’re doing.”

“You don’t trust me.” He dropped the teasing act and frowned. “You know I would never hurt you, Carrie.”

I do know that… or at least I think I do. She tried to relax and let her boyfriend take her hand. He led her to the bedroom and gently unbuttoning her blouse.

“Undress me, Carrie,” he urged. “I know you want this.”

She nodded, trying to recapture her rapidly-cooling ardor. I feel so… wrong, she thought as he slid her skirt down her thighs, leaving her standing before him in her underwear, feeling more vulnerable and less aroused than she could recall since the relationship began. Determined not to spoil the afternoon, she obediently tugged off his sweater and unbuckled his belt. His pants skimmed down his narrow hips with little prompting.