On His Knees

  ON HIS KNEES

  Beth Williamson

  ®

  www.loose-id.com

  Warning

  This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id® e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  * * * * *

  This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable (bondage and anal sex).

  On His Knees

  Beth Williamson

  This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Published by

  Loose Id LLC

  1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-2924

  Carson City NV 89701-1215

  www.loose-id.com

  Copyright © January 2007 by Beth Williamson

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

  ISBN 978-1-59632-376-6

  Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader

  Printed in the United States of America

  Editor: Lorri-Lynne Brown

  Cover Artist: Scott Carpenter

  Chapter One

  She woke in an instant. Adrenaline started pumping through her sleep-chilled body. Renny didn’t know what had woken her. Perhaps it was the snick of the door closing, or the brief meow of a cat outside. Whatever the cause, she was wide awake and alert.

  Someone was in the house.

  Every single woman’s fear, especially when she lived in an area that was easily accessible and hidden from public view. Her dream house fulfilled her lifelong need to own something tangible; however, it now appeared the dream was about to be twisted.

  Renny glanced at the clock. The red numbers flashed 12:17 in a room as dark as pitch. The only light in the room came from the digits shining brightly in her alarm clock.

  She bit down on any panic that tried to rise. She had a weapon and a cell phone, and she wasn’t about to let someone chase her out of her new house. A sharp crack of thunder reverberated through the house, startling her enough that she bit her lip to the point of pain to keep from crying out. It was followed by a flash of lightning that temporarily blinded her. The gauzy white curtains on the bay window did nothing to shield her from its dazzling light.

  Perfect. A thunderstorm would not only mask any noise the intruder made, but the lightning would also make it impossible to hide from him. Then again, he couldn’t hide from her.

  She stood and groped in the dark for her a shirt and shorts, but only found panties. Ah, well, the drawbacks to sleeping nude. She slipped the panties on, then felt her way to the nightstand and removed the taser gun. Her dad had convinced her to get something to protect herself after she refused his offer of a pistol.

  Her palms were clammy and her mouth felt like a drought ridden prairie, but she gripped the taser gun and stood. As she walked toward the bedroom door, the thunder shook the house again, followed by a sizzling bolt of lightning. She spotted her shirt on the floor by her left foot and quickly grabbed it. After slipping it on, she felt a little better prepared. Less naked anyway, since panties and a shirt weren’t exactly body armor.

  The old Renny would have run from a challenge; whether or not there was danger involved was irrelevant. The youngest of five children, she had spent most of her life avoiding anything remotely resembling confrontation. That was before her divorce, before she found the courage to start her life all over again. The new Renny would confront everything head on, come hell or high water.

  Whatever the outcome of the break-in, it would bring trouble, but she could not stop herself from finding out who was in her house. Renny trusted her instincts and they were all standing up like the hairs on the back of her neck.

  Her heart thumped like a bass drum, sending adrenaline and blood racing crazily through her system. Beads of sweat broke out on her brow, between her breasts, and under her arms. Through all that, she felt cold. Perhaps it was the air conditioning set low enough at night to allow her to snuggle under mounds of covers. Perhaps it was cold raw fear.

  Renny opted to believe it was the latter, but it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t let the fear control her. Courage and fear went hand in hand.

  A deep breath in, she let it out so slowly, even she didn’t hear it. Although she lived alone, she always kept the bedroom door closed when she slept. Creeped her out to leave it open. She glanced down at the taser and shook her head. To use it, she’d need to get close, really close, to whomever was in the house. She needed something with more reach, something longer.

  The baseball bat. Nicholas’s baseball bat. It was on the shelf in the closet, a trophy from her divorce battle with her ex-husband. The bat used by Mark McGuire to break the homerun record, it was obsessively important to him. He’d insisted on it in the divorce settlement, but she happily refused to hand it over.

  It seemed more important than his wife had been, which was exactly why she refused to give it to him.

  She set the taser gun on the bed, and tiptoed to the closet, thankful she’d purchased the deep plush carpet. As quietly as possible, she slid the door open and groped on the shelf until she located the bat behind the empty shoe boxes and purses. One of the smaller purses fell and landed on her face, almost scaring a scream out of her. Definitely made the sweat pools larger. She’d need a shower soon.

  Sliding the bat down almost noiselessly, the weight of the wood felt solid in her hands. Comforting. Empowering. Whoever the asshole was who broke into her house, this bat was about to make him regret it.

  A scratching sound made Renny jump. She watched in horror as the bedroom door slowly opened a few inches. A lightning flash revealed the taser on the empty bed. Renny hoped the intruder didn’t see it. She crept back behind the door, keeping both hands on the baseball bat, praying her sweaty palms or racing heart didn’t give her away.

  The soft scrape of the door on the carpet was the only sound in the room, other than the blood rushing past her ears. She held the bat like a batter waiting for the ball to cross the plate. God help her if her aim was off even a little.

  She swallowed, or tried to since her mouth was still as dry as cotton. Inch by inch, the door opened until she thought she’d yell, “Just get your ass in here!” Instead, she held onto her patience and waited, bat at the ready. Finally, finally, a dark shape stepped into the room and paused. When a rumble of thunder sounded, Renny knew she had only moments before the lightning flashed again, revealing her whereabouts, or at least where she wasn’t.

  Her opportunity came seconds later when he stepped further into the room. Renny swung the bat with all her might. After dinging a shoulder, it connected with a dull thump on the intruder’s skull. He dropped with a grunt onto the carpet and lay still as death in the gloom.

  Renny shook with fear and triumph, and damned if she likely didn’t need new panties.

  Holy shit.

  She ran to the bed and picked up the taser, never letting the bat leave her right hand. Now doubly armed, she headed toward the bathroom to turn on the light. She didn’t want to blind herself so she flicked on the light above the tub, which threw a small shaft of light int
o the bedroom. The unconscious lump on the floor didn’t move.

  Renny walked toward him slowly, until she was within reach. She poked him with the bat, then jumped back. Her heart couldn’t take many more surprises. Fortunately, nothing happened. She blew out a shaky breath and figured she needed to make sure he was securely trapped before she called nine-one-one.

  Rope. She needed rope. Did she have any? Maybe in the garage. That meant she’d have to walk around him, or rather, over him to leave the room. Better now than never. She tucked the taser into the elastic of her panties, hoping like hell it wouldn’t slip and taser her pussy.

  She tiptoed slowly toward him, baseball bat ready. It had only been a minute, but it felt like an hour, since she’d hit him. As she made a wide arc around the body, something caught her eye, something that winked in the meager light from the bathroom. A silver necklace around the intruder’s throat. A familiar looking open link necklace of white gold.

  It couldn’t be.

  She stepped closer and peered at the intruder’s face, knowing who it was, yet hoping she was wrong.

  Nicholas.

  It couldn’t be! It sure as hell shouldn’t be. Why would her ex-husband break into her house? He left her, not the other way around. Now he broke into her house in the middle of the night? The very idea made her head hurt, not to mention what it did to her heart.

  Nicholas sure as hell owed her an explanation for this, among other things.

  Renny headed for the garage ... and the rope. As soon she flicked the light on, she remembered how she got the rope. About two months after Nicholas left her, her friends convinced ‑‑ bullied ‑‑ her into rock climbing at a local indoor place. She had actually been excited about climbing and bought a new harness, carabiners and rope. When they got there, Renny learned how to step into the harness before slipping it on. The instructor checked everyone’s and they all passed inspection ... until he got to Renny.

  He frowned. “You need at least three inches of room between the strap and the buckle. There just isn’t enough here to be safe. Sorry, but you’re going to have to use one of our extra large harnesses.”

  His blue eyes were sympathetic, but it didn’t make Renny feel any better. Fact was, her damn thighs were too fat to fit properly on the climbing harness the salesgirl had told her was one-size-fits-all. In the end, all Renny did was belay for others. She was too embarrassed to climb or wear a jumbo sized harness like a circus elephant.

  She stared at the bright yellow and black rope sitting on the shelf next to the hated harness. Right on top were two caribiners, the locking kind. Now she had to remember how to tie that figure eight knot and Nicholas wouldn’t be able to move an inch. A rush of evil thoughts swirled through her mind.

  Should she really tie him up? When would she have the opportunity to grill him on what went wrong? He’d left her after ten years of marriage without even so much as a note. Instead, a courier arrived at work and delivered the papers from the attorney after he’d filed for divorce. The most devastating, crushing moment of her life and all she had was a stack of papers in her shaking hands.

  The memory of that moment sealed her resolve. Renny would make Nicholas talk. One way or the other.

  Tying knots wasn’t her specialty, but she managed just fine, probably due to the rage pouring through her. Damn Nicholas for leaving her, for scaring her, and for invading her private space. She hoped he’d wake up soon so she could find out the answers to her questions ... all her questions.

  After tying his hands and feet, Renny made a bit of a loop to nearly hogtie Nicholas then secured it with a carabiner. She wanted to move him out of the doorway, but he was a big man, too big for her to move even if she was no petite flower of womanhood.

  God, she really did need a shower after all that. Her stink made her own nose wrinkle. Well, too bad. He’d have to deal with it. What she really needed was a drink, so she headed to the kitchen to get some cranberry juice. The hardwood floors felt cool under her feet and the air conditioning cooled her somewhat. After she poured a glass, she reconsidered and pulled the vodka out of the freezer, adding an ice cold dash to the juice.

  A long, satisfying gulp later, Renny felt more in control, less frantic. It had taken so long to get over the hurt inflicted by Nicholas’ leaving. So long to realize it had nothing to do with her weight or their lackluster sex life, or anything else she had done or didn’t do. It was something Nicholas hadn’t shared with her, and she’d be damned if she’d let him loose without getting a full accounting of why.

  Why?

  It was the question that chased around her brain when she slept, ate, worked, drove, or shopped. Everywhere and all the time, like a song that kept playing, she couldn’t turn it off.

  Chapter Two

  A hammer slammed incessantly on his head.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  It took Nicholas a minute to realize it wasn’t a hammer. It was pain, a lot of pain, accompanied by horrendous throbbing.

  What the hell happened?

  He’d gone over to Renny’s place while she was away for the weekend. After getting the key from under the brick in front ‑‑ she was such a creature of habit ‑‑ he stepped inside. Then ...

  Then what?

  Everything beyond that was a bit murky, but he was fairly certain someone had conked him on the head. Who the hell had hit him? He kept his eyes closed and surveyed his body. A brief tug on his hands, then his feet, and a tilt of his head. Unbelievable. Not only was he tied up, but he was fairly certain he was hog-tied and lying on a carpet.

  He breathed slowly in and out, bringing much needed oxygen into his system. Using his strength training, Nicholas slowed his heart rate and lessened the pain in his head somewhat. After a minute or two, the dizziness passed. He cracked open one eye and peered at a pewter colored carpet.

  The other eye opened and he shifted his gaze to the right.

  Holy shit.

  An incredibly round, luscious ass was directly in front of him, wearing a black thong and close enough to bite. He blinked and tried to speak, but his voice came out as more of a croak. The ass moved like greased lightning and he found himself face to face with a very angry looking Renny.

  She looked different, definitely had lost some weight and she’d cut her hair. The golden, wavy hair that had hung to her waist for as long as he’d known her had been cut to shoulder length. It fell softly around her face, gently cupping her beautifully round cheeks.

  “Renny? God you cut your hair!” popped out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

  Her green eyes widened at the same time her mouth pursed into a tight white line. “What the fuck are you doing breaking into my house?”

  “Did you just curse at me?”

  This was Renny, wasn’t it? It was as if an evil twin who liked sexy panties and dirty words had taken over.

  “If you don’t have anything intelligent to say, I’m going to knock you out again. Now I’m going to ask you one more time ... why did you break into my house?” She leaned in close and poked him in the chest.

  “I didn’t break in. You left the key where you usually do.”

  She poked him again and he realized she had a manicure with red hot nail polish. Saying that a year had changed her was an understatement.

  “You know what I mean, Nicholas Johnson. This is my house and you are not welcome.”

  Not surprising, of course, but it still hurt. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Renny. Did you hit me?”

  She slapped his shoulder. “Of course I hit you! You broke into my house. Did you expect me to make you cookies?”

  “Jesus, of course not! I meant, I thought you weren’t going to be here.”

  “And that made it okay to invade my privacy?”

  He’d never seen her so angry, so passionate, so full of life. The Renny he knew would have apologized for hitting him, not ranted at him for making her do it.

  “No, and I’m sorry. I really meant to just get what I came for an
d go. I honestly thought you’d be gone. Janie said ‑‑”

  She clapped one hand over his mouth. “I’ll deal with Janie and her big mouth on Monday. Right now I’m going burn that goddamn bat. That’s what you came for, right?”

  He shook his head and regretted every excruciating moment. His vision went a little gray around the edges and the next thing he knew, Renny was cupping his cheeks and calling his name.

  “Don’t faint on me.”

  “I don’t faint,” he replied weakly.

  She cocked one blonde eyebrow and smirked. “Hmm, but apparently you do commit breaking and entering.”

  “I really am sorry, Renny, I didn’t mean to scare you. I ... you really look gorgeous.” His brain must be rattled. Even if that’s what he was thinking, it definitely wasn’t the time to share it.

  Her face drained of color and she sat back on her haunches with a ferocious frown. “You think that’s going to get you untied? Or stop me from calling the cops?”

  Cops?

  “Are you going to have me arrested?” The panic over that possibility didn’t actually bite like he thought it would. He was actually more upset that he’d scared the crap out of her.

  “Why did you tie me up?”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it. After a few moments, she finally spoke. “You broke into my house.”

  “Yes, but after you knocked me out, you must have known it was me.”

  Her gaze moved to the wall. “I recognized you.”

  A vague answer. “You’re saying that you tied me up on purpose?”

  Her green gaze swung back to him. “Damn straight.” She licked her lips and unbelievably, his cock twitched. The combination of getting knocked on the head and being tied up must have really knocked him sideways. She couldn’t have known about his newly discovered predilections, could she? He supposed someone could have told her, but it wasn’t common knowledge.