Bayou Bishops Box Set: Books 1-12

CHAPTER 7

“I touched her,” Lesion said, pacing in Madam Hag’s small kitchen, his panic gradually growing the more ensnared he got with Tully.

“I take it this touch wasn’t casual.”

“I touched her everywhere, like I always touch everything only she’s a woman and…she touched me back. In places no woman ever has.”

“Ohhhh,” she whispered.

“This isn’t that kind of ohhhh, Madam.”

“No?”

He shook his head. “Negative.”

“And why not?”

“Because I’m doing everything a man does to a woman who he marries, only I’m not thinking of marriage at all, I’m thinking of exploring and mapping and writing facts down and seeing what sort of medicinal concoctions can be gotten from it all. I’m using her and she is happy to let me, only I’m sure she’s wanting more than to be used after my inquisitive mind and fingers are done.”

“And you don’t want more?”

“Oh, I want more. Lots more. Tons more.”

“I know you would never hurt her,” she assured.

“Really? What if I get to the end of my learning and get bored and want to move on? Don’t look at me like that’s not possible, you know how I am. I go from one thing to the next learning what can be learned. I catalog and I’m done. I can’t do that to her.”

“Sounds like you already did.”

“Fuck,” he grit, knowing she was right.

“Patches is coming,” she announced, stopping him in his dumbfounded tracks. “He heard about your newest collection and wanted to bring supplies.”

“Supplies for what? What supplies could he possibly have that I don’t, that I would ever even use? Why are you grinning, did you do that on purpose?”

“Maybe,” she said, shamelessly.

“Why, Madam! I don’t need this added conflict.”

“I think maybe you do.”

“What are you hoping to accomplish? I don’t trust myself with her.”

“What does that mean?” she cried like he were being silly.

“She…does things to me that I can’t explain. You’re nodding like you know, then tell me. What is it? And don’t say I’m in love because I know what I’m in, I’m in complete psychotic obsession with everything about her. For now,” he reminded with a finger in the air.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Lee,” she cooed.

“I need to get back. When is he coming? Can you cancel?”

She shook her head like she could but wouldn’t.

Infuriating woman.

“Maybe she will attach to Patches.”

The idea made his blood thicken with lethal intent. “Cute,” he grit at her before leaving.

“See you this afternoon,” she called.

Maybe she wouldn’t. Maybe he would take Tully away from there. He had money. He had no reasons to stay there or in The Twelve. He was free to do whatever he wanted. Fuck, he didn’t have time for that. He only had time to prepare her.

“Tully,” he called when he entered the house.

“In the bathroom.”

He made his way to the door. “I need to speak to you. We have company coming.”

“Company?” she asked, opening the door. His gaze lowered to the unbuttoned flannel shirt and creamy skin between the gaping material. His mouth watered instantly, a symptom of a scientific addiction that was becoming popular by demand with her.

“Yes,” he remembered to say, bringing his gaze back to her smiling one. She liked what she did to him. And the mischief in her eyes said she knew what she did and was using it to deliberately make him do what she wanted. She wanted more of what he’d given her and was prepared to seduce him to get it. And all that did was make him need to control everything more.

The make thing. She wanted him to control her and was attempting to force him to it. Or dominate her as she called it. He didn’t much care for the term but he did need that important dynamic. “One of The Twelve are coming.”

She got suddenly curious. “The Twelve?”

“I belong to a brotherhood of twelve men and one of them are coming. He’s a kind of doctor.”

“Like you?” she asked, opening the door now.

“Nothing like me. A more traditional medic.”

“Why is he coming?”

“To…bring supplies.”

He watched her walk to the bed and sit with her feet propped on the bed rail, palms behind her as her knees opened and shut, an innocent gesture if the seduction in her eyes wasn’t burning a hole through him. He suddenly wanted to lock the doors and ignore the world for the next twenty-four hours while engaging in this game she seemed bent on playing.

The question was, could he play it and use it to solve his Patch problem? He could. “I don’t want him meeting you,” he confessed.

Her knees stopped moving and she asked, “Why?”

He had no idea what the worry meant on her pretty face. “Because I don’t want him seeing you,” he clarified.

Her confusion said she was drawing the wrong conclusions. He made his way over until he stood just before her, forcing her face up. “You wanted me to…dominate you.”

She stared at him then nodded quickly as dominating ideas formed in his mind.

“When he comes…you may not look at him. Even if he speaks to you. And you will especially not touch him.”

“Why?” she whispered, excitement making her face flush.

“Because you belong to me while you’re here.” Nothing felt further from the truth. There would be no place she didn’t belong to him he realized the second he said it. He decided to leave it for now.

“And…what do I get if I’m a good girl?”

Those sexy words and the heat in her eyes jerked his cock harder than ever. “I’ll think about it. Something you’ll love.”

She swept her tongue over her lips, eying him still. “And if… I’m a bad girl?”

A lava bomb of lust flooded him with that innocent question. “Then I’ll make you pay dearly.” Fuck, had he just set himself up to watch her do everything he might want to kill for? He was sure he had. And now he wondered if it wasn’t exactly what he craved.

****

All the bracing and preparing Lesion had gone through went right out the window when he exited his shower to find Tully nowhere around. Then he heard voices. Her unmistakable musical laughter sent him to the door in only swamp pants. His guts tied in knots then lit on fire with a possessive fury at finding Patches and Tully chatting on the pier as though she’d met him out there. She glanced at his house at least three times in the span of twenty seconds, telling him she was deliberately crossing lines. Did she really think she could play him and win?

He finished dressing in his black robes and exited the house, meeting Patches on the pier while ignoring Tully’s gaze on him. “Patches,” he greeted, shaking his hand. “Been a while.”

“It has. Last time I saw you, you saved my life, I believe.”

“I remember,” he said thinking he might need to save it again. “I see you met Tully,” he said, letting himself look at her. As expected, pure mischief hid behind her lit eyes.

“I have. What a delight she is,” he said, not hiding his fascination with her.

“Madam Hag cooked. Are you here to eat?”

“I am. And to bring supplies.”

“Good. Maybe you can escort Tully to her house. I have emergency business in the swamp. If you’re gone by the time I get back, I’m sure Tully will keep you entertained.” No words had ever been harder to say. And when he looked at her, the shock on her beautiful face brought his smile. “She loves playing games,” he said. “Feel free to indulge in her charming wit. She has plenty to spare and seems to love sharing.”

He looked at Patches, not shocked to find a worried confusion on his brow. He needed to worry. Lesion headed down the pier. “I won’t be long. If you meet trouble, don’t worry. I have all the antidotes.”

“Fuck me,” he heard him barely mutter behind him.

Lesion walked out of sight and backtracked to watch what his move had cost him. Or granted him. He watched Tully from a distance, hugging her arms and looking all around with worry on her pretty face. She had every reason to worry. He watched Patches try to talk her into going with him and she shook her head several times, getting more adamant with each refusal. Lesion was ready to blow a paralysis dart right between his eyes if he didn’t take the hint real soon. Finally, he raised his hands in surrender and turned toward Madam Hag’s house while Tully got back to peering all around her. Did she suspect he hadn’t left?

He watched her head down the pier in the opposite direction of the house, giving him his answer. Did she know he’d never leave her? She seemed to, judging by the way she searched the woods for him.

“Lesion,” she began whisper calling. “Where are you?”

Where the fuck was she going? He kept his distance as she left the pier in her search. How far was she willing to go? He suddenly wanted to know.

He followed her for thirty minutes, his anger growing at how foolish she was. He gradually closed the distance between them as the sun began to quickly set. He heard her sob and let out a whistle, silencing her. He crept toward her until she was only a couple yards ahead of him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She screamed and spun to him, letting out a gasp of shock then raced over and latched her arms around his neck. His hands found her waist as he closed his eyes, feeling the soft press of her warm face into his neck. “I’m lost,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, I…I just wanted…”

“To be punished,” he already knew.

“By you, yes,” she whispered, breathless.

“Do you know what kind of dangerous game you played? What if I hadn’t been out here?”

“But you were. You wouldn’t leave me.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because…” she searched his face then lowered her head. “I just know,” she whispered.

He turned her face up to his and pressed his lips on hers. The eager opening of her mouth sent his tongue plunging to devour her. His groan ripped through his chest as he fought to feel her soft body under the sheer material. His fingers found her nipple and he pinched in sheer hunger. He pulled up at the cry she gave along with new desperate whimpers that provoked him. He put her against a tree, testing it again, squeezing her nipple between his fingers. The drunk look in her gaze lit him on fire, making him need to use his teeth. He yanked the material down and devoured her breast, sucking the nipple like a starved babe before tracing every inch with his tongue. He raked his teeth and she cried out in that way that made him crazy.

“Put your hands behind your back, Tully.”

Her gasps came non-stop as he returned to nibbling her nipple, increasing the pain as he went. Fuck, could she have an orgasm this way? It fucking sounded like she was on the verge.

He worked his other hand under her dress and moved his face right before hers. “No panties,” he swore, the need to punish her becoming very authentic. “Put your foot on my cock.”

She gasped and raised her foot, pressing it against his groin as he found her clit. He lowered his mouth to her nipple and began the torment again, slowly raising the intensity as he toyed with her clit. He captured the slippery nub between his fingers and began to squeeze as he bit down harder on her nipple, bringing an orgasm of stifled screams. He caught her in his arms when her legs gave out. “I’m far from done with you, Tully,” he swore, heading back to the house with her in his arms.