Chapter Four
Tamsyn
For the third night in a row, she watched Merrick walk into the bedroom in nothing but a towel. She knew his routine now—he’d walk to the dresser and pull out a pair of black briefs, which he slid on beneath the towel, sometimes giving her a glimpse of his butt. Once his unmentionables were covered, he’d use the towel to dry the rest of that big body and give his stark muscles a thorough drying.
Black jeans usually came next, along with the slow pull of a thick leather belt through the loops, before he tightened and fastened it with the shiny silver buckle. A quick adjustment so the silverware was front and center, then he’d sit on the bed to pull on his socks and boots.
But it was the next part she enjoyed most, when he picked up the black T-shirt with the embroidered gold CS bisected by what appeared to be two crossed riding crops, and dragged it over his head, popping his stomach muscles as he yanked it down into position.
The man was all tight skin and muscles she’d never seen on another person.
“Stop looking at me like that, little owl.”
All innocence, she batted her lashes at him and lifted her hand in a like what? gesture.
When he lifted an eyebrow at her, she shrugged her shoulders and pretended her attention was back on the romantic comedy playing on the TV, even though her eyes were utterly focused on him and him alone.
The way he lifted the comb to brush through his hair until every strand was perfectly in place. The brush of his hand over his short beard, smoothing it down. How he sprayed just a tease of some dark, tantalizing scent on his wrists.
In two minutes, he’d give her his standard lecture, then disappear until two o’clock in the morning. She didn’t know where he went, presumably the place where he’d found her, but all he would say is that he had to go to work.
It was the loneliest six hours of her day.
As he pulled a plaid lumberjack-style jacket from the closet, Tamsyn prepared herself for The Lecture . It was unnecessary—she knew it off by heart now, after spending two nights rolling the words around in her bored brain, in his voice for added impact.
“Should know the drill by now, darlin’. You’ve got everything you need until I get back. No more logs on the fire after midnight, and the bathroom is as far as you go by yourself. In case of an emergency, press One on the cell phone like I showed you, yeah?”
He’d been very thorough in showing her how the phone operated. It was simple, really, even for someone like her who had no previous experience handling such things. She felt sinfully prideful at being trusted with a valuable item.
“Answer the door to no one. The spare key is on a piece of string hanging on the handle, and your robe is at the foot of the bed.” He pinned her with those wonderful green eyes. “What do you do if you get dizzy?”
She jabbed a fingertip into the covers.
“That’s right, you sit down until it passes.” Merrick shrugged on his jacket. “Stay inside, little owl. I won’t be long, okay?”
What else could she do but nod? It wasn’t like she was unused to spending quality alone time; the community didn’t allow women to socialize on a regular basis, so talking with those she knew was limited to rare occasions. As a guest in her father’s house, she was required to eat with him and his wife, but once she cleared the plates and washed the dishes, she was confined to her room for the night.
At least here she had a comfortable bed, warm covers, and snacks. Snacks were an exciting addition, especially chocolate. Not to forget the TV, she thought. There was only so much time that could be lost in sleep, and she was reaching that limit.
It was only a few hours without him; she’d cope.
Still, her heart sank when he left.
She’d thought a lot about what he’d said a few days ago about being the wrong man for her. Honestly, she never believed she’d be interested in any man. After all, she’d grown up in a world where they did what they wanted, when they wanted, and took whatever their black hearts desired.
The problem was, her heart didn’t care.
“Her first time should be with someone she loves… Someone she can spend the rest of her life with if she wants. Not a man who likes his sex with an extra kick. Certainly not one who’ll cause her pain every time she’s with him… Don’t get attached, little owl. You deserve so much more than I can ever offer.”
Tamsyn didn’t know if she loved him. What was love really? If it was physical attraction, she did find him very appealing. She liked how he was strict and growly, even though it made anxiety crawl under her skin, yet squishy and kind beneath the gruffness. He never touched her like she was a possession for him to snatch and defile, but as something precious.
Could she spend the rest of her life with him?
Yes.
Of course, given the alternative of her chosen groom, she’d rather spend the rest of her life living in a stable, burrowing into a pile of hay to keep warm. Of the three options, however, Merrick came out top every time.
Maybe he thought he was protecting her by scaring her off with the idea of hard, rough sex, but he had no idea what went on between community men and their wives. The things she’d seen after a new bride’s first night with her husband were the stuff of nightmares, and there were often warnings whispered about one elder or another when the opportunity arose.
Tamsyn highly doubted Merrick could do anything to her that surpassed a husband’s level of cruelty.
Wasn’t it funny how a couple weeks of freedom gave her the confidence to dream about a future outside the community? Before, her thoughts were consumed with getting away, finding a way out, and then once Jedidiah made the announcement of her upcoming marriage, how to escape or kill herself in the least painful manner possible.
Throwing herself down the side of the mountain had been an option if all else failed.
For now, she was content to just be in Merrick’s presence, dreaming her foolish dreams, and taking solace in her newfound safety.
That all shattered at midnight.
When a scream yanked her rudely awake, her first thought was she’d fallen asleep watching a horror movie, but the sound coming through the speakers was canned laughter and witty banter.
Nerves jangling, she eased herself up in bed, searching the room. Everything was still and quiet, the fire was down to embers, and light from the lamp beside her spilled warmly through the room.
Okay, maybe she’d imagined it, or she’d had a nightmare.
Both were possible, she reminded herself. She had no control over her subconscious when she was asleep. There was no reason to be so scared—
A second scream, loud and shrill, from outside.
Jedidiah .
Fear embraced her in a cold, paralyzing hug, tightening frozen tendrils around her until she couldn’t breathe. If Jedidiah was here, there was nowhere for her to run, nowhere to hide. He and the elders would take her back to hell, letting her rot and suffer in a dead marriage until her husband got bored and put her out of her misery.
Merrick.
She groped for the phone on the table, fumbling it bad enough in her shaking hand that it skittered across the shiny wooden surface, hit the floor, and shot beneath the bed where she couldn’t reach.
Outside the window, she heard a man’s low, deep laugh before he said something in an ominous tone. Was he trying to find a way inside the cabin? The door was locked, but that meant nothing. Locks could be broken, windows smashed.
Flinging herself out of bed, she didn’t bother trying to find the shirt she usually slept in. After her bath, she’d been too warm once she got into bed and the fire’s warmth kept her toasty. Instead, she snatched up the robe and struggled to shove the cast through the arm.
Panic surging through her veins with every frantic beat of her heart, she finally managed to wrangle the bulky nuisance into place, and twisted until she got her right arm in as well. She was already shuffling as fast as she could go toward the door as she fastened the belt around her waist.
Another scream echoed, this one further away, and she wondered if the elders were raiding the entire place, rounding up fresh blood for the community.
She made it halfway down the hallway before she stopped and lost the contents of her stomach. Just when she thought she’d pass out and become easy prey for her father, a bolt of adrenaline kicked her up the butt.
She was trembling by the time she reached the front door, her fingers shaking badly enough it took her too long to unhook the key from the handle and slot it into the lock.
Going outside was probably the worst idea she’d ever had, but she couldn’t sit here like a dead duck. She needed to find Merrick because he’d know what to do. He might not be able to stop Jedidiah from taking her, but at least he wouldn’t think she’d run away without saying goodbye.
It was freezing when she opened the door. Her breath immediately streamed out in a white puff of steam and her bare skin recoiled from the cold. She took solace in the fact her feet were mostly healed from the blisters now, just the remnants of the pain left.
That didn’t stop her from crying out silently as she darted onto the porch and almost fell down the steps as her soles registered the biting cold.
Maybe she should go back in and—
A volley of screams this time, vibrating on the still air. They came from all directions, reflecting the terror she couldn’t vocalize.
So she ran, her muscles resisting every step, her body telling her she was pushing it far too soon for anything good to come from the overexertion. Surviving now was her priority—whatever price she needed to pay, she’d pay later.
The gravel path hurt her feet.
Everything hurt.
Was she having a heart attack? Maybe her brain was dying?
She ran toward the bigger buildings, praying there were more people. Faced with a group rather than individuals, Jedidiah might reconsider kidnapping her. Doubtful, but she needed to find a glimmer of hope.
The first building she came to had security lights at the front and down the sides, keeping the shadows at bay. Her abused feet slipped and slid on the steps as she used the rail to haul her exhausted body up the short distance, and all but threw herself through the doors into warm, dim darkness.
She almost collapsed, her breath wheezing in gulping sobs.
But she wasn’t safe until she found people. Not when people were out there hunting women, making them scream. She could keel over once she found Merrick.
Hearing noises from beyond the next set of doors, she stumbled forward on numb feet and pushed weakly into the room. A darker, wetter kind of heat sucked her in, filling her lungs with the scent of leather and something odd. Low, guttural sounds assaulted her ears, from strange moans to the slap of flesh on flesh.
Eyes adjusting to what little light there was, Tamsyn’s mouth dropped open as a writhing mass of bodies and limbs cavorted right there on the floor in front of her. A sea of shadowed nakedness that brought embarrassed heat to her cheeks.
Yes, she’d found people.
A lot of people.
“Oh, a newcomer. Wonderful.” The voice was rich with welcome, definitely male, and full of lascivious intent. “Haven’t seen you around before, beautiful. Are you alone?”
She couldn’t answer.
“It’s okay, you don’t need a partner for this. It’s just a good, old fashioned orgy. All you have to do is slide on in to the madness and enjoy yourself.” The man was only an inch or so taller than her when he stepped in front of her. She couldn’t see his eyes or much of his face but the beaming smile. “Oh, are you nervous, honey? First time exploring group sex?”
Tamsyn swallowed hard.
Merrick was going to kill her if she didn’t die of humiliation.
“A quiet one, huh? That’s fine. We’re all free to be who we are here; that’s the beauty of it. I’m Blake, by the way. An original member, not that it’s anything to brag about just yet.” He chuckled and set his hands lightly on her shoulders. “Want me to lead you in and guide you through the first-timer stage?”
Someone cried out, the sound full of pleasure. Raw, unabashed pleasure. It forced wet heat between her legs, much like the sensation Merrick evoked in her when he looked at her in a certain way or cupped her cheek the way she loved.
She squeaked in denial, but Blake wasn’t well-versed in deciphering her non-vocal code. Obviously taking it as assent, he deftly undid the belt of her robe and pushed it over her shoulders, letting it fall down her arms.
“You came in at a good time. I was just taking a water break.” He made a sound of sympathy when the robe caught around her cast. “Oh, ouch. No fun playing with a broken wrist. But come to play you have,” he murmured when her body was exposed to his gaze. He even eased her around slightly so a dim spotlight illuminated her breasts, stomach, and hips. “Stunning. You’ll fit in perfectly, honey; by the time we’re done with you tonight, you’ll wonder why you were so nervous.”
Come on, voice . Now would be a really good time to start working!
Instead of words spewing from her numb lips, Tamsyn found her cold, clammy hand clasped in a gentle, firm grip as she was pulled headlong into the churning collection of bodies. Hands stroked her legs as she tried not to step on people, more lovingly caressed her hips, her waist, her butt as both men and women realized there was a new person in their midst.
For the first time in her life, she saw for herself what sex was. It was thick rods of flesh, glistening wetly, pumping into stretched holes. Front and back, sometimes both at the same time. Sweat gleamed on acres of naked flesh stretched out and screwed up in all manner of positions, and some women were even sucking on a penis as another filled them up elsewhere.
Men on men, women on women, mixtures of both.
She heard panting, whimpering, crying, moaning. Her skin felt tight and uncomfortable, heat itching the muscles beneath. Something warm and wet trickled down the inside of her thighs as an ache pierced her core and made her yearn for… something.
Merrick . She wanted Merrick.
But it was Blake who tugged her down into the chaos, Blake’s body covering her as his mouth laid kisses down the side of her throat. “Everything goes here, honey. All kinks accommodated. Just tell me if I do something you don’t like or if there’s something you want to try.”
She jerked her head back.
His lips found her earlobe, sucking lightly until her hips lifted, searching for that elusive something . “Vaginal, anal, double everything , fisting… the list is endless and achievable.”
There was a long, hard length pressed against her curls, reaching up to her belly. It was warm and a little damp.
“Everyone’s clean—club requirement, after all. Are you on birth control? Most of us are going raw tonight but there are condoms available.”
Oh God, she needed to get out of here.
Merrick .
A long, keening noise ripped free. Not to be mistaken with any sound of arousal, it was full of terror. Somehow, through her own stupidity, she’d run from one potential hell straight into another, and this time, there was no way out.
*