Chapter 17
Iwas still nearly boneless, my body aching in places I didn’t even know it could, when Zarren jostled me awake. As I tried to grab the cover and bring it over my head, he yanked it from my hand. The cold breeze from the overhead air vent made me shiver.
Or was it Zarren’s presence? Overpowering... All-encompassing... Undeniable...
“I’m cold,” I said to him, and he arched a brow.
“I’d prove that to be a lie if I had more time. Unfortunately, I do not, and neither do you.”
“Time? Are you getting rid of me?” The very thought filled me with fear, especially after seeing what kind of men my biological father had sent to get me. I’d seen their violence up close and personal, and another tremble wracked me, but out of terror. “Don’t make me go.”
He sat down beside me, the mattress dipping slightly beneath his weight.
One of his large hands cupped the side of my face, and I turned my head into it.
Although he was my captor, I felt oddly secure when with him.
Maybe it had to do with him nearly giving his own life to save mine, or the closeness I now felt with him after we’d done what we had together.
I’d obviously not been a virgin, but Drake had been my only lover.
I wasn’t promiscuous, and I had never even really desired sex.
I had it because it was expected of me, but I’d never been able to shake the irrational fear that I was lacking when it came to it.
Knowing Drake had been cheating on me with anyone willing only confirmed it.
At least until this morning. Zarren had fucked me to sleep, literally, and he’d not expressed any complaints about my performance.
Granted, I’d been shocked that I’d even let him touch me in that way.
Once he started, however, I had no willpower or strength to deny him.
And no desire, either. He’d made my body come alive in ways I never thought possible, and just the remembrance reignited the ache inside my core.
“You’re not going anywhere right now. The day will come when you’ll have to leave, but that day isn’t today.”
“I don’t understand,” I murmured softly.
“You need to get dressed because some company is coming to see you.”
“Me?” I asked, then hope bloomed inside me that maybe it was the parents I knew and loved, or even a friend who was no backstabber like Brae. “Who?”
“My aunts are coming over while my uncles and I take care of something.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I pouted, not sure if my annoyance was due to the fact that I’d just gotten my hopes up over nothing again. In the time I was here, I was made to reach out to those who loved me so they wouldn’t worry.
“The last thing I need is your face plastered all over the news,” he’d told me. “Make it believable.”
And I had. My parents thought I was taking a much-needed vacation away from Boston, when the truth was that I was not far away at all.
I’d even put in a sudden leave of absence at work.
My mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and while it was in remission now, they must’ve automatically assumed it had returned because they granted my request and wished my family and me well.
It was after those messages that I’d realized I was truly in captivity. The scariest thing was that everyone who’d worry about me would no longer worry after my convincing act. Zarren could do anything he wanted to me, and no one would be the wiser.
When his warm lips came down on my forehead, I sighed softly.
Zarren had done whatever he’d wanted to do with me, and I had begged him for more.
A groan slipped from my lips. If I rubbed my legs together the right way, I’d be able to recreate the friction of our limbs tangling together as he’d pounded me to an explosive orgasm.
“You need to stop that before you make me tell my uncles to fuck off,” he warned.
I smiled as I glanced up at him. “Would that be the worst thing?”
Oh God! I was practically throwing myself at a man who’d won me in some bullshit card game, then kidnapped and held me against my will all of this time. Of course, he was the man who’d literally stepped into danger to protect me from someone I suspected was worse than he could ever be.
“Fine,” I muttered at his deadpan expression. “I’ll get up, but don’t expect me to be Miss Congeniality with them.”
He chuckled. “I’d expect nothing less from you, Bellezza. I’ll see you downstairs.”
Zarren rose to his feet and disappeared into his closet. I grabbed his T-shirt that’d been hanging over the chair, and quickly drew it over my head and down my body. He was taller, and much more broad, so it hung off me and looked more like an oversized dress.
It smelled like him, and I waited until I got into my own room to inhale this scent.
I’d gone to sleep with the combination of his shampoo and cologne on the pillows.
And also with his large arms wrapped around me.
Sleep had been very fleeting since arriving here, but I’d fallen asleep and had what was likely the most rest I’d had in forever, at least until he came and ruined it.
I quickly got dressed in a maxi dress. After, I slipped out of my room just as he had been leaving his own.
My breath caught in my throat as I drank him in.
There was something disturbing taking residence inside of me because I shouldn’t have been ogling my kidnapper, yet here I was. And damn, he was a sight to behold.
Decked out in all black from his jeans, T-shirt, and leather jacket, he looked to be a man on a mission. He even had black boots, which were different from the ones he usually wore.
“Like what you see, Bellezza?” he asked, and his mocking tone brought me back to the present.
“Do you own anything that isn’t black?”
“You don’t seem to mind the color one bit. However, you’re much more agreeable when I’m wearing nothing.”
“Get over yourself,” I replied flippantly.
“I’d rather be hovering over you, watching your face as you come. I can’t erase the sight of you biting your bottom lip as your entire body—”
“Zarren,” I pleaded, mainly because I heard the sound of voices downstairs, and several at that.
“And how your eyes glaze over when I ram into a certain spot,” he said as he came closer to me.
I stepped back on instinct. “There are people downstairs.”
“All of whom I wouldn’t give a damn about if this was any other day. I’d fuck you for all to see,” he said, and I must’ve paled because he smirked. “And you would scream the damn roof down over us.”
“You’re a pervert,” I retorted.
“And you might give new meaning to that title. After all, you’re the one undressing me with your eyes.”
“Was not,” I exclaimed, even though I knew I had been. “Whatever,” I spat out when he chuckled once more. “I’m going downstairs.”
And on that, I decided to test my luck with the house guests. I’d started getting along well with Conor and Liam, so these others would be no different. That thought went out the window the moment I cleared the bottom step and four sets of new eyes turned in my direction.
The men were both blond, heavily tattooed, and looked positively dangerous. I gulped even as the one with the least amount of tattoos peeking out from his short sleeves smiled at me. “Miss Winslow,” he drawled.
“Aurora,” I said to him.
“Yes, of course. It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” he replied before stepping closer. As he went to extend his hand to me, a strong pair of arms yanked me backward and into a brick wall of muscle.
“These are my uncles,” Zarren said to me. “This one is Kingston.” He pointed at the one in the back, then at the one closest to me. “And this is Cillian. Their wives are right over there.”
The dark-haired one smiled at me as she came closer. “I’m Ekaterina.”
The redhead followed suit. “And I’m Reagan. It’s nice to meet you. We’ve heard a lot about you.”
I turned my head and peeked up at Zarren, who was still holding me tightly in his grasp. It was only when one of the men cleared his throat that his death grip loosened. “I’ll be back soon. You’re in good hands with the women.”
And with that, he released me completely and left, followed by the men who provided extra muscle. I shuddered to even think about what kind of business they were headed out to do.
Winter was always the worst for me, especially with the darkness lasting much longer than any light.
It made my seasonal anxiety go haywire. I forced my mind to clear as I looked over at the women.
They both sat down, with the dark-haired one in the oversized recliner and the redhead on the couch. She patted the space beside her.
“Join us, Aurora.”