Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Brea
Apparently my lion shifter can cook. Breakfast is delicious, and I love the way he puts just the right amount of food on my plate. If he were any other person, I would probably be annoyed by the way he’s so overprotective.
He hovers. Even when he’s not leaning into my space, he’s watching me out of his peripheral vision. Instead of pissing me off, I feel cherished.
I’m certainly used to men hovering over me. Bossy men who mean to control me. Granted, Navin is certainly bossy and controlling, but it’s not the same. He does so from a place of caring.
The men I’m used to dealing with for the past several years hovered because they’re assholes.
When we’re finished eating, Navin puts a coloring book and colored pencils in front of me before gathering up the dishes and heading to the sink. I’m too shocked to move for long seconds. Every time he brings out something more appropriate for a toddler, I’m stunned.
The man sucked my clit this morning. He doesn’t see me as a toddler. It’s that he’s doting and protective.
I watch as he cleans the kitchen. He’s fascinating.
He didn’t mention me helping. Now that I look around, I realize it would almost be difficult for me to help.
He wasn’t kidding about his furniture. That applies to the counters, too.
His sink and stove are almost too high for me to reach comfortably.
I’d need a stool to cook or wash dishes.
I take the time to look all around this space.
We’re in a cabin. It might have been rustic at some point.
It still has rough log walls and wood floors, but everything has been updated.
It’s not a large space. From what I can see, there’s just this main room that’s both a kitchen and living room, the bedroom, the bathroom, and one more door at the other side of the kitchen.
The colors are mostly browns, making everything look warm and inviting. There’s a fireplace that’s not currently lit. It’s probably too warm outside for a fire, but I bet it’s wonderful in the winter.
When he’s finished, he turns my direction, wiping his hands on a towel. He points toward the supplies he’d put in front of me. “You don’t like to color?”
I glance down. I hadn’t even paid attention to exactly what the theme of the coloring book was. Now I see, based on the front, that it’s flowers. It’s not a child’s coloring book at all. It’s for an adult. When I flip it open, I find intricate designs that will take some time to fill in.
“I haven’t colored since I was young,” I say. “I have no idea if I’ll like it.” I lift my gaze back to him. “But I do know I enjoy watching you move around the kitchen.” My cheeks heat at my admission.
He smiles. “That’s good.”
The man is comfortable in his skin. That’s for sure. He’s still wearing nothing but boxers, but as if his lack of clothing suddenly occurs to him, too, he turns and opens a door on the other side of the kitchen area.
I can see a washer and dryer in the small space, and some clothes are hanging above them. Navin pulls down a pair of jeans, shrugs into them, and returns to me as he fastens himself up.
“Ah, so you do wear pants,” I joke.
He chuckles as he pulls my chair away from the table, unfastens the buckle at my waist, and lifts me into his arms again. “I imagine at least one of my pride members will show up soon. I doubt they want to see me in my boxers.”
Navin carries me across the great room and settles in a huge recliner, turning me so that I’m straddling him on his lap.
My breath hitches. The scar on my leg pulls tight, but it doesn’t hurt.
I feel ten times more aware of my nearly constant arousal with my legs spread this wide and my pussy so close to his erection.
At least denim is between my cotton-covered crotch and his cock.
Though I’m not sure that fact doesn’t disappoint me.
This entire situation is unnerving. I was basically murdered yesterday for not spreading my legs, and today my entire focus is on how fast I can get this man to put his erection inside me.
I get that he bit me. Logistically I understand that he has altered my mind or at least my libido with his saliva. But it’s still hard to grasp and even more difficult to accept as real.
Navin rubs my back. “I have a million questions, Little love. Why don’t I let you tell me about yourself and catch me up on how you ended up knifed in the woods yesterday.”
I lick my lips and decide to tell him the truth. He’s intent on protecting me, and as much as I find that hard to believe, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt because he’s given me no reason to doubt him. Hell, he’s done nothing but treat me like spun gold.
“I grew up far away from here in a small rundown town. I lived in a trailer park with my mother and three older brothers. My mother worked two jobs to put food on the table, but we didn’t have much growing up. I didn’t know any different, so it was just a normal life to me.”
“And you looked up to your brothers?”
I nod. “Yes. They doted on me when I was little. They let me bug them, taught me how to ride a bike, laughed when I played in the mud, and babysat me without complaint.”
“And then?”
“In their late teens, they started hanging with the wrong crowd. It pissed my mother off that they got involved in gang activity. She made them move out, but they often came around looking for money. When I was eighteen, my mother died. She had pneumonia, but she couldn’t afford the medicines or even doctor visits. ”
“I’m so sorry, Little love. That must have been hard.”
“Yeah. I was living alone in the trailer home, but my brothers started coming around more. I hated it because they were always high. They would rummage through Mom’s things, hoping to find stuff to sell to buy more drugs.”
Navin’s brows furrow deeper, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“This went on for the past two years. They would come by and harass me every few months. Then a week ago, they all three came at the same time. It was the middle of the night. I was sound asleep, and they essentially kidnapped me.”
Navin stiffens, his hands going rigid on my hips.
I decide to continue. He wants to know what happened to me, so I’ll tell him, even though it’s not pretty.
“They tied my wrists and ankles together, gagged me with one of my own T-shirts, stuffed me in the trunk of their car, and drove away from the only home I’ve ever known.
They took me to a warehouse and…” I pause, pursing my lips.
I haven’t stated these facts out loud before now. I’m embarrassed. My face is flushed.
“Go on, Little love,” he encourages with a gentle voice. “Tell Daddy what happened.”
“They sold me,” I whisper. “My own brothers sold me for drug money. They sold my virginity.”
Navin’s fingertips dig into my hips, but I don’t point it out. I kind of like how angry he is on my behalf and the fact that he doesn’t realize he’s gripping me too tightly.
“Was it this Mitchel guy who bought you?” he growls.
I nod. “Yes. He tossed me in the trunk of another car and drove away. It took two days to get here. For a while, I didn’t even know where here was.
I soon realized Mitchel was just a middleman.
We arrived in town in the middle of the night.
He locked me in his basement and left me there.
Whenever I slept, he would leave food and clean clothes.
I had a bathroom and access to water, but for the past five days, I’ve had no contact with anyone. ”
“He was waiting for a buyer?” Navin grits out.
“Yes. And he kept warning me that my pussy had better be untouched. I wouldn’t bring enough money if my hymen was broken.”
Navin’s entire body jerks. “Fuck, Brea.”
I nod and sit taller, determined to tell the rest. “I wasn’t about to let him sell me to someone. I didn’t care if he killed me, but I didn’t want someone to purchase me and rape me. So I did the only thing I could think of.”
Navin’s palm slides to my back. “You masturbated…”
I nod. I’m pretty proud of my ingenuity even though it was scary as fuck. “I did it every night. It was weird at first. I had no idea what I was doing.”
“What did you use, Little love?” he asks gently. “I didn’t see evidence of assault when I examined your pussy. I assume you were careful.”
I shiver at the thought of this man exploring my naked body while I was unconscious. “My fingers.”
“Did you encounter your hymen, Brea? Not everyone your age still has a hymen intact. Plenty of women who are virgins don’t have any skin blocking their entrance. It’s not foolproof.”
I shrug. “Yeah, I know. I took sex-ed in school, but Mitchel was hoping it would be visibly obvious that I was untouched, so I made sure it was not. It hurt the first time, and there was some blood, but I did it every day, and it stopped hurting. I knew I was stretching myself out. My hope was that if anyone forced my legs open to check, they would decide I was not a virgin.”
“It was a brilliant plan, Little love,” he praises.
I smile. “Thank you.”
“I hate to ask what led to yesterday.”
“Mitchel walked in on me while I was fucking myself. He was furious, and he stomped back up the stairs, screaming obscenities, telling me I would pay for fucking with his property. I quickly got dressed, but I only had time to put on jeans and a tank top before he was back. He grabbed me by the hair, yanked me up the stairs, and forced me into the trunk of his car again.”
“You must have been scared out of your mind.”
“I was, but not as scared as I would have been if some sleazeball had purchased me and raped me. I suspected Mitchel would kill me, but I didn’t care anymore. I would rather die than be sold for sex.”
Navin cups my ass and pulls me closer, holding me tight. “I’m so fucking glad Pryce and Orion found you, Little love.”
“Me, too,” I admit. “When Mitchel stopped the car and opened the trunk, I knew I was dead. No one would ever find my body. He tossed me over his shoulder and carried me deeper into the woods before dumping me on the ground. It happened so fast. One second I was scrambling to get to my feet, the next second, he pulled out a huge knife, held me down, and stabbed me in the leg. He laughed as blood poured out of the wound. He was still laughing as he backed away, telling me how gruesome it was going to be when animals found me and tore me limb from limb. He thought it was funny that I might not bleed to death before wild animals ate me.” I lick my lips.
“He even suggested I might get eaten by lions.”
Navin closes his eyes and takes deep breaths before looking at me again.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Little love.
But I’m not sorry you’re here now. I’ve waited years to find a mate.
It isn’t ideal that you didn’t have a say in my decision to save your life by claiming you, but I hope you can forgive me for making that selfish decision.
You’re mine now. No one will ever terrorize you again. ”