Runner

by Evie Mitchell

  "You ever hear of Shibari?"

  She shook her head, hair tumbling down her back.

  "Japanese bondage. Rope play." I ran the tail of the rope across the skin of her back, enjoying her shiver. "You okay if we play tonight?"

  Ellie hesitated and I waited, letting her call the shots.

  I liked to dominate, not manipulate. There was a big fucking difference.

  "Do I need a safe word?"

  "Red means stop. Yellow means slow down, and I'll know if you're good to go if you say so." I reached around, tilting her head back a fraction so she could look at me. "You okay with that?"

  "Yes, Runner."

  "There are shears in the bedside table, reach over and pull them out for me."

  She bent, pulling the drawer free and removing the scissors.

  "Will we need them?" she asked softly.

  "Never have before, but your safety comes first, Ellie."

  She nodded, placing the shears on the table, and settling back into position.

  I rewarded her with a kiss to her shoulder, gentle and tender. Teasing her just a little. "Good girl."

  I pulled back and Ellie's face dropped, her gaze focusing back on the headboard.

  Very good girl.

  I looped the length of rope, doubling it, then pulled it over her head, creating a knot between her shoulder blades. Ellie's breathing increased, her body shaking as I shifted, slowly creating knots that ran the length of her front.

  "These will be for when I add more around you," I explained, threading the rope, enjoying the slightly drugged look in her eyes as I purposefully grazed the rope across her skin. I finished threading the knots down her body then paused, carefully crafting one that would press against her clit.

  "This one is known as the happy knot." I explained, spreading her legs, and positioning the rope. "It'll sit right on your clit."

  I swirled a finger through the wet, finding her most sensitive core.

  Ellie shifted, her eyes closing as she panted, a little whimper escaping her at my touch.

  "Now, gonna press this right here," I placed the knot against her clit. "Feel okay?"

  She immediately nodded then groaned, her head falling back her body shuddering slightly.

  I grinned, moving back around her body to loop the length in the back. The ritual of tying her, of binding her body took on a new meaning for me as I looped patterns with the rope onto her skin. This was my Ellie, no longer a woman I could live without. As I pulled the rope tight, tying off the final knot, it felt like I was binding her to me.

  Fucking hope so.

  "Because this is your first time, I'm not going to string you up, suspend you and then fuck you." I told her, stroking her skin, enjoying her panting sighs. "But Baby Girl, you're definitely gonna cum."

  I dropped, working my way between her thighs, my tongue tracing the rope’s path and finding the treasures it hid.

  Ellie was soaking wet, her thighs damp, her body shivering as I laved her, my tongue stroked, my mouth worshipping. She tasted like heaven and sin, life and death and everything in between.

  She tastes like home.

  I groaned, fisting my cock, stroking it as I worked her hot body to completion.

  Above me, Ellie shattered, her thighs gripping my head, her body writhing as she rode my mouth.

  Fuck, yes.

  I slid free a moment before she collapsed, catching her in my arms and laying her gently on her side.

  Her legs trembled, her body shaking as I slowly untied the rope, giving her time to breathe.

  Ellie blinked up at me as I pulled the rope free from around her neck.

  "What about you?"

  I grinned, knowing it was pure male satisfaction. "Don't you worry, Baby Girl, we're just getting started."

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ellie

  A girl could definitely get used to this.

  I woke with a body that ached in the most delicious of ways, and a man who insisted on making me scream once more before I was allowed up.

  The least I could do was make Runner pancakes. Correction, I thought about making him pancakes. But by the time I got out of the shower he'd returned from the mess hall with a pile of Yana's pastries, something that smell deliciously decadent, and had an actual pot of coffee brewing.

  As in real coffee. Nothing like the weak shit we'd been rationing for months. No, this was freshly crushed dark roast in an actual French press.

  I take it back. The man can definitely have anal.

  "What's that smell?" I asked, sniffing the air.

  "Something Yana said would, and I quote, 'blow my brains out with delight'."

  "Well, sign me up." I slid onto a bar stool and reached for one of the steaming bowls. "Oh my God," I moaned around a spoonful of indescribable joy. "What even is this?"

  "No idea, but it's damned good," Runner agreed, flashing me a grin. He poured out two mugs of precious coffee then slid one across to me, taking the other and leaning back against the counter to watch me eat.

  "You already ate?"

  He nodded, taking a sip.

  "Oh, I was gonna make you pancakes." I lifted a spoon, "gotta admit, this is much better."

  He chuckled. "I appreciate the thought, but you needed sleep. And we need to get going."

  "Going?"

  He rubbed a thumb against his lips. "Gotta go shopping."

  I raised an eyebrow. "As in clothes shopping?"

  "You got that list of products you need?"

  Ah, the biofuel.

  "Up here," I said, tapping the side of my head. "But if you got paper and pen, I can get it down."

  He disappeared into his bedroom and came out a moment later holding a notepad and pencil. I listed as I ate, making adjustments to the sizes and quantities, offering alternatives to various parts of the set-up should they be unable to find what I needed.

  I savoured the last mouthful of my coffee as I finished the list. "I think that's it."

  Runner looked over the list, cocking his head. "You need all this?"

  "If you want to produce at scale, yeah." I tapped my pencil on my cheek. "Where did you get the coffee beans from?"

  "Brothers in Queensland," Runner answered, still reading through my list. "They live on a plantation up there."

  "Do you guys trade?"

  "Trade?" Runner asked, flicking to the second page.

  I leaned forward. "Have you thought about setting up a supply chain? When people find out we have fuel or food or whatever else we have, they're gonna want it. If we become a distributor, set up a barter or traded system then we could take advantage and get what we want out of it too. People want fuel? They'll trade for it. They don't agree, then we deal with them." My lips quirked. "Or, I should say, you guys will deal with them."

  "Fuel for coffee?"

  I shrugged, "If your northern brothers have it, then I'm open to cocoa beans as well."

  Runner laughed. "Go get your coat. We need to get going." I could see the speculative gleam in his eyes. I smiled, knowing he'd be thinking on my suggestion.

  I gestured at the list. "You really know a place where we can get all this?" Even the College struggled and they'd had their own biofuel lab.

  "Maybe. Get your coat, Baby Girl."

  I hopped down, finding my jacket and following Runner out. The central court yard was a flurry of activity as a contingent of men plus a few women, hurried around.

  Ava appeared, her sister, Lottie, trailing.

  "I'm coming too," Ava declared, already dressed like a badass, dripping in guns. "I'm not letting you take one of my girls without back-up."

  Runner sighed, giving me a side glance that asked if I wanted to take care of this.

  I shot him a grin. It's all yours, buddy.

  He narrowed his gaze on me, and I swear I could nearly hear him say, you'll pay for that later.

  I couldn't wait.

  "No." He brushed passed Ava and I nearly laughed at his foolishness. Ava was not a wo
man to simply dismiss.

  "Uh, not no." Ava corrected, following him. "You find me a bike and I can ride."

  "We don't got the fuel to waste."

  "Then I'll ride in the truck."

  "No room."

  "There is if I ride in the back."

  Runner stopped, turning to Ava. "You're injured."

  "I'm better."

  "Not by much," Lottie muttered beside me, glaring at her sister.

  Of the two of them, Lottie was the soft one. Riots of curls that flew crazily about her head. She looked like a perpetually mystified art teacher instead of the veterinarian she was.

  "You're doing a run. I need stuff, my girls need stuff, your women need stuff." Ava held up a list – all four pages, double sided. "I get these, you get the big stuff, it saves us all in the long run."

  "No." Runner repeated. "One, this is an in-out. We're not dawdling. Two, this isn't some shopping spree. We're getting what we need then getting the fuck home. And what we need is already gonna be risky to get without someone trying to shit with us. We don't have guys to spare to assist you."

  Ava rolled her eyes. "Self-righteous, much? I don't need your help. I just need a seat and some space in one of the trucks for the stuff on this list."

  "It's not all clothes," Lottie offered, wringing her hands. "If Ava gets some of the items, I can shear the sheep that are wandering around your property and turn the raw wool into yarn. We'd be able to make clothing."

  Runner crossed his arms over his chest. Hazard chose that moment to arrive, taking in the scene.

  "Jesus, what now?" He asked with a sigh.

  "They're trying to little house on the prairie, us." Runner said, glaring at Ava. "Want to go shopping so they can turn this place into a little production line."

  I frowned.

  "Jesus, sue us for trying to better what we've got." Ava jerked her head at the men. "You think you're gonna be able to wear those clothes forever? What about when they start to shred? You guys may have food, you may be about to have fuel, but God damn it, you're gonna need clothing and a production line at some point to facilitate that." Ava pointed at the Hen House. "You got women who know all this shit. Let me give them what they need so they can teach the other women and maybe even some of your men. Let us be an asset to you, for fucks sake."

  Hazard ran a hand over his face. He looked worse for wear after last night. Not so much hungover as already wearied by the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

  "What's your objection, Runner?" He finally asked.

  "We didn't bring them here to be slaves," Runner barked. "Don't want anyone working on production lines."

  Hazard looked to his friend and I saw the flash of understanding cross his face. "Ava, the women. Do they want to contribute or is this something they're doing because they feel they have to?"

  "We want to," Lottie answered. "We're all in this together. The least we could do is make things less shitty."

  Hazard nodded. "Runner, find another truck and get two of the prospects to go along." He held out a hand, taking Ava's list and perusing it. "Scope out the other women on the property. See if they need anything." He pulled a pen from his pocket, making a note. He handed it back to Ava and she looked down, reading his addition. Her head shot up in surprise.

  "We got kids here," he muttered. A man called for the President, and Hazard sighed. "Duty calls." He turned on his heel and headed for the gathered group of men nearby.

  "I've never seen a guy less happy to be in charge," Lottie remarked as we watched him walk away.

  Ava shrugged, "sometimes those most reluctant make the best leaders." She tucked the list into her back pocket. "So, we good?"

  Runner sighed, "we're good. Let's find you a working truck."

  Chapter Twenty

  Ellie

  Runner cruised to a stop, parking his ride. This was our first stop, a home improvement warehouse in the middle of an industrial park. The place looked pretty stripped, but the size of it meant that there was likely to be a few items that people hadn't thought to pillage.

  "Off Ellie," he directed, looking around. "We got an hour."

  The trucks we'd brought rolled to a stop, Ava immediately jumping down and coming to me. "You ready?"

  I nodded. "Let's do this."

  Runner caught my hand, pulling me back. "Be safe," he instructed, pressing a kiss to my hair. "Stay with Ava, stay with the guys, get what you need then back straight back here."

  I nodded.

  He hesitated for a moment then nodded. "Okay, go."

  As much as I wanted to stay with him, I'd be better doing the small stuff – like collecting tubes, rope, and the like.

  Ava handed me a hand gun and I tucked it in my waist band, appreciating its comforting weight.

  "Here," one of the club members handed me an empty duffle bag. "Fill it with what you need, then fill it with anything else that will fit."

  "Anything?"

  "You never know when something'll come in handy."

  True.

  We walked inside as the rest of the men split between two groups, one concentrating on raiding the big stuff and getting that loaded, the other setting up a security perimeter.

  "Stay close," Ava muttered as we entered the building. "God knows if there's any packrats holed up here."

  We stopped in the big entry, bikers heading down either side of the giant warehouse, checking the aisles for dangers.

  "Come on," Ava murmured. "Let's go get your shit."

  We headed towards plumbing, Ava on watch for threats, me scanning the aisles for the items I needed, dodging the mess on the floor. Our footsteps left prints in the dirt as we moved. I noted that the warehouse showed signs of returning to nature; leaves, sticks, cobwebs, and insects decorated the floors and shelving. The occasional bird flapped to life, startled by the humans prowling through their nesting grounds.

  "Here," I whispered, halting Ava's movements.

  The majority of the warehouse had been picked over. Things that had some form of value or had some easy use had been pilfered long ago. But the aisles that contained things like plumbing or building materials were mostly untouched. For one, they were specialized items, not easy to use if you weren't familiar with them. For another, they were bulky, not easy to transport when you had to walk everywhere. Apart from wood, which for the most part had been taken. It'd been a cold winter and little was left apart from the largest logs and poles.

  I dropped the duffle bag, reaching for the shelving, putting my feet to the bottom shelf.

  "What are you doing?"

  "We need to get the boxes at the top."

  Ava looked up then swore. “Really?”

  I nodded.

  She blew out a breath. "You can't climb that."

  "Why not?"

  Ava un-looped the rifle strap from around her body, holding it out for me to take. "No offence, but you have zero upper body strength. Meanwhile I can bench press double my body weight." She shot me a grin. "I got this."

  "What about your side?"

  She ignored me, reaching up to the shelf just above her head. Without even a grunt, she pulled herself up, scrambling up the side of the shelving to the dusty boxes.

  "What are you after?" Ava called, looking at all the boxes.

  "Throw it all down, I'm not sure what I'll need."

  The first box hit the ground with a dull thud, not too loud but still enough to startle. I heard footsteps start running our way and I raised the rifle bracing myself.

  "Put it down," Ava called. "It's just some of your boyfriend's buddies."

  Ice skidded to a halt, looking from me, at the foot of the shelving, and up to see Ava heaving another box over the side.

  "Jesus Christ," Ice barked. "Warning next time."

  "Just open the damn boxes," I replied, crouching to rip open the cardboard.

  The next several minutes were spent sorting.

  "Oh baby," Ava called from the end of one shelving unit. "You'll n
ever believe what I found up here!"

  I looked up to see her lifting a small box from a larger one holding it up in triumph.

  I squinted trying to read the label. "What is it?"

  She threw the box down, Ice catching it easily. He handed it over to me and I grinned. "Seeds."

  "There's a whole goddamned box up here. Miracle that they're completely sealed. The rats haven't gotten to them."

  "Must have been misplaced at some stage," Ice muttered, leaning closer to read the side of the box. "Lucky for us."

  I hugged the starter kit close. Ava grunted, shoving the giant box and sending it tumbling to the ground. It landed with a loud thud, and Ice immediately started picking over it, checking the damage.

  "We're good."

  "Kate will be happy." Ava climbed down, jumping the last few feet to land beside us. "Call your boys. We should probably check the other boxes."

  "No time," Ice replied, packing up the starter packs and lifting the big box. "We've gotta head out."

  I grabbed my stuffed duffle bags, then gestured at the left-over boxes. "We should store these somewhere. We might need replacement items."

  Ava shook her head. "We either take what we need now or we assume it's not going to be here when we get back."

  I chewed my lip. "Far out."

  "We need to go." Ice repeated, jostling the box. "Get your shit."

  I handed a bag to Ava then paused, catching a glimpse of something through the shelves.

  "Wait, I have a solution."

  I ran around the aisle, laughing as I tugged the manual forklift free. "Perfect."

  I wheeled it around, Ava chuckling as soon as she caught sight of it. "Good idea, Ellie."

  We loaded the boxes, Ice carrying the duffle bags, and Ava leading as we moved out.

  Outside, the men were loading the trucks, the final big containers being rolled onto the back.

  I caught sight of Runner, sweaty and flushed as he lifted a water tank onto the back of one of the utes.

  "Man is fit," Ava muttered beside me, also watching.

  "Hands off," I laughed, pushing the cart forward. "He's mine."