by Alta Hensley
It wasn’t until they’d finished the meal, and Adira had stood to help Jennie bring plates of a berry cobbler to the table, that Drake asked, “May I see?”
Zoya passed him the notebook. “I’m not done but those whose names I knew, I wrote at the bottom of the page.”
Nodding, Drake opened the notebook as Adira was placing his dish in front of him.
“Zoya, these are perfectly drawn.” Tapping the bottom of the page, she asked, “Do you have a pencil?”
Zoya shook her head but Drake pulled a pen from his shirt pocket, passing it to her.
“This is Mikhail Sokolov,” Adira said, writing the name across the sheet before flipping the page. “And this is Nikolai Orlov.”
“How do you know?” Zoya asked.
“Because they are that bastard Poplov’s main henchmen,” Adira said, flipping another page. “I don’t know this woman, Katarina Petrova.”
“She’s the woman I thought was a friend,” Zoya said. “I was so incredibly stupid. Trusting her is what caused all this.”
“Don’t,” Stryder said, reaching out to place his hand over Zoya’s. “It’s natural to want to trust people. It’s not your fault that trust was abused.”
Zoya didn’t respond, knowing that this man wasn’t one to take things at face value but grateful he was attempting to ease her sense of guilt. As pages continued to be flipped, Anson leaned over to look with the others.
“That’s Natalia,” he said softly when the woman’s face appeared.
“She’s beautiful,” Adira said. “I don’t understand how she can look so sad and yet be a part of this horrible group.”
“Oh, she’s not,” Zoya said quickly. “She’s a victim and a friend. I drew all the women who were taken.” She looked at Stryder before turning back to Adira. “Stryder and Anson could only save one that night—”
“But we’re going to save them all,” Stryder quickly interjected.
“I pray you do,” Adira said, her eyes still on each face as it appeared. “Grandfather was right. This isn’t about regular prostitution. Poplov sells women. If you don’t save them, if the men who bought the women tire of them, these women will be killed in those films.”
“What films?” Zoya asked, a sense of dread filling her at the horror in Adira’s voice.
“Don’t worry about that—”
“Don’t worry? How can you say that?” Zoya shouted, cutting Stryder off.
“Calm down,” Stryder said, reaching for her hand when she snatched it out from under his. Zoya saw him shoot a look over her head and knew it was aimed at Adira. Whipping her head around, she caught Adira shaking her head.
“Adira, don’t let him scare you. Tell me!” she demanded.
“I’m not trying to scare either of you,” Stryder said. “But we’re not positive about anything—”
“She deserves to know,” Adira cut in.
“Adira—” Maddox joined the conversation, his tone stern.
“No! Don’t!” Zoya said, her eyes going from person to person. “These aren’t just pictures. I know these women. I was in that room with all of them. They were just as terrified as I was. They weren’t as lucky as me. No one saved them that night. Natalia is my friend. I need to know. What films?” Her gaze locked onto Stryder’s. “Please, you ask me to trust you. I can’t if you lie to me.”
He held her gaze for a long moment and then nodded. “First, let me say that we don’t know for absolutely sure that the stories are true—not always.”
“Just fucking tell me!” Zoya said, knowing her voice was strident, her tone about as disrespectful as it could be, and yet she couldn’t help it.
“No need to curse at me,” Stryder said. “I’m attempting to answer your question.” When she didn’t respond, keeping her eyes on his but her lips tightly closed, he sighed. “According to some resources, some of the women who’ve been sold are then… murdered.”
“Murdered?” Zoya asked, her strident tone gone, replaced by a barely audible whisper. When Stryder’s eyes flicked away for an instant, she knew he was withholding something, but what could be worse than what he’d admitted? “Murdered how?”
His eyes closed briefly before he opened them, locking onto her again. “They are forced to appear in films where they are tortured and finally, mercifully, killed.”
Zoya stood up so quickly that her chair toppled over to crash against the tiles. She couldn’t breathe, her vision blurred, her heart threatened to beat from her chest. Turning, she took a step only to find her feet leaving the ground. Twisting like a serpent, she kicked out only to find herself swung up into Stryder’s arms, his grip tight.
“Don’t!” he said, “you promised not to run again.”
Knowing she would never be able to physically defeat him, Zoya stopped fighting. Fury raged through her and yet he, this family, was not the cause of her anger.
“Fine,” she spat out, pushing against his chest with her palms. “If you want me to keep that promise then you need to come with me. If I don’t run, if you try to keep me here, I’m going to explode. I have to run… I have to, Stryder.”
It took a moment, not a sound in the room given until he spoke. “All right. I’ll go with you, but you have to promise me you won’t leave until I change.”
Zoya nodded and when he set her onto her feet, she walked in front of him, veering off towards her room while he went up the stairs. He didn’t need to know that while he changed, she threw up the dinner she’d eaten, the visions filling her head making it impossible to keep her stomach from churning. After brushing her teeth, she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and exchanged her jeans for a pair of shorts. By the time Stryder came down the stairs, wearing a pair of sweat pants and a black tee, boots exchanged for a pair of old sneakers, she was standing with Adira.
“Go,” Adira said softly. “I’ll be here when you get back. You can ask me anything.”
“Thank you,” Zoya said.
Stryder didn’t speak, simply opened the door. Zoya slipped beneath his arm and without pausing, took the steps two at a time. Instead of running in the direction she’d taken earlier, she turned left. The road continued to rise towards the mountains. It would be a tougher run but one she knew would push her, cause her body to strain, and was exactly what she needed.
“Hey, it would be easier to run along the road toward the front,” Stryder said, catching up with her.
She turned her head to give him a quick glance. “I don’t want easy,” she retorted. “I suggest you ‘cowboy up’ or stay behind.” With that said, she turned on the speed, her strong legs eating up the dirt and not really giving a shit if he followed or not. She did what she had to do… she ran.
Zoya didn’t even begin to slow until she’d covered at least a mile… most of it uphill. The exercise was doing what it was meant to do. The horror of what had been revealed wasn’t gone but it no longer consumed her with fear. Instead, it fueled her, pushing her, her feet barely connecting with the earth. It took her another half-mile, twisting around trees and large boulders, before she realized that she no longer heard the pounding of a heavy tread on her heels. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Stryder had fallen further behind but when he looked up and saw her, he didn’t call out for her to stop. He only nodded, giving her permission to do what she needed to do. Turning, she ran on, climbing higher until with a final burst, she exited the tree line. The sight before her did what Stryder didn’t do. It stopped her in her tracks.
The lake was unexpected and it was beautiful. Water lapped against the shore line, the reflection of the sun as it began to sink towards the horizon causing bands of color to dance across the surface. She could see the opposite shore but knew it had to be at least a half mile distant. With her hands on her knees, she drew in great gulps of the cleanest air she could ever remember breathing. Sweat cooled on her forehead and her arms, her heart rate eventually beginning to slow. Straightening, she turned at a sound to discover Stryder had joined her. H
is breathing was ragged and his black hair was plastered to his forehead. The black tee looked even darker and she knew it wasn’t from the dimming daylight, as the fabric was molded to a chest that had her heart rate increasing. God, he was a magnificent specimen of a man.
As an idea bloomed in her head, she refused to give it time for consideration. Toeing off her sneakers, she bent to pull off her socks. The sound of Stryder gulping air changed the moment she hooked her fingers into the waistband of her shorts and shucked out of them. As she pulled her top over her head, she smiled. The poor man would need to take a breath before he passed out and yet knowing he’d simply stopped to stare at her as she stripped, had her nipples hardening. Unclipping her bra and dropping it on the ground, she peeled out of her panties and stood, naked as the day she’d come into the world.
“Swimming is another love of mine,” she said, not giving him a chance to respond as she stepped past him and walked into the water. It was a bit chillier than she’d expected and yet, after an initial quick intake of breath, she lifted her arms and then dove beneath the surface. She swam underwater until she needed to breathe, surfacing and shoving her hair out of her face. Treading water, she looked towards the shore and was rewarded with the sight of Stryder as he stood on the bank. He was as nude as she and, from the sight of his erection, she knew he was also as aroused. Once her eyes returned to his face, she saw his lips curl up. He didn’t dive in, just walked towards her, each step bringing him closer and causing her blood to race and her pussy to spasm.
Wordlessly, he approached her and when he finally was within reach, she went into his arms. They tightened around her, brought her chest to his as he lifted her from the water. His lips crushed hers and her arms wrapped around his neck. It was unlike any kiss she’d ever had. It wasn’t a gentle kiss; it was one that claimed her as his. He didn’t pause or ask permission as his tongue thrust between her lips to swirl within her mouth. If he released her at that moment, she would have sunk beneath the surface, no longer able to tread water as she had been. His height allowed him to stand and when he began to lower her, his mouth still fused to hers, she opened her legs. With a single thrust he was inside her, stretching her, filling her so completely, she lost her breath for the second time.
Her head arched back, her lips becoming free as she moaned. “Oh… oh, God. Oh, Stryder…”
“Shh,” he said, his lips moving to claim hers as he used a hand to bring her head back up. “I’ve got you.”
She knew he did, that she could trust him to keep her safe. Her fingers ran through his hair, gripping it tightly as he continued to lift her up and down on his shaft. It was the most amazing sensation, water lapping around her as he filled her again and again. Each withdrawal had her praying he’d return and each time he did, she moaned with the incredible bliss of it all. It wasn’t long before she felt her insides begin to coil. She’d never in her life experienced a climax from straight intercourse and yet knew that it would take no more than that… than this… for her to implode. A deep thrust had her burying her face in the crook of his neck and whimpering.
“Oh… I’m… I’m going to come…”
“Come,” Stryder said, pulling back only to bury himself deeply again. “I’ve got you. You’re safe here. Let go, Zoya. Come for me.” She whimpered again, the spiral continuing to build as he dropped a hand to cup her right buttock, giving it a squeeze as he said, “And then, for making me have to admit that I feel like some fucking fatty unable to jog a fucking mile, I’m gonna warm up this cold little ass.” She groaned at the promise even as her pussy clenched. It went into a full spasm when he whispered against her ear, “And, young lady, I promise you are going to absolutely adore the way I plan on burning off some calories.” His fingers released and his palm swatted, the pain nonexistent due to the water’s resistance and yet his words… his promise, and a final thrust of his splendid cock drove her over the edge. Her scream bounced off the rocks, floated across the lake and told of her extreme pleasure. His roar followed soon after and his thrusting gradually slowed until he simply stood, never releasing her, his cock still buried inside as he said, “Deep breath,” a moment before he allowed his knees to bend and took them beneath the surface.
Chapter 13
When they surfaced for air, Stryder captured Zoya’s mouth with his, demanding more of her taste. He couldn’t get enough of this woman. She was like a fucking drug, and she already had him addicted. He didn’t think it was possible for her to get any more beautiful than he already found her, but with the water droplets streaming down her creamy flesh, and her wet hair hanging haphazardly around her face, he didn’t want this moment to end. He wanted her again. And then again after that. Hell, there weren’t enough hours in the day for how much he wanted to continue fucking her.
Zoya broke away from the kiss and stared up at him with her big blue eyes. “Did we just… I mean…”
He spun her around and pressed his chest up against her back. He cupped her breasts with each of his hands and pressed his hard cock against the seam of her ass. Nibbling her ear, he whispered, “We did. Don’t overthink it.”
He wasn’t going to let her run once their lust was satiated and reality set in. It was normal, and he was just as guilty as doing that with women of his past as well. But this woman was too fucking special to allow her—and his—mind to get in the way of how he felt… and how he hoped to fuck she felt, as well. Yes, it was madness how fast everything was happening. They were in the middle of a life and death situation and really should be focusing on work, but her magnetic pull was just too much. When she’d stripped naked right in front of him and looked at him with those sultry eyes, the gloves had come off. He was a red-blooded man after all, so what did she expect? And Zoya was the hottest woman he ever had the pleasure of seeing completely naked. As he nibbled on the column of her throat, the memory of the dress falling from her on that stage flashed before him but in his mind, that didn’t count. That woman had been forced, terrified, every muscle tense, her limbs stiff. But now, holding her softness in his arms, feeling her relax against him, pliant, languid, he knew he’d never forget this moment. Zoya was stunning, pure yet sexy, everything he could possibly ask for.
“I don’t want to overthink. It feels so right,” she said as she tilted her head more to the side, giving him better access to nibble and kiss on her neck. Her tiny whimper of lust had his cock twitching.
“We feel so right,” he said between his seductive assault upon her neck, her shoulder, and her collarbone.
Massaging her breasts between his fingers, his cock throbbed even harder when Zoya moaned in pleasure.
“I don’t want you to stop,” she purred while reaching behind her, grabbing hold of Stryder’s ass and pulling him even closer to her perfectly-shaped behind. The act made his cock slide deeper within the cheeks of her ass, so deliciously close to her tiny puckered hole.
“Good, because I wasn’t planning on it.”
Lowering his hand away from teasing one of her nipples, he ran his fingertips down her firm belly to her mound, cupping it while he nearly growled into her ear. Zoya drove him absolutely insane, and he had to have her again. Finding her clit, he pressed lightly and moved his finger in a gentle and circular motion. He loved hearing the catch in her breath, and thrived on how it was obvious she enjoyed his touch and even wanted more when she gyrated against his hand. Stryder knew he could make her come this way, but he wanted to keep her on the edge.
Taking hold of his cock with his other hand, he guided his hardness past the folds of her pussy and thrust inside her silky warmth once more. Moaning loudly, he began pushing and pulling, feeling the walls of her sex squeeze tightly around him. The water of the lake flowed between their bodies as the small waves caused by their motion massaged their flesh.
Zoya clung to his hand that still rested on her pussy, joining his moans with her own. “Stryder,” she said repeatedly between her gasps. The sound of pleasure leaving her lips captivated him comp
letely.
He had just had this woman, and yet fucking her again still gave him the tantalizing thrills of the first time. The passion built with every movement, and he felt another impending orgasm build. Pulling out of her tight pussy, he took hold of his cock again, but this time guided it to her puckered back entrance. He had to have her there. He wanted to claim her in all ways. Zoya was his, and after today, there would be no question. It was animalistic in belief. Primal. But Stryder could not fight the carnal urge to fuck Zoya where no man ever had.
As if they were connected by mind and not just body, Zoya bent over ever so slightly, aiding in his pursuit. She pressed against the tip of his cock when it reached the tiny hole. Her simple action silently told him she wanted him inside her ass just as much as he did.
She gave a sharp gasp as the tip of his dick broke the surface of her anus, and all he had to do was push. Very slowly, he stretched her, paying close attention to her mewing and whimpers for any sign of real distress or serious pain. When no real protest came, he remembered how she’d reacted that night on the stage. Where being whipped would have most women truly screaming in fear, this woman had reacted totally differently. Hell, Anson had to remind her to scream… to make the scene believable. His Zoya was proving to enjoy a bit of pain with her pleasure.
Wrapping her wet hair in his fist, he gave it a tug until she turned to look back at him. “Relax,” he coached. “Allow me to enter.”
Her eyes were glazed, her mouth slightly open as she nodded her understanding, and he could actually feel the walls of her hole loosen just a tad. It was all he needed to push a little further.
“That’s my girl,” he said, pausing so she could take a moment to adjust to his girth. God, she was absolutely amazing in her submission. “Are you all right?”
“Yes… yes, Sir. It stings… burns a bit, and it feels like I can’t take any more. But it also feels so good.”
