“Why?” I feel foolish for asking, but I need to know. “Why did you offer to train me and not just let one of the other men take me? Why are you trying to protect me?”
He opens his mouth but then snaps it closed again, clearly reconsidering what he planned to say.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me,” I interject.
“I told you already, Chloe. Right now, you belong to me. I protect what’s mine.” His voice is full of possessiveness.
To my surprise it only makes my attraction to him grow.
As if sensing this reaction from me, he turns his face away.
“I have to go.” He abruptly stands from the bed.
His hand closes over the knob just seconds before his face turns back toward me.
“I just couldn’t do it.” He swallows hard, his Adams apple bobbing. “I couldn’t stand by knowing what they would do to you. Maybe that makes me weak. I don’t know. All I know is the thought of one of those men touching you makes me want to kill every fucking one of them.”
The door opens and within seconds he disappears into the hallway, the lock clicking into place the moment the door latches closed.
I stare at that door for what feels like forever; wondering when he will come back, what I will say to him when he does. I know it sounds strange, but it almost seems like Walker belongs here about as much as I do. I can’t help but wonder if he is somehow being forced to work for Jones. Maybe he was sold into servitude as well, only a different kind.
My mind runs rampant with thoughts and theories, each one more ridiculous than the next. I can’t wrap my mind around it but I know one thing for certain… Walker is not the man Jones believes him to be, and I need to know why.
“Walker?” His head turns toward the bed, the dim lighting of the bedside lamp barely illuminating his handsome face.
He seems worn down. His brilliant blue eyes are more tired than normal and a dark scruff has begun to line his masculine jaw. I didn’t think it was possible, but he’s even more attractive now than just yesterday.
What is wrong with me?
I must be sick. I’d have to be right? Isn’t there some medical condition where the captive falls in love with the captor? I’m sure I’ve read something of the sort at one point or another. This must be it. I’m suffering from some kind of illness. That’s the only thing that can explain why my heart picks up speed every time Walker is near. Or how my lower belly clenches when he runs a hand through his messy dark hair.
I have completely lost it.
“Can I ask you something?” I take a deep breath, fearful that at any moment I will lose the courage to ask him what I have been contemplating all day.
“Of course.” He collapses down into the same chair he always occupies, dropping his elbows to his knees as he leans forward.
I roll to my side, bunching the blankets under my chin.
“I was wondering, I mean, in case your plan falls through. Do you think maybe you should train me?” His eyes go hard, and I immediately stumble through my next words trying to get the rest out. “I… I mean, wouldn’t it be better if it was you? What if something happens and you aren’t able to get me out? What if they find out I’m still a virgin? Don’t you think that will raise red flags? I don’t know anything. I could never do what they would ask of me.”
I make every excuse I can think of when all I really want to say is that I’m scared. I’m scared that someone else is going to take from me what I want to be able to choose to give.
“I will get you out.” He doesn’t take his eyes off of mine.
“But what if you don’t? You have to know there’s a possibility that you will fail. Then what?”
He contemplates my words for a long moment before his eyes soften slightly. Cocking his head, his forehead wrinkles as the realization of what I’m asking seems to take hold.
“What are you saying, Chloe?” His smooth voice catches slightly.
“I’m saying I want you to teach me.” My voice trembles as I push up onto my elbow.
“You don’t want that,” he insists, shaking his head. “I will get you out of here. I promise.”
“That’s not a chance I’m willing to take. Please. I’m begging you.” I pause.
“Chloe, you’re scared. You don’t know what you’re asking,” he objects, his face conflicted.
“I know exactly what I’m asking, Walker. I’m asking you to be my first. I’m asking you to teach me how to please a man. I’m asking you to give me the tools to survive should you not be able to protect me. Please.”
I can pinpoint it, the exact moment that his resolve slips away. Something in the air changes. His eyes darken as he pushes away from the chair and stalks toward me, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath he takes.
I wait until he is hovering directly next to the bed before I push the covers from my body. Rolling to my back, I reach for the hem of my shirt. I hear a soft growl escape the back of his throat as I slide the fabric over my head and drop it to the floor.
His eyes dart across my now exposed flesh, his jaw working hard as they trace my body. I reach for his hand, surprised by how calm I feel as guide him toward me. I know it sounds insane but this is the only thing that has made sense to me in days.
I need to feel his touch. I need to know that if the worst happens I will have this. My choice, Walker. The way his hand feels as it glides along my bare torso, his eyes held tightly shut, and his mouth parted slightly.
A nervous rush of breath flows from my lips causing Walker’s eyes to dart open. They find mine instantly and his hand stills against my stomach.
“I’m sorry, Chloe, I can’t do this.” His touch disappears, replaced by the coldness of its absence.
“Why?” I shoot straight up in the bed, pulling the cover over my chest. “Why don’t you want me?” I cringe at the desperation in my voice.
He stops his pursuit toward the door, ripping around to hit me with dark eyes.
“Is that what you think? That I don’t want you?” he questions, his voice forced. “You have no idea how badly I want you.” He crosses the space toward me, each step full of purpose.
Taking my face in his hands, his lips crash down onto mine before I even have time to process his actions. While his movements are strong and powerful, his kiss is surprisingly gentle. He drags his tongue across my lips pulling a soft moan from my throat.
The feeling is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Sure I’ve kissed guys before, but I have never had a kiss pull so much from me. My entire body comes to life under his touch, and I find myself momentarily forgetting anything that doesn’t have to do with how Walker’s mouth feels on mine.
“You have no idea how badly I want you.” He grinds against my mouth. “How badly I want to give you what you’re asking.”
“Then do it,” I plead, letting the blanket slide away as I grip the back of his head with my hands and pull him back into the kiss.
His lips work skillfully against mine. His kiss is all consuming, intoxicating, and leaves me completely breathless when he finally pulls back and drops his forehead to mine.
“Not like this,” he finally answers, pulling back to meet my gaze.
“What if this is all there is?” I try to reason with him.
“What if it isn’t?”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.” My response is instant.
“Well it’s not one that I am.” He pushes away from the bed, putting a good foot between us. Running his hand through his messy hair, he lets out a frustrated exhale.
“I won’t regret you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” My words cause his eyes to dart back to mine. “I want this with you, no matter what the circumstances. If I walk out of here tomorrow a free woman, I won’t regret one moment of my time with you.”
“Why are you doing this?” His words sound almost tortured.
“Because this is what I want,” I insist.
&nb
sp; “You don’t know what you’re saying.” He shakes his head at me.
“I’m not a child. I understand my situation, and I understand what I want; what I’m asking for.” I can’t help the aggravation that seeps through my words.
His shoulders slouch forward slightly and he lets out another deep exhale, his eyes looking anywhere but at me.
I push back the covers and quickly stumble to my feet, coming to a stop directly in front of his tall, lean body. His cologne invades my senses, and I breathe deeply, committing his smell to memory.
Placing both of my hands on either side of his face I force his gaze back down to me. It’s only seconds before his hands settle on the bare flesh of my back as his face hovers just inches from mine.
“Kiss me, Walker.” He flinches slightly at my words but then leans closer, his lips finding the base of my neck.
“Nathan.” He breathes so softly against my skin.
Pulling back, I hit him with curious eyes.
“My real name is Nathan,” he explains. “No one knows that, but if this is what you really want, I feel like you deserve to at least know that much about me.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” I promise, pulling his lips back down to mine.
The moment the contact between us is made, I’m lost. Lost to the feeling of his mouth against mine, to the feeling of his hands as they skirt across my skin, to the heat of the flames engulfing my entire body.
Every touch is with both passion and purpose. He’s claiming me as his own, and I’m more than willing to let him. I’m his take—mind, body, and soul.
“What happens if they take me?” My words are weak and seem to disappear slightly into the darkness of the room.
“I don’t want you to think about that.” Walker tightens his grip on me, pulling me firmly into his chest as we lay on our sides facing one another.
“I need to prepare for the real possibility that this situation doesn’t end the way we want it to. I just can’t let them break me. I need to know what to expect so I can mentally prepare myself for what’s to come.”
“I just… I can’t think about it, about the things they would do to you,” he grinds out, his hand trailing gently up the flesh of my back.
“Pretend it’s not me, that it’s another girl. Tell me how this process works. What happens to her?”
He hesitates for a moment before letting out a slow exhale.
“Right now she would be with her trainer. She would be forced into every sexual act you could imagine and even some you probably can’t. She would be beaten and starved if she failed to comply with every request of her trainer without hesitation. I’ve never trained a girl before, but I’ve seen enough of them come through here. None of them come out of training the same. There’s emptiness in their eyes, a defeat. They go in kicking and screaming, fighting for their lives. They come out hollow, kneeling at their trainer’s feet like some kind of dog.” He shudders against me.
“Some owners are worse than the trainers, some better; it just depends. Either way, no one deserves the hell these girls are forced to endure.” He tightens his grip on me.
“Why are you here when you so clearly disagree with everything this place stands for?” I ask, dropping a kiss to the center of his sculpted chest.
“Because I have to be.” He falls silent.
“But you don’t want to be?” I ask a question I already know the answer to.
“No,” he confirms, dropping his face into my hair. “But I’m starting to think maybe I’m here for an entirely different reason than I originally thought.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, getting the feeling he’s referring to me but not wanting to get too ahead of myself.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head gently, his hand once again working trails across my back causing my skin to prickle under his touch.
I can’t help the disappointment that seethes through me at his response.
Is it so out of the realm of possibility for me to hope that if I escape this place alive that there could be a future with this man? Even the idea sends an entirely different feeling running through me.
What’s worse, I can envision our future. Coming home to his electric blue eyes and infectious smile. Having him hold me like this every night as I drift to sleep. His face being the first thing I see every morning when I open my eyes. Not only can I see it, but the thought excites me.
“Tell me what to do,” I say, realizing almost immediately he has no idea what I’m referring to. “If Jones comes for me, what do I do?” I can feel him tense against me, but his breathing remains even and his touch soft.
“Don’t speak. Kneel at his feet. Don’t make eye contact with anyone. Keep your head down, and do exactly as you’re told.”
“Okay.” I let out a slow exhale.
“But I don’t want you to worry. I’m going to get you out of here. I just need to wait for the right moment.”
“And when is that exactly?” I ask, not sure what he could be waiting for.
“When Cochran is inside this house.” His tone is like stone, but I can sense the tiny shards of fear that are peppered throughout it.
“Jones’ boss?” I question, having heard him speak of Cochran before.
I try to ignore the fear that name stirs inside of me; my mind immediately goes to what Walker told me about the last two women that were taken by Cochran.
“Yes,” he confirms, careful to keep his voice as low as possible.
“Why? What does Cochran being here have to do with it? Wouldn’t it be easier to get me out if the man who runs this entire operation is not here?” I question.
“That’s the point. He runs the entire operation,” he confirms. “I need him to be here. Otherwise, none of this matters.”
“Who are you, Nathan? I mean really?” I pull back to meet his gaze even though I can’t make out his face in the darkness of the room.
“One day,” he says, kissing my forehead before pulling me back to his chest. “One day, I promise I’ll answer that question.”
My skin tingles under the weight of the blankets. I roll to my side and stretch, feeling the incredible soreness as it spreads through my limbs.
Memories of last night flood my vision. Walker. The way he touched me, the way he kissed me, the way he commanded my entire body as his own. I didn’t know I was capable of feeling some of the things he pulled from me.
I smile into the pillow, reaching my arm across the mattress expecting to find Walker on the other side of me. To my disappointment the bed is empty, and he is nowhere to be found. I try to shake off the sinking feeling that settles into the pit of my stomach over this fact.
Throwing back the covers, I jump when the lock clicks just as my feet hit the floor. Expecting it to be Walker, the moment Jones’ face appears in the doorway my entire body freezes.
His eyes trail across my naked body, the heat of his stare causing my skin to crawl. I immediately drop my eyes down and lower myself to the floor, remembering what Walker instructed me to do.
“Very good.” There’s a smile in his voice. My immediate reaction to his presence seems to please him. “Very good indeed.” He circles around my body, trailing a long finger across my bare shoulders as he passes.
“Stand,” he orders, coming to a stop directly in front of me.
I immediately do as he says, trying my best to keep my breathing even and my body still. I can’t react too violently to his presence. Otherwise it might draw up some red flags where Walker is concerned, and I refuse to do that.
I can do this…
I keep my head lowered and remain completely still, focusing on my breath rather than feeling his hands sliding across my flesh. I bite down on my lip hard when I feel his touch between my legs. I bite down even harder when his long fingers slide along my exposed flesh, two fingers dipping inside of me.
“Mmm,” he rasps just inches from my ear before drawing his fingers out.
I can’t see what he’s doing, bu
t I can tell based on the sound of his mouth and the low growl that escapes his throat that he’s tasting me. I fight back a vicious smile, knowing that not only is he tasting me, but he’s tasting Walker as well. I don’t know why that gives me some sense of sick satisfaction, but it does.
“Such a shame.” He runs his nose along the base of my neck, inhaling my scent. “I really wanted to sample what a sweet little piece you must be. Of course, what Cochran doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” he rasps directly next to my ear, causing my stomach to knot tightly.
I knew this would happen. I knew eventually he would come for me. The thought of tainting the beautiful night I spent with Walker with this man’s touch makes me physically ill.
“Kneel,” he commands firmly.
I immediately comply, dropping to my knees once more.
The seconds between my knees coming to rest on the hardwood floor and his steps crossing the room toward the door seem like an eternity. When the door latches closed and the lock slides into place I hold my breath, waiting for his next move. My heart beats rapidly against my rib cage, and I frantically try to keep my body from revealing my fear.
I wait for his touch. I wait for his voice. I wait… But nothing comes.
It takes me several moments to realize that Jones is no longer in the room. I finally muster up enough courage to confirm this fact with my eyes, quickly scanning every inch of the room to ensure this isn’t some kind of trick.
Once I’m sure he’s actually gone it takes everything in me to push back onto my feet, the fear I done so well containing while Jones was here causing my entire body to tremble.
I quickly duck inside the bathroom and shut the door, taking several deep breaths with my back pressed flush against the thick wood. The terrified girl who arrived here several days ago is slowly reemerging, reminding me that life outside of this bedroom is still taking place and that no matter what Walker’s plan is, Cochran is still coming for me. Jones’ appearance is only further confirmation that my time is running out.
Sinking to the floor, I pull my knees tightly against my chest and drop my head down, tremors violently coursing through my entire body.
Love, Lies, & Crime: Anthology Page 42
