Ebony Slumbers

by Nova Blake

  Was it? Relief that everyone was okay had helped me fall asleep earlier, but the chill of the nightmare still lingered. I wasn't feeling as playful as that pillow throw suggested though, so I shook my head. Sheehan reached for his phone and typed something in, then passed it to me. I'm not going to say anything, because you asked. But I think you should. This is serious and you could put yourself in danger.

  "I know," I said, flopping back onto my remaining pillows. "But I don't want to see them angry. Hunter will skin me alive if he finds out and I just have to handle it. Somehow. I have to make sure I stay inside."

  He handed me his phone again a few seconds later. I could tie you up.

  My eyes went wide and I looked over at him, trying to decide whether he was joking with me or not. "You'd tie me up?"

  He looked almost nervous as he handed me the phone back. I'd do just about anything you asked me to.

  I blew out a breath. It was a huge thing to know that, not a burden, as such, but something. Like it added weight to each comment I made, meant I had to be more considered with not just Sheehan but all the guys. Devotion was perhaps too big a word, but it felt like that.

  "Okay. Tie me up, but I need you to stay with me. I...I don't want to be alone."

  Sheehan nodded and then held a finger up, telling me to wait, before he dashed out of the room.

  I had to wonder if he kept bondage gear handy and that's what he was running off for.

  Making the most of my time alone I ducked to the bathroom to pee. Nothing would embarrass me more than having to kick him awake to let me loose for a bathroom break.

  I was just tucking myself back into bed when Sheehan came in the door, pulling it closed and locking it behind him.

  It was impossible not to think about sex. There was a six foot tall hunk of half-naked man stalking towards my bed with a handful of what appeared to be suit ties. His hair fell over his shoulders, skimming his nipples. Nipples that I was trying very hard not to think about.

  Well, this was one way to distract myself.

  Sheehan knelt on the bed beside me, handing me the ties.

  I had to laugh. "This is all you could come up with? I guess I should be relieved you don't have a wardrobe full of bondage stuff."

  You should be pleased I could find something better than regular rope.

  "Oh, I am. Really." I ran my fingers up the ties, they were silky, but hopefully he could tie me in a way where I couldn’t slip loose. He inspected my headboard, making sure it was secured tightly. It was kind of comforting to know that he was taking this seriously, which was a little more than I was capable of right now. It was just so absurd.

  Satisfied, Sheehan knelt on the bed, holding a hand out for the ties. I passed them over and lay down. He moved me gently up the bed, rearranging the pillows so I was comfortable and raising an eyebrow to check that I was okay. I nodded, biting my lip and waiting for the first knot.

  He slipped the tie around my wrist, fingers working deftly on the first knot. He gave it a good tug and it seemed to hold. He gestured to my other wrist, and I moved it to him. He used a new tie this time. I felt kind of silly with a tie on each of my wrists, but I trusted him. He was taking so much care with this, how could I not? His hair tickled my skin as he leaned over me and I stifled a giggle. I needed to take this seriously, so did he. This was serious.

  And yet, he was right there, leaning over me. So close. We were still alone in the house, and he did say he'd do just about anything for me.

  Would he do just about anything to me?

  He pulled away, reaching for his phone and typing, get comfortable. I'm going to tie the ends on, but loose enough so you have can move your arms. I don't want to hurt you.

  I nodded, biting my lip, trying to bite back the question on the tip of my tongue.

  It took me a little bit to get comfortable, and I had no idea if I'd be able to sleep at this rate. Not with these thoughts in my head. Not with him curled next to me.

  "Okay, I'm ready."

  He grabbed the end of one tie, looping it through the headboard and tying it securely. And then he reached over me trying to get the other one, his chest bumping against mine. He repositioned, moving one leg so that he straddled me. He went to climb over but I stopped him with my free hand.

  He looked down into my eyes, a question hovering in them. I wasn't going to let him reach for his phone. I didn't want him to move at all, at least, not away from me. I reached up, stroking his bare chest with my hand, running my fingers up his neck, through his beard to cup his cheek.

  He must have seen the need in my eyes because he didn't pause. He leaned down, kissing me deeply, confidently, as if this were a thing we did all the time, not something new and magical. His body pressed into mine, I clawed my tee up, baring my breasts so that I could feel the crush of him against me, every inch of his bare chest against mine. If only I'd taken my damned bra off before getting into bed.

  This hadn't been how I imagined the night panning out. But it was a delicious distraction all the same.

  I slid my legs apart, letting him sink between them, his hardness nudging against my core, a promise of things to come. I wrapped my legs around him, locking my ankles and pushing him harder against me.

  Sheehan broke the kiss for a moment, his hand tugging at my loose wrist, eyes searching mine silently for consent. A jittery breath escaped me and I nodded, anticipation flooding me. He tied my other arm in place, enough slack in the line to move. I reached towards him, dragging my nails down his arm, and with a wicked grin he tugged my body, pulling the lines tighter.

  I couldn't touch him now, couldn't do anything with my arms, my hands.

  Sheehan hooked his finger under the waistband of my PJs, and so slowly it was painful, began to tug them down over my hip bones. He paused, kissing from my belly button down, resuming his strip of me, but chasing the fabric with his tongue, down through my pubic hair, skimming my clit, his breath hot on my skin, my lips. He grinned, a chuckle puffing out as he pulled back, stripping the pants off my legs and leaving me bare. Exposed.

  The room seemed colder all of a sudden and a pang of fear washed over me. I wasn't ready for this. I had no memory of sexual encounters, though my body knew exactly what to do. And now I was tied up with Sheehan and Arien's face thrashed to the surface of my thoughts. Pretend I'm a guy who wants you dead.

  What if I was tied up in a house with a man who wanted me dead?

  Fear must have flashed across my face because Sheehan stopped what he was doing, cupping my cheek, his eyes full of concern. He raised his eyebrows in question.

  I shook my head. "Kiss me?"

  And he did, his tongue entering my mouth deftly, twining with mine, the full length of his body pressed against me like some kind of sexy weighted blanket which made all my fears flee.

  This was Sheehan, who always had my back. Sheehan who would protect me from the world, physically wrap his body around me to stop anything that came my way. Who'd let my cry on him, who'd promised not to tell my secrets even though he should.

  Sheehan, sexy, wonderful man who was devouring my fears with his mouth, forcing me into the here and now with the desperate pressure of his cock between my legs.

  "Please. I need you," I said, my words hoarse with lust. I wrestled with my bindings, just wanting to touch him, to take his pants off, to pull him inside me, but he'd tied me too well. I was stuck.

  Sheehan backed off the bed, flicking the button on the top of his fly before unzipping and letting his pants fall to the floor. He was commando, and his cock sprung free, the size of it making me gasp.

  "Where have you been hiding that?" I asked, and then, "Get up here."

  He didn't listen though, the glimmer in his eye letting me know that he was the one in charge for now. He knelt on the bed, inching his way up achingly slowly, hands sliding along the insides of my legs pushing them further apart. I arched my body up trying to get closer to him, but he kept his distance, pushing my toes away then I curl
ed my legs to hook him in.

  His fingers reached the apex of my thighs. One hand kept moving up, over my belly to cup a breast, while the other pressed lightly on the outside of my lips, his finger hot but placing no pressure on me. I wriggled, but he grinned and shook his head, kneading my breast with one hand and then dropped his head, his tongue sliding along my lips before dipping inside. I arched into him, wanting more, lost in the sensation of his hands on my body and his masterful tongue working me over.

  "Please," I begged. "I need you. I can't-" Coherent words turned into another moan.

  Sheehan made me ride that wave of ecstasy before slowly moving up my body, his tongue tracing the way, latching onto my nipple as the tip of his cock found my entrance. It was so hard and I needed it, oh god I needed it. I wriggled, trying to get him inside me. This time he let me hook my legs around him, using the force of my heels to drive himself in. I screamed and gripped the ties that bound me, needing something to keep me stable. I felt like a quivering wreck, the pleasure intense as he found a rhythm, hitting all the right spots. I clenched around him, the intensity of sensation overwhelming me.

  One of his hands tangled in my hair and then he was kissing me. I could taste the tang of my pleasure on his tongue. I needed every inch of him, I needed this, all his skin, his gorgeous body, his cock thrusting into me. So much sensation. I couldn't... I couldn't handle it. Tears pricked my eyes and I pleaded with him.

  "Please. Oh my god. Sheehan!" He pushed me over the edge and I came hard, my orgasm coursing through me. I could feel him doing the same, that intense pressure, his gasp against my lips, the delicious twitch of his cock and the sag of his body against mine as we lay there. Spent.

  We stayed like that for a minute, and then he moved to the side, relieving the pressure on me.

  "You have no idea how much I needed that," I said. Fatigue was already setting in and with it an immense sense of relief, of relaxation spread through my body.

  He raised his head, using one hand to pat his chest before he kissed his finger tips and brushed them against my cheek.

  Sleep was coming for me fast now, and as he curled his body around mine I was too tired to think about what the consequences of this might be.

  Whatever they were, it had been worth it.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I woke to Sheehan untying my wrists. My arms ached from being in an unusual position all night, and other parts of me ached too, but in a delicious, languid way. Once my second wrist was free he kissed me good morning before getting off the bed and flinging the curtains open. Daylight poured in, and with it a huge sense of relief.

  I'd not managed to escape the house, let alone my bonds, and what's more, I'd slept the rest of the night without a single dream.

  And, I'd finally had sex. With Sheehan, who might be quiet of exterior, but certainly packed a punch in the sack. Sheehan, who was looking at me like I was a goddess right this minute, just, not a goddess he was going to screw again this morning.

  "What's up?" I asked.

  He typed into his phone and passed it over. Everyone is here, stuff to talk about. Get dressed and come down when you're ready.

  "Okay." I handed the phone back, a little sad that I had to return to reality after such an unreal night. And face everyone else.

  Brax and Felix and Arien, all men I'd been intimate with in the past few days. And the others, who I hadn't yet, but might. Maybe. Probably, at this rate... Maybe it was a good thing Sheehan was going down first; I didn't want anyone to be uncomfortable if we went down together. Like a couple.

  Once he'd closed the door behind him I scooted out of bed, quickly showered and dragged on fresh clothes. I cringed at the pile on my floor - his, and mine - and kicked them into the corner to deal with later. I stood in front of the mirror, brushing my hair back from my face and checking for any obvious marks on my body which might give away what had happened.

  Nope, no marks, and my 'just been royally fucked' hair had been smoothed out by the shower. I was as presentable and innocent looking as I was going to get.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, I hit the ground floor in record time and entered the kitchen to find everyone staring at me. Expressions unreadable. My eyes darted to Sheehan, who gave me a subtle shake of the head. If he hadn't told them, why were they all looking at me so funny?

  "Did you have a nice night?" Felix asked, handing me a mug of coffee.

  It smelled amazing and there was a hint of cinnamon. I took a long sip before answering, using the time to scan the room. Arien and Brax both had somber expressions, and Zephyr seemed like he was anxious to be anywhere but here. What was going on?

  "It was nice. Quiet. I was so relieved when I heard you were all okay." I sipped my drink again. "Thanks for this, I needed it."

  "We need you to come and look at some stuff," Rafe said. There were a few scattered bits of paper on the table. I couldn't make them out from there but that didn't stop nervousness from tickling the back of my neck. Only Rafe, Sheehan, Colton and Felix sat at the table.

  There were a few seats available and my first instinct was to be next to Sheehan; not just because of last night, but because he always made me feel safe. I veered away from him, sitting across the table and reaching for the nearest piece of paper. Rafe scowled, and snatched it off me, his gaze flicking between Sheehan and me.

  "First, we need to talk about what happened last night."

  I blew out a breath, looking for the tiniest bit of softness in any of these men. They were all so serious, so pained. I couldn't deal with it anymore. I had to come clean.

  "How the hell did you guys know? He can't talk and I certainly haven't said anything. Yes, we slept together, and I don't want that to make things weird. I've become...aware...that there is a level of attraction in this house that I've been completely oblivious to and I'm exploring my options." I glanced between the guys, trying to gage the general vibe.

  "What?" Colton leaned forward, his frown even deeper than Rafe's.

  I leaned back, putting space between us. "Last night... I thought..." I pursed my lips. "You weren't talking about that, were you?" I asked Rafe. He gave a shake of his head and I buried my face in my hands, so embarrassed. "I can't believe I'm such an idiot."

  Felix broke the tense silence with a laugh. "Come on guys, you know she picked him first because he can't talk back."

  I peered out from behind my fingers to see a huge grin on Sheehan's face. He shrugged as if to say 'who the hell cares, I got laid', which evoked a laugh from Felix. He clapped Sheehan on the back.

  "Good on you, brother. Just don't think we're all going to back off now. The Princess said she's exploring her options. She's the only one allowed to be greedy."

  Colton thumped his fist down on the table. "If you're done behaving like teenage boys, can we get back to what's really important? Ebony's life is still in danger and we have bigger things to worry about than who gets to take her to bed." He glanced up at me, the smolder in his eyes suggesting that despite his words, he was thinking about the latter too.

  "Colton's right," Rafe said. He was the clear leader, despite Colton having the more aggressive personality. "Last night we lost our witness, and not only that, but we have reason to believe he has more information on us than we'd like. They might even know where we are."

  "What? I thought you said you caught him?" All thoughts of men and sex fled. "How can he have escaped? How can he know where we are?"

  "It's hard to know for sure, but he said that we were close to the woods, something about a blue door." Colton scrubbed his hand over his beard. "In case you haven't noticed, we have a blue door."

  "That's still pretty vague," Zephyr said. "They might have gleaned the blue door and guessed at the forest. They'd know we'd go somewhere with cover. It doesn't mean they actually know where we are."

  "But it doesn't rule out the fact that they might." Rafe folded his arms over his chest, shaking his head at Zephyr. "We have to decide whether to risk staying here
, or find another location."

  "We need to stay," Zephyr said. "Until we know. This is a ploy to lure us out, to make us nervous. If we bolt now there’s even more chance they'll find us."

  Silence filled the room, the men all staring at the paper on the table.

  "Can I look now?" I asked. I wasn't sure what I'd see, but whatever was going on, I wanted as much information as possible.

  Felix gathered the bulk of the papers and slid them over to me before placing two photos in the middle of the table. "This is the guy, and this is the woman who helped him escape from us. Do you recognize them?" He watched my face - they all did - as I turned my gaze to the images.

  The guy was probably in his mid-thirties, a bit rough around the edges but I wouldn't have crossed the street to avoid him. The woman was younger, late twenties, and really pretty, or would have been if it wasn't for the rigid set of her jaw and the coolness in her eyes. There was something familiar there, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

  "I don't think so, no, but then it's not like I get out much." It was too hard to keep the sarcasm from my voice, so I didn't even try. Arien walked over to stand behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

  "Look again. Ebony, if one of these two people saw you the night you went out, then we have to seriously consider leaving."

  "Okay. Sorry." I reached out and dragged the photos closer, trying to pair those faces up with anyone I'd seen on my little adventure into town. Nothing popped into my brain though. The only person who'd seen my face was the old woman, and neither of these were her. "I can't recall them, no. I was a little distracted, but I promise, the only person who saw me was an old woman. I crashed into her stall and my hood fell off. This isn't that woman though." I tapped her face. "They look nothing alike."

  Everything was quiet. Strangely so. I looked up at Rafe whose jaw was tense, and then to Felix, Sheehan, Colton. They were all frozen, like someone had cast a spell.