Whispers in the Dark

CHAPTER 18

PAIN splintered through Nathan, and he came awake with a gasp. For a moment he thought he was having another dream, reliving his captivity. But he felt it again, a thin blunt object smacking his flesh.

He made a grab for his arm and breathed away the sensation and in the process bumped into Shea’s sleeping form. She lay beside him, curled into a protective ball, the sheets in a tangle at her feet.

She flinched and made a low sound of distress and it was then he realized it was she who was dreaming. She who was reliving her captivity, and he was still so closely linked to her that he felt everything she was experiencing.

His gut tightened in rage and his throat knotted at what she’d endured. His hands shook as he turned and pulled her into his arms.

“Shea. Baby, wake up.”

When he got no response, he called to her with his mind.

Shea. I’ve got you. No one can hurt you now. Wake up and look at me. Feel me. I’m right here. I have you.

She came instantly awake. No gradual climb to consciousness. Her eyes flew open and her breath exploded from her lips in harsh puffs.

“Grace,” she croaked.

Nathan frowned. “Grace?”

She scrambled to sit up in bed. Her hands shook. Her entire body shook. She raised her hands to wipe away her hair but then buried her face against her palms and rocked back and forth.

Distress radiated from her like a beacon. Her shoulders started to twitch and he realized with alarm that she was crying.

Her mind was a chaotic mess. He frowned at the images of her captors and then he saw a beautiful, dark-haired woman. Taller than Shea. Toned and tanned. Just as quickly as he caught the image, his mind went completely blank. Shea had slammed the link shut and closed herself off from him.

It stunned him how empty he suddenly felt. A surge of hurt followed by anger built before he could call it back. It felt like a betrayal. Like she didn’t trust him.

The thoughts were irrational. But he couldn’t turn them off no matter how much he thought she was justified in her caution.

He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now. She shut him out so maybe she didn’t want him prying. So he sat there, feeling like an idiot as she wept into her hands.

Then the decision was made for him. She turned and flung herself into his arms, holding him so tight that for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

“I’m sorry,” she choked out. “I didn’t do it to hurt you.”

He eased his arms around her and stroked her back, trying to comfort her.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked softly.

“I just didn’t want you to see. It was so overwhelming and I couldn’t shut it off, so I shut you off instead.”

His hold tightened around her. “That’s bullshit.” He took another breath and tried a more tactful, sensitive approach. “You and I are quite a pair, aren’t we, Shea?”

She pushed up to face him, her eyes drenched with sadness and shame. “What do you mean?”

He touched her cheek, his heart growing soft at the sight of her tears. “We both try to hide from the other and yet we have a more intimate connection than any two other people on the planet. You can’t hide this from me any more than I can hide my scars from you. Why would you demand to see my shame and then hide yours from me?”

She sighed and then her lips turned up into a rueful half smile. “I knew it would upset you and I didn’t want to be the cause of that.”

He leaned forward and kissed her nose. “How about you let me decide what I want to be upset about? Damn right it upsets me. The idea of you in those bastards’ hands makes me crazy. But it doesn’t mean you’re going to hide it from me to protect my fragile little psyche. Anything that involves you, I want to know about. Are we clear on that?”

She smiled. “Crystal clear.”

“Good. Now come here.”

He pulled her against him and kissed her hungrily. They’d just made love a few hours earlier and yet he still ached. His need for her defied logic. He couldn’t explain it any more than he could fight it.

Already he was as hard as a rock, his dick straining upward, tenting the sheet that covered his thighs. He pushed impatiently at the covers, not wanting any barrier between them.

He settled her astride his thighs so that his erection rested against the blond curls that covered her tiny mound. She looked so damn sexy sitting atop him, her blond hair disheveled and falling over her shoulders. Her eyes were sweet and sleepy looking, but when he cupped her breasts, her pupils flared and her eyes went more black than blue.

He loved the feel of her plump breasts against his fingers. Small against his much larger hands. He rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, fascinated by the hardening nubs.

Unable to resist, he stroked over her shoulders, down her back then around the curve of her waist and then over her hips and underneath to her buttocks. He couldn’t get enough of simply touching her.

She was the softest, most beautiful thing he’d ever touched. There was a reverence to his caresses. He didn’t feel worthy to touch her but he wanted it more than anything.

She let out a sweet sigh as his hands coaxed back up her body to her breasts. She swayed atop him, her eyes closing as a dreamy smile glowed on her lips.

“Like that?” he murmured.

“Oh yes. I love to be touched.”

“And I love touching you. I wonder if you even realize how much I’ve dreamed about this. Having you right here in front of me. Me holding you. Tasting you. So deep inside you that you realize we won’t be apart again.”

Chill bumps raced across her chest and shoulders. Her fingers tightened on his arms and her breathing sped up. Her pulse jumped in her neck, and as he pulled her closer, he could feel the rapid fire of her heartbeat against his chest.

“Inside you,” he whispered. “Deep. Hard. Over and over.”

Her breathing became shallower and her eyes glazed. She licked her lips, which were already swollen from being ravaged by his. The image of her mouth around his cock exploded into his mind. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and he had to work to keep from ejaculating all over her belly.

Smooth. Real damn smooth.

She smiled then. A wicked little smile that should have been a warning but he was too dumbstruck over having her naked and in his arms, her luscious breasts pressed tightly to his chest.

Carefully she pushed away, leaning down to kiss a scar across his chest. She swiped her tongue over the puckered flesh, and he groaned both in protest and sheer pleasure. She wasn’t the only one who liked to be touched. He could sit here for hours if only she’d put her hands on him and caress him, pet him, touch him. Just touch him.

She placed both palms at his shoulders and then glided downward, stroking and petting, not missing an inch of his flesh as she wandered down his body.

When she got to his groin, his cock got even harder, and he hadn’t thought it was possible. He was about to split apart at the seams. Moisture beaded at the tip of his erection, and if he so much as moved, he was going to come.

And then she stuck her tongue to the base and licked all the way from bottom to top.

He bolted upward, his ass coming off the bed and tightening so hard that his muscles screamed in protest.

“Oh shit. Shit. Shea, baby, stop. Just for a minute. Oh God, I’m going to come.”

She smiled and carefully wrapped her fingers around his cock before licking just the tip. His fluid gleamed on her tongue and then she closed her lips over the head and carefully lowered, taking him entirely into her mouth.

Ah hell, she’d been in his mind. Of course that was it. She saw what he’d fantasized about. Guilt crowded in. She was only giving him what she knew he wanted. He felt selfish and about two inches tall.

Stop thinking so much, Nathan. Just relax and enjoy it. I love pleasing you. I love that you want me so much.

So beautiful. So damn beautiful and sweet. Your mouth, Shea. My God, your mouth. I’ve never felt anything so good.

She smiled around his erection and continued her sensual assault on his senses. He threw back his head as his orgasm roared through him like a freight train.

He raised his hips, wanting deeper, desperate for her silken heat. Harder and deeper. He slid over her tongue, butting against the softness of her throat. And she took him all, never complaining, never pulling back.

Desperation clutched at him. Pleasure, razor sharp, almost pain. Faster. Harder.

His mind went completely and utterly blank. And then it was filled with her. Only her. Her face. Her smile. Her angel’s voice. Her scent. She rushed through him like she’d been injected into his veins. It was heady. He was drunk. Drunk on her.

He gasped aloud when the first jet of semen hit the back of her throat. He worried that he’d appalled her, that he’d gone too far. He should have had more restraint. He never should have taken it this far or allowed it to happen.

He felt the warm squeeze of her mouth around him, felt her drink of him and swallow as she continued to suck him deep.

He had no defense against her. None. He didn’t want any. He was hers. Absolutely hers.

She laid her head against his thigh and let him slide from her mouth. Her hair spread out over his lap and her sleepy blue eyes were trained on him, watching him as he gathered his shattered senses about him.

He was gut shot.

She trailed one fingertip over his lessening erection, captured a drop of semen and then tucked her finger into her mouth, licking the tip.

His body roared to life. His cock jumped and hardened. Lust powered through his veins, shocking him with its ferocity. How the hell could he want her again so quickly?

Need grabbed him by the balls and had a choke hold on his dick. He hauled her up and then rolled her beneath him, his body already straining toward her, wanting to bury himself inside her sweetness.

Dear God, what she did to him. He felt like some kind of superhuman. Not bound by normal limits. All he knew was that he had to have her. Had to brand her, possess her, make her his.

He slid into her welcoming body, felt her gasp of pleasure and of acceptance. He stared down into her eyes, willing her to see what he saw, that she was his. That no one would ever take her away from him again.

This time would be for her. He wanted to give her back the pleasure she’d so selflessly given to him.

Touch me, Nathan. Let me feel you. Love you touching me.

The words floated erotically through his mind. Oh yes, he’d give her what she wanted.

He began a gentle exploration of every inch of her body. No part of her was left untouched as he caressed, petted, kissed and licked his way up and down her skin.

He eased out of her when he went lower, and then when he worked his way back up, he thrust into her again, keeping himself a part of her as much as he could while he lavished affection on her.

The sensual haze in her mind was seductive and alluring, like the most potent aphrodisiac. He could sense what he did to her and it made him feel ten feet tall. This gorgeous, delicate woman enjoyed his touch. Craved his touch. Beauty and the beast. It was so appropriate.

He was scarred and ugly. She was perfect and beautiful. And yet she looked at him with wonder. Thought of him as her hero. Wanted him to love her. And he did. God, he did.

His body arched over hers, covering her protectively even as he pumped in and out of her body. He tried to hold back his strength, afraid of hurting her, but she was having none of that.

She urged him on, whispering in his mind to take her, own her. Until he stroked in and out, mindlessly, pleasure consuming him and her.

He felt her orgasm as soon as it crept over her. Her entire body tightened around him, gripping him and holding him as he thrust deeper.

Only when she relaxed and melted into his arms, her breathing hard and ragged, did he allow himself to fall over the edge once more.

She held him, murmuring against his ear, stroking his back and just hugging him close as he emptied himself deep inside her body. And afterward, she held him there, refusing to let him move, though he feared he was too heavy for her.

But she held him tight, so he settled down over her, molding to her flesh and pressing her into the mattress. She let out a contented sigh and nuzzled her face against his chest.

Finally he moved to the side, pulling out of her warm clasp. He arranged her just so because he couldn’t bear to be separated from her yet. Then he kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight.

Shea lay in Nathan’s arms and let calm blanket her. She felt protected. She felt safe.

It hadn’t even crossed her mind that the whole situation was bizarre. That she’d for all practical purposes just met this man a few hours before and she’d had sex with him the same day.

She’d known him so much longer. She’d lived in his mind. He’d lived in hers. They’d experienced more together than any other couple ever would.

She turned into the crook of his neck and kissed the pulse point. He responded by pulling her tighter into his arms and caressing her bottom with one large hand.

She sighed. She loved his touch. Loved how he touched her and the way he looked at her.

“I didn’t use anything. Either time. I’m sorry, Shea. It was stupid and irresponsible of me.”

There was clear aggravation in his voice. And regret.

She smiled against his chest. “I don’t care.”

“But I should have protected you better. Are you on anything? Is the timing right for you to get pregnant? I don’t have any diseases, I swear. I haven’t had sex in a damn long time.”

She squeezed him and kissed his collarbone. “I know. We’re fine, Nathan. I’m on birth control and I’m safe too.”

“I’ll buy condoms,” he said gruffly.

She smiled again. He wasn’t even attempting to say that they wouldn’t have sex again. No remorse. No regret for what they’d shared.

It was clear in his tone that he had every intention of making love to her at every opportunity. An assumption she didn’t mind at all.

“If you do, fine. But if you don’t, I’m perfectly okay with not using them. I’d actually prefer not to. With anyone else, I’d insist. But you aren’t just anyone. I hope you know that, Nathan. I’ve never felt this…this connection to anyone else.”

He went quiet for several long moments. She could feel the thud of his heart as his mind worked through a tangle of thoughts.

“Then why did you leave me after my brothers came for me in Afghanistan?”

The quietly voiced question made her heart squeeze. How he must have felt abandoned. It had killed her to go so silent, but she hadn’t any more to give.

She wrapped her arms tighter around him, wanting to ease the gruff hurt in his tone. “I had to. I was too weak. Maintaining the connection for as long as I did had rendered me helpless.”

“Was I the reason they caught you? Were you too weak to escape because of all you did for me?”

She heard the snarl in his voice. He was angry that he could be at fault. She shook her head. “No, Nathan. They didn’t catch me until much later. I moved frequently. I changed my hair color often. Blond to red, back to blond. Brunette, dark and light brown, back to blond. I even wore colored contacts. I tried to change vehicles as often as I could, but I was running out of money and I was scared to hold a job for too long in the same location, which meant keeping the same car. It was how they found me. They tracked me to California. They ran my car off the road, knocked me out, and when I regained consciousness, I was in the hotel room I’d rented.”

He stiffened and then kissed the top of her head as he continued to stroke her body. “How long was it before you escaped?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “What day is it today?”

“June first.”

She couldn’t conceal her sound of dismay.

“What?” Nathan demanded.

“I was with them over a week,” she whispered.

He cursed and buried his face in her hair. “You should have called for me immediately.”

“I tried. I did. They drugged me. They kept me drugged. They would allow me to become lucid only for short intervals so they could question me.”

“I want to kill those sons of bitches.”

“So do I,” she murmured. “Grace isn’t safe. They’ll step up their efforts to find us both now that I’ve escaped.”

“I don’t want you to worry, baby. We’ll work this out, okay? Right now I need for you to know you’re safe and that I’m going to protect you.”

She nodded again. He leaned away and kissed her forehead. “It’s getting close to dark. I’ll need to go out and get us something to eat. I’m not leaving you alone, so that means you ride with me. I wanted to wait until dark so the chances of you being spotted were fewer.”

“And then? What do we do then?” she asked anxiously.

He settled her against the pillows and then swung his legs over the side of the bed, reaching for the boxers and T-shirt he’d discarded hours earlier.

“We need to talk about our options.”

It was the way he said it that made her go tense. Almost as if he knew she may not agree with his plan.

“Okay, what are our options?”

He hesitated a moment and then turned his head to her. “Let’s get you something to eat and then we’ll talk.”

She sat up and pushed her hair from her face. She didn’t have a thing to wear and she wasn’t putting on the same pair of ripped-up, stinky, dirty clothes she’d run all over California and Oregon in.

When she put her plight to Nathan, he frowned as if he hadn’t considered the issue of clothing. He rummaged in his bag for a moment and then pulled out a pair of sweatpants that looked at least a foot too long for her and a pullover white T-shirt that looked like it hit the bottom of her knees.

She wouldn’t win any beauty contests, but they would work until she get could get something else to wear.

As she pulled on the clothing, Nathan stashed his gear into his bag and removed the chair from the door. He did a quick check of the room to make sure they weren’t leaving anything and then he stood by the bed waiting for her to finish.

“Aren’t we coming back?” she asked, wondering why he’d left nothing in the room.

He nodded. “We’ll come back so you can eat and we can make plans, but if someone comes in here while we’re gone, I don’t want anything to point them to you, and I damn sure don’t want to clue them in that I’m in the mix. It works to our advantage for them to still think you’re alone and helpless.”

She scowled. “I wasn’t helpless.”

He grinned. “No, baby, you aren’t helpless. That wasn’t what I meant.”

He watched her pull on the pair of socks he’d given her and frowned. “I’ll get you some clothes and shoes as soon as I’m able.”

She nodded her agreement and then stood, wincing when she put her weight on her soles.

“Wait here,” he ordered.

He took the bags, walked out the door and shut it behind him. A moment later he returned empty-handed and motioned her over. He turned around and gestured for her to climb onto his back.

Touched that he’d noticed how sore her feet were, she hopped up on his back. He hooked his arms underneath her knees and hoisted her higher. He kicked open the door and carried her out to the jeep.

When he got to her side, he turned around so she could climb in without her feet ever touching the ground. Then he hurried around to the driver’s side to get in.

“What do you feel like eating?” he asked as he drove out of the parking lot.

She shrugged. “I don’t care. Whatever’s quick and convenient. I’m so hungry, I could eat just about anything.”

On the edge of town, he found a sub shop with a drive-in so he pulled in to order. Since Shea wasn’t picky, she just let him order whatever. It didn’t matter what it tasted like. She just wanted something in her stomach.

He got several bottles of water, for which she was grateful. She downed the first before they ever got out of the parking lot. The sandwich she’d wait for until they were back at the motel.

“I got you two,” he said. “You can eat one now if you want.”

Well, since he put it that way. She dove into the sandwich like a rabid predator eating a kill. She didn’t look in Nathan’s direction, sure he was probably appalled. By the time they got back to the motel, she’d already devoured the entire sandwich and was eyeing the next.

This time, she slid out of the jeep before Nathan could come around. Yeah, her feet hurt like hell, but he wasn’t going to be able to carry her everywhere, so she had to suck it up and deal. The quicker she worked out any pain and was able to move on her own, the better off they’d both be.

He frowned but didn’t protest. However, when she started toward the door of the motel room, he lifted her off her feet and turned, putting her behind him.

“Stay here until I check it out.”

“Yeah, good idea. Sorry.”

Again, he thrust his Glock into her hand, but not before pushing her back toward the jeep so she’d be hidden from sight. Then she waited patiently while he went into the motel room. After a moment he came back out, took the gun and led her inside.

She settled on the bed and opened the second sandwich. He sat closer to the headboard and began eating his food. Halfway through her sandwich, her stomach rebelled at the overstuffed sensation, and she reluctantly wrapped the rest back up. She still felt desperately hungry even being overbearingly full.

Shea, are you there?

She dropped her sandwich and came instantly to attention.

Grace! Where are you? Are you all right?

I’ve been doing some searching.

The shaky edge in Grace’s voice unnerved Shea. Fear scuttled up her spine and whispered around her ears. Shea shut her eyes and concentrated fiercely on keeping any thoughts as to what she endured from her sister. She’d warn her, most definitely, but the last thing she wanted was for Grace to relive the horrors Shea had gone through. When she opened them again, she breathed through her nose and focused solely on the link between her and Grace.

Nathan had put down his sandwich at the first sign of Shea’s change in demeanor. He leaned forward, his expression fierce. “What is it, Shea? What’s going on?”

She held up her hand to silence him even as she reached more fully out to Grace. For the first time she actively fixed her attention on Grace’s surroundings, looking for anything to tell her where her sister might be.

Tell me where you are, Grace. Things have changed. I’ll come for you. Just tell me where you are.

Grace was too distracted by something else. She didn’t even act like she heard Shea.

Shit, someone’s here.

Who’s there? Grace, talk to me, damn it. Are you in danger? You have to be careful. They found me. They’ll find you. You can’t stay out in the open. I can help you now. Just tell me where you are.

There was no response from her sister. It was as if she hadn’t heard Shea’s frantic warning. But Shea could feel the awful fear radiating from Grace. It slammed into her, pushing all the air from her lungs.

They weren’t our parents, Shea. I’ve got to get out of here. I’ll reach you later.

And then Grace was gone. The link went black and so silent that it was suffocating.

Grace! Where are you? Damn it, Grace, talk to me! What did you mean they weren’t our parents? Who’s there? Are you in danger?

Shea dropped her face into her hands and rocked back and forth as nothing but the awful silence filled her mind.