Forest's Fall (Captive Hearts Book 3)

by Ellie Masters

  He blew out his breath, spewing misery, and the intensity of his fatigue into the air. I wished there was something I could do for him, some way to ease his burden.

  But what could I do?

  I was the reason he surrendered. I was the reason he caved to Snowden’s perverse demands.

  Sleep?

  I didn’t think I would sleep, not until I understood how to minimize the impact my presence had on him.

  It was too easy to let panic run rampant in my mind. I needed to be strong like Forest, but how in the hell did I do that?

  It began by doing as he asked. If he needed me beside him, that’s where I would be, platonic or otherwise.

  Who was I kidding?

  It would be totally platonic.

  I climbed into bed, keeping far to the edge with the intent of maintaining as much space between us.

  Much larger than my slight frame, Forest took up most of the king-sized bed. My attempts to place distance between us ended the moment I pulled the covers to my chin. Forest reached out and drew me across the bed until his body folded around me.

  “I’m so fucking sorry.” Tears choked his voice.

  Without a word, I placed my hand over his and let him wrap himself around me. His hand was so massive it splayed over the expanse of my belly. His chest pressed against my back, and he tucked my head under his chin. He drew his knees up, folding me into him, spooning with me, while he curled around me and wept.

  I had no words for the emotions flooding through me and filling my heart with anguished What-ifs.

  This was what I’d always wanted—intimacy with Forest.

  A touch.

  A hug.

  A kiss.

  Something more.

  I had it now but hated how it had come about.

  I hated how it made me feel, like a thief stealing intimacy from a man who’d lost everything: his family, his friends, and his freedom.

  I was reaping the rewards of his downfall. What kind of person did that make me?

  I had everything I wanted, but it came at a terrible cost. How could I like this when guilt should be consuming me?

  But it wasn’t.

  I found heaven in his arms, but I was a trespasser who didn’t belong.

  “How are you holding up?” His warm breath blew through my hair, and he tugged me tighter against his hard body. The length of his arousal poked me in my back, but he didn’t seem concerned about it. I tried to ignore the persistent jabbing against my spine.

  “I’m okay.”

  “You’re not okay, Sara.” He nuzzled my neck. “How are you?”

  If he was going to get through this, I had to be strong. I couldn’t steal his remaining strength by voicing my fears.

  “I’m tired.”

  That was the truth, if not the whole of it.

  Softly, he kissed the crown of my head. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be—”

  I cut him off. “Let’s not talk about tomorrow.” I hugged his arm and pushed myself deeper into his embrace. “Let’s pretend we’re someplace else, and this is any other night.”

  “I wouldn’t be holding you someplace else,” he said with a low rumble. “You wouldn’t let me.”

  Wouldn’t let him?

  This was all I’d wanted for years; Forest holding me.

  “You feel exactly the way I imagined.” His voice thickened with sleep. “You fit against me like I knew you would; a perfect fit.” His voice grew indistinct as sleep pulled him under. “Goodnight Sara, I love you…”

  My heart skipped a beat, and I didn’t dare breathe. He said more, but I couldn’t make out anything in the mumbling sounds.

  Forest slipped from drowsy wakefulness to deep sleep within the span of a heartbeat. His breaths eased, and all the tension in his body softened. I waited until I knew he was deep asleep before settling into a position I could stay in through the night.

  Sleep did not find me quickly, however.

  Painfully aware of Paul knocked out cold in the other room, I kept an ear out for any sounds which told me he had awakened. But soon, I drifted in and out of sleep. Being curled up against Forest relaxed me until I couldn’t fight the fatigue pulling at me.

  He held me the entire night, keeping me safe, and protecting me.

  At one time, I thought I heard movement on the other side of the door. I listened acutely for several long minutes as something scraped down the outside of the door. I wondered if I should wake Forest and alert him, but my fatigue proved too strong.

  My eyes closed as my ears strained to decipher the obscure sounds coming from the other side of the door.

  One thought ran through my head as sleep pulled at me. How did Forest know Paul’s last name? And who was Piper?

  Eventually, I lost my battle to stay awake. I slipped into a dreamless sleep and woke to a room full of light…and an open door.

  Forest snored softly beside me. He’d turned to his back and had an arm draped across his face. My bladder pinched, and I slowly slid out of bed.

  Not knowing how the day would go, I decided Forest needed his sleep. With an eye to the open door, I figured he must have gotten up some time during the night to relieve himself. He’d even set the chair to the side against the wall. Only there was no door.

  Movement in the other room had me pulling up short.

  Paul held a mug of coffee and sported a black eye, busted lip, and several cuts below his left eye.

  “Do you drink?” He lifted his cup toward me. “I made plenty.”

  “Um…” I glanced back toward the bedroom. My attention focused on the door leaning against the wall. Its twin, the one leading into the bathroom, was also off its hinges. I turned back to Paul with a WTF expression on my face.

  He gave a sheepish grin. It almost softened the sharp lines of his face and made him appear human. I could almost think he might be likable.

  Almost.

  I wasn’t a fool.

  He pointed to the doors leaning against the walls.

  “Like I said, no doors.” He shrugged. “Forest had a chance to keep them. All he had to do was leave them open.”

  “You took the doors off the hinges while we slept?”

  How the hell had I slept through that?

  And why had he let us?

  “I removed them after I woke. Thanks for leaving me on the floor like that. Not a cool move. The belt was Forest’s idea I take it? Dick move, by the way.”

  “What exactly did you expect? You were beating up my boss.”

  “Your boss, or your boyfriend?” His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

  My status as Forest’s girlfriend may or may not afford me some degree of protection. I didn’t know if it did, but if so, it probably wasn’t wise to let that go.

  “Forest is my boss.”

  “Ah, I see. A little workplace romance. How long have you two…”

  He pointed at me, the bedroom, and made a crude gesture with his fist and first finger of his other hand. His brows lifted, and I swore his pupils dilated.

  His interest in whether Forest and I were sexually active made me uncomfortable. I didn’t know why that was. It was the assumption Forest allowed, but with Paul there was an interest that knocked me off my game.

  “None of your damn business,” I responded with a huff and bit my lower lip with the pain pinching my bladder.

  “Feisty, aren’t we?”

  “Why are you still here?”

  Why wasn’t Snowden enforcing the consequences instead of Paul?

  He shook his head. “Don’t you remember?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I suggest you use the restroom while he’s asleep. Once Forest wakes, you won’t have time.” He turned toward the bathroom and, with a sweep of his arm, ushered me across the room.

  I didn’t need much encouragement but hesitated.

  “How did you remove the doors? Forest put a…”

  “Forest didn’t look for which side the hinges were
on, which are on this side of the doors. I moved the chair so you guys wouldn’t trip over it in your sleep.”

  “How gracious of you.” My lips thinned with the sarcasm dripping from my words.

  “I can be quite generous when I want to be.”

  “Like Snowden?”

  “Like Mr. Snowden. I suggest you start calling him Mister from here on out.”

  “Why would I give that monster any sliver of respect?”

  “Because you work for him now.” His eyes pinched. “Didn’t he mention that?”

  “The bastard said a lot of things.”

  “I would listen to what he says, little girl. It’ll serve you well in the months to come.”

  My stomach sank a little with the mention of months.

  I thought we’d figure a way out of this in a matter of days, but knowing how much difficulty Forest and Xavier had tracking Snowden down, we might very well be in this for the long haul.

  “I’m not a little girl. Stop calling me that.”

  He approached me, coming far too close, reminding me of the disparity in our sizes. He was nearly as tall as Forest and easily as broad. I took a step back, and he grinned.

  “Well, you’re a girl, and from my perspective, you’re much smaller than I am. That makes you both a girl and little, a.k.a, a little girl. Now, why don’t you do as you’re told? Take care of business and make yourself presentable. Mister Snowden will want you looking your best.”

  “Why?” I gulped.

  “It’s your first day as his assistant. You’ll want to impress your new boss and image is everything. Now go. I’ve laid out everything you’ll need.” Paul swept his arm out again. “And take your time. It doesn’t look like Forest is getting up any time soon.”

  “Why—”

  “Why what?”

  “Why are you letting him sleep?”

  His attention shifted to the bedroom.

  “Because he’s going to need it.”

  Not wanting to push my luck, and oddly feeling as if Paul really would let Forest sleep, I headed to the bathroom. At the doorway, I pulled up short.

  Paul stared at me, tenderness brimming in his eyes as he glanced through the doorway leading into the bedroom.

  I bit my lower lip, resistant.

  “It’s okay, Sara. I’m not going to do anything while he’s in here. This place is his one refuge. Snowden’s instructions were quite specific regarding that.” Sadness replaced the uncharacteristic tenderness.

  I slipped inside the bathroom and turned on the sink to let the water run. I took care of business, washed my hands, then assessed the cosmetics which had been set out for me. I also noticed the business suit; pencil skirt, soft blouse, low pumps, and decorative scarf.

  Those were items I would have bought for myself, which had me wondering, how much did Snowden know about me?

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sara

  Since I'd showered last night, I didn't feel I needed to take another shower this morning. It was risky, leaving Paul alone. He could harass Forest, but I was more concerned about getting on Paul's bad side and what that would entail for Forest.

  I rushed through getting ready.

  When I emerged from the bathroom, Forest sat on one couch, and Paul reclined on the other. They looked like two lions deciding who would jump first and rip the other apart.

  That odd sexual chemistry vibrated in the air. Not as strong as last night; it nevertheless remained.

  Paul sipped from his coffee, and Forest cradled a cup in his hand. He glanced at me and patted the spot beside him on the couch.

  "Coffee?" he asked as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him to offer me a drink.

  Not once since I started working for him had he offered me any beverage, and if he'd paid any attention, he would know I hated coffee.

  "Um…no, thank you." My attention warily shifted between the two men.

  Hours ago, they'd been locked in what felt like mortal combat. Now, they sat across from each other and sipped coffee like wary adversaries sizing each other up.

  There was a balance of power to be decided between these men. It had yet to happen. When it did, it would be overwhelmingly destructive. I knew that with certainty.

  I hurried around the couch and sat at the far end. When Forest patted the spot beside him, I shifted to sit beside him.

  Thighs touching, hips pressing against each other, he slung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his embrace like we did this every day.

  It felt amazing.

  Leaning down, he pressed his lips to my forehead, my nose, and then my lips where the kiss deepened without becoming overtly sexual.

  I barely breathed, unaccustomed to the sexual energy flowing between us. The man had barely touched me in all the years I'd worked for him, and now he was fluttering butterfly kisses all over my face? And moaning?

  It was the sexiest thing I'd ever heard.

  I wanted more.

  Across from us, Paul blew out his breath. "Trying to impress me?"

  "Making a point," Forest said with a low chuckle. "Soft is good."

  "Hard is better." Paul gave a dismissive snort. "Finish your coffee, clean up. You stink. And—"

  "And what? Tell me, what exactly does he have planned for me today?"

  A shiver ran through me, one of those whole-body things. Forest's grip tightened, and he gave me a look which urged caution, concern, and much more. His glacial eyes, typically cold and impenetrable, spoke volumes in that single glance.

  This was Forest being strong. He knew his day would be filled with pain, degradation, and worse.

  Yet he chose to face it head-on.

  "Whatever he wants." Paul's reply lacked punch. Instead of poking Forest with the horrors of what would come, he sounded almost apologetic.

  I wanted to scream at them. How could they sit across from each other when they practically tore each other apart last night?

  Forest appeared mostly unscathed, whereas Paul's face was a bloodied mess.

  "I suppose that's true." Forest's body stiffened. "Does that excite you? Or are you jealous? Knowing he can have me whenever he wants while you have to wait for the scraps?" Forest didn't beat around the bush.

  I cringed, but Paul merely shrugged.

  "Sex is sex. Scratch an itch and all of that. I'll wait my turn, take you when he says, how he says, but you and I both know that's not what's going to happen."

  "That thought in your head…" Forest made a little spinning gesture with his finger. "Get rid of it. It's not happening. Like you said, sex is sex. You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours."

  "If that's what you want to believe, then sure." Paul suddenly leaned forward.

  Forest didn't flinch, but I did.

  "I want to fuck you." Paul leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "When this happens, it will be me fucking you, not the other way around."

  His confidence overwhelmed me. Beside me, Forest stiffened, as if his entire body had gone on high alert. I didn't know if it was because Paul had offended him or something else. I suspected it was something else. The tension between the two men was as hard as steel.

  Paul continued, his tone confident and sure. "No reason to deny it. Sloppy seconds, thirds, or fourths, I can't wait to bury myself deep inside of you and show you what we can be together. Something is simmering between us. It's palpable and explosive. You feel it too, and I'm eager to explore it." Paul shifted and made no move to hide when he adjusted the seam of his jeans over his growing arousal.

  "Why not just get it over with?" Forest raised a hand and gestured at the room. "We're just sitting around wasting time. Get your game on and fuck me."

  Paul's eyes pinched.

  "Ah, I see. You can't just have me when you want, can you? He has to okay it."

  "You're a prick," Paul said. "Not wise, considering…"

  "Considering what?"

  "You'll see."

  I blew out a breath. "For the love of
God, could the two of you just stop it already."

  They both looked at me, almost as if they had forgotten I was present.

  "Stop antagonizing Forest." I shook my head. "And Forest, you reek. Take a shower; you need it." I tried to avoid looking at his crotch, but it was useless to ignore the swelling behind the thin fabric of his pajama bottoms.

  He needed a minute alone to take care of that.

  Not knowing what his day would entail, but able to connect a few dots, Forest could use a little alone time to seek what little pleasure he could.

  Forest placed his coffee cup on the table, pressed his hands on his knees, and stood. Turning slightly, he held out a hand to me.

  "Come. Join me."

  "I'm dressed. I don't need a shower."

  "Maybe not, but I need you in the shower with me."

  "Forest…"

  He gave the slightest shake of his head, warning me not to argue.

  I'd spent all that time making up my face, doing my hair, and he wanted to undo all of it by forcing me into the shower with him again?

  I couldn't think of anything more uncomfortable than that.

  Last night had been different. Shocked by what had happened, we cleaved to each other in that shower, hid from our captor behind the steam, and crossed an unimaginable line.

  I suddenly got it.

  I took his hand in mine, and he lifted me from the couch. Walking ahead of him, I reentered the bathroom and stood there fidgeting.

  Forest stopped at the empty doorway, gave Paul a pointed look, then picked up the door leaning against the wall and closed us in.

  With the water running and steam filling the room, he took my hands in his.

  "We need to talk."

  "We'll get through this." I tilted my head back to look him in the eyes. I wished I could lend him my strength.

  "About that…" He shifted his gaze away from mine, almost as if he couldn't bear to look at me.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Snowden."

  That one word could mean so many different things.

  "Will you take a shower with me?" he asked.

  "Um…wouldn’t it be better if you were alone in there?" I tried not to look at his crotch. "You know..."

  I couldn't do it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't talk about sex, and I specifically couldn't talk about Forest masturbating.