NEARLY Trilogy

by Ashley, Devon

  When he disappeared at the top of the stairs, I went charging after him, all the way to the bathroom entry to watch him lock away his computer. “The agreement was for Thea,” I mumbled harshly with a locked jaw.

  “Read the fine print my lawyer gave you. I assure you it only said Friggs.”

  I glared evilly but it only seemed to please him. “Now, I’ve done my part. So you now have a choice before you.” My insides were already cringing and churning inside. My stomach felt like its contents were beginning to swirl, faster and faster, catapulting a nervous shiver that ran through my body.

  I was about to hear of another infamous choice. They never bode well for me.

  I walked away to pace the room. He leaned casually against the entryway and said, “Either I release his whereabouts to the authorities and you pray they don’t fuck up his capture a second time, or we amend our agreement to find Thea. Maybe she’s with him, maybe she isn’t. If she isn’t and he’s captured, do you really think he’ll ever admit to taking her since no evidence exists? If they miss him and she’s not there, she’ll be taken so far underground Hades himself will never find her.”

  Hands stuck to my hips, I sucked in a deep breath as I turned away from him. God, I fucking hated him. My sister was out there somewhere, suffering Lord knows what from Friggs, and Zander was still finding ways to manipulate me. Even free I was a fucking prisoner and forced to bend to his will.

  I closed my eyes and dropped my head back in defeat. “What’s the amendment?”

  Like I didn’t already know.

  “I’ll continue to work with my contact to find your sister’s actual location. In return, you and I become intimate again.”

  I cocked my lower jaw side to side a few times before turning to face him dead on. “You really get off on forcing me into this shit, don’t you?”

  “On the contrary. I’m not forcing you to do anything. I’ve presented you with options. The path you choose is your own. You’re welcome to take the information we have and leave. Whether or not Thea will be lost because of it is your burden to bear. But you should know that if we part ways now, you’ll never find me again to help you continue your search at a later time.”

  I crashed down on the edge of the chaise and buried everything but my mouth behind my hands. I inhaled the longest breath ever, then released it just as slowly. Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit. I knew he’d find a way, I just knew it. But he was right. I had little faith in the authorities doing this right. They literally let Friggs walk out with the rest of the victims last time. Surely he has a better exit strategy prepared in case it happens again. Which surely he did since he was baiting me. And he knows I’d most likely be tracked.

  But was I really going to succumb to Zander’s wishes? Despite the fact that our so-called relationship has made a turn for the better, I don’t want to be with him. Unfortunately, my body has never agreed once he got his hands on me. And he knew it. He knew there was a constant struggle inside my body, that a dark, twisted piece of me enjoyed the sexual beast he became. Was I really going to let him do that to me all over again? But would I really risk Thea’s rescue to avoid it? Possibly never see her again?

  I took one final breath and stood back up.

  You better not be fucking dead, Thea. Or I’ll dig you up and kill you all over again.

  “Fine. Agreed. Just make the call so he can get busy already.”

  Zander shook his head nonchalantly as he made his way over. “He’s not making contact today. An overeager buyer is never a good sign for the seller.” He was close enough to touch me now, and his finger reached out to twirl a lock of my hair. I couldn’t look him in the eye, even found myself turning away so I could have one more moment to pretend this wasn’t happening. My insides were already in a frenzy. I wasn’t nervous – Lord knew I was used to this scenario – but I didn’t like the way he could make me feel. On more than one occasion, he’s made me forget I wasn’t a completely willing partner.

  I closed my eyes when he pressed up behind me, his hands trailing down the outside of both my arms. Fingertips played with the hem of my shirt before he pulled it off, my bra right behind it. Bare skin pressed against mine, so apparently his shirt was already gone too. I didn’t even want to know the status of his shorts right now.

  He gently tugged me onto the bed. We were both on our sides, but I was still hitched up, a little on top of him. His hand rubbed alongst the skin of my side, high enough to brush the side of my breast, making me tingle in places I’d rather not admit. I couldn’t believe I’d gone this long without getting conned into sex. Couldn’t believe he waited this long to do it – he could’ve played this card ages ago.

  His mouth moved as light as a feather up my neck. I swallowed. Hard. Shit. I could already feel shivers exploding inside me, the warmth building after each electrifying burst, my body getting ready to pamper him upon entry. Why did my body always do this? With way too much breath, I grumbled, “Do you know how much I hate you right now?”

  I could feel the smile against my skin as his hand slid to grab my ass and shift my thigh over his. His voice deep and rough, he replied, “I know how much you want to hate me.”

  His move forced our chests closer together, the tips of my breasts slightly dragging across his skin. Trying to gain some control over my damn hormones, I pushed off his shoulder to put some space between me and his firm upper body.

  This was wrong. So fucking wrong.

  Annoyed more at myself than him, I cried, “What part of I don’t want to be your fucking love slave do you not understand?”

  “The not part of that lie.” The goddamn twitch to his lips and his steel eyes were wickedly sexy. And it was sickening that any part of me could ever think that.

  His hand cupped and curved to match the bottom of my breast, his thumb lightly sweeping across my nipple, making it harden. His touch should’ve made me cringe and want to throw myself into a fucking piranha tank just to escape him. But hell if I didn’t whimper and arc into him even more. My hips grinded hard against his and my chest began to heave a little, my stupid heart getting in on the action now.

  My cotton shorts were all too easy for him to slide off. His pair, too. He, of course, went commando, so all that was left between us was my pair of underwear. Which he let me keep for a while, surprisingly. Unfortunately, his lips made sure to become reacquainted with every inch of my body. Normally, I was all for prolonging a good bang, but with Zander, I just wanted it over and done already.

  Exasperated by his lack of speed, I blurted, “Could you hurry up already?”

  Shifting his body so he could entrap me on my back, he leaned completely over me, his ever-ready dick hard and pressing against the thin cotton still between us. “No,” he replied firmly back. He kissed my collar bone, my neck, pressing harder and harder as he neared my ear. “This is going to be a very long, very slow night. So prepare yourself.”

  I had a sassy remark ready to go, but that was when he covertly slipped two fingers deep inside me, ultimately removing the words from my exhalation. It wasn’t long before he had me slowly writhing against him, making my panties so wet I wanted them off for that reason alone. Whimpers occasionally escaped me, and I realized all too late that my legs had relaxed and spread wider for him. His hand moved furiously against me, bringing me closer and closer to an orgasm. And fuck if my moans didn’t sing it to the world.

  “Do you want me inside you?” he teased in a whisper.

  “No,” I managed to say, my hands reaching out to push his chest off of mine. It moved upward, but only because he allowed it to go. It all got a chuckle out of him.

  My underwear went away. As did my desire to push back. My mouth didn’t seem to mind to keep going though. As he covered me up with his body again, I turned my head to the side and said, “You’re such an asshole.”

  I squeezed my eyes when he pushed inside me. Between nibbles along my jawline, he replied, “And you’re such a liar.”

  How many day
s had it been? Four? A week? It hadn’t been that many, but already the days and nights were blending together. How the hell had Megan kept track so well? She apparently inherited something I hadn’t. I just wanted to go home, curl up in my bed and wake up every day pretending none of this ever happened. Pretend my skin had never been marred. Pretend I had never been duped into falling for Friggs and disappearing with him. Pretend Claire had never gone missing and our lives turned upside down. I want the life our family was meant to have.

  A faint rumble reverberated inside my stomach, pulling me free of my delusions. Had I even eaten anything lately? I couldn’t remember. I quietly opened and edged my way around the door, peeking into the living room. Finn was there, possibly asleep on the couch. His television was set to some show about ghost-hunting. I quietly padded my way past him and into the kitchen, opening the cabinet with the food. I grabbed a box of crackers and a soda out of the fridge and made my way back to the bedroom.

  “You don’t have to hide out in there, you know?” he mumbled in a daze. His eyes were barely cracked and he hadn’t even changed his position, still sprawled out the length of the sofa, one of its pillows under his head and a blanket thrown over him. “At least out here there’s a TV to pass the time with.”

  I stood there with a blank face, and quite frankly, a blank mind, because I had nothing to respond with. I didn’t really want to go back into that dark quiet room where I had nothing but my thoughts to entertain me, but my survival instincts knew it offered me more distance from the front door. And a bathroom I could lock myself into for a little more time. But Lord knew it wouldn’t keep anyone off me for too long.

  “What time is it?” I asked weakly.

  He moved just enough to read the watch on his arm. “Two thirty-four.”

  “So how do I get out of here?”

  He yawned widely. “You don’t.” He lazily sat up and dropped his legs off the sofa. “At least not yet.”

  Tiredly, I muttered, “Then when?”

  “When they’re distracted.”

  I huffed and spat, “You mean like before?”

  “No, sorry.” He rubbed both eyes with the heels of his hands and sighed long and deep.

  Letting it go, I cautiously sat down on the edge of the ottoman in front of the chair-and-a-half, my legs ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. He may not have done anything to me so far, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. “Were they legitimately distracted the night you told me to run?”

  He tipped his head my way, his expression completely sour. “That was your chance. You could’ve snuck out so easily that night. But now… Now they know you’re looking for an opportunity. It won’t be so easy now. They’ll make sure someone’s on guard if something pulls his men for real.”

  He acted like this was all my fault. Did he seriously think I wanted to be trapped in here with him? In this fucking house? “I didn’t know you. How could you possibly think I’d run off without consulting Matteo? Or whatever the fuck that asshole’s name is.”

  He rubbed his hand back and forth over his buzz cut. “Well, would you have believed me over him no matter what I said?”

  “I might’ve. If you had mentioned the name Friggs.”

  He slowly stood to his feet. “Well, then that part is on me. But you put yourself there in the first place. Nobody made you run off with him.”

  My head kind of cocked backwards. Harsh. True, but harsh. But it wasn’t like Friggs had done anything to give himself away. He played the part so well. To the point I didn’t know how the hell I was ever going to trust anyone again.

  Finn sluggishly made his way into the kitchen, yawning widely still. He grabbed an energy drink out of the fridge that was black and neon green in color. Popping the top with a metal hiss, he immediately threw back the drink and guzzled it all down.

  Modesty was definitely not in his vocabulary because he had no problem letting loose a long belch afterwards. My face automatically scrunched with disgust. When he caught it, his face flushed slightly. “Sorry. Not used to having a girl in here.” He tossed the can and moved to pop a second. “If you don’t mind,” he began, pointing in the direction of the bedroom, “I’m gonna take a shower now that you’re out. My clothes smell so bad they’re about to take on a life of their own.”

  He moved without waiting for a reply, but since he kept a wide berth, I really didn’t care. A moment later I heard the bathroom door close and lock. Guess I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want people walking in on me. At first I glanced around the room in a daze. Then I realized I was missing a huge opportunity. I jumped to my feet, left my snack on the table and began opening every drawer I could find. Nothing seemed usable as a weapon, and I meant nothing. Made me wonder if he removed everything after I threatened him with the lamp, just to keep me from using something else on him.

  Smart, really. But it still left me without a real way to defend myself.

  Feeling the exhaustion kick back in, I gave up and sat down on the ottoman and nibbled on the crackers. After several of those crackers and a few sips of soda, I began to feel a little better – though my stomach complained more now that it remembered what it had been missing. I was still eating when Finn came back in, wearing fresh clothes like mine and a head of wet hair. He took up his position on the sofa again and kicked back to relax. I by no means truly trusted him, but I seemed okay hanging back for a bit, mindlessly watching the TV with him. Neither one of us tried to talk, but there was something comforting about sharing silence with him.

  It didn’t matter that Zander had waited this long to collect, because he more than made up for it, using me again and again the next couple of days. Even though I had left Nick, I still felt guilty. Possibly shame, but whatever. I typically took what issues I was having to the bag, punching and kicking until I was too tired to keep overanalyzing everything.

  The situation was simple. I had to have sex with him. Unless I was willing to bargain that Thea was at the location Zander found, and willing to trust the authorities to save her before he could do something irreversible with her. I lacked faith on both accounts.

  Zander didn’t spend that much time in the study anymore. He preferred to spend it in me. It made me wonder… Would he truly tell me if he learned what we needed to know? I mean, right away? Or would he keep that information to himself a little longer since he was getting what he wanted? It bothered me really, annoyed me. I bombarded him with questions every day, but his answers were always the same. Yes, Friggs was still at the homestead outside Leavenworth, Washington on hundreds of acres; and no, he still didn’t know if Thea was there. But given the satellite image of the house, it certainly seemed large enough to keep a stash of people.

  And day after day I took my frustration out in a long workout. I was sore as hell, but my muscles were easing into it again, and I could feel my arms and legs getting firm. Too bad I couldn’t use them on Zander, but the thought of getting to use them against Friggs wasn’t a bad runner-up.

  Exhausted to the point I had a headache, I passed through the empty living room and made my way upstairs. I still felt lifeless after my shower. Dusk was taking over, and the stars began to slowly show themselves in the darkening sky. I sat on the edge of the chaise and stared up and out.

  Zander came up shortly after. Like fucking clockwork. I guess I couldn’t completely complain. At least he didn’t join me in the shower. That still remained one part of this house he hadn’t jumped me in. Only thing left was the car.

  I sighed heavily when he reached beneath my arms and pulled me up gently. Combing my hair behind my ears, he slowly nudged me back into the window. But I didn’t want to be touched right now. “Zander,” I whined. He shushed me and buried his mouth deep into the part of my neck that lied just beneath my ear. My mouth fell agape, the complaint on my tongue slipping away as it was replaced with a soothing aww kind of feeling. When he cupped my ear with his mouth and exhaled the hottest breath inside, I all but melted. My insides lit up brighter than
the Northern Lights. Warmth filled the area beneath my belly, intensifying with heat the longer he did it. My hands went to his bare chest, my fingers crimping, but there was nothing there to fist.

  I fucking hated that he’d always been able to turn me on, like he had a damn instructional manual to all my hotspots.

  My neck went weak and fell back. His mouth went down my neck as his hand came up to grasp my left breast, playfully teasing my tip through my thin cotton shirt. I stopped bothering with a bra since this warped tour of duty began. I moaned and arced into him, my right thigh lifting, nudging his hip. It was on its way down again when his hand slapped against it, dragging it farther up his body, telling me to hook it around his waist. I obeyed, and his hand went right back to doing what it was doing so well before.

  “Take your shorts off,” he ordered, already reaching for the metal button on his own.

  I pushed him back and smacked at his hands, not caring that it was actually kind of aggressive. “I’ll take them off when I’m damn ready.”

  For a split second his lips parted with surprise. “Oh, you’re ready,” he told me using his deep voice.

  Faster than I’d ever seen him move, he spun me away from the wall like I weighed absolutely nothing, his eyes hard and locked on mine. I was suddenly airborne, landing flat on my back. The area rug was actually really thick and soft, so what he’d done didn’t really hurt me, but the way my head hit stunned me for a moment, and I found myself doing nothing as he ripped his clothes off and crouched his naked ass over mine.

  Peeling my shorts off my legs, he said, “Sorry, but there can only be one alpha in a relationship, love, and it’ll always be me.” Next went my panties, but he was way more delicate with those, despite his harsh words.

  “I’m not in the mood,” I muttered, my head still spinning, this one spot in particular aching from the direct hit.

  “Oh, I’ll get you there.” Then his mouth disappeared between my thighs, his eyes staying focused on me. I shifted my gaze to the ceiling, finding it completely difficult to think about anything except what he was doing to the inside of my body.