They sat for barely a moment before Levi Moore—her father—strode in, wearing the traditional white tunic of an Elder. Her heart squeezed at the sight of him. He showed every bit of the past ten years in the length of his graying beard and the sun wrinkles fanning from his eyes. In truth, she'd stopped thinking of him as her father long ago. At the compound, parental relationships weren't encouraged. Families were supposed to abandon all ties other than the spiritual one with the group. But she could still remember the time before the cult, when he'd been a distracted but generous father.
"Wow, you're an elder now," she said, forgetting for a moment the required protocol. "Congratulations, Dad."
He looked stunned at her break in etiquette.
Quickly, she kneeled on the floor, both hands held to her forehead instead of just one. That was the greeting reserved for elders.
But he didn't place his hands on hers to accept her gesture. Not a surprise—she was a pariah. No member of the group would ever greet her again in that way.
Instead, Levi Moore lifted his hand, palm open and swung it at her cheek.
She flinched, ready for the sting of his blow. It was what she "deserved," as one who had left. All she could do was brace for it and hope it didn't hurt too much.
But his blow never landed. Tobias stepped between them and caught her father's wrist. "No," he said simply. "She's my woman now. If anyone's going to hit her, it's my right and duty."
Carolyn cringed. Damn it, she should have warned Tobias this might happen. This was a potential disaster because he had it all wrong. According to the rules of the compound, she belonged to her father until she spoke her marital vows. Levi Moore had the right to hit her.
But maybe her father would let it slide, since Tobias didn’t know the rules.
She peeked up through her lashes, trying to read his face. His beard made it difficult, but his body language told it all. Tobias was younger, stronger, and had that natural power-alpha presence. Her father never had possessed that kind of aura; he'd always feared weakness, especially his own.
With a sudden flash of insight, she wondered if that was why he'd joined the Light Keepers, so he could feed off the power of others.
"So you intend to marry my daughter," Levi finally said.
"I do. But it depends on you, sir. Carolyn believes it won't be a true marriage until you've blessed it."
"My daughter is correct. In order for her marriage to receive the blessing of the Light Keepers, she must bow before her father."
"So I understand. That's why we're here." Carolyn could hear the tension in his voice, though maybe to someone who didn't know him quite as well it sounded like toughness. "That's why she's kneeling here. Carolyn?"
Part of the drill was that women were supposed to wait to speak in formal situations like this. But now that her "husband" had given her permission, it was her turn. "Please, Father. I deeply regret my past actions. I'd like to move forward with my life in a manner that's as close to the Light Keeper way as possible. I beg you to grant me forgiveness and shed your light on me."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Tobias’s fist briefly close. She knew how this sounded, how totally embarrassing it was if you weren't used to it. Humiliation crept over her, sent blood into her cheeks. He was witnessing a grown woman, an educated professional, acting like a ridiculous child. Kneeling before the irresponsible man who'd dragged her here and abandoned his paternal obligations in order to play at being some sort of patriarch.
Then she took another look at Tobias’s hand. He was lowering his middle finger ever so slightly. He was subtly, for her eyes only, flipping off her father.
And that one gesture sent renewed strength flooding through her. "I beg you, dear Father, to find the grace of forgiveness in your heart for your shamed daughter."
She was starting to feel the strain of keeping her hands at the level of her forehead. Maybe Levi was drawing out this moment in order to make her suffer physically. She wouldn't put it past him. He probably thought it would be proof that she was sincere.
Well, she was sincere. She sincerely hated every moment of this. But if she could do her part to find her sister, it was worth it.
Finally she felt a waft of air on her palms as he waved his hand across hers. "I will grant my blessing, on one condition."
Tobias spoke up, the way the "man of the family" should. "Anything you require, I stand ready to accept."
"You must spend a week here. We need to see you together, to confirm that you exhibit the proper deference to our way of life. How else can I, in good conscience, offer my blessing?"
Carolyn felt her gorge rise. A week? How the hell could she manage a week here? She couldn't! She wouldn't! She started to rise to her feet, to tell him that they had to discuss it. But Tobias put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "That would be a gift to us, and I accept your condition. I'm not as familiar with your way of life as Carolyn is, and I look forward to learning all I can."
Oh my God. Seriously? One freaking week? How dare he decide without even finding a way to consult with her? He was supposed to obey her, not the other way around. He'd done exactly what she'd asked him not to. She gave a little twitch of her shoulder to communicate her fury. He got it, and moved his hand away.
"Good, good. Another thing," said Levi Moore. "I want to see your marriage license."
Marriage license? Her blood ran cold. They hadn't gone that far with their charade. But Tobias was pulling something from his pocket. A piece of paper.
"This is our application. Obviously we're waiting for your blessing before we sign."
Levi looked it over, then handed it back without another word.
"We're a little tired from the drive," Tobias said. "Where will we be staying?"
"I'm afraid I can't allow you to stay with the members of Light Keepers, so you'll stay in a guest cabin while you're here. You are required to refrain from all marital contact."
No problem. Right now she was so frustrated the only contact she wanted was between her fist and something inanimate. A week? She was going to lose her mind. She already was losing her mind.
Her father bowed slightly. "Someone will show you to your quarters. Keep the light."
"Keep the light," Tobias answered. She made some kind of sound that hopefully passed for "keep the light."
The door clicked shut. Painfully, she rose to her feet. Tobias offered his hand to help, but she pushed it away. "You should have waited."
"I couldn’t," he whispered back. He said that with a tender smile, the kind a man in love might give to his future bride. She wanted to wipe it right off his face.
But she lowered her lashes and folded her hands together. How many times had she stood like this, steaming on the inside?
A woman opened the door and came inside. Carolyn didn't recognize her, but she looked much like every other woman at the place in her floor-length dress and her hair in the traditional long braid. She bowed to Tobias and shot Carolyn a nasty "pariah" look.
"I'll show you to your cabin," she told them. They followed her outside. Carolyn stayed a half step behind Tobias, as was expected. None of this is real. None of this is real. She chanted it over and over in her mind. If she didn't hang onto that thought, she might not have a mind left to lose. Focus. Observe, she told herself.
They walked down a pea gravel path to a small A-frame cabin under a grove of pine trees. Carolyn did as much surreptitious surveillance as she could while keeping her eyes downcast. They passed a few other women in long dresses, but no one under eighteen.
That seemed odd, to the best of her memory. Something was definitely off here at the Light Keepers.
27
Once they were inside the cabin and alone, Tobias put a finger to his lips. "Bugs," he mouthed. She nodded and watched as he methodically searched the tiny cabin.
"Clear," he finally said.
Released from the need for restraint, Carolyn did what every muscle in her body had been screaming fo
r since she'd stepped out of the car. She shook her entire body out, rolling her neck, flapping her hands. Reclaimed her physical self from the strict constraints of the bowing and head-lowering.
Then she turned on Tobias. "One fucking week?"
His expression tightened. "I had to improvise, Caro. We don't have to stay that long. But if I didn't say yes, I was afraid he would kick us out. "
"What happened to doing what I say?"
"Unless it's a safety issue, remember? I didn't want to set off any alarms. We haven't seen any kids yet. This whole mission would be wasted and they'd never let us back in."
"And that license? Where did that come from?"
"I pulled some strings at City Hall and they rushed me something official."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to freak out. Like you are." A smile dragged at one corner of his mouth.
"Aaahhhh!!!" Because he was right and she still couldn't stand it, she stomped her feet and dug her hands into her hair. "I hate this. I hate being here. It makes me crazy. It makes me want to…rage and scream and…gahhhh!!!"
He thumped on his chest. "Come on. Do it. Hit me."
"What? I'm not going to hit you."
"Yeah you are. You won't hurt me. I'm tough. What are you, some kind of weak helpless female?" He was goading her, blatantly; she knew it, but it still worked.
"Damn you, Tobias." She stepped close to him and pounded her fists on his hard chest, pouring out her frustration. He wrapped his hands around her wrists, not stopping her, just slowing her blows. And that touch, the warmth of his flesh, the solid bone structure of his chest, changed everything. It instantly grounded her in her real life, her grown up, independent life in which she'd been having wild hot sex with this man since Christmas Eve.
She stopped her rain of blows.
"Tobias," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be sorry. I offered. Feel better?"
She saw the concern in his eyes, the alertness. "Being here is a nightmare for me."
"I know. Don't worry about it, Carolyn. Just like you said, nothing that happens here is real. That includes your failed attempt to beat me up." He flashed a one-sided smile at her.
"Do you promise? After we leave, will you swear to forget everything we do here? Will you forget that I knelt on the floor to beg my so-called father to bless me?"
"Carolyn. Listen to me." He cradled her face in his hands. "You're here for your sister and any other kids who are in danger here. That's it. You're like a soldier, doing what you have to do. You worry about finding your sister. You sure as hell don't have to worry about me."
The heat from his hands warmed her blood, made her feel alive again. Like a woman, not a possession. A real full-fledged human, not a second-class citizen.
"Make love to me, Tobias," she whispered.
His gaze intensified to a deep midnight, full of questions instead of stars.
"Please. Remind me who I really am. I'm not this…this…thing. This servant. This lesser being."
"Lesser? Never." He captured her mouth with his, pulling her into a deep kiss that she felt all the way down to her soul. She responded to him desperately. "You're a goddess," he murmured against her lips. "My goddess. I'd kneel before you right now if you wanted."
"NO. No more kneeling. Not for either of us." She worked at his belt buckle, craving the touch of his flesh. When it wouldn't give way immediately, she plunged her hand into his pants. Hot skin greeted her, then the rough tickle of hair. Below that, the soft lump of his penis, already responding to her touch.
"Lift me up," she said in his ear. "I want to ride you like a cowboy."
"You got it." He put his hands under her ass and slid her up along his body until she could wrap her legs around his waist. She ground her sex against the growing bulge of his erection. For her return to the compound, she'd worn a very simple cotton sweater and a long jersey skirt in navy blue, with a pair of high boots underneath. It was the plainest, most utilitarian outfit she could come up with.
Tobias pushed the fabric up her thighs as he nested her against his groin. She felt his belt buckle press into her, just above her sex, and somehow that pressure made her nearly delirious. He found her ass under the skirt and rotated her slowly against him, his strong hands gripping her so tightly she saw stars.
"Fuck me, Tobias," she hissed. That was what she wanted. Not 'making love.' Not 'having sex.' No, she wanted the down-and-dirtiest, baddest, meanest sex any two people could have, the kind of sex where you don't care what you look like or sound like.
He growled and nipped at her neck, right under her ear, which happened to be one of her most sensitive spots. Then he bit his way down the tendon of her neck. Her nipples immediately went rock hard as if they were little soldiers at his command. He swirled his tongue across her throat, causing it to tilt backwards in sheer delight. She moaned loudly and swore again, brazen and foul-mouthed, craving that rebellion and freedom.
She couldn't act this way with anyone but Tobias. Couldn't even imagine it.
He marched over to the bed, a modest double with a rolled up blanket carefully placed down the middle. He sat down on the edge, so she was on his lap then reached back and shoved aside the bedroll.
"They said no marital contact," she reminded him, her voice ragged.
"We're not married. Not getting married. They didn't say anything about premarital contact."
"You are bad." And she loved it. "So bad."
"Damn right." He jerked her sex against his cock, which was now fully aroused. "You want a taste of this bad boy?"
"Yes. Oh hell yes." She pushed him back onto the bed. He spread-eagled his arms, a movement that put his magnificent chest on display. She unbuttoned his shirt, a plaid lumberjack flannel that fit the look of the younger guys at the compound. Her impulse was to rip it off, send those buttons flying, but he hadn't brought another one. So she stuck with slipping each button through its hole, her hands shaking with need.
He wore a clean white t-shirt underneath. She leaned forward to inhale the scent of fresh laundry and honorable man. God, he smelled good. If she could bottle this scent and keep it in a vial, she'd never feel lonely.
She shook off the weird thought. Obviously, she still wasn't thinking straight. But at least she wasn't having a meltdown. Unless it was a lust meltdown—that, she wouldn't even try to deny. She ran her hands underneath his shirt, savoring the ripple of muscle and hard curves of bone before stripping the shirt off him. "Well hello, Michelangelo," she crooned.
He grimaced. "I saw the statue of David, you know. I was in Italy during a short leave. I didn't have enough time to get to Cali, so I stayed and went to museums. I thought he had a small dick."
"You're so cultured."
"Right? And I was twenty-two, I really had no excuse."
"You're forgiven. This," she reached inside his pants and circled his penis, "makes up for any lack of aesthetic sophistication."
"I see what's going on here. You want me for my raw manliness. My stiff cock. You have your priorities."
Her sex jumped at his mention of 'stiff cock.' God, what was it about his blunt words that got her so fired up?
"I'll take your stiff cock and raise you a wet pussy," she told him. That got her even more turned on and she flexed her hips, seeking that hot friction against her clit. "Remember how you said you'd obey me?"
"Yup."
"You already screwed up on that one. So now you get another chance. Touch my clit," she ordered him.
His gaze flew to meet hers, so smoldering and intense it brought a flood of heat to her sex. "Yes, ma'am," he said. He danced his fingers up her thighs with delicate touches, pushing her skirt to her waist. He pulled aside the fabric of her panties and touched the pad of his index finger against her clit.
She tilted her head back and sighed, endorphins flooding her brain with happiness. Crazy how feeling him press the one tiny bit of flesh completely changed her mood. A sense of lightness
expanded in her chest. She felt languid, relaxed, at one with the world.
And that was before he started to rub. With long, skilled fingers he spread her own juices over the seam of her lips. Then he rubbed again, adding more pressure, making sparks fly along her nerve endings. She rocked her hips against the rhythm of his strokes, seeking the bone of his knuckle, the stubborn weight of his hand, loving how it intruded between her legs.
Suddenly frantic, she jammed her sex against him. She wanted to explode, to be obliterated. She wanted everything else to disappear—the compound, her father, the weirdness of being back, the confusion, the doubt…
A blinding white nuclear blast of a climax splintered her vision, shattered her into a thousand pieces of free-floating joy. She rode wave after wave of an orgasm that never seemed to end. She didn't want it to end, because then she'd be back to reality. Back in the place she'd never intended to see again.
When her heartbeat slowed and she reluctantly opened her eyes, her vision filled with Tobias’s dark blue gaze and naked, rippling chest. He blocked out everything else, whether he intended to or not.
His need was still obvious and urgent, judging by the rock-hard erection that pressed against her rear. She rose onto her knees and found him with her hand. Thick and solid, it responded to her touch by swelling even more.
Swiftly, they both stripped off the rest of their clothes and moved further onto the bed. Tobias snagged a condom from the back pocket of his jeans. "It's a good thing they didn't search us," he said as he tore it open.
"I can't believe you brought one in here. It's like a middle finger in condom form."
"Exactly." He grinned. "I've always been the rebellious one. Any chance to bring out the middle finger, I'm there."
He rolled the condom onto his erection. She helped him slide the latex down, as a sudden wave of sadness washed over her. When she'd lived at the compound, all the girls had dreamed of who they might marry, and how quickly they might have a baby, how many babies. The thought of sex with no chance of getting pregnant had never occurred to them.
To be honest, she hadn't known it was possible.
Coming In Hot (Jupiter Point Book 6) Page 20