Deliver

by Pam Godwin

Emily raised her chin. “Yes, of course. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  “Anything else?” He squinted at her over his shoulder.

  Her chest hitched. “Can I see you in the kitchen?”

  “No. If you have something to say—”

  The door hit the wall behind it with the force of her shove. She turned on her heels, her strides fading down the hall.

  He bowed his head in her lap. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.”

  Her fingers combed through his hair, massaging his scalp. “There’s going to be churchventions all over McLennan County praying for your soul tonight, Joshua Carter.” She touched his rock-hard jaw and raised his head. “Go talk to her.” She gave him her coldest Mistress glare.

  A laugh barked from the back of his throat. He held up his hands. “All right.” He rose, smiling. “What’s a churchvention?”

  She shrugged and batted her eyes. “Interventions for churchy people?”

  Shaking his head, he scratched his jaw and lingered in the doorway. “You’re splitting that money between the nine of us.”

  She picked up the letter, hugged it to her chest, and fell back on the mattress, biting back her smile. “Fine.”

  Early the next morning, he caught her waist with a determined arm as she tried to sneak from his bed. “Not this time.”

  Twilight bled a faint glow beneath the window shade. She swatted at the hand creeping between her legs. “Your parents will be up soon.”

  He rolled to his back, shifting her over him, chest-to-chest, and gripped the sides of her head. “Then muffle your moans.” He pulled her mouth to his and used his tongue to awaken her from the inside out.

  Ten minutes later, she faced his feet, straddling his thighs and riding his cock. His body trembled beneath her. Each rock of her hips made his toes curl. She wanted to bite them.

  His hands skimmed her back, spreading tingles of sensations over her skin. His pelvis lifted to meet the grinding slide of her ass, the motion bouncing her breasts and tightening her nipples. The fullness of his girth dragged along her inner muscles, her body flooding with warmth.

  She stroked his balls between their spread legs, and the sight of him gliding in and out coiled her release to a teetering edge. “Josh, I’m close,” she whispered.

  His fingers dug into her hips as he slowed his thrusts. In the next heartbeat, they came together, their sighs floating through the room.

  A fist knocked on the door. “Joshua,” Emily hollered. “That girl didn’t sleep on the couch last night. I think she’s gone missing.”

  Her hands flew between their legs where they were joined as he shouted, “Be out in a—”

  The door opened, and a laundry basket tumbled to the floor. Emily covered her horrified gasp with a trembling hand and slammed the door, her screams penetrating through the wall. “Daniel! Oh dear Lord, Daniel!”

  Liv slumped over his legs, her heart hammering in her throat. “I miss my keypad.”

  His body jerked beneath her, vibrating through his hitched breaths. Oh God, was he crying? She rose off his cock and twisted around.

  His forearms crossed over his face, his chest heaving. She crawled toward him, yanked his arms down, and found his mouth curved and his eyebrows crawling up his forehead. He was laughing?

  She smacked his chest. He laughed harder. She smacked him again. “Shame on you. Your poor mother is probably out there rallying an exorcism.”

  He regarded her with a dimple in his cheek and light in his eyes. Why was he so nonchalant? Then it dawned on her. “You wanted her to walk in on that?”

  A sigh rippled from his gorgeous lips. “I want them to see me, not who they want me to be.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “A really pretty girl told me once that shock has a way of rousing attention.”

  She caressed his jaw, her fingers lingering on his mouth. “She’s a stupid girl.”

  His eyes hardened. “Bull.” He scooted to the edge of the bed and perused her body over his shoulder. “As much as I love you without clothes on, you should probably get dressed for the family meeting.”

  In the kitchen, Emily sat stiffly at the table, holding a tissue to her nose. “You just haven’t been right since the kidnapping. You need to talk to a minister.” She nodded. “You need the influence of good people.”

  Liv hovered in the corner. Fuck, she didn’t want to be there, but when she had emerged from the bathroom in her jeans and t-shirt, he dragged her along behind him, saying, “This needs to be done.”

  He leaned against the fridge, arms crossed over his bare chest, his legs clad in low-hung jeans. Despite his casual pose, there was a fire burning in his eyes. “Liv is good people.”

  She and Josh had discussed their options the night before. With their financial issues resolved, they could go anywhere, and they would. He wanted to ease his parents into his impending departure.

  Her insides quivered with anxiety. This was ripping off the band-aid before they’d healed from his last departure.

  Daniel sat beside his wife, his green eyes narrowed on Liv. “We have rules in this house, and we expect you to follow them.”

  Josh’s nostrils flared. “Don’t you dare blame her.”

  “She’s as loose as ashes in the wind,” Emily whispered, as if only Josh could hear her.

  Liv caught her sigh before it billowed out and dropped her head on the wall behind her. His parents were hurting. They’d lost their son, and he’d come back with his own view on life, one that had veered from their belief system.

  “Be careful, Mom.” He straightened and stormed toward the table, the muscles in his back flexing and hardening. He raised an arm and, for a fearful moment, Liv thought he might sweep all the dishes to the floor. He snagged the gaudy ceramic rooster centerpiece. “Apologize to her or the rooster’s gonna get it.”

  Liv bit back her smile and tried to imagine how her mom would’ve reacted to catching her in bed with him. She honestly didn’t know and that realization tugged at her chest. She was a seventeen-year-old virgin when Van took her. Her relationship with Mom had never reached this kind of trial, and it never would.

  Emily fanned her fingers over her breastbone and flicked her eyes to Liv. “I’m sorry. It’s just…my boy’s going to be a minister. He has schooling and farm work. He doesn’t have time for—”

  “That was an embarrassing apology, Mom.” He set the rooster on the table and strode toward Liv with wide steps, his eyes roaming her face. Placing his hands on the wall on either side of her head, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I love you.”

  Her heart wobbled. “Love you, too.”

  “Let me remind you that you’re not married.” Daniel rested his forearms on the table. “Tell me this was the only time you…shared a bed.”

  Liv sagged against the wall. Their son was kidnapped and trained as a sex slave. Jesus, they were in serious fucking denial about his captivity.

  Josh turned and hooked a thumb in his belt loop. “I love her, Dad.” He pointed at her. “And I’m sharing a bed with her every which way to Sunday. Because I. Love. Her.”

  Daniel paled, and Emily gasped, her face crumpling. “You need to go to church. And you need to finish your religious studies.”

  He let out a booming laugh. “No amount of church is going to keep me from sleeping with her.”

  Liv pressed a fist to her lips, her chest swelling. She wanted to kiss him for standing up to his parents, but her stomach sank as she considered what it might do to his relationship with them.

  “You’ve changed.” Emily straightened her spine and pursed her lips. “That man who took you put something bad in you. You need help, Joshua.”

  He raked a hand through his hair and groaned. “I need her.” He sat in the chair beside Emily, turning it to face her. “I’ll finish school. When I’m ready. I’ll worship God. On my own terms. As for the farm, I’ll help you financially.” He twisted and met Liv’s eyes over his shoulder. One dark eyebrow l
ifted.

  Oh God, he wanted her to step in here? They already hated her. She rubbed her forearm, wrinkling her forehead. He wanted her support, and she had a sure way to give it to him.

  Two confident strides put her behind his chair. She rested her hands on his shoulders. “I inherited some money when my mom died.” She rubbed her thumbs over the skin on his back. “We’ll leave you with more than enough to retire.”

  Daniel stiffened, his eyes on Josh. “What is she saying? You’re not leaving.”

  “I am.” His shoulders rolled back.

  “You will not disobey me.” Daniel jumped up, his face red. “You’re not leaving. That’s final.”

  Josh stood with his hands in his pockets, chin lowered, and his body angled toward his parents, but his eyes cut to the side and met hers. A small smile played around his lips. “No more requirements.”

  She swallowed around a lump of guilt and moved to stand beside him.

  He reached for her hand and looked at his dad. “I’m not leaving you. I’m leaving your rules.”

  He was telling his dad, man-to-man, how he was going to live his life. She was certain he’d never done that before. She wished his parents could see what she saw. Joshua Carter would never be enchained by someone else’s rules. He was a man of strong convictions. His own convictions.

  Emily sagged against the chair back. “You don’t even have a car.”

  “I’m taking the bike.”

  CHAPTER 47

  Josh moved through his bedroom with a high-energy buzz and an overwhelming lightness in his chest. Before Liv, his path was narrow and predetermined. Now it was a wide open field that reached the horizon and beyond. He wanted to fling his arms up, break out into a run, and whoop like an idiot.

  Liv lingered by the door with a gleam in her eyes and a smile struggling to punch through her stern expression. “What bike?” She closed the door and crossed her arms. “I stalked you for weeks. I would remember a bike.”

  He transferred her clothes from the grocery bag to his backpack. “I’ve got an engine strapped to two wheels.”

  “That sounds safe.” She arched an eyebrow.

  Said the girl who threw herself out of airplanes. He grinned. “I started putting it together out in the shed when I was fourteen. Old school pipes. Uber fat tires. It has enough torque to make my parents stutter through their prayers.”

  She joined him at the bed and helped him fit her clothes in the bag. “They wouldn’t let you ride it.”

  “Nope.” Not even slow in the driveway. “But it still runs. I fired it up yesterday when you were in the shower.”

  She stuffed the last shirt in and put her hands on her hips, staring at the sum of every possession she owned. “Where are we going?”

  He opened a drawer and tossed a few shirts, briefs, and jeans on the bed. “We need to go to a bank, open an account, and transfer your funds. We need phones so my parents can call us. Oh, and helmets for the bike.” He sidled in front of her, prompting her to look up and meet his eyes. “We can go to Austin and live near Livana. Or we could call Camila. You think they have room for two more in their house?”

  “Nine adults in one house?” She threw her head back and laughed, her gorgeous brown eyes alight with amusement.

  Probably not the best idea, especially given the way the guys tracked her every move. “Tonight…” He wrapped his arms around her lower back and squeezed her addictive backside. “We’re staying in a hotel with no keypads and no parents and…” He scanned his room, his attention snagging on the hook behind his door. That would work. He released her, grabbed a leather belt from the hook, and held it out to her. “And this.” She could strap him to the bed or shackle his wrists or whip his backside. A pulse of warmth curled through his groin. He needed to buy more belts.

  She took the one from his hand, folded it, and whacked her palm. Her upturned face glowed, her soft cheekbones curving with her smile. “You want me to beat your ass, you dirty slut?”

  Her cool voice sent a shiver down his spine and stiffened his penis to a throbbing hard-on. “Yes, Mistress.”

  She twisted her fingers through the hair at his nape, her long lashes blinking slowly. Then she pulled him down for a kiss that tunneled his vision and rocked his hips. She released him and stepped back. “Finish packing.”

  He adjusted himself and returned to his dresser for one more thing. Digging beneath the clothes he would leave behind, he pulled out his favorite childhood toy. He clutched her wrist and set it on her palm. “I want you to have this.”

  Her slim eyebrows pulled together, her face arranged in an adorable expression. “A Rubik’s Cube?”

  The square stickers peeled at the edges, each of the six sides grouped by color. “I solved it when I was eight.” He laughed, shaking his head at the memory. “Took me a year. I refused to undo it after I figured it out.”

  “Wow.” She stared at it, confusion lingering on her face.

  “It wasn’t the satisfaction of solving it that was meaningful. It was the experience in pursuing an endeavor of my choosing. I never found another puzzle I connected to the way I did with this one.” He touched her chin, held her eyes. “Until you.”

  She clutched the cube to her chest and pulled his forehead to hers. “Thank you.”

  He kissed her nose. “My jersey number was based on that cube. There’s fifty-four squares.”

  A huge smile spread beneath her glistening eyes. “My name.”

  Roman numeral LIV. His favorite number, his fate, his freedom.

  An hour later, he hugged his dad in the driveway. The bike rumbled a few feet away. Liv stood beside him with everything they owned on her back.

  “Love you, Dad.”

  Dad squeezed him until his ribs complained.

  Mom’s embrace was gentle but no less caring. “You call us as soon as you have a phone.”

  “Yep.” He climbed on the bike under the remorseful gazes of his parents.

  Their lips pressed tight, their expressions stony, but they were there to see him off. They loved him, and time and patience would soften their disappointment.

  Liv straddled behind him and curled her arms around his waist, her thighs clenching his hips. He licked his lips and pointed his feet forward. A breeze ruffled his hair. The sun warmed his skin. His heart beat a steady, peaceful tempo.

  He twisted his neck and collided with her eyes over his shoulder. “Where to?”

  She didn’t look at the road. Didn’t gaze at the sweeping hillside. She raised her eyes to the sky and smiled.

  CHAPTER 48

  Three months later, Liv gulped the cool air rushing through the open door and gripped the bench seat beneath her. The aluminum walls of the narrow cabin vibrated with the roar of the wind. Her palms collected sweat in the thick gloves. Her goggles steamed with humidity. And her smile was so big her cheeks hurt.

  Josh sat on the bench across from her, his complexion a kaleidescope of grays and greens. He looked like he was going to throw up all over his red jumpsuit.

  Mom had always said to reach for the sky, so she’d decided to do just that and followed Mom’s jump boots. Liv’s instructor position at the skydiving school outside of Austin enabled her to take Josh on his first jump without the nervous chatter of other newbie skydivers. It was just her and him and the sun-bleached sky.

  She leaned forward and shouted over the shrill of the engine. “Changed your mind yet?”

  He snapped his arms out and bellowed some kind of indiscernible battle cry. Then he flashed her a panty-soaking smile.

  The man had balls, and fuck her but she loved those balls. She’d had them bound in a ball stretcher the previous night while she paddled his ass to a gorgeous shade of red. The memory kindled a damp heat between her legs. She wiggled, grinding her pussy against the seat.

  His boot nudged hers. “You thinking about me?” he yelled.

  She caught her lip between her teeth and shook her head, the whir of the turbo-props piercing her ears
.

  He’d transferred his classes to Austin University to pursue a teaching degree. He wanted to coach high school football. With only two semesters of schooling left, playing college ball wasn’t feasible. He shrugged it off, saying that wasn’t part of his Freedom Plan.

  Mr. and Mrs. Carter called daily. They were warming to her but had yet to visit their rental house of bed-sharing-sin. The freedom fighters, on the other hand, popped in frequently. Overwhelmed with their sudden wealth, they spoke of the future with glimmering, wide eyes. A future that included her and Josh.

  She visited Livana several times a week. It was surreal, sitting in Mr. E’s house, in the rooms she’d memorized from various camera angles. Her time with Livana filled that empty hole inside her. Some of that happiness included thoughts of Van. Despite the painful memories, she focused on his goodness with a tingling warmth in her face. Sometimes, while running errands or working in the yard at the rental, she’d feel a prickle on her spine and would catch herself squinting over her shoulder, scanning the street for a charcoal hoodie. He was out there somewhere, and she deeply hoped he found something worth living for.

  Her gloved hand reached for Josh, and he caught it, squeezing her fingers, his smile cartwheeling through the wind.

  The pilot shouted over his shoulder, “We’re one minute to drop zone.”

  “Ready?” she mouthed.

  “Yep.” He shook his head, still holding onto that sexy grin.

  They shuffled toward the open door, weighted down by gear. She checked his emergency parachute one more time, spending unneeded seconds adjusting, tightening, and readjusting the harness between his legs. He laughed and ground his cock against her hand, the horny slut.

  Satisfied with the buckles and position of the vest, she shifted his back to the open door with his heels touching the threshold. She grabbed his face, pressed her cheek against his, and shouted into the wind, “Trust me?”

  He answered her with his tongue in her mouth, slashing and whipping, his lips strong and determined. His hands clutched the door frame with nothing but empty space behind him. She pulled back with a kiss on his bottom lip, cocked her head, and shoved his chest.