Stolen Melody

by Winter Sloane

He didn’t say anything, not yet. She finally opened her eyes and tilted her head. Melody didn’t seem surprised to find him standing there, watching. She crooked a finger at him, a clear invitation.

  Beast was out of his clothes in seconds. He opened the shower door and squeezed himself inside. It wasn’t built to fit two people, but at that moment, he didn’t mind the close proximity. He molded himself behind her back, locked her into a fierce embrace, and repeated a mantra in his head.

  She’s safe. She’s here.

  Beast regretted leaving that morning. She told him she was ready to talk, but he wanted to prolong this moment a little longer. Melody let him hold her. Fragile. Breakable. Those were the two adjectives Beast used to describe her, but that wasn’t true at all. She braved feral wolves and she survived a monster like Cheklov. Melody’s deceptive small body hid a scarred heart of steel.

  She sagged against him while water continued to rain down both their heads.

  He placed a kiss on the nape of her neck and reached for the soap. Wordlessly, he soaped her body, his touch gentle. She turned and returned him the favor. There was something incredibly intimate and erotic about the gesture, he realized.

  This was different from what happened earlier this morning. Melody didn’t have that dead look in her eyes. She looked alert, shy, and sexy as she ran her soapy fingers over his chest. His cock grew hard but he held on to his fragile control. Talk first, then sex later.

  Beast turned the water off. He grabbed a towel from the rack and dried both of them off. Beast rummaged through his shelves and grabbed a spare shirt. He turned toward her. She lifted her arms, just like a kid. Melody was letting him fuss over her. A good sign. Beast pulled the shirt over her. This one fell to mid-thigh.

  Beast leaned to give her a quick kiss on the mouth. I’m sorry for leaving you this morning. No words were needed. She understood.

  ****

  Beast put on a fresh pair of jeans, covering up his assets. That saddened her a little but Mel reminded herself that they weren’t about to have sex. Not yet anyway. She let Beast lead out to the bathroom and to the kitchen. She was about to check the fridge to see what she could make for them but he touched her shoulder, shaking his head.

  “Stay there. I’ll make us something quick to eat,” he said.

  She waited for him behind the kitchen counter as he made them ham sandwiches. Beast set their plates on the counter and they ate in silence. Mel had done plenty of thinking during her walk. She was ready to open up to him.

  Once they were done eating, Beast set their plates aside.

  “You said you wanted to talk?” he signed.

  This was the hard part, but Mel would manage. She owed him an explanation but he owed her one as well. Their little spat this morning wasn’t just her fault. He ran when he could’ve stuck around to discuss what happened, why he got mad.

  “This morning,” she signed. Melody blew a breath. “I understand why you pushed me away.”

  “Tell me.”

  Mel looked down at the counter for a few moments. He didn’t demand or tell her to hurry up. Beast patiently waited for her to gather her thoughts. She finally looked him in the eye. She always lowered her gaze just like Cheklov taught her. Mel was sick of doing that, too.

  “You really want to know?” she signed.

  “Get everything off your chest. It will feel better.”

  Melody nodded. “I wasn’t always like this. I used to be a fighter until he beat all the fight out of me. I stopped trying. Being obedient and grateful made them hurt me less. He taught me my worth lay in my ability to please him.”

  She clenched her fists and dug her nails into the skin of her palms until they bled. Beast was right. Sharing helped unload the weight that had been sitting on her chest for the longest time, but it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do.

  “This morning, I reacted without thinking. I’m sorry.”

  “Me too. I shouldn’t have left you, but this is new to me. I’ve never had a woman here before, never been in a real relationship, just one-night-stands. They meant nothing to me but you’re different.”

  Her heart raced at his admission. She was special to him? That made her happy.

  “You had a different look in your eyes just now, while we were in the shower,” Beast signed. “Last night, I saw a side of you I never expected.”

  “Last night you woke up the new me. I think I like her.”

  “I like her, too,” Beast signed. “I can’t wait to see more of her, of you.”

  Mel smiled. Just when she thought she was no longer capable of smiling, she found a man able to remind her of life and the value of living. If she went back to her old life, she knew she’d only wither away. She’d remain broken.

  “I promise I won’t take a walk into the woods alone.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Beast promised. “We can take walks anytime you want.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Is this a date?” Mel signed as she took a big bite of her burger.

  Beast stopped looking around the diner to regard her. Checking for possible exits and potential threats had been ingrained into his head ever since he’d entered this line of work. He’d never been a people person. Beast hated going out. Most people tended to be intimated by his looks and size but he did it for Melody. Even now, he could hear some of the locals buzzing, wondering why a beautiful girl like Melody was with someone like him.

  Melody had been with him for nearly two weeks. She might start feeling caged and trapped—animals had a tendency to resort to reckless actions that might get them hurt. Crossdale was the closest town near his neck of the woods. He’d been here a few times to pick up supplies.

  Most of the locals saw him as the eccentric mountain man who occasionally came down to buy what he needed. They knew nothing of his identity or what he did for a living. They were still a little apprehensive of him, even scared, but they had gotten used to him and no longer saw him as an outsider.

  Still, Beast disliked needlessly exposing himself or Mel in public.

  Cheklov was still alive but he was thousands of miles away. Beast did a little more digging on Cheklov over the past few days. It was easy. Beast had been a hitman for plenty of crime families over the years and he’d formed many contacts along the way.

  Picking up young men and women who didn’t have family or friends was Cheklov’s favorite pastime. The bastard gave two fucks about his victims. After he got sick of them, Cheklov would leave them to his men to play with. When they had no further use, they were disposed of. Learning that bit of information only fueled his rage.

  Beast had never hated anyone so much before. He’d loathed his old man, sure, but that bastard was rotting in his grave. Cheklov still lived and breathed.

  Mel tapped her fork on her plate, grabbing his attention. She asked him a question, he remembered.

  “A date?” He frowned, puzzled. “Sure.”

  If that made her happy, he was fine with it.

  “Finish your lunch,” he told her.

  “Is something wrong?”

  He shook his head. They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Beast was relieved to get out of that diner, even if they did serve the best cheeseburgers in town. They went back to his truck.

  Beast put the key into the ignition.

  Melody tapped his arm. “Thank you for bringing me out to lunch today.”

  “I needed to do a supply run anyway,” he replied.

  She seemed thoughtful as he started the engine. Melody turned on the radio. Country music seemed to be her favorite. Certain she wasn’t about to bail on him, he once asked her about her family, if she wanted to call anyone. Her answer had been no. She had a mother but they weren’t close.

  Beast expected that answer. Cheklov had been careful in picking his victims.

  He drove out of town and into the woods, back to his cabin. Beast occasionally snuck glances at Melody. She rolled down the window. The wind messed up her hair but she didn�
�t seem to mind. She looked happy, her blue eyes bright as she nodded her head side to side while the radio belted out tunes.

  His chest tightened. Melody wasn’t the same skeletal wraith he’d found imprisoned in Cheklov’s warehouse anyone. She gained weight and her skin had tanned since she started living with him. She looked happy and seemed content but Beast wasn’t too sure he had any right in keeping something like her.

  He’d gotten so used to waking up with her body tucked next to his, his cock buried deep in her pussy every morning. She always had breakfast ready for him. While he worked on his laptop, she’d be out in the back, tending the little garden she started.

  She was also the first thing he saw after he returned from a job. Melody was bright, blinding sunshine, too good for a monster like him who liked playing in the dark.

  “Are you okay?” Melody signed as they reached the cabin.

  Beast shook his head and focused on unloading the supplies in the back of the truck. She must’ve sensed he needed space because he saw her retreat inside the cabin. Would she work on her garden for a little while? Beast had promised her he’d teach her to shoot later this afternoon.

  After storing the last of their groceries, Beast checked his laptop. He’d been taking fewer jobs lately because part of him didn’t want to leave her all alone here. She could certainly manage without him. It was only paranoia talking. Beast knew Cheklov wouldn’t waste any resources looking for Melody.

  Beast was a professional. He never left clues or evidence in that warehouse. Cheklov probably still didn’t know who killed his men. He might be a pervert, but he was also a businessman who knew when to chalk off his losses.

  Realizing he wouldn’t be able to focus, Beast closed his laptop. He wandered to the kitchen, got himself a glass of water, and peeked out the windows. Melody was out there, dressed in a blue summer dress and wearing the silly straw hat he bought her during their quick trip to town. She was busy pulling out weeds.

  Beast did this all the time. Checked on her just to make sure she was still there, that she wasn’t going to leave or be ripped away from him. As if she knew Beast was thinking about her, she looked and waved at him.

  He waved back, feeling a little foolish, but what did it matter?

  Beast walked to his storeroom, to where he kept his guns. Melody would be untouchable while he was around but it didn’t hurt to teach her how to defend himself.

  ****

  “Hold the gun with both hands, just like that,” Beast signed.

  Mel nodded, gripped the handgun like he instructed, and focused on the cans lined up on a row in front of her. When he told her he wanted to teach her how to shoot, she’d been apprehensive. Mel never held a gun in her entire life before but she finally understood its appeal a little.

  He’d chosen a Ruger for her and it felt right in her hands. Not heavy but it had enough heft. She eyed the can in front of her and imagined it was Cheklov’s face she was staring at. Mel fired, barely feeling any recoil. The bullet missed the can completely and hit the closest tree.

  “Try again,” Beast said.

  She nodded, but the next two shots didn’t find their target at all. Mel let out a frustrated breath. She was about to set the handgun down and tell him maybe this wasn’t the best idea. She always saw herself as a failure even before Cheklov took her. Mel barely managed to graduate from high school. She’d been eager to leave her hometown, only to work as a waitress barely able to keep herself afloat.

  Beast walked to her, positioned himself behind her, and put his hands over hers.

  “Keep your hands straight, like this,” he whispered in his ear. Beast had become more comfortable talking in his own voice when he was around her, although he seldom spoke to her or anyone else in public. She liked the thought of him only trusting her to hear his voice. It made her feel special.

  “Don’t overthink it. Exhale slowly,” he instructed.

  With his hand still over hers, she felt steadier, confident. She took a deep breath like he instructed and fired again. The bullet managed to graze the side of the can this time around but it didn’t topple over.

  Beast took a step from her. “Again.”

  He sure could be a strict instructor, she decided. Melody emptied her mind, finger steady on the trigger. The world narrowed its scope. The bullet sailed through the air and knocked the can right off the wooden bench. She let out a little shriek, turning to Beast.

  “Did you see that?” she signed.

  Beast nodded. Her man looked damn proud of her. She could see it in his eyes. Beast gently pried the gun from her fingers and put the safety back on. She latched on to him and hugged him tight, liking how he automatically put his arms around her.

  He burrowed his face into the side of her neck and bit playfully at the skin covering her pulse point, leaving a hickey there before he moved his mouth to hers. Beast stole the very breath from her lips as he plundered her mouth. She let herself drown in him, in the taste and familiar warmth of him.

  When he withdrew from the kiss, she panted.

  “Good job. That’s enough for the night,” he told her.

  “Okay.” She held his hand as they walked back inside the cabin. Beast sat on one of the stools by the counter. Melody grabbed him a beer and got herself a glass of water. She set it in front of him and took the stool next to him. He accepted the beer and downed it in a few gulps.

  “Is there something on your mind?” she asked him. “When we returned from our trip from town, you seemed distracted.”

  Two weeks ago, Mel wouldn’t even have had the guts to ask him that but they’d come a long way since their first argument.

  Beast shrugged. “I’ve been thinking, that’s all.”

  She refused to let this one go. He had a tendency to close up whenever she brought up a topic he wanted to avoid.

  “About what?”

  “I’m leaving tomorrow morning to take care of some unfinished business. Cheklov.”

  She swallowed. He seemed to be waiting for her reaction. “You’re really going after him? On your own? He’s not going to be an easy target.”

  Mel knew exactly what Beast did for a living. She wanted nothing more than to see her old captor dead. Beast was a killer, a professional, but she didn’t like the thought of him endangering himself for her sake.

  “I’ve done my research. I’m not about to go about this blind.” Beast signed those words to her but he looked a little insulted.

  She touched his arm gently then kissed him on the mouth. “I know how capable you are but I’m scared for you.”

  He gripped her fingers and kissed them. When he did that, it always touched her, showed her how much he cared for her. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been doing my research. I know what’s to be done.” Beast paused. “Initially, I wanted to kidnap him, keep him alive for months until he’s screaming for mercy, but that’s not the logical choice. I’ll snipe him from a distance.”

  His words should’ve chilled her because she knew he wouldn’t lie to her. He was capable of doing anything he set his mind to. Was he scaring her on purpose, reminding her what he was capable of?

  “Are you trying to scare me?” she asked.

  Beast blew out a breath. “Sometimes I wonder why you’re still around. Back in that diner, everyone probably wondered who you were, why someone like you is with an ugly fucker like me.”

  She hopped off her stool and slid into his lap. He automatically held her, making sure she wouldn’t fall off. She touched his face and looked him right in the eye. Ridiculous man. For someone who repeatedly told her he didn’t care what other people thought, he still harbored his share of insecurities.

  “You’re not ugly,” she signed. “I’m yours. Remember?”

  Beast kissed the tip of her nose, took her hands over his and rubbed them.

  “Mine,” he agreed, growling out that single word and making her nipples tingle. She could feel them tightening under the material of her bra. She couldn’t clench her legs
shut, not when they were spread over his thighs but she could feel the moisture gathering there.

  “Remind me again who I belong to,” she signed to him. Beast let out a snarl, lifted her off his lap, and sat her ass on the kitchen counter. Her heart hammered as he yanked the hem of her dress upward and exposed her drenched panties.

  “You got your wish,” he said.

  She lifted her arms for him so he could peel the dress off her.

  Chapter Ten

  Beast took one last look at his sleeping angel before he set out to kill Cheklov. She looked perfect on his sheets, nude and freshly fucked. All his. Blood surged to his cock, but he had an important task to do, a promise to fulfill.

  This time, he didn’t slip away like a thief or coward. He walked up to her and planted a kiss on those tempting lips. Half-awake azure eyes met his. Melody tried to rise but he put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  “Sleep. Once you wake, it’ll be all over. He’ll be dead.”

  Melody nodded, closing her eyes again. Nightmares didn’t visit her as often, and she needed him less and less. Beast left her to her slumber. He picked up his gear bag in the living room and left the cabin, leaving it locked. He had installed a security system and cameras around the place days ago so he’d be able to check up on her and the property on his phone. Beast had also given her a disposable cell phone so she’d be able to contact him in case of an emergency.

  Beast got inside his truck. He didn’t start the engine right away, simply gazed at his cabin, the only valuable keepsake his old man left to him. Would Melody remain content, living in the woods and far away from the rest of the civilized world for the rest of her life?

  He started the truck, pushing those thoughts aside. He needed to be laser-focused today but he kept thinking of Melody during his drive. Beast reached the city. He left his truck in the parking lot of a department store and grabbed a rental. Today needed to be perfect. No careless mistakes.

  His cell phone pinged. At a stoplight, he checked his message. Beast thought it was from Melody but was disappointed to see it was only from his client, the same one who wanted him to retrieve his stolen shipment from Cheklov.