by Heather Long
“What happened to fucking me?” I demanded. He traced fingers around my upper arm and then across my breast bone with such utter gentleness, it almost brought me to tears.
“You’re hurt.”
Two words, and it almost sucked all the oxygen out of the room. I glanced down at the faint shadows of bruises smudging my skin. I’d barely even noticed them.
“I’m not.”
The hand he’d been so gently tracing over me with locked around my throat in a grip that was both kind and demanding. How the fuck he did that, I had no idea. With his thumb, he tilted my head back as he stared at me.
“Don’t ask me,” I begged him, and his eyes narrowed.
“Dove…”
“It doesn’t hurt, and I bruise easily. The only thing I want to feel right now is you. So please don’t ask me.”
I didn’t want to lie to him. The bruises went across my upper arms too, probably from where Liam had picked me up. Lifting my left hand, Vaughn stared down at the knuckles. The bruises there were a lot more noticeable, but he only turned my hand over to look at the palms.
I’d banged them up during my escape.
“I need you to trust me, Dove,” he admitted. The roughness of his palm as he cupped my cheek was a stark contrast to the gentleness of his actions. “But you’re trusting me with your body—that’s a start.”
Then his mouth was on mine, thank fuck, and he slid his arm around me.
“Up.” I felt more than heard the command as he sucked against my tongue. Or maybe I imagined it. But I pushed up as he lifted, and between us, I lined him up and then sank down on him.
The fullness of him pushing into me was intense. Even as wet as my cunt was, I groaned, and his answering moan sounded nearly as tortured. The water was still somewhat hot as he pushed us underneath it, and then I was against the shower wall as he set a punishing pace.
Every brush of his piercing against my inner walls sent them spasming, and I fought to match him, but each time I thought I had it, he would shift and slow down or speed up. I dragged my nails across his scalp and let my body go loose. Even my nipples rubbing against his chest ached for more contact.
Vaughn grunted, and then the bite of his teeth dragged on my lower lip. “Look at me, Dove,” he ordered, and I forced my eyes open again. “See me.” Thrust. “Feel me.” Thrust. “Take me.”
The trembling began in my toes and shivered its way up my legs until my thighs were quaking. Every time he pushed into me deep, he ground against my clit, and it just added to the spasms. Heat uncoiled and flashed through me, and I kept my eyes open and on his as I splintered.
His grin turned fierce, triumphant as he pushed me through that orgasm. A scream tore from my throat at every hot pulse of his piercings hitting that spot inside me.
“Trust me,” he demanded as I shook and quaked around him. The clamping down of my cunt didn’t slow him. If anything, it spurred him on, and then I swore I came again. Everything went liquid, my muscles, my thoughts, and my fears.
The hot water sluiced it away, and I strained up to meet his kiss, answering the only way I could right now. I answered him with me. Vaughn came with a shout, the heat of his release rushing out to fill me, and I clung to him as he pumped his hips once, twice more before burying his face against my throat.
“Trust me, Dove,” he whispered in a rough voice as we panted. “I won’t disappoint you. I promise.”
The words ate at me, even after he eased out of my cunt and helped me wash his hair. They nibbled around my consciousness as I soaped up his back and then ran my hands over the tight muscles of his ass. They sank into my bones as he massaged my breasts and then he followed me as we rinsed off and left the shower behind for towels.
Vaughn yanked the door open to his bedroom after he hung his towel up. “I’ll get you something of mine to wear,” he offered, but he didn’t move from the doorway. Everything about him went rock hard still.
“I already know she’s in there. Neither of you are very discreet.” Kestrel’s voice crackled, cold and hot at the same time. “Or quiet.”
“What do you want?” Vaughn didn’t respond to his comments. Instead, he just strolled out into the room nude and went over to the closet. Taking a page from his book, I leaned against the doorframe. My damp hair clung to my shoulders, but I still had the towel wrapped around my torso.
Kestrel cut a look at me rather than answering Vaughn, and I raised my brows. The coolness in his blue-green eyes kept his secrets hidden. “Have you really thought this through, Sparrow?”
“Leave her alone,” Vaughn ordered. “And don’t be a dick to her.” He had dragged on sweatpants in the closet, hiding that magnificent ass and gorgeous cock. At least his chest was still on display.
“I’m not being a dick,” Kestrel retorted. “Interesting that was the first place you went.”
They glared at each other. Tension spiked, and the air seemed to get even colder. I swore it looked like Kestrel wanted to take a swing at Vaughn, and from the way Vaughn opened and closed his fists, he’d welcome it.
I cleared my throat. Both gazes swung toward me abruptly, and they landed with force that had me shivering. Vaughn swore and yanked a drawer open. He crossed to me without a word and pulled a shirt over my head. It was soft and huge, and it smelled just like him.
My nipples beaded at the thought, even as I let the towel fall away. The only thing between me and their eyes was this red cotton.
“That’s a good color on you,” Vaughn commented, brushing his knuckles along my jaw.
“Goddammit, Falcon,” Kestrel swore abruptly as he stood. “Jasper is here. As soon as he’s done with Freddie, where do you think the first place he’s going to go is?”
They both glanced at me again, and Vaughn’s jaw tightened. My stomach bottomed out. Had I lost an ally that fast? Not that we’d put a label on the sex. It had been great, but it didn’t have to mean anything. I folded my arms and waited.
“You know what, I don’t care,” Vaughn said with a slice of his hand through the air. “Dove wants to stay here, she can stay here. She wants to go to her room, she can go there. We brought her here to keep her safe, not to keep her prisoner.”
My heart buoyed.
Kestrel raked a hand over his face.
“Jasper doesn’t own her, and he isn’t the only one with a right to care about her.” As much as I loved Vaughn’s words, I really needed them to remember something.
“I’m still here, and it would be great if you remembered that and stopped talking about me in the third person.”
Pinning me with a look, Kestrel sighed. The defeat in his eyes hurt me. I couldn’t even explain why, but I just wanted to chase it away. Something.
“Sparrow, I know you don’t have a reason to trust me and I burned that bridge with you, but I need you to listen to me because if you don’t, dumbass over here is gonna get himself killed.”
“No, I’m not,” Vaughn assured me.
“Yes,” Kestrel said, ignoring him. “He is. Jasper…”
Their phones both beeped, and Kestrel glanced at his as Vaughn walked back into the bathroom.
“Fuck,” Kestrel swore. “The twins are back with food, and they would like us to let you out of whatever cupboard we’re hiding you in.”
“And Jasper will be down in a minute,” Vaughn finished for him.
The question was, did I go and pretend this didn’t happen and cover with Jasper? Or did I maintain the fact that Jasper didn’t own me and push it?
Neither man said anything. They were both waiting.
I could feel it.
Pivoting, I returned to the bathroom and scooped up my clothes. Regardless of my audience, I pulled the leggings back on. Kestrel’s eyes narrowed at me, but he didn’t comment.
“I’m not making any promises,” I told them. “But I don’t want to cause any problems, either.”
“Trust me, Dove,” Vaughn murmured as he pressed a kiss right behind my ear. “You are not
the problem.” He shifted around me to go and get a clean shirt, and I locked gazes with Kestrel again. He only mouthed the words ‘thank you.’
I nodded.
He was right—we had burned some bridges when I found out who he was. But maybe we could build some new ones. Folding my arms, I waited until they were both ready to go. Kestrel checked the hallway before I left Vaughn’s room.
I needed to understand these guys, how they worked and where their friendships were in relation to each other. Not everyone who came and went here was close. Some were definitely closer than others—like Freddie and Jasper, which seemed like a weird combination. Other relationships were more strained—like Jasper and everyone else.
Or Liam.
I needed to know where I stood. And who I could trust.
Because I was here.
As much as I might not want to admit it…I needed their help.
Chapter 7
Emersyn
If I thought going down for food that night would solve anything, I was wrong. Not only did Jasper not make an appearance for food, Doc only dropped in for a couple of minutes to grab some before he carried it upstairs.
He and Jasper remained shut away with Freddie. Vaughn got a phone call and then left with Liam burning out behind him, and then it was just me, Kestrel, and Rome. My grilled cheese and fries were amazing, but not enough of a conversation starter.
I half expected Rome to ask questions, but he didn’t. All he said was, “Going out.”
“Watch your back,” Kestrel told him as he stood.
“Should you be going out alone?” I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed a fair question to ask.
Rome only glanced at me, his faint smile almost but not quite a smirk. Clearly, he was thinking if I went out by myself why shouldn’t he? But he still didn’t say anything as he tugged my hair gently on his way past.
Then it was me and Kestrel.
Alone.
I cleaned up my trash and then glanced around the kitchen for something to do, but there really wasn’t anything.
“C’mon, Sparrow,” Kestrel said, handing me a beer. “Let’s go watch some TV until you’re up for sleeping.”
Despite how long I tried to wait, Vaughn didn’t come back and neither did Rome. By the third beer, my yawns were cracking my jaw, and I had a feeling that was Kestrel’s intention.
He walked me up, told me goodnight, and then left me in my room, alone. The next three days were like nothing had ever happened with Jasper, Vaughn, or Doc for that matter.
First, I didn’t see any of them, and I was too worried about Freddie to get butthurt over it. Okay, correction, I was too worried to get upset over the absolute lack of Jasper and Doc, but that didn’t explain Vaughn unless he was taking a shift looking after him. Detoxing was a bitch.
I’d offer to help, but I didn’t know where he was.
And I’d tried a couple of the doors, they were either locked or the rooms were empty. Not exactly encouraging participation. Weird thing was that no one watched me as closely. Or at least they didn’t seem to be.
Kestrel was there in the mornings, since he woke me up each day and made breakfast. I tried to help one day, but he just kept waving me at the table with the cracked seal around the edges and the splits in the chairs. Rome breezed in, smelling of sunshine, cold air, and paint, then he was gone again.
Something Doc had said to me kept circling around and around in the back of my mind. When he disappears for a few days, you can usually expect something beautiful to show up. No Rome meant no Liam. When Kestrel left, I either watched television or I went to the studio.
Most days, I went into the studio. I was still trying to figure out what to say. I’d work out how to approach the topic with Vaughn, but the end of the day would come and go without any sign of him. On the fourth day, I ignored the breakfast Kestrel had fixed, poured my coffee, and walked the hell out of their clubhouse.
I’d found a pack of Jasper’s cigarettes tucked into the corner of the sofa and the lighter had been under it. I might have cleaned up one afternoon after I’d torn the place apart in frustration.
They even had a vacuum tucked away in a cubby. The rat who’d found me throwing everything in the living room had stared at me with a dirty smirk and vicious eyes. I’d dealt with grubby little sycophants like him all my life. When I stared at him with no expression, his smirk fell away and he finally stammered an ‘excuse me’ before he ducked out.
It was the first time I’d seen any of the rats come inside since I’d been back, and I hadn’t been hiding in my room. Admittedly, I spent hours in the studio, and one night, I’d snuck out of my room and down to Vaughn’s, but his door had been locked and he didn’t come when I knocked.
I needed Freddie to show me how to pick locks. That would be a useful skill. Which brought me full circle to heading outside. I was in dance capris, one of Vaughn’s shirts that I’d kept over a dance leotard, heavy socks to shield my feet, and a pair of running shoes I’d found in my stuff.
“Sparrow,” Kestrel called, but I kept moving.
The door banged as I strode out of it. There were guys out in the warehouse. More rats probably. Why did they call them rats? Couldn’t they come up with a more attractive name?
They’re a street gang, what do you expect? I ignored the little voice in my head as I made for the exit Rome and I had used that lead to the quiet little alley. An alarm shrilled when I hit the crash bar and opened the door. It cut off before I’d even taken three steps.
The cold air was downright bitter, and frost nipped at my nose as I lifted a cigarette to my lips and lit it. Fuck, it was cold out here. Colder than the day I’d left. There was even a hint of frost on the alleyway, or maybe it was just icy here.
Behind me, the door cracked open as a breeze stirred a lone paper flyer loose from behind a trash can and sent it sliding down the alley in the direction of the street. The cigarette smoke burned my throat and helped settle my quaking hands.
Well, the illusion of it anyway.
I had jitters worse than Freddie had when he’d been throwing up his lungs.
A heavy jacket dropped on my shoulders, and I didn’t look back. Kestrel wore the heavier leather jacket the last couple of days when he left. I guess that should have been my first clue about how cold it was out here.
“If you wanted to come outside…” He didn’t finish the sentence.
I picked an imaginary loose hair from my lower lip before sucking in a deep breath of the smoke. On the exhale, I aimed it upward. “Thank you for not insulting me with some bullshit platitude about just asking you.”
“Well,” he said slowly, circling around me to lean against the wall. In his hand was a cup of coffee, and the steam curled up from it.
It reminded me of my own, and I swallowed a mouthful, actually enjoying the way it burned down my throat before hitting my stomach. It wasn’t so hot that it scalded but definitely hot enough to chase away the chill.
Across from me, Kestrel watched me with those enigmatic eyes housing all their secrets. “We both know that if you wanted to leave, you could have. You’ve had plenty of time over the last few days.”
I froze. Someone had told him? Did it matter who? The idea of Rome or Doc telling on me kind of hurt a little. And Liam? I didn’t know what to do with that. Then again, it didn’t really matter, did it? He knew. “Then why chase me out here?”
“Because it’s fucking freezing,” Kestrel answered easily. “And you don’t have any money or car keys. I’m also pretty sure you don’t know how to drive.”
I glared at him. “I took driver’s ed.”
“But did you pass it?” He raised his eyebrows as he lifted the cup of coffee for a sip.
What a dick.
Still, his eyes almost seemed to gleam with some suppressed mischief.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I muttered, then took another deep draw on the cigarette. It wasn’t doing shit for my mood, but it helped to get out
here.
“I would. Especially if I plan on getting you a car to drive.”
The cigarette fell from my fingers. He stepped forward and on it while I stared at him.
“I didn’t…” I’d rather masturbate with sand paper than admit that. Grimacing, I stared down at my coffee cup. “I didn’t fail it, but I couldn’t get enough practice hours in before I had to leave for the next show.”
“How many hours did you practice?”
I got another cigarette out, and he crossed over to light it for me. “Thank you.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard, Sparrow. We used to do this every day.”
I glared at him, but honestly, my heart just wasn’t in it. After days of being relatively ignored, it was nice to just talk to him. “What’s with all the bird names?”
“You answer my question, and I’ll think about answering yours.”
“How the hell is that fair? I already answered one.”
“We weren’t negotiating then.” The fucker grinned at me. When I didn’t respond, he tilted his head, and I swore everything in me clenched. “C’mon, Sparrow. Play with me.”
“You think you’re charming.”
“I know I am,” he admitted without an ounce of shame or bravado. “That’s not why I want you to play.”
I turned to look down the alley and took another long drink of the coffee. “Fifty-five or fifty-six. Something like that.” Honestly, I was pulling that number out of my butt. I couldn’t remember what the form said.
“But you finished the class?”
“Yes, I finished the class, and why are you asking me two questions?”
“Why are you answering it?”
I scowled, and his smile grew a little wider.
“Birds fly free. They choose where they land.”
That was…elegant and beautiful. “Except if someone clips their wings.”
“That’s why we don’t let anyone clip us, and we’ll tear free the jesses anyone tries to put on the others.” The quiet certainty offered a far more provocative threat.