She’d tell him later.
After.
Because right now, all Maya could do was sink against Thunder’s sturdy chest as little aftershocks continued to rock her system.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his lips still against her skin.
“I should be the one saying that to you,” she murmured back, somewhat sleepily, her body drained from the back-to-back, mind-blowing orgasms. “Can you hold me for a while?” she asked, not ready to leave the security of Thunder’s embrace any time soon.
“Try to stop me, babydoll.”
Shifting their position so they were lying down, Thunder on his back, her draped across his chest, his softening length still buried inside her, Maya snuggled closer. It seemed too much to hope that this could really be her life, her future, that something wouldn't happen to snatch her dreams away from her and thrust her back into the darkness.
But she couldn’t let herself forget, no matter how badly she wanted to, no matter how perfect this moment was, that Master was still out there, and as long as he was, neither she, nor Thunder, nor any of the other members of his team would ever truly be safe.
Which left her dreams hanging by one very precarious thread.
Chapter
Sixteen
March 5th
10:10 A.M.
“I wish we could stay out here forever,” Maya said with a dreamy sigh as they climbed the porch steps.
Thunder felt the same way.
In the forest, surrounded by trees, with the sky spread wide open above them, everything felt so easy. They’d spent the last twenty-four hours mostly holed up in the treehouse, although he’d made regular trips back to the house for food and blankets. They’d spent a lot of time talking. Maya had told him most of the details about her time as a sex slave, and he’d spoken more about what life was like for him as a kid.
They’d bonded in a way he hadn't even known was possible. It ran so much deeper than sex, deeper than respect and admiration. It was like finding your other half in the most unexpected and unconventional manner. Nothing about this timing worked, nothing about Maya’s history worked, and yet he knew she felt it too.
“We can go back to the treehouse if you want,” he offered. His team could work on finding ways to track down Dr. Gardner without him, they all understood that Maya needed his support right now.
Hesitating, her gaze moving between the forest behind them and the door in front of them, he knew how badly she wanted to pick the tranquility of the forest. It gave her a temporary reprieve from dealing with her trauma. While they both knew it couldn’t last forever, it could last for as long as she needed it to. Just like no one had rushed Indigo when she needed to hide in Voodoo’s room when she first got there, no one would blame Maya for needing to hide in the treehouse they’d only just learned existed.
“No, I don’t want to hide anymore,” she said, straightening her spine, and proving all over again that she was a survivor.
“It wasn't hiding, it was taking a temporary time out,” he reminded her.
The smile she gave him was pure sunshine. “It was hiding, but I can't do that forever. I want to find a way to rebuild my life, and it starts with this. I know it’s just going back inside, but the people there mean a lot to you, and I don’t want them to be mad at me for?—”
“They’re never going to be mad at you for struggling, babydoll. We’ve all been there, we all struggle, everyone understands.” If ever there was going to be a group of people qualified to support Maya, this was it. He and his team had been supporting each other for years now. Then, over the last few months, their unconventional family had grown, and each time it did, it added another layer to their lives.
Hand in hand, they crossed the porch and stepped inside his home. Their home now, if she wanted it to be anyway.
Voices sounded from the kitchen, and although the hand he held cradled in his trembled slightly, Maya’s steps didn'tfalter as they headed toward them. Thunder already believed he respected the hell out of this woman, but she kept raising the bar, making him admire her more. Facing the things that scared you wasn't easy, and yet Maya kept doing it. After what she’d been through, the whole world must be terrifying, and nobody could blame her if she wanted to spend the rest of her life hiding away.
But she wasn't doing that. She was taking back the reins of her life.
“Morning, Thunder,” Rose greeted him as they stepped into the kitchen. “Morning,” she added to Maya, who tightened her grip on his hand, and he knew that she was rethinking her desire to face her problems head-on rather than hide from them a little longer.
“You can call me Maya. All of you can,” Maya whispered, her voice still a little raspy after so many years without being used, but it was growing stronger, smoother, each time she used it.
If she was worried about people making a big deal out of the fact that she’d started talking again, she shouldn’t have. There really wasn't a better group of people for her to walk this path with. They’d all, every single one of them, lived through their own version of Hell, and they would back her up, whatever she needed, and follow her lead with no questions asked.
“Want some waffles, Maya?” Cassandra asked, pointing to a plate still stacked high with them sitting on the counter. Mostly empty plates sat in front of each chair at the table, where his team and their partners had obviously shared a late breakfast.
