AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Damn it, stop this,” I grunt. “You’re wasting time.” I have to pin her legs down with mine, which means I’m practically lying on top of her and braced on my elbows.
“Don’t… no…” Her breathless pleas don’t do much. I can’t afford to defy Rebecca, not now, not after planning for months on an escape.
Her body, on the other hand, has me wishing we were doing anything but this while lying on the bed together. Her dress has worked its way up around mid-thigh in the struggle, and her creamy skin glows like a pearl in the lamplight. When was the last time I saw a girl’s bare legs? When was the last time I touched a girl’s skin?
I can’t afford the distraction.
But when I pull my gaze away from her leg, I only end up looking into her blazing eyes. “I hate you,” she whispers, and I believe she means it with all her heart.
That doesn’t stop me from giving in to my yearning by crushing her lips with mine.
CHAPTER FOUR
LEONA
How is this happening? And why do I want it so much?
His mouth moves against mine, and something about his kiss unlocks heat deep in my core. I don’t know if it’s all the adrenaline rushing through my system or something simpler. I was already drawn to him, even if we were never allowed to speak. I’ve spent the past year not being able to talk to a single man, much less kiss one while he’s on top of me, moving his body over mine, touching my bare thigh while his tongue probes the inside of my mouth.
I’m on fire, burning for him, crazy and desperate to feel more. If I’m going to be sold, this could be the last chance I ever have to decide for myself what I want. How I want it.
I cling to him, digging my fingers into his shoulders, his back, running them through his silky hair. When he groans into my mouth, I groan back, hungry for more.
Then I groan again, this time because he pulls back. I don’t want him to. I don’t want it to ever stop. It’s like time stands still when he’s kissing me, and that’s what I need. I need time to stop moving. If we could only stay like this forever.
He lifts his head and looks down at me, and it’s like he’s a different person now. All the hardness and anger in his face and eyes have melted away in the heat of the kiss, and the tenderness now radiating from him makes my breath catch in my throat. “I am sorry,” he whispers. “I need you to know that. I’m sorry this is happening.”
“I know.” He couldn’t have kissed me like he did if he didn’t care at least a little. “I’m scared.”
“I know.” But there’s something else, tension running like an invisible thread through his words. The way he clenches his teeth like he’s fighting against something.
And I know what it is when he moves a little and the hardness between us presses against my stomach.
It’s enough to make an idea come to life in my head. Maybe… if I’m not… if I can get him to…
“Will you take my virginity?”
He pushes himself up on his palms, his eyes flying open wide. “What?”
“Please.” I tug at his arms and shoulders, and even in my panic, I can’t help but notice the firm muscles underneath the stiff, scratchy fabric of his shirt. The basic uniform the men wear around here. Now I can almost see why. They want to cover us up, so there’s less chance of noticing each other. They wouldn’t want us to make choices for ourselves and lose control over us.
“We can’t do that.”
“Yes, we can,” I whisper, trembling. He has to; he just has to. Maybe Rebecca won’t want to sell me if I’m not a virgin. I have to try.
Besides… “I don’t want to give it to some guy who bought me,” I choke out. The words are so horrific that they bring tears to my eyes. “I would rather it be somebody I know, at least. Somebody who cares.”
“But we don’t know each other.”
I barely stop short of rolling my eyes. “Elijah. You know what I mean.” I lift my hips a little, enough to brush against his erection, and he closes his eyes while a wave of pleasure washes over his face. He is truly beautiful. I realize that now I can see him clearly, now that we’re so close. His finely chiseled features work like he’s fighting against something. His conscience, his guilt, his fear. Whatever it is, it’s tearing at him.
“I have to go.” When he gets up from the bed, my heart threatens to break.
Sheer desperation makes me cling to him, almost clawing at him. “No, don’t! Please, don’t leave me alone. I can’t be alone.”
His jaw clenches, his nostrils flare, and for a split second, he looks like the Elijah who came to get me out of the cell. Furious and enraged, like he hates me. “What do you want me to do?” he mutters.
“Just stay with me. If you won’t have sex with me, at least stay. There’s no way I’m going to be able to fall asleep alone. That’s all I want. Just don’t force me to be alone.”
