AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I jolted, dropping the broccoli and standing quickly. “I… um…”
A man stepped from the darkness, coming close enough I could make out his features.
My heart sank. Of all people, of course it was him.
I bowed my head respectfully. “I’m sorry, Brother Josiah. You’re right. I didn’t have permission. It’s just so lovely and delicious. Greed got the better of me.”
He walked around me in a circle, slowly watching me. He was tall, his legs encased in dark denim jeans, a flannel jacket with a sheepskin collar covering his top half. He had to be around my dad’s age, with crinkles at the sides of his eyes and faint lines across his forehead.
Many of the women here found our leader attractive, but I couldn’t see it. While others took his attention as flattering, it had always made me nervous.
His gaze lingered too long.
And on parts of me I didn’t want anyone noticing.
My breasts. The curve of my hips. The place between my legs.
I didn’t dare breathe. I knew what I’d done was wrong. We had rules that all food was to be shared. You didn’t just get to go take whatever you wanted. A community couldn’t run like that.
I just hadn’t wanted to leave my cabin when the food rations were handed out. The entire commune came out on those days, and everyone would have stared. I didn’t need much to eat, and Hayley Jade didn’t need anything but my milk. I’d had enough to get by, especially by adding a few little bits and pieces to my supply when I was out on my nighttime walks.
“I haven’t seen much of you since you returned,” he said eventually. “Only at church.”
I only went there because I knew not going would only make the rumors about me worse. “I’ve been busy, I guess. Taking care of my daughter.”
He peered into the stroller, staring down at her.
Instinct told me to jerk her away. Cover her up. But I knew that would be rude, and I’d be admonished for my poor behavior. Instead, I clenched my fingers around the handle tighter and forced myself to remain still.
He was just looking at her.
He wasn’t doing anything wrong.
His gaze drew back up to mine. “She’s a lovely baby.”
My response was barely more than a whisper. “Thank you.”
He trailed his fingers along the fabric of the stroller. “And you’re a lovely woman.”
I gasped when his hand settled on mine, wanting to snatch it away. Instantly, I realized my daydreams of Hayden were ridiculous. This felt all wrong. My skin crawled. After what Caleb had done to me, I never wanted a man to touch me ever again. Definitely not this man, who was clearly twice my age.
But he was our leader. I’d already disrespected his authority once by leaving, and he’d been gracious in letting me return. I couldn’t insult him by cringing away from his touch as well.
His fingers traced idly over the back of my hand, and he stepped in closer, his breath warm on my neck. “Did you like her father’s touch, Louisa Kara?”
I widened my eyes at him, shock punching me in the stomach. “Excuse me? I don’t understand.”
He chuckled, brushing my long hair aside to expose my neck. “Sure you do. You laid with a man, did you not? He took your clothes off. Put himself inside you. Spilled his seed so that darling child could be brought into this world. I’m merely asking if you enjoyed it?”
My skin crawled. “This is inappropriate,” I mumbled.
His hand skimmed down my back and over the curve of my ass. “Nothing wrong with asking if you enjoy sex, Louisa. I do.”
Rude or not, him touching me there, in a place he clearly knew wasn’t allowed, was the last straw. I turned away from him. “I need to leave. My daughter needs to go to bed.”
To my relief, he let me. I hurried back down the path, the delicious green stem of broccoli forgotten in my haste to get away from him.
He didn’t stop me.
