Biding His Thyme: 4 (11 page)

The skin of his biceps was smooth, a little
chilled from their dip in the river. He had a tattoo, one she hadn’t noticed
before because his robe covered it. She traced it now with her fingers,
following the curls and straight lines of the Maori pattern.

“Do you like it?” His gaze followed the
track of her finger. When the path of her finger came to a halt, she lifted her
eyes. A heated message winged between them, hot and heady and full of promise.
Oh yes. This was what she wanted and the man she needed.

“Yes.” The whisper said much more, and
judging by the flare of his eyes, he knew it too.

He rolled over her, his move so quick, a
squeak of alarm escaped her.

“Easy,” he said. “I grow impatient, and
unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time. I’m sorry for that, sweetheart.
I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

She nodded, even as she wondered how. If
everything went according to plan soon she’d leave the compound. When he
completed his task he’d leave too. They didn’t have a future together when he
intended to go back to his soldiering and she… Well, she didn’t know what she’d
do or where she’d end up. She just knew it would be away from here.

That exciting flash of emotion shot across
his face again, stealing her breath and making tension tighten in her belly.

He kissed her lips, a fleeting touch before
he trailed small kisses down her neck. His warm hand settled over one breast,
shaping the mound and testing the weight. Her nipple brushed his palm, the
delicate friction better than she’d ever imagined.

He paused. “I understand the padding, but
why do you bind your breasts?”

“My mother said it was best if I didn’t
draw attention to myself.”

“Why would she say that? Didn’t she come to
Children of Nature of her free will?”

“Yes, but I think she came to regret it.
Before she died, she mentioned leaving, but I think Brother Samuel talked her
out of it. She loved him.”

“Did she say why she wanted to leave?”

“She wouldn’t tell me. I asked her several
times, but she kept saying it was better if I didn’t know.”

“We’ll talk about this later,” he said. “On
the way back to the compound.”

His hands wandered, caressed her breasts
then added a completely different sensation with his mouth. She drew a sharp
breath as his mouth heated her nipple, tugging and sucking on it. Every draw
reverberated between her legs, bringing longing and restlessness. Her hand ran
up and down his back, her fingers pressing into his muscles, silently urging
him on. She’d never guessed, never imagined touching a man could feel so good.

Her entire body sang a joyous tune of
celebration, and distinct moisture pooled between her legs.

She grew more daring with her touches,
kissing his throat, his shoulder and even licking along the whorls of his
tribal tattoo. He tilted his head, catching her lips. He wasted no time in
deepening the contact, pressing his tongue against the seam of her mouth,
silently requesting she allow him entrance. The instant he did, his tongue
pushed deep. In and out. An ache nipped her breasts, and she stirred, her
entire being craving closeness.

She pulled away from him, breathing hard.
“Jake.”

“Do you want me to stop?” His voice was
sharp. His body shifted, and his erection dug against her leg.

“No.” She gripped his shoulders in panic,
fearing he’d halt when it was the last thing she wanted.

“I’m not intending to leave you hanging.”
He moved, one of his hands coming to rest on her upper thigh. “Part your legs
for me.”

She followed his instruction, mentally
pushing away the spurt of vulnerability. He wouldn’t hurt her. The instinct to
trust him was strong and unwavering inside her.

“Perfect,” he said.

His lips moved against hers, an unhurried
kiss, before he moved his attentions farther down her body. Her neck, her
collarbone, the upper curves of her breasts. He licked a rapid path around one
nipple, his warm breath as he blew on it a surprising contrast.

Her breath quickened. Shyness threatened to
overwhelm her, the exposure so new, yet his physical contact and the way he
looked at her with such longing brought a blip of excitement. Her heart raced,
thumping against the wall of her chest in anxious beats.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not,” she said. “It’s…I mean I know
the mechanics, but it’s different when I’m the one experiencing the act.”

“I haven’t had sex with a woman for a long
time.” His voice was hoarse, and she noticed the faint tremor of his hand as he
stroked her belly.

“Why?”

“Circumstances,” he said. “I’m going to put
my mouth on you, and make sure you come before I enter you.”

“Oh. Okay.” What else could she say? She
wasn’t the one with experience.

A burst of laughter came from him. “I’m
going to start now.”

Before she could answer, his fingers
stroked over the hair at her groin and lower.

“You’re blonde,” he said. “I bet your hair is
pretty.”

“I can hardly remember the color,” she
confessed with a frown. Then the thought faded because he was running his
fingers down her folds. Streaks of sensation, sharp jolts of pleasure ran down
her legs and up her torso. Her breath caught, an ache gathering inside her. It
felt like a spring, a compressed one ready to explode and fly apart.

His finger ran back and forth, stirring the
desire inside her into something bigger and superior. One finger moved lower
and pushed inside her. Even as she was cataloguing the feelings, he lowered his
head and licked her. She froze, the warm lap of his tongue different from the
caress of his fingers.

He stroked his finger in and out of her
entrance while his lips and tongue tasted and stroked her. The pleasure grew
and grew, taking on a hard, almost painful edge. It swelled, and she squeezed
her eyes shut to concentrate on the shining ball of sensations. Suddenly, it
was too much. It felt as if she were flying from her body, the explosion of
pleasure sweeping her up like a rogue wave then smacking her down. She fell
apart in a violent shudder, a moan escaping her tightly held mouth.

So this was sex with a man, she thought
hazily. Wow, and double wow. No wonder people enjoyed the act.

When she came back to her senses she
realized Jake had moved, and he no longer touched her. She missed the physical
contact immediately. “Where are you going?”

“Condom,” he said.

Her eyes widened. Children of Nature didn’t
approve of birth control. They thought of birth control as a weapon, designed
to kill a possible life.

“Do you have a problem with birth control?”

She thought about it for a few seconds
longer and gave a curt shake of her head. But it was difficult shaking off an
idea that had been reinforced since she was old enough to understand. But she
had to admit to curiosity, and she wondered what this terrible device looked
like because she’d never seen one. The only time they were ever mentioned was
when they were organizing a demonstration in front of Fancy Free.

She watched the way he ripped open the foil
wrapping and pulled out the contents. It was a pale violet color and much
prettier than she’d imagined. Of course it could have a devil face painted on
it for all she knew.

“It looks like a balloon.”

Humor lurked in his gaze when he glanced at
her. “It is like a balloon.”

“I haven’t touched you.” Regret shadowed
her words because she wanted to explore his body with much attention to detail.

“Plenty of time for that,” he said.
“Tonight you can touch as much as you want. I like the idea of your hands on my
cock. Your mouth.”

Color flooded her cheeks at his suggestion,
but she nodded, wanting to experience everything with him. She watched the
casual way he rolled the condom up his shaft. He pulled a face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think Alice Bates is laughing her ass
off at me. She’s given me a variety pack. My dick looks as if it has measles.”

Sorrel grinned. “I don’t care.”

He turned back to her with a glint in his
eyes. “I don’t care either.” He lowered his head to kiss her again, an unhurried
meeting of lips and tangle of tongues. Her pulse rate did a jump before
settling into a quick-step of excitement. The jolt of exhilaration soared down
her body, stirring pleasure in her pussy. She swallowed.

“Ready?” His brows rose.

“Yes.” Not a scrap of hesitation.

He ran his cock up and down her folds,
teasing them both before lining up at her entrance. “This might hurt because
it’s been so long.”

He pushed inside and she felt growing
pressure. A quick nip of pain entered the equation, and she attempted to move
away.

Jake kissed her again, splitting her
concentration, all the while pushing deeper. She groaned, but the pressure gave
way to mere discomfort. He growled, withdrew a fraction before surging inside
her. Once he was embedded, he paused.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I don’t like
hurting you.”

She realized the sting was fleeting, and it
wasn’t unbearable.

He pulled back and the sense of fullness
faded. “Wrap your arms around my neck,” he said.

She did as he requested, trying not to
wince when he surged into her again. She bit her bottom lip, hot tears stinging
her eyes. This was it? It was nice being held and she’d enjoyed it when he’d
used his mouth and tongue on her, but this part she could take or leave.

“God,” he muttered. “I’m sorry I’m hurrying
things. It will get better. I promise.”

She nodded. At least it wasn’t hurting
anymore.

He kept thrusting and retreating, his
breath harsh against her ear. For some reason, he changed the angle of his
strokes. Her breath caught halfway up her throat. That was better. Much better.

“That’s it,” he said, the tendons in his
neck straining. He went faster, his mouth sucking at the base of her neck. The
faint play of his teeth should have brought pain. It didn’t. Instead pleasure
flared to life again, like an ember catching a draft. She clutched his
shoulders, hanging on, instinctively matching his movements with her own. Like
a dance, she decided before the thought waltzed away and she concentrated on
the good feelings.

He groaned, did three hard strokes into her
body and stilled.

“Holy shit,” he muttered.

After a while, he shifted, withdrawing from
her. Unaccountably, she felt a flash of disappointment, the brightness of the
sensations rippling through her, fading now that he’d ceased moving inside her.

He removed the condom, placing it inside a
plastic bag. “Alice said they’d duplicated your cream and to try this on you.”
He pulled out a plain bottle and tipped some of the contents on his palm. He
stroked the cream along her folds, around her clitoris.

Familiar sensations tore through her, rich
and full, like pleasure magnified, but the scent wasn’t right. Not that the
lack of scent made a difference to the reaction of her body. She gasped, her
hips jerking. She arched upward, desperate for a firmer stroke of his fingers.
“More,” she demanded. “Harder.”

He did as she asked and seconds later she
swore she saw stars behind her tightly squeezed eyes. Tendrils of pleasure were
still rippling through her when she opened them again to stare up at Jake.

“Wow,” he said. “Your cream works like a
charm.”

Excitement bubbled through Sorrel for the
rest of the day, even though she tried to restrain her feel-good mood. Her
cream had always brought her pleasure when she tested it, but she’d never felt
as if she was flying out of her skin. She pondered the difference for an
instant, her brow furrowing in a frown. She’d never tested the cream with a
man. Yes, that must be it. Her gaze slid to Jake who was pressing bath bomb mix
into round molds.

In contrast, he’d become downright surly,
making her worry. Hadn’t he enjoyed the sex between them? He glanced up to
capture her gaze, his brown eyes stormy with his emotions. “Brother Rick will
watch you if you attend the gathering tonight. What if he decides he wants to fuck
you?”

“No, that’s one thing I’m not worried
about. One of the tenets of Children of Nature, a fundamental one, is that sex
must be freely offered. If I say no he has to accept my decision.”

“And what if he pushes the point? He makes
his own rules.”

“Won’t you fight for my honor?” She shot
for humor, the attempt falling pancake-flat. Jake’s glower didn’t shift.

“Promise me if I’m not around you’ll make
sure you’re with one of the other women. Don’t let Brother Rick get you alone.”

“I promise.” She set her wooden spoon down
and went to him, lifting her hand to cup his cheek. “Don’t worry. Maybe you
could give me some lessons in self-defense. Just in case.”

“Kick him in the balls, and if you can’t do
that, stomp on his feet. Gouge his eyes and use your elbows. Scream, and don’t
stop struggling,” he said fiercely. “And if they overpower you, concentrate on
surviving. I’ll come for you.”

Sorrel chuckled even as she shivered in
reaction to his insistent manner. “I think our bigger problem is me getting
pregnant. You can’t use a purple condom in the communal hall. Someone will
notice.”

“I know,” he said glumly. “I doubt I’ll be
able to pull out before I come either. No, wait. We’ll keep our robes on,
pretend we’re impatient to get to the deed and fake it. You can’t get naked and
let anyone see your breasts anyway.”

“I know.” She was playing a dangerous game,
and she’d been lucky to escape detection thus far.

* * * * *

There was an air of celebration at dinner.
Beef again, Jake noted. Brother Rick and his cronies had arrived back at the
compound about ten minutes before dinner in high spirits. They’d unloaded boxes
from the back of the truck and stored them in Brother Rick’s accommodation
before strutting into the dining hall.

Jake intended to check out the mystery
boxes. He waited until they’d settled at a table with their dinners, before
leaving the line.

“Call of nature,” he said to Sorrel. “Will
you get me a plate?”

She nodded, and he limped outside.

Brother Rick’s quarters were away from the
main buildings, and the door was locked—a flimsy one, but still a deterrent.
Jake slipped a knife from the strap around his thigh and made quick work of the
lock. With a glance over his shoulder, he slipped inside, pulling the door shut
after him.

He found the boxes stacked in the smaller
of the two bedrooms. They were sealed, but he didn’t hesitate, cutting the seal
to find bags of colored pills. His breath emerged in a soundless whistle as he
picked up a packet to study. Shit, party pills. After several deaths, the New
Zealand government had recently outlawed the pills, popular for their natural
high.

A sense of satisfaction filled him as he
slipped a packet into his pocket and repacked the box, restacking them so the
box he’d opened was at the bottom of the pile. At the door, he paused to make
sure the way was clear. He relocked the door and after replacing his knife,
sprinted across the open ground of the compound to the ablutions block, slowing
when he neared his destination.

He wished he had time to contact Luke, but
it’d have to wait. He’d been gone for too long already.

When he neared the communal dining room,
the roar of a male voice had him breaking into a run again. He burst through
the doors, lungs burning with the abrupt physical exertion.

Half a step inside the door, he remembered
his limp and lurched, the sudden uneven gait throwing off his balance. He
crashed into an empty chair and sent it flying. Everyone looked in his
direction, some sniggering at his clumsiness. He had no trouble pretending
embarrassment as he straightened.

Frantically, he sought Sorrel. He located
her on the other side of the dining hall, two plates of food at her feet.
Brother Rick stood in front of her, a sneer twisting his face. He ignored
Jake’s entrance, his gaze fixed on Sorrel.

“You’re a pig, Sister Bitter. It’s no
wonder you’re getting fatter all the time. Did you break your fast this
morning?”

Anger filled Jake as he made a show of
limping over to join them.

“Yes, I broke my fast.” Sorrel had reverted
to her subservient behavior, her gaze on her sandals, her voice barely audible.

“Then why are you eating a meal tonight? I
believe I instructed you to eat once a day. Can you count?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice so low that Jake
barely heard her.

“Then why do you have two plates of food?”

“I asked Sister Sorrel to get my meal for
me.” Jake’s fists bunched and released. Seconds later, he bunched them again
because the urge to hit Brother Rick was like a bomb ticking inside him. “I had
to go to the ablution block.”

“Her name is Sister Bitter, and she still
shouldn’t have had two plates of food.”

“Maybe I have a big appetite,” Jake said.

“I’m not stupid.”

As much as Jake wanted to snap a smartass
reply, he didn’t. Instead he sucked in a hasty breath, ordering his thoughts.
He focused on Sorrel. “Clean up the mess and get me another plate of food.” She
flinched at his tone, and Jake felt like a monster. Hell, Brother Rick wasn’t
fit to lick her shoes. While he understood she didn’t have any money and found
it difficult to leave, he didn’t know why she’d take this constant abuse. He
turned away before he gave into the impulse to flatten Brother Rick’s pointy
nose and limped over to a table with four free chairs.

The men and women sitting around the table
stared at him in reproach, making him feel as if he’d kicked a puppy. His gut
churned while he waited for Sorrel to join him. God, he wanted to go and help
her, but instead he sat there—the dominant male.

Ten minutes later she set a plate of roast
beef in front of him. She pulled out the seat beside him and sat, her head
bowed. The noise in the dining hall increased, and the occupants started to
talk again. Tonight they were louder than normal, excited about the coming
gathering.

Jake was no longer hungry. He took a bite
of roast beef, but it tasted like dirt in his mouth. A loud grumble sounded,
and his mouth firmed to a scowl. He tossed his knife and fork down and shoved
his plate away.

Sorrel flinched at the abrupt sound, and
the chatter at their table faded. Jake stood. “Come,” he barked and he limped
from the dining hall without glancing over his shoulder to see if she followed
him.

“Wait,” Brother Rick’s voice boomed across
the room. Silence descended, and the prickle of gazes skimmed his back.

Slowly Jake turned. “I am not feeling
well,” he said. “I am going to the restroom and to my quarters.”

“Sister Bitter can stay here.”

Arsehole
. “I
require someone to look after me,” Jake said. “If I am coming down with
something it is better for her to tend me to limit the spread of sickness.”

Luckily the man saw the benefit of Jake’s
words. “Of course,” he said. “You may go and you have leave to be absent from
the gathering tonight.”

“Thank you,” Jake said, fighting the urge
to sprint across the room and thump the man into next week. Instead he hobbled
from the hall, out into the fresh air with Sorrel shuffling two steps behind
him.

The days were becoming shorter and the sun
had already dropped below the skyline. He trudged across the compound toward
the ablution block.

“Jake? Are you all right?”

“Wait for me at your workshop,” he said,
somehow managing to keep his voice even. “I won’t be long.”

Maybe this would work better. With everyone
attending the gathering he could sneak out of the compound and go to see Luke
with the evidence. A phone would have come in handy right now, but they’d
decided not to risk him taking one onto the compound. As it was he suspected
someone had rifled through his duffle bag.

Jake made himself stay in the ablution
block for ten minutes. He flushed the toilet and after washing his hands and
face, he headed for Sorrel’s workshop.

He gave a brief tap on the door. “It’s
Jake.”

The door opened and Sorrel stood there, her
eyes red as if she’d been crying.

“Aw, sweetheart,” he said and he tugged her
into his arms, holding her quivering body.

“I try not to let him get to me, but
sometimes it’s hard.”

“If you want I can get you out tonight.”
She pulled back, and he shut the door before turning his attention on her
again. “What do you think?”

“I’m not going until I get my mother’s
books.”

“So we get the books, and we leave,” he
said. “Damn, I should’ve searched for them earlier when I was in Brother Rick’s
quarters.”

“The books were with Brother Samuel’s
things since my mother spent most of her time with him. Brother Rick asked the
women to clean out Brother Samuel’s quarters before he moved in. The books are
either in his quarters or perhaps in his office. Or they might have packed them
away in boxes.”

“Damn, it will take a while to find your
books. Are you sure they weren’t destroyed?”

“I doubt it. Books are luxuries. He’s most
likely shoved them on a shelf somewhere. Jake, tonight isn’t a good time for
searching. Although the gathering takes place in the communal hall, remember
this time the brothers and sisters will move outside and find other places for
privacy once the formalities are completed.”

His brows shot up. “Formalities?”

“Um, I don’t know what else to call them,”
she said.

“Then we’ll have to search another
night—the next time Brother Rick leaves the compound.”

“There is never a right time,” she said
with a trace of frustration. “He’s either in his quarters or I’m busy with
work.”

Jake pulled her into his arms again and
held her. He felt protective as he slid his hand over her back. He couldn’t
feel the push of her breasts now. Instead her stomach nudged him, getting in
the way. Damn it. He couldn’t wait to have her slender body pressed next to his
again. “I’m staying here tonight.”

“What if they ask questions?”

A whoop of sound carried across the
compound.

“I’ll tell them it was too noisy up there.
Everyone is much louder than normal.”

“Yes.” Sorrel frowned. “They were during
the last gathering too. I suspect Brother Rick added something extra
stimulating to the celebratory punch everyone was drinking.”

Sorrel’s stomach let out a rumble, and
Jake’s arms tightened on her shoulders.

“I’ll ask Alice if she can get us some food
next time I see her. I don’t want you to lose any more weight.”

“Thank you.”

Her gratitude made him want to snarl.
Not
her fault
. “At least we won’t need to worry about birth control.” He
nuzzled her neck and nibbled on her earlobe. “We won’t attract any attention
here.”

“It’s not very late yet,” Sorrel said. “I
might as well make a batch of bath bombs. I’m going to try a new scent
combination. I thought of it while Brother Rick was shouting at me.”

“Good for you,” Jake said.

“Make up the pallet. In case Brother Rick
sends someone to check on you.”

Jake nodded, seeing the sense in her
suggestion.

They worked together measuring and chopping
herbs to add to the bath bombs. Lavender, thyme and mint. The scents swirled in
the air, both soothing and familiar to him now.

Voices outside made them both freeze.

“Sister Bitter might know where he is,” a
man said.

A knock sounded on the door, but Jake was
already on the pallet and pulling a blanket over him.

Sorrel glanced at him before opening the
door.

“Have you seen Brother Jake? Brother Rick
was worried and wanted us to check on him.”

“He’s resting down here,” Sorrel said,
indicating the pallet they’d set up on the far side of her workshop. “The noise
was bothering him, and I thought it would be a little quieter down here.”

Two men—he thought it was Brother John and
Brother Tyrone—stepped inside the workshop and peered at him.

“How are you feeling?” Brother John asked.

“A bit better,” Jake said. “I vomited up
the little food I ate at dinner, but my stomach is still churning.”

They both backed up and exchanged glances.

“You really are sick?” Brother Tyrone
asked.

“Of course he’s ill,” Sorrel said. “Can’t
you tell by his face? It’s flushed and he seems to be sweating a lot.” She
nibbled on her bottom lip, uncertainty in her expression. “I think it’s one of
these quick-acting things. I could be wrong of course.”

“Maybe we should take him to the
infirmary,” Brother Tyrone said.

“I hate to upset everyone’s night,” Sorrel
said. “It’s a celebration. I’m happy to look after him tonight. If he hasn’t
improved by the morning, I’ll get someone to help me take him to the infirmary
and Sister Agnes’ care.”

Brother John nodded. “That’s a good idea.
I’m sure Brother Rick will approve.”

The two men backed from the workshop, and
Sorrel shut the door. They both waited until they could no longer hear the
brothers’ voices.

“Do you think they’ll come again?” Jake
asked.

“I’m not sure. Maybe you should stay
there.”