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  Everything about him was brutish; from the way he handled her and spoke to her, to everything in his mood. But whatever anger he had inside him, it wasn’t aimed at her.

  ‘Thank you,’ she murmured and his rigidity faltered.

  Flick reached through the water and drew the curtain across in front of him, blocking him out. She took off the now soaked shirt and hung it up over the curtain rail. The water heated slightly and she sorted through various bottles on the narrow shelf of the frosted window ledge seeking out the one that smelled like Rushe.

  When she found it she lathered up, washing her body, and her hair. Rinsing quickly she shut off the water and a towel came over the curtain rail in place of the shirt that had been whipped away.

  Despite being naked she hadn’t been in much of a hurry to finish her shower. Flick had known that Rushe remained in the room, and he wouldn’t intrude upon her. But he stood sentry and no one would get through him, of that she was sure.

  Slipping the towel down from the rail Flick wrapped it around herself and pulled the curtain aside. Sure enough Rushe stood next to the door, arms folded and ankles crossed, the growl hadn’t left his expression. If anything, more clouds had gathered above him.

  Flick tiptoed toward him. Rushe yanked open the door and didn’t touch her when she passed. Skeeve and Glen were loitering – clearly hoping for a peek – but she went straight into Rushe’s room.

  The door closed and he barged her aside to yank a tee-shirt from his drawer, which he threw backwards at her, then stormed into the corner keeping his back to her.

  Quickly drying off, Flick trusted him not to peek. But this was his space she’d intruded upon, and it wouldn’t be right to take liberties. She put on the tee-shirt, then tossed the towel to the floor at his feet to show that she was finished.

  Rushe turned and kicked it across to her crumpled dress. ‘Get on the bed,’ he grumbled.

  Flick sat down on the edge and watched him retrieve a length of twine from the ball he had in the bottom drawer. Grabbing her, he pulled her the width of the bed like she weighed the same as the pillow.

  ‘Please don’t bind me,’ she said, but he wound it around her wrist. ‘Please Rushe.’

  When Flick rested her hand on his corded forearm, he stopped to examine the contact like he was a puzzled dog. Remaining static for more than a few seconds, he shook off his confusion and carried on with the twine.

  ‘I’m heading into town.’

  ‘You’re leaving?’ she asked. Her newly found confidence in her guardian faltered. ‘For how long?’

  ‘Don’t know,’ he responded without moving his lips while he finished attaching her to the bedpost.

  ‘Please, please don’t do this Rushe,’ she begged. ‘You can’t leave me here. If you leave me with them...’

  ‘No one will touch you.’

  ‘But this morning—‘

  ‘You belong to me,’ he said grabbing her chin and hauling her up onto her knees. ‘As long as you are here, you’re my property. You do what you’re told, and we won’t have any issues.’

  ‘They scare me,’ she said. ‘The minute you walk out that door they’ll...’ She didn’t want to give voice to her concerns, the vivid images of what might be flashed in her mind’s eye.

  ‘You’re learning.’

  ‘I can’t trust them. Please don’t leave me here with them, Rushe.’

  The mild pain caused by his fingers curled tightly around her chin was nothing to what was behind his anger. Something in Rushe hurt, the brutality was a mask but she didn’t know what for.

  ‘Will you defend yourself?’ he asked her with his jaw set. ‘If you see that handle move you shoot.’

  ‘Rushe,’ she whispered. ‘Please don’t leave me here with them.’

  His jaw tick and his nasal inhale highlighted his impatience. ‘Fine,’ he barked.

  With his concession, she expected to be released from the restraint but he backed away, leaving her alone in the middle of the bed.

  Very slowly his gaze slid down her body but it paused at her chest. Of their own volition her nipples hardened. Feeling the cool cascade over them, Flick realised the wetness of her hair had wet the material through, but she didn’t check, in fact she didn’t move.

  The important thing in this moment was showing him she wouldn’t cower under his scrutiny. While any interest from the other lodgers repulsed her, being under examination of Rushe made her centre swell in a way she’d never known before.

  Her body’s response to him was instant instinct, and she couldn’t explain it because Flick hadn’t known a man like him; so strong, so savage, so masculine.

  ‘No one touches what’s mine,’ he growled to himself more than to her, and the ache in her breasts grew.

  ‘Rushe,’ she whispered and being bound to the bed had never been so restrictive as it was at present.

  ‘We’ll all clear out.’

  Flick desperately wanted him to come to her, though she didn’t know why. His height, his strength, and his machismo made him a force to be reckoned with. But from the second their eyes had met in the shower she’d seen something else, a vulnerability that she knew he’d never admit to.

  Rushe didn’t come to her; he went straight past her, out the door, and corralled the others despite their audible complaints. The main door eventually closed and then they were gone.

  Flick settled onto her back and considered events of the last twenty-four hours through her mind. This experience was surreal, and when she thought of how terrified she’d been last night she knew the only thing that saved her from the horror the others wanted to expose her to was him.

  He who stepped in and protected her, clothed her, fed her, bathed her; who gave her tips for survival, lied to his colleagues for her, and conceded to her fear.

  Rushe wasn’t like the others, but that didn’t mean she had any better handle on him. Flick didn’t know what was going to happen, or if she would get out of this. The only thing she could be sure of was that as long as Rushe was on her side she would be alright.

  Being stuck in one place gave Flick little to do. She had no range of movement, so all she could do was lie and stare at the ceiling. Flick thought more about her family, and the incidents which had led to their estrangement.

  Flick often got bored with the banality of some of the tasks she had to do at work, but working with books, with information, was the only thing she’d ever loved. No one was at work this weekend but Flick imagined when her colleagues got back to the library, and she didn’t show up, gossip would start. Foot traffic at the library where she worked was regular, and some of the same faces popped up regularly, but no one that she was particularly close to.

  Since she and her family had parted ways Flick hadn’t been close to anyone. She was personable enough, and could shoot the breeze with the best of them, but none of that meant anything. Flick reacted, she reacted to situations rather than being proactive about shaping them with her actions. She would coast along from task to task at work thankful at the variety she got with the different subjects she had to research.

  One week she could be gathering information about a gruesome crime, or a starlet’s biography, the next week she could be researching wars, mysteries, or epic historical romances. Sure, sometimes she was stuck with the history of a gnat but other times Flick would get swept along with the words and see herself there, in the ancient world, or on the distant planet or... Imagining another time and another place was easy, but seeing her own future clearly was more difficult.

  Flick liked to believe that if she was sure of something then she would go out and get it, fight for what she wanted. The trouble she faced was that she didn’t know what that passion was. It was difficult to shape your future, your environment, when you didn’t know what you wanted it to look like. So she coasted along hoping to stumble upon it.

  Except now she found herself here, tied to this bed, in this remote location, with no certainty that she had any future at all. At
some point after that haunting thought Flick must have drifted off to sleep.

  With no way to measure the passage of time because her watch had been destroyed in the shower, when the rowdy noises jarred her awake Flick had no idea if she’d been on this bed for ten minutes, or ten hours.

  Not long after the initial racket disturbed her the bedroom door opened, and she’d never been so glad to see a person. Flick recognised Rushe’s silhouette from the night before. Now that he was here, it didn’t matter how rowdy the others were.

  He closed the door and came straight to her. Clicking on the lamp, he took a seat on the bed at her side. Flick recoiled and mewed in protest of the illumination, but at least tonight she had one free hand to shade her eyes.

  A large paper bag was dumped on her stomach and he leaned over again to free her.

  ‘What’s this?’ she asked on a yawn.

  Rushe left her side while rifling through a paper bag of his own. Flick sat up and opened the bag he’d given her. She found underwear and jeans, clothes that would cover her up and she was glad of the denim barrier it would create for the others.

  When she got past the clothes Flick found toiletries like soap, and a toothbrush. She found antiseptic cream, and two bottles, antibiotics and...

  ‘This is the morning after pill,’ she said of the other bottle.

  ‘Yeah,’ he said dropping his bag to the floor and kicking it under the bed. ‘There’s water in that bag and food enough to last you a few days. I also got...’ Reaching behind himself he took something from his back pocket and held it up. Handcuffs. ‘These won’t cut you, there’s meds in the bag, and bandages, a first aid kit—‘

  ‘You’re going to leave me,’ she said. Flick’s earlier panic paled into insignificance against this. ‘You’re going to leave me here to them. Why? Why Rushe? What did I do? Where are you going?’

  ‘Nowhere,’ he responded. ‘These are dangerous people, Red. We don’t know what’s going to happen.’

  ‘You think they’ll hurt you? But they fear you.’

  ‘These are scumbags who’d shoot a man in the back. If they kill me then you’re on your own.’

  He’d got her a plan B. Apparently Rushe was a planner, he thought ahead. All Flick could hope was that she wouldn’t need any of it. For whatever reason he’d gone into town he had taken time out for her, to get her clothes and comforts, and prepared her for what could be the worst-case scenario.

  ‘I need to pee.’

  ‘Come,’ he said with a sideways nod.

  Flick scurried quickly from their bedroom into the bathroom, not taking the time to look at anyone. Rushe closed the door behind her and Flick knew he would stand guard again. Quickly finishing up her business, she stayed behind Rushe when going back to the bedroom as the noise level had increased.

  Rushe kept her sheltered and followed her into the bedroom. ‘It’s rowdy out there,’ she said, sitting on the bed.

  ‘They’ve been drinking. It’s after midnight.’

  ‘Have you been drinking?’

  ‘Implying?’ he asked, pulling off his tee-shirt. ‘Lie down.’

  Flick complied, scooting into her corner. Rushe brought the cuffs to her and fastened her to the bedframe.

  ‘I stayed here,’ she said. ‘All day I stayed. You told me to. I did what I was told.’

  ‘The cuffs are as much for your protection,’ he said, flopping down onto the bed and turning off the lamp.

  The men were getting louder and she appreciated that Rushe stayed with her, though Flick knew it was as likely he was just tired than actually wanted to comfort her.

  His breathing evened out but Flick knew he wasn’t asleep yet. ‘Rushe,’ she exhaled.

  He rolled to his back, perhaps to talk to her, or not. Last night she’d kept them apart, ensuring not to touch him. But tonight she set her head on his shoulder.

  With considerable hesitation on his part, Rushe eventually curled his arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled closer into his body heat. Much as Rushe might have claimed not to be her ally, Flick felt safe here. Curled in close to his solid body, Flick became aware that even despite the situation she’d never felt safer, and with that awareness she descended into slumber again.

  When Flick awoke, she was on top of him as she had been the previous morning. Today, the position of her body on his was much lower. Her legs were between his and her feet were under his calves – she hadn’t put socks on last night, so undoubtedly her extremities had been seeking out heat.

  Flick shuffled down to press her cheek to his abdomen. The warmth of him gave her comfort, and the skin-to-skin human contact made her feel safe. This was a man who wouldn’t be beaten no matter the odds.

  Letting her eyes close again, she sighed out her breath and she realised that lump was there again. The solid line that had been against her abdomen yesterday was now nestled between her breasts.

  Rushe slept in his jeans just as he had last night, but tonight he’d loosened them so the hot ember of his ore gave her body a heat that didn’t stop at temperature. He was thick, as bold in size as the man was virile. There could be no mistaking his length as anything other than monstrous.

  In her life she’d only been penetrated by one man, but she’d got somewhat intimate with others, and never had she known a man could be so massive in anything other than fable. While his length was formidable, it was the girth of him that made her believe he couldn’t fit inside any average woman. Flick might not fear the man, but she did fear the organ. When he sucked in a long breath, she was lifted and the appendage seemed to expand further. Flick kept her eyes closed and braced to be cast aside again.

  But after a score of seconds it hadn’t happened. Then she got the shock of her life when his hand settled on her head and slid down her hair – he was stroking her. Though her hair carried on to almost her waist his hand stopped on her shoulder and he spread his fingers to let her hair slip between them.

  Something in his touch was tentative, which from such a strong man seemed foreign. But that only gelled more with that vulnerability she’d spied so briefly yesterday.

  If Flick stayed still, he might reveal more of himself, but letting him know that she was safe for him was important. If he knew she felt his softer side, welcomed his gentle curiosity, maybe he’d open up more for her. This was a man who was tough for a living, but he’d protected her, so he had to feel something for her. Or he at least had a decency somewhere inside.

  Flick lifted her head to prop her chin on his abs, but she kept her body in place. His eyes were on hers, and he didn’t move his hand, which she took as a good sign. When he pulsed in her cleavage he swelled further until Flick was sure he might burst.

  She knew he wouldn’t feel fear; he wouldn’t back down, because a man like him needed nerves of steel around the scum in his life. The men in this place feared him, but she didn’t, even under the scrutiny of his penetrating eye contact.

  Nothing in his expression flinched, and she could tell his stare was practised. Still locked in his gaze, Flick’s free hand drifted up to seek out his empty one. When she linked her fingers between his he didn’t respond, but he didn’t pull away either. They could have stayed there for hours, and knowing what lay outside this room Flick didn’t mind that idea.

  His hand left her shoulder, but tears pricked her eyes when he touched the top of her head and stroked down again. This was a conquering act, but whether it was her or a fear within himself that Rushe wanted to vanquish, she didn’t know.

  The throbbing between her breasts intensified, making her heart rate increase. She considered fulfilling her curiosity about that hard flesh in her cleavage, but Flick knew better than to bite off more than she could chew – figuratively speaking.

  Without warning, the door flew open. Instantly, Rushe had her off his body and back in the top corner of the bed where she was bound. His own body went to the end of the bed to block hers from any danger; again, he protected her.

  But Skeeve and S
hiv in the door way couldn’t have cared less about her right now.

  ‘Boss is on the phone,’ Skeeve announced, then he and Shiv shuffled out.

  Rushe turned on her long enough to unlock her manacles. ‘Get washed,’ he grumbled and then he was out of the room.

  Rushe left the bedroom door open for her, and as Flick took her wrist out of the cuff she caught sight of Rushe crossing the outer room and then going straight out of the front door.

  These men had to be in this location for a reason. Certainly Rushe wouldn’t consider them friends, as far as she could tell. Being subjected to men like Skeeve and his cohorts wasn’t something a man like Rushe would do willingly.

  But being here, so out of the way, they had to be waiting for something, and it couldn’t be something good.

  Doing what Rushe told her was in Flick’s best interest – he hadn’t steered her wrong yet. The only reason she was still alive at all was Rushe. Skeeve and Shiv hadn’t shown any interest, so she took the chance to sneak straight out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.

  Just because she hadn’t seen anyone didn’t mean that they weren’t there, so she went through her routine quickly. She got through everything and into her shower in record time. Knowing her guard wasn’t there washed away the ease she’d had yesterday with the ice-cold water that flowed over her.

  Actually, the water was probably warmer today than it had been yesterday, but her shiver wouldn’t disperse. Flick turned off the spray and reached for the towel only to see it slide away from her to the other side of the curtain. Rushe would be unlikely to do that – to leave her here vulnerable and naked but the alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

  ‘Problem little girl? You can’t stay in there all day.’ And with a snigger her worst fear was confirmed.

  Naked, cold, and with no way out, when the curtain was snatched and rattled aside she could do nothing but stand there while Skeeve, Shiv, Glen, and the Kid examined her. All of them crowded into the small bathroom to ogle her. Flick’s skin prickled, and she wanted to close her eyes; she wanted to scream and run. But the thought of touching any of these men, even in the interest of self-preservation, repulsed her.