Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
I tip my face to kiss Rock, letting his tongue search my mouth in slow strokes that make my toes curl. His kisses are always gentle explorations. For the first time, I wonder how much of that is framed by his conviction and desire to never make me worry he might overpower me.
Next, I draw James closer, letting my fingers trail through his dark hair as his kisses turn deep and frantic. There’s possession in his claiming mouth and fear, too. I taste its tartness on the tip of my tongue.
Finally, I turn in Rock’s embrace to pull Kinkaid closer, but he doesn’t let me kiss him right away. Instead, he hauls me against his powerful body, wrapping his thick, muscular arms around me so tightly that my shoulder joints creak. His breath, warm and quick, brushes against my ear as he murmurs, “Lory.” My name sounds like a plea on his lips.
I know I’m leaving. The threat looms over me like a dark cloud, and this is about them trying to communicate their feelings in their own ways.
“I don’t have to go,” I whisper, desperation aching in my words. “I can beg Grady to change his mind. Maybe I could stay here for a while, and you guys can head back to reduce the suspicion. He can bring you back when the coast is clear.”
I realize I sound pathetic and desperate, but I don’t care. The thought of leaving their warmth and strength feels unbearable. I can’t face the prospect of being outside without them—of not being able to reach out when I need them or knowing they won’t be there when they need me. Letting them go will be too hard.
“It’s for the best,” Kinkaid insists. “You’ll get your money, and you can help your sister.”
“But… but…”
“It’s okay,” Rock soothes as his hand cups my hip.
“We’re not going to forget you,” James blurts out, his eyes darting nervously to his friends, worried he’s spoken out of turn. “Leave us your name and address so we can write to you.” The earnestness in his voice hits me hard—he genuinely wants to keep in touch. I struggle to hold back my tears, the weight of our impending separation pressing heavily on my heart.
“This has been special, but it’s not the real world, Lory. You probably feel things you wouldn’t be if we were all free.” Kinkaid squeezes me tighter, telling me things his words don’t. He’s trying to make me believe this isn’t real, but his body doesn’t lie when it grips me closer.
I cling to him, wishing I had more space in my arms to embrace them all.
Is he right? Does he fear the impact of our forced confinement as much as I do? Does he doubt his emotions, or is he trying to protect me? Even if I wanted to, how could I wait for a man who has more years left on his sentence than he’ll admit? Even if I could wait for James and Rock, our dynamic wouldn’t be the same without Kinkaid. A quarter would be missing from our group, a vital part that none of us would want to go without. Kinkaid is the strong arms and the rational mind, Rock is the gentle hands, James is the sweet inner child and the humor, and I’m the heart and the glue. At least, that’s how it seems.
I’m greedy to want them all. Some women don’t even find one man to fit against their brokenness, and I’ve found three in the most impossible circumstances.
“Don’t let me go,” I whisper, my resolve shattering in the face of our separation.
James curses, grabbing his hair and tugging hard, and I realize that my pain and reluctance to leave are only going to make things harder for them. These men will be trapped here with the knowledge that I’m outside these walls with all the temptation and danger the world has to offer. I have to help him get through the last months of his sentence so that he doesn’t do something foolish to add more time. I take his hand and press it against my breast, knowing the effect that touching me has on him. Tension leaches from his body as I replace his brutal grip with my tender fingers, stroking his scalp. He takes my other nipple in his mouth, sucking gently, and his body relaxes like I cast a magic spell to push out his demons.
“I’ll wait,” I say. It’s the right thing to tell them. It’s the only thing to say. I don’t want this to be the end of us.
“Okay.” Rock pushes my hair from my neck and kisses me between my shoulder blades. “Okay, Lory. Okay.”
When Grady comes, the bottom falls out of my world. Kinkaid, Rock, and James stand like a wall of brutality, their muscular, tattooed arms folded across their chests, their jaws set with grim finality. I’m wearing the leggings that the warden brought me and one of the white prison t-shirts. I think it’s Rock’s because it smells like him. I’m holding my sandals and dress, intending to walk out of this place in a pair of James’s socks I hastily pulled on.