“I am not weak. I’m fatigued from walking and riding at a ridiculous pace, and fearful of being trapped in a dark hole with a crazed man who has gone too long without poking a woman,” she argued, tired of all she had suffered and in only one day. “And if you think I won’t fight you if you dare try to poke me, you’re wrong.”
“So you rather the walls crash in around us than me poke you? A shame since I do give a woman a good poke.”
Sound reason fled her, she responded without thinking. “I have no way to judge how good a poke you give since I’ve never been poked.”
“Good God, woman, that’s not something you should be telling me,” he scolded.
Willow held her tongue, having no good response. Whatever was the matter with her? She knew better than to offer such personal information that left her even more vulnerable. While there was no excuse for it, she blamed it on her day being more difficult than usual. Her strength had waned. She could barely keep herself upright. The day had caught up with her and so had the cold night. She shivered and wobbled in his arms.
“Damn, you’re exhausted. Rest against me,” he ordered.
“And chance getting poked, I think not,” she said with as much courage as she could muster, which wasn’t much at all.
“I give you my word, I won’t touch you,” he said. “Rest against me and sleep.”
“How do I know your word is any good?”
“You’ll need to trust me on that,” he said and eased her against him.
She had no choice. She was too tired to fight and didn’t have a lick of strength to do so. She let herself drop against him, laying her head on his shoulder, while she let her arms rest at her sides. His chest was muscled, but comfortable or else she was just too fatigued to think otherwise. In no time, she was sound asleep.
He kept her tucked snug against him, her clothed body giving him warmth he hadn’t had in a couple of days. The heat felt good as did she, though she shouldn’t be here. Beck shouldn’t have sent her down here with him. He did it to toy with him and once free, he intended to see the man suffered a similar fate.
First, however, he needed to survive his time in the hole with her and that wasn’t going to be easy. Her hair tickled at his nose, the pine scent not only enticing, but it let him know that she had been in the woods for at least a few days. Then there were her slim legs, smooth and silky to the touch and their length letting him know she was of fair height, the fact that her head reached just past his shoulder confirming it. Her bottom was round and firm and he could feel her full breasts pressed against his chest through her garments. But it was her womanly scent that really made things difficult for him. He probably wouldn’t have detected it if the source of it hadn’t passed so close to his face when she was lowered down. He couldn’t get the enticing fragrance out of his nostrils.
Damn, Beck. He knew how much he loved a good romp with a woman and it was something that had been denied him for months. He had had more important matters to handle and just when he thought he had solved his problem… all had gone to hell.
The woman gave a soft moan and moved her face up higher on his chest, tucking her head in the crook of his neck, her soft breath fanning along his skin.
This definitely was not going to be easy.
He looked up, through the wooden grate at the night sky and stars. They were bright, no clouds concealing them, a relief since rain or snow was not one’s friend when stuck in a hole in the ground.
The woman moved again and he tightened his hold on her. He couldn’t chance her moving and disturbing any of the earth. He had gotten so mad when he had been tossed down here naked that he had punched the earth wall and cursed himself when he watched it begin to fall in on him. He had quickly repacked it and had been careful ever since.
He hoped Beck came to his senses and removed the woman, but the man could be an ignorant fool at times, actually most times. He wondered who the woman was and what Beck was doing with her and his intentions. One thing was for sure, she couldn’t go around letting anyone know she was a virgin. Beck could get a small fortune for her if he found out, unless he already knew.
He’d find out more tomorrow and finally get a look at her, and he’d do what he could to protect her. He couldn’t wait for this to be over. He’d had enough of this hole and he’d had enough of Beck causing more problems than he was worth.