Lifeline

He grabs hold of my hips to keep me from falling. “You okay?”

“My legs are numb. Pins and needles,” I explain while wiggling some life into my toes. When the sensation finally passes, I say, “I’m good.”

Taking hold of my hand, he links our fingers and heads back to the stairs. I try to brace myself for what horrors I might see, but as the top deck comes into view, bile churns in my stomach, and my soul shrivels into a dark hole at the sight.

A girl was left cuffed to the railing, her eyes wide and lifeless, her skin a pale blue. It looks like foam has dried around her parted lips.

My God.

Devastation knocks me back, a whimpering cry escaping me. I’m yanked from my feet, and within seconds I lose sight of her as O’Brien throws me over his shoulder before hurrying down the corridor and into the cabin. When the door shuts behind us, I’m yanked down the front of his body. His hands frame my face in a brutal grip, and I’m forced to look at him. “You can’t lose it. Focus on me.”

I try to shake my head, and this time his strength isn’t enough to stop me from crying. A distressed wail rips from me.

That poor girl. Oh my God. The horrors she suffered. The depraved way she died.

I’m smothered against O’Brien’s chest as my emotions spiral out of control. He doesn’t try to silence me again but instead becomes the comfort I need. His hand caresses my hair, his mouth peppering my temple and cheek with kisses. “I’ve got you. That’s not going to happen to you.”

It hasn’t even crossed my mind that at any point, one of the other men can decide they want a go at me.

Pulling back from O’Brien, my eyes are wide with fear as I look up at him. “You’re just one man. What if they decide it’s time to share?”

His features darken until he looks like an avenging angel. My heart stutters, my mind going blank at the sight.

“I will fucking kill whoever tries to touch you,” he bites out, unwavering determination lining his voice. “You’re mine.” Shaking his head hard, his hands grip the sides of my head, and he leans down until our foreheads touch and his breaths warm my lips. This time his voice brims with emotions. Need. Affection. Possessiveness. “You’re mine.”

I suck in a trembling breath, nodding. “Yours.”

Chapter 19

O'Brien

Once JJ regains control over her emotions, I pull a little back and lock eyes with her. “You need to turn off your feelings.”

Her eyebrows pinch together, the horror of what she saw still clouding the brilliant blue of her eyes. “How?”

“You’re Jenna Johnson. Focus on that. Focus on what we have to do to survive. Focus on me.”

She stares at me as if I’m her lifeline. I’m all that stands between her and the other men. Slowly the horror fades, and in its place, absolute devotion shines up at me.

A soft knock at the door rips my attention away from JJ, and when I open, there’s a large black box on the floor. Checking the hallway, I see a woman setting another black box down in front of the cabin next to mine.

Crouching, I pick up the box, and kicking the door shut, I walk to the bed and set it down. Opening the lid, I remove a black cocktail dress and suit, laying the items out on the bed.

“At least it will cover more than the bikini,” JJ mutters next to me.

I glance back at the door, and noticing there’s no lock on it, I turn my gaze to her. I need a shower, but there’s no way I’m letting her out of my sight for a single fucking second.

Taking hold of her wrist, I pull her into the bathroom, and closing the lid of the toilet, I say, “Sit down.”

JJ takes a seat, her eyes following me as I reach into the shower, turning on the faucets. While the water warms, I take the other unopened toothbrush, stripping it out of its packaging, and quickly brush my teeth.

When I start to unbuckle my belt, I glance at JJ, and she quickly lowers her gaze to her lap. Shoving the jeans down my legs, the fabric hits the floor, and as I step under the spray, JJ darts to her feet to brush her teeth.

I grab the body wash and squirt some onto my palm. As my hands spread the suds over my skin, my eyes remain locked on JJ. She rinses her mouth and pats it dry with a towel. Slowly she turns, her gaze glued to the floor.

I take in my shirt on her slender frame, then murmur, “Take off the shirt.”

JJ’s eyes snap up to my face, only for a moment, then her gaze burns a scorching path down my body before stopping on my hardening cock. Realizing she’s staring, she quickly looks away, then becomes all awkward as she sputters, “Sorry.”