Tortured Soul Read online

  “More,” I whimpered.

  “More what?” he asked, his voice thick with need.

  “Faster please, Shakhta.”

  “Good girl.” With his strong steady hands, he gripped my wrists and began to slam into me faster, harder. My clit was rubbing against his desk, the pressure just right. I barely noticed his finger pressing at my other hole, the unbearable need building within me pushed towards an uncontrollable second orgasm. His thumb entered my ass and I was full. My pussy full of his thick cock, his thumb in my ass, my clit finding its own required pressure from the desk beneath me. I fell into my orgasm hard, clenching my hands into fists at my back. I was lost, my eyes saw nothing, my ears heard nothing, but my body felt everything. When I finally returned to my senses, Braiden was leaning over me, panting hard after having found his own release.

  “Em?”

  “Wow,” I whispered.

  Braiden chuckled at my back. I felt him press a gentle kiss to what I knew to be one of the scars that laced my skin. The gesture caused my heart to fill with such emotion it threatened to spill from my body in the form of tears. Slowly his warmth left me as he withdrew from my pussy that clenched at him as if demanding he stay there. “Damn you feel amazing,” he murmured, rubbing my ass and back. “Come on, Malen’kaya. I want you in my bed with all this beautiful skin right up against mine.” He gave my ass a small tap as I stood up. “One day I’m going to see my hand prints in a beautiful shade of red, right here.” He ran his hand over my ass one more time before kissing my shoulder.

  I moved my head to one side, allowing him access. The thought of being spanked by Braiden made me shiver. The image of him taking me from behind while his firm hands marked my skin was an image that hit me with a surge of lust.

  As if reading my thoughts, Braiden smiled his lopsided arrogant grin. “One day, Malen’kaya,” he whispered, pressing his lips to mine.

  Unable to deny him, I allowed his tongue to slip into my mouth. His kisses were hard and demanding, but made me feel nothing but cherished and safe. My need for Braiden was an enigma. My craving for his dominance and control was a force that I didn’t really understand, yet was quickly learning to accept without guilt or shame. Trusting him had become so easy, it was almost frightening. There was a chance I could fall in love with a man like Braiden, but I knew he could never truly love a broken girl like me. I was nothing more than a challenge for him, a shattered soul in need of fixing. I couldn’t fall in love with Braiden, it would only end up hurting me in ways I knew I couldn’t cope with. What I could do was let him heal me, let him help me repair the damage done by Jonas, and inevitably help me to understand just how I fit into this world as a free woman.

  CHAPTER 22

  BRAIDEN

  I watched Em stare with trepidation at the pool outside. She’d been standing at the floor to ceiling glass doors for over fifteen minutes. If the way her arms were wrapped around her stomach and slouched shoulders were any indication, her mind was not in a good place.

  Dillon stormed out of his room; he’d been cooped up in there for most of the morning. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “I’m going out,” he snapped as he grabbed his keys from a bowl on the kitchen counter.

  “Don’t suppose you’re going by the office? I need a file picked up.”

  Dillon shook his head and the wary look on his face had my immediate attention.

  “Where you off to?” I knew it was none of my business but I asked nevertheless.

  Now he looked a little sheepish as he ran a hand over his buzz cut. “Date.”

  “’Bout damn time Annie saw the light.” Their non-relationship relationship had likely been the longest in history.

  “Nope, Miranda.”

  I found myself momentarily speechless. “The blonde from the real estate office?” I asked, not bothering to hide my shock.

  He nodded. “Yep, she asked me out a few months ago. I decided to take her up on the offer.” He turned and walked away before I could utter another word.

  “Didn’t see that coming,” murmured Gabbie, who was preparing lunch beside me.

  “Well, Annie got her chance, and she didn’t take him up on it. It’s not like he can stay celibate and hang around in the wings the rest of his life.” I admitted.

  “She’s crazy about him. Maybe a bit of competition will snap her out of whatever is causing her reluctance.” Gabbie turned her gaze towards Em who was still staring out the window. “What’s going on over there?” she whispered.

  I shook my head as my attention turned back to Emily. I had been trying to give her some space, knowing my hovering over the last few days was more than likely getting on her nerves. I had her sequestered in my home, her work at Mercy’s Shelter on hold while the situation with Levier was taken care of. I could tell she was getting a little stir crazy at being locked up inside like this, but the need to keep her safe was riding me hard. A phone call from Alexander last night confirmed my thoughts. Jonas was believed to be in the vicinity of Claymont. The information came from a reliable source this time, and even though I strongly suspected all along he was close by, I had become even more anxious. Needing a distraction, I moved towards Em. An image of laying her over my dining table and licking every inch of her warm supple skin consumed me, and my dick jumped to attention. I had just been with her this morning, taken her hard against the wall of the shower, and I already wanted her again. A decent man would be thinking of taking her into his arms and smothering her in gentle protection. I wanted to tie her up and fuck her senseless. I knew it would take her mind off whatever it was that was bothering her, but in the long run it wouldn’t help her. It would take care of my hard-on, but it wouldn’t be taking care of Em.

  “Em?” She jumped at the sound of her name. I glanced toward the pool and back to her. Curiosity got the better of me. “Is your fear of the water really because you can’t swim?” She looked uncomfortable with my question; her fingers were gripping hard at the skin on her arms and her eyes were wide. “Malen’kaya, I just need to know what your fear is with the water. I can’t help you overcome it if I don’t understand it.” I ran the backs of my fingers down her arms in an effort to sooth her anxiety. Her skin was cold as ice even though the indoor temperature was comfortably warm. Her eyes darted back to the pool and licked her lips before speaking, drawing my gaze to the soft pink skin that I suddenly wanted to kiss.

  “It...” She looked at me quickly before her eyes were drawn back to the water again. “It’s just...” She moved so I was no longer touching her. Her forehead pressed against the cool glass and she drew a deep breath, the window fogging as she expelled it through her mouth. “He used it to break me,” she whispered.

  It was my turn to become rigidly cold. My body became stiff with carefully guarded fury, knowing what she was about to say and not wanting to hear it. Not hearing it didn’t make the pain and fear of what Emily went through any less real though.

  “I wouldn’t submit to him. I refused to call him master, so I was stripped naked and forced into a bathtub of water.” She turned to face me, pressing her shoulders back, holding her chin high. “Nate would hold me under until my head was screaming and my lungs were burning, then I would be pulled out and he would demand I call him master. I said no each time.” Her eyes moved back to the water as if pulled by a force that demanded her attention. “I was revived twice when he held me under too long.” My fists clenched in rage. “He did that until he finally broke me, until I said the word he wanted to hear. Who would have thought one little word could mean the difference between life and death. I guess in the end I chose life.”

  My eyes clenched shut as I tried in vain to keep out the images of Emily’s flailing body being held under the water, of the moment she broke, the moment her strength was so far gone she submitted to Jonas. In that moment, the need to kill him had never been so strong. “I never learned to swim, so perhaps I would have been scared of the water anyway.” Her words were distant, as if she we
re considering the possibility. Needing the distraction I reached for her hand and pulled her away from the glass door. I wasn’t gentle, I tugged on her arm a little too forceful as I led Emily down the hallway to my room. I was walking so fast, she practically had to run to keep up. Pulling her into the room, I kicked the door shut behind us.

  “Sit,” I ordered. I didn’t mean to sound like an arrogant prick, it just came naturally to me. Emily immediately obeyed though, her eyes wary. I walked to the bathroom, put the plug in my large tub and began filling it with water. My mind had obviously shut down because there was a good chance this was going to backfire and I would lose Emily’s trust completely. I would lose her and that scared the shit out of me, but the need to fix her fear was all consuming. I drew the blinds, which cast the room into darkness. Leaving a couple of candles burning, I made my way back to Emily who looked ready to bolt. Obviously she heard the water running from the bathroom beyond; her hands were shaking, and she was chewing on her bottom lip so hard it was raw. I knelt down in front of her and used my thumb to gently pull her lip free.

  “Please don’t make me go in there.” Her plea broke my heart and I wanted to climb into bed, pull her into my arms and never let her go. I wanted to wrap her up where no one could ever hurt her again, but something told me she needed this more right now. She needed someone strong enough to slay her demons and dismember her fears. She needed someone to push her beyond that fear, where she could come out reborn and cleansed. If gentle was what she truly needed, I would give it to her. But right now she needed demanding strength.

  “Do you trust me?”

  She hesitated before nodding, but her eyes weren’t on me, they were on the doorway behind me.

  “Em!” Her eyes darted back to mine; she was focused on me now and not her nightmare in the other room. “Do you trust me?” She didn’t hesitate as she nodded again. “You are strong enough to beat this.” I gently placed my finger at her temple. “Your fear is in here. It’s tangible inside here, but in reality it can’t hurt you anymore.” She nodded her understanding. “You are safe with me, I promise.” I raised my hands and placed them on her cheeks. Pressing a quick chaste kiss to her lips, I moved back a little and let my hands slide down her neck, shoulders and finally arms. I lifted her hands above her head and pulled the hem of her shirt up and off, leaving her naked underneath. Unable to pull my gaze from the perfect pink tipped nipples, I leaned forward and sucked one into my mouth. I knew she would appreciate the distraction, and I sure as hell appreciated distracting her. Emily arched her back, pressing her magnificent breasts forward. With a pop I released her nipple from my mouth and moved my hands to her waist. “Stand up Malen’Kaya.”

  She didn’t waver as she stood. I flicked the button of her jeans free. With the zipper down, I pulled the clothing from her hips. My hands ran up the outside of her legs, from her ankles to her waist, then back around to her smooth stunning ass. I pulled her towards me, pressing a kiss to her stomach, enjoying the shuddering response of her body under my touch. I slowly rose and took her mouth in a possessive kiss. She let me in, let me kiss her like my life depended on it. My hand slipped between her legs, sliding over her smooth slick pussy. She was already wet for me, and I growled with approval. Pulling her thigh up my leg, I encouraged her to wrap herself around me. As I lifted her ass up, her most intimate part pressed against the course denim of my jeans, which hid the rigid length of my desire for her. I carried her like that to the bathroom, kissing her with a passion I had never invested in a woman before. I had kissed plenty of women, but none with the need and hunger I felt for Emily. Carefully, I placed her on the bathroom vanity and quickly turned off the tap before the water began to spill over the edges of the tub. Moving back between her legs, I gently forced her chin back to me, pulling her eyes away from the large bathtub full of water.

  “Undress me, Malen’kaya.”

  Finding solace or an escape in my command, she quickly unbuttoned my shirt and pushed it off my shoulders. Moving to stand before me, she slipped the buttons free on my jeans and finally pushed them and my boxer briefs from my hips. I kicked them free, and we were both blessedly naked. My cock was hard as iron and reaching greedily for the wet heat of Emily’s core, which was so close. Ignoring my body’s demand, I began rubbing Emily’s neck, shoulders and arms. Her fear seemed to disappear under my touch which made me arrogantly pleased. I liked that my hands could calm her. I took a small step backwards, pulling her with me and edging closer to the tub. She tensed immediately.

  “You know I would never hurt you, Em. I would die before allowing you to come to harm.” I brushed her hair back from her face and licked the gentle arch of her neck. Her shiver encouraged me onwards as I nibbled a path up her neck and eventually to the soft lobe of her ear, which I gently took between my teeth. “You’re mine to protect, Em. I want to destroy your demons.” Another step back and I could feel the ledge of the bathtub at the back of my legs. I ran my tongue over her lower lip, while my hands found her perfect breasts. I stepped into the tub. “You need to trust me.”

  I pulled away and sat down in the warm water. I glanced back up at Em, who looked a little pale. I offered her my hand. If she couldn’t do this, I wouldn’t push it, but I really wanted her to do this. I wanted to remove this fear.

  “Come on, Malen’kaya. I know you’ve got too much pride and strength to let that fucker control you anymore.” That got her attention. With a slight nod, she stepped cautiously into the water. I could see that her legs were trembling, and her hands were clenching into fists at her side. “Turn around.” She looked uneasy at the idea of turning her back on me, but complied. “Now sit down.”

  I refrained from the urge to lean forward and bite at her beautiful ass directly in front of me. Instead, I gripped her waist and helped her lower into the water. She was trembling so hard beneath my hands, I was surprised I couldn’t hear her teeth chatter. Once she was fully seated in the water between my legs, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her back against my chest. I could feel the rapid beat of her heart beneath my arms and see the irregular rise and fall of her chest as she began to panic.

  “You don’t need to fear this, not with me. It’s him you fear, not the water.” While I held her tightly with one arm, I scooped a handful of water into my hand and poured it over her arm, which gripped the side of the tub with white knuckled strength. “See, just like when we went for a swim in the Bahamas. That was okay wasn’t it?”

  “No it wasn’t, but the shooting and explosions made it unavoidable.”

  I grinned into her neck. “Such fond memories,” I murmured as I poured another handful of water over her shoulder.

  Emily’s eyes followed my movements. Her body was still tense, and her heart still hammered beneath my arm. I allowed the arm holding her to loosen a little and brought my hand back to cup one of her perfect breasts. I used to think of myself as a man who preferred big breasts, but Emily’s were a little on the small side and fit into my hands nicely. It was as if they were crafted for my hands alone. I pinched at her nipple, a little harder than some women might like it, but Emily’s quiet gasp was quickly followed with a moan and I knew this woman liked it. While one hand thumbed and teased her pert breasts, the other continued to pour water over her skin until I finally felt her relax into my arms. “Lean forward so I can wash your back.” Somewhat hesitant to lose my touch, she sat forward a little. Her hands were back to clutching the sides of the tub, while I grabbed a loofa and squirted some soap onto it. I than began rubbing the scarred skin on her back. Some of the scars were quite faint, a couple more prominent and puckered. It wasn’t a pretty sight knowing how they got there, but they didn’t bother me otherwise. I ran a finger down one of the more obvious scars. “I’m going to kill him for this,” I murmured.

  Emily glanced over her shoulder at me. “He’s mine,” she said without inflection in her voice. “It’s my body he put them on, it is my vengeance.”

  I exhaled lou
dly as I continued to wash her back. “When the time comes, if that’s what you want, I’ll give you that. When you take his life, I can’t guarantee the condition he will be in though.” Emily went silent as I continued to clean her arms, stomach, and legs. I settled my hand into my new favorite place, between her thighs. I played with her labia finding the smooth texture hot as hell. I had seen plenty of smooth pussies in my time, but for some reason Emily’s was like a beacon for my hands, mouth and cock. Emily’s hips began to move as I slipped two fingers inside her.

  “Sh....Shakhta...” she moaned under my touch.

  I loved how the Russian word for ‘mine’ slipped out in these moments of passion. The word meant so much more now that she understood its meaning and continued to use it. I gave her hair a tug, not enough to hurt, but enough to bring her head back to my shoulder. “Yes, Malen’kaya?” I sucked on her neck hard, knowing it would leave a mark, wanting to leave a mark. It was a territorial and possessive thing to do, and I couldn’t stop the ingrained alpha dominance from taking over my mind and body. My hand continued to explore the soft petals of her core, carefully missing the little bundle of nerves that I knew demanded my attention.

  “Please stop teasing me,” she groaned.

  I chuckled into her shoulder. “This isn’t teasing, this is exploring exquisite terrain.” My dick was throbbing, demanding I take her. Somehow I managed to move my hand from between her legs and cup her equally exquisite breasts.

  “Shakhta, I need you inside me...please,” she begged so beautifully I simply couldn’t deny her any longer.

  “I’m going to fuck you, Malen’Kaya, hard and fast, just the way you like it...Stand up.” She rose to her feet and water ran down the contours of her body. She looked like a goddess. I stepped from the tub and grabbed a towel, drying myself so quickly I was still mostly wet. I pulled her into my arms and began to rub the towel over her body. Figuring near dry enough was absolutely good enough, I led her back into my bedroom. I left her standing by the bed as I moved to my closet and quickly found what I was looking for. She eyed the fabric in my hand nervously as I slowly approached. “Say no and we stop,” I growled. “Just like the water.” I pointed to the bathroom. “I will not hurt you.” Her nod was barely discernable. I unfolded the silk red tie and ran it through my fingers. “I won’t tie it off, I’ll just wrap it around your wrists and you can hold it. If you want to be free, simply let go, okay.”