Biding His Thyme: 4

Shelley
Munro

Book 4 in the Fancy Free series.

Born in the
Children of Nature cult, Sorrel “Bitter” Thyme is destined to spend the rest of
her life there, but not if she has her way. She’s perfected the dream cream
that enhances orgasmic pleasure in those who use it. Now she must approach
Fancy Free management with her invention while making sure the cult leader
doesn’t learn of her idea and steal Sorrel’s chance of escape.

Jake Ramsey, a
Special Air Services soldier on sick leave, agrees to go undercover in the cult
to help local police close a case against the leader. Sorrel is his inside
contact, a woman who is constantly ridiculed by the other cult members.

The partnership
works well and kisses meant to cement their cover take on new possibilities.
Jake uncovers secrets, and their loving heats up, passion coalescing into more
than friendship. Then Sorrel is tossed into danger. What began as a favor is
now deadly serious—a game Jake must win to keep Sorrel safe.

A Romantica®
contemporary erotic romance
from Ellora’s Cave

With special thanks to Hollie for reading
the first version of this manuscript and liking Jake and Sorrel enough to
encourage me to continue.

Sloan, a country town in New Zealand

Sorrel Thyme peered through the scratchy
bushes, desperately trying to ignore the sand flies making a meal of her bare
arms. This had to be one of the world’s most uncomfortable ways to score a job
interview. The man and woman she was spying on started to kiss—a passionate,
no-holds-barred kind of kiss. Horrified, she watched hands steal beneath
clothes, gulped as said hands squeezed and caressed.

The amount of flesh on view grew
alarmingly, and she squirmed, heat whooshing through her body to explode in her
face. Talk about embarrassing. She wasn’t sure what to do, where to look. Alice
and James Bates, the owners of the Fancy Free condom company, didn’t have a
mere picnic on their minds. Oh, no. They were busy tearing off each other’s
clothes, right in front of her.

Aghast, she squeezed her eyes shut, her
skin crawling from exposure to the bugs. It was the only way to explain the
edgy sensation blooming inside her, prickling across her skin, irritating her
breasts.

The sharp evergreen scent of the totara and
manuka trees wafted to her, refreshing and aromatic. Her stomach let out a
feisty rumble of complaint, and she jerked in panic. The bushes concealing her
rustled, and her eyes flew open. She froze, horror filling her at the thought
of discovery.

Alice and James continued their amorous
activities. Sorrel’s breath eased out. She caught a flash of pale breast. At
least they were too far away to hear her stomach clamoring for food. Placated
by the thought, she eased her weight into a more comfortable position. The bush
played a musical tune against her robe, a branch cracking beneath her right
foot.

“What was that?” Alice asked, her voice
carrying across the clearing.

Sorrel bit back a moan of dismay, her gaze
darting this way and that to determine the damage. If she didn’t move, didn’t
answer perhaps they’d decide a restless bird loitered in the trees.
I
promise to leave the instant they settle again. Please let them continue.
Maybe
she’d manage to retreat with her dignity intact.

This was a bad idea. A stupid one. How
she’d ever thought—

“Who’s there?” James was on his feet now,
putting his jeans to rights and staring in her direction. “I know there’s
someone there. You might as well come out.”

Intent on self-preservation, Sorrel sprang
to her feet, adrenaline kicking in big-time. She cried out as cramp struck in a
painful surge, staggered two steps. Her robe snagged tight on a bush. Held
fast, she panicked, jerked free, frantic to escape.

Then he was on her, tackling her from
behind. She hit the ground. A pained grunt escaped, the air exploding from her
lungs. A hand closed around her leg, and seconds later, his weight held her in
place.

“Let me go.” She flailed. Ineffectually, as
it happened. James Bates was one big dude.

“Who is it?” Alice called.

“A woman.”

He shifted his weight, and Sorrel could
breathe again. She sucked in a huge draft of air and gathered herself, ready to
flee.

“Not so fast.” James grasped her upper arm
and yanked her around to face him. His bright blue eyes held an edge of anger
that had her quaking in her sandals. He dragged her into the clearing where
Alice stood with her arms crossed protectively over her chest.

Sorrel couldn’t meet their gazes. She
straightened her robe, brushing off the dry leaves and dirt. Her hands trembled
while panicked thoughts buzzed through her mind like a swarm of bees in a
tizzy.

Job interview.

Not going well.

This was a bad, bad idea.

With escape looming large in her mind, she
slid a furtive glance to her left then to her right.

“You’re from the Children of Nature cult.”

Give the man a prize
. Sorrel twisted her hands together, her grubby robe brushing her
bare legs. She had others the same, albeit cleaner, hanging on the rack in the
shared wardrobe at the single women’s quarters. The white robe was a dead
giveaway of her status.

Cult member.

Woman.

Trapped.

“Yes,” she said, aiming for a crisp tone.
Instead her voice emerged young and scared. Terrified, which was nothing but
the truth because the noose was already around her neck. Day by day it
tightened, threatening to choke the life out of her.

“Why are you spying on us?” Alice’s brown
hair stood up in tousled peaks, her face pale beneath its sprinkling of golden
freckles. “Is this a new angle—another campaign to smear Fancy Free?”

Sorrel swallowed, still prepared to flee
the minute James loosened his grip. But her legs trembled, her knees
threatening to crumple like flimsy paper, not up to the job of holding her
weight. She’d give anything to turn back the clock ten minutes.
No.
She
had their attention—the opportunity she’d schemed and plotted for. It was time
to embrace courage.

Sorrel sucked in a fortifying hit of
tree-laced air, striving for calm. “I wasn’t spying. I have no intention of
hurting your company or…or haranguing you about the evils of condoms and birth
control.”
Better
. Her voice quavered only a fraction this time.

“You were spying through the bushes,” James
snapped. “Do you have a camera?”

A startled laugh burst from her. “Where
would I get a camera? I have no money. I didn’t mean to spy. Really, I just
wanted to talk to you.”

“Most people use the phone,” James said.

“You don’t know much about Children of
Nature, do you?” Sorrel didn’t own much more than the clothes on her back, and
even then she wasn’t sure she always received the same white robes back from
the communal laundry.

“What did you want to talk about?” Alice
asked, her tone carrying a generous helping of suspicion.

“I’ve invented a cream. It’s similar to
a…an aphrodisiac. It enhances sexual pleasure. I want to sell it your company,
in the hope I can raise enough money to strike out on my own and leave Children
of Nature.” Once she’d started, the words poured from her, one almost running
into another in her haste to get them out. “But you can’t tell anyone I’ve
offered it to you. You can’t tell or they’ll take it from me. You have to
promise. You have to promise me you won’t tell.”

“Shush,” Alice said, visibly calmer now.
“Have you eaten?”

“I…” Sorrel’s stomach let out an
embarrassing rumble, forcing the truth from her. “No.”

“James, do release the girl.” Alice offered
a kind smile and stilled some of Sorrel’s unease. “Come and have something to
eat. You can tell us about your product while we have our lunch.”

“I thought we were going to have a private
picnic.” James scowled, his brows drawing together in displeasure. His longish
dark hair gave him a disreputable air as did the stubble on his face.

Alice reached out and ran her fingertips over
his cheek. “I’ll make it up to you tonight.”

“Promise?”

The clear intimacy between the couple
brought discomfort, and Sorrel stepped from foot to foot, debating whether she
should grasp this opportunity or try to make an appointment for a later date.

“With a cherry on top,” Alice said and
winked at her husband. “Come.” She grasped Sorrel’s hand and tugged her to
their tartan picnic blanket. “Do you work in the Children of Nature store?”

“No.” Sorrel’s mouth compressed into a
tight line. She used to take her turn working in the store and enjoyed
interacting with the town’s people. But that had been before Brother Rick had
taken over the running of Children of Nature from his father. That had—

She broke off her thoughts. “No, I make the
soap and other products to sell in the store.”

“The cult won’t let you leave?” James
asked, his eyes narrowed on her as if she were untrustworthy and out to hurt
his wife. She’d seen the way he looked at Alice, as if she were the most
important thing in his world. As a teenager she’d wished someone would look at
her in that—

Again she put a brake on her thoughts.
Thinking of what-if wouldn’t help her situation. She had to make her own luck.

“It’s difficult to leave if you don’t have
money or contacts in the outside world.”

“Sit,” Alice said. “Here, you can have my
glass. I’ll share with James.”

Gingerly, Sorrel kneeled and settled
herself on the edge of the blanket. Now that she had their ear, fear writhed
through her like a ravenous beast. She’d tested her product on herself, but
what if her tingly cream didn’t work on other women?

“I need to do more tests,” she blurted.

“Of course you do.” Alice handed her a
glass of homemade lemonade and a chicken sandwich. “Eat first, and then we’ll
talk.”

“Who stops you from leaving the cult?”
James asked.

Alice laughed lightly. “James, do let the
girl eat before you decide to grill her.”

“I don’t trust them,” James said. “I don’t
trust any of them.”

Sorrel’s shoulders slumped. “It’s all
right. I understand your doubts. I’ll find some other way.” Despite her hunger
and her disappointment, she placed the sandwich back on the plate and set the
glass of lemonade down. “Thank you for listening to me. I’m sorry about
interrupting your private time together.” She stood and turned away, defeat a heavy
sack on her shoulders.

She could hardly blame them. Children of
Nature held regular protests outside Alice and James’s company, Fancy Free.
They organized petitions and talked to everyone who would listen about the
evils of condoms—the very product Fancy Free manufactured.

“Wait,” James said. “You want out.” He
glanced at his wife in clear speculation. “How far are you willing to go to
leave the cult?”

Gasping, Sorrel drew herself up tall, or as
tall as a five-foot-three-inch woman could and scowled at him. “I don’t do
group sex.”

Turning away once again, tears of failure
smarted at her eyes, but she held her shoulders square and walked away. She’d
have to find another way, and quickly before Brother Rick implemented his plans
to partner every woman above twenty-five with a man. There was no doubt in her
mind he’d make good on his threats, and her twenty-fifth birthday was a mere
two months away. Stars! She couldn’t pretend enthusiasm about sex when
pregnancy would trap her in the compound.

“We don’t do group sex, either,” Alice said
in a wry tone. “One man is more than enough for me to handle. Wait.” She jumped
to her feet and ran after Sorrel. “Please don’t leave.”

Sorrel hesitated, unsure. She cast a
doubtful glance over her shoulder, her steps slowing.

“Please don’t leave. Tell us about your
cream. Please.” Alice smiled in encouragement and led her back to the blanket.
“What’s your name? You know ours so you have us at a disadvantage.”

“Sorrel Thyme,” Sorrel said. “I know your
names because I’ve been part of the picket line outside Fancy Free a time or
two.” She lifted her chin in faint challenge when they both scowled at her
words. “It’s a change from making products for the shop.”

“Glad our condom business offers you rest
and relaxation,” James muttered.

Alice elbowed her husband and smiled at
Sorrel. “Share our food. Tell us what help you want from us.”

* * * * *

“Luke, I might have found a way into the
cult for you,” James said.

Luke Morgan, one of Sloan’s cops and James’
best friend, removed his feet from the top of his desk and stood in one smooth
motion. “Let’s take this out of the station. I could do with a coffee.”

“The cafe isn’t private,” James said.

“We’ll get coffee to go and wander down by
the river. I think better on my feet.”

Fifteen minutes later they strolled along
the bank of the river. Leaves crunched under their boots, sun streamed from
overhead and a brisk wind rustled their hair.

“Talk,” Luke said. “I’m all ears.”

“One of the young cult girls approached me
and Alice yesterday. She wants out of the cult.”

“Why doesn’t she just leave?”

“From what she said she was born in the
cult,” James said. “According to her once they’re in, it’s difficult to get out
because they don’t have the resources. Any money they earn goes back into the
cult. They’re not encouraged to leave. She told us their long-term leader died
six months ago. His son has taken over and he has new ideas about the direction
of the cult.”

“Six months ago is about the time the
farmers started complaining about missing cattle,” Luke mused, interest
sparking in his dark eyes.

“Yeah, the thought occurred.”

“How is that going to help us get inside
the cult?”

“I thought Sorrel—that’s the woman we
met—might know of a way we can get someone inside, and once our man is in, she
can help to smooth his path.”

Luke nodded. “That’s a possibility. Where
can I meet her? When?”

James paused when they reached the bridge.
He stared at a group of six ducks, quacking in loud demands for food. “Do you
have another plan?”

“No, other than going in with guns
blazing,” Luke said. “That’s my stepmother’s suggestion.”

James spluttered out a laugh, the shake of
his head flopping his dark hair over his eyes. He shoved it aside with a
careless hand. “Hinekiri is a handful.”

Luke snorted. “Where do you think my wife
got if from? Janaya takes after her aunt. Yeah, I’ve thought about getting
someone into the cult to spy for me. I have a guy, one of my cousin’s friends
who needs something to keep him busy. He’s a special services soldier on sick
leave. My cousin said he’d be perfect since he looks as if he belongs in a
cult.”

“You’ve given this some thought. Sorrel
said she’d try to get away this afternoon when she delivers new supplies to the
cult shop. She can’t meet us in a public place. Any suggestions?”

“We can intercept her when she leaves the
shop. If you see her beforehand, ask her,” Luke said. “We’ll meet her wherever
she feels safest. I don’t want to make her life any more difficult than it is
now. She obviously feels she can’t leave if she approached you in a clandestine
manner. Ring me with details when you’re set, and I’ll be there. If I can’t
make the meeting for some reason, I’ll send Janaya. Tell her that, will you?”