Biding His Thyme: 4 (20 page)

The pulse at her throat beat a tattoo, an
indication of the exhilaration flying through her. His warm mouth traveled down
her throat, alternatively nibbling and soothing. She was never sure whether
she’d feel the sharp nip of his teeth or the delicate stroke of his warm
tongue. The sensations bled into each other, her pussy clenching, as if hungry
for the act to come.

Soft, needy sounds spilled from her mouth,
her body arching when his lips encircled one nipple. She felt the sharp tug
bungee downward, springing back, reverberating. Each of his touches was an
erotic assault, and she quivered, desperate for more.

When he lifted his head, satisfaction
curved his sensual mouth. “I’m doing a good job.”

“Yes, you are,” she agreed.

Through her heavy fog of desire, she
watched him kiss his way down her body, dipping his tongue into the indent of
her navel. His lips skimmed the jut of her hipbones. His teeth scrapped the
tender skin of her inner thighs. Automatically, she parted her legs, allowing
him free access to her body. Approval flashed across his face when he glanced
up at her, a captivating smile, followed by a wink. Then he lowered his head
again, sliding his hands beneath her butt, lifting her.

The first stroke of his tongue took her by
surprise, the wet warmth of it. The delicate touch grazing down her folds. She
caught her breath, desperately wanting him to repeat the move. How else would
she know what she liked best? The thought made her smile, but the second stroke
of his tongue brought a frisson of pleasure. One long finger pushed inside her,
filling her before she’d even realized that was exactly what she’d craved. He
feasted, each added intimacy turning her breathing shallow.

“Jake.” It was a request for him to move
faster, and thankfully he seemed to understand. He focused on her clitoris,
circling the hard nub with his tongue, sucking with his mouth. She moaned,
sparks of light exploding behind her closed eyelids. His finger plunged deep,
and hot, sensual flames licked across her skin. His lips teased, tongue
delicately massaging while the pressure within her grew hotter, more. And then
she was exploding, taking flight from her body while he maintained constant
contact.

Gradually she returned to herself, the
tension fading from her limbs. She sighed.

“Good?” He removed his finger from her,
licking away the juices that made it glisten, watching her all the while.

“Better than good.”

“Where are the condoms?” He lowered his
hand, his dark eyes gleaming. All over again, she felt the heat of desire
strike at her, her pulse race for what she knew would come next.

“In the red-and-white striped bag, the one
sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. The vibrating condoms are the
ones in the red packaging.”

He retrieved the condom, scanned the
instructions and rolled it onto his cock. Moisture pooled between her legs, the
scent of her desire and his, heavy on the air. Joining her again on the bed, he
took the time to brush his fingers across her cheek, his expression soft before
his lashes shielded his thoughts.

“Jake, please.” She wanted to feel him
inside her, feel him plundering her body.

“Patience, sweetheart.” Jake moved between
her parted legs, guided his cock to her and pushed inside. Fully embedded, he
paused, letting her body adjust to his size. He bathed the puckered tip of one
breast with his tongue before he withdrew and glided inside her again. He
paused for a second, reaching down to push on the power switch. The vibrations
lined up with her clit, dragging a startled moan from her.

A muttered curse escaped from him, a grunt
that was half laughter. “That’s different.”

“A good different,” she said. And it was.
His hard, almost forceful strokes filled her, and each time he plunged inside
her, the vibrations connected with the base of her clitoris, rekindling
excitement inside her.

Jake increased his speed, his large body
trembling as she wrapped her arms around him. This felt so right, so perfect,
and there was nowhere, no one she’d rather be with.

Her climax broke over her on his next
stroke—long, languorous pulses that seemed to go on forever.

Jake’s breathing was loud in her ear, a
rough growl vibrated in his chest and he stilled. She glanced up at him, seeing
the tautness of his face, the closed eyes. They opened without warning, and she
was trapped in his gaze, the fierce joy and satisfaction. Still the vibrations
of the condom continued, almost painful against her tender clit.

“What say I get rid of this thing?” An edge
of humor lurked in his raspy voice.

He withdrew, dealt with the condom and
returned to her side. Their skin stuck together, clammy and uncomfortable when
he pulled her against him, yet Sorrel didn’t want to move. Languid and lazy
after her orgasm, already sleep pulled at her. Her last thought as she drifted
into sleep was that she’d miss Jake when he returned to his soldiering. Yeah,
she’d miss him a lot.

Brother Rick sat in a cafe table near the
window and glared at the woman crossing the road. Brother Tyrone was right. He
had
seen Bitter in town the other day.

His eyes narrowed as she entered Kellie
Anne’s Ladies’ Wear, hate writhing through him like a parasitic worm. It was
all her fault. She’d driven him to take this path.

If only—

He broke off the thought. Wishing things
were different would yield nothing. No, that was a self-destructive direction,
and he knew better. He was cleverer than that, which was why he was the leader
of Children of Nature.

The stupid bitch had no idea Brother Samuel
had wanted her to take over the leadership role. And she hadn’t even offered an
argument when, on Brother Samuel’s death, he’d taken control.

Now, everything was falling apart. He
needed money, damn it. Despite the ideals of Children of Nature, it was
ludicrous thinking one could get through life without cash.

Money was everything.

Money was king.

He’d made a serious error. Now, he needed
to get Sister Bitter back to the compound and under his control. His mouth
pulled tight over his teeth, and the small child at the table next door started
wailing on seeing his expression. If he’d known she held the key to him getting
the Children of Nature money, he wouldn’t have expelled her from the compound.

Fuck, he hated making mistakes.

No, he had to get her back and by the end
of the week.

Sister Bitter left the shop, a shopping bag
in her left hand and a happy smile on her face.

Brother Rick stood and left the cafe. He
strode across the street, waiting impatiently for a vehicle to pass before he
could get close enough to speak with Sister Bitter.

“Bitter.”

Her steps faltered before she recovered.
Her shoulders stiffened but she kept walking.

Brother Rick started running to catch up.
He grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop. “I’m talking to you, Bitter.”

She was shorter than him, but she still
managed to look down her nose at him. The snooty glare she sent him pissed him
off. “My name is Sorrel. You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

Brother Rick took note of the changes in
her then. Her hair—it was a different color—and the new clothes. His gaze
dropped to her breasts and the deep cleavage between. “You have breasts.” He
snapped his mouth shut, appalled at the comment. Fuck, he sounded like an
imbecile.

Sorrel tugged her arm free and stalked away
from him. Once again the differences in her assailed him. She was thinner,
bustier. How the hell had she managed the transformation from plain to outright
sexy?

“Wait.” He grabbed her again and forced her
to face him. “You have to come back to the compound.”

“No. I don’t.”

A car pulled up alongside them. An elderly
woman wound down the window. “Sorrel, I’m going to the factory. Would you like
a lift?”

“Harriet, thank you.”

Sorrel pulled from his grasp and darted
away, jumping into the passenger seat of the vehicle before Rick could protest.
He cursed under his breath and swore again as the car pulled away from the
curb.

He’d done a good job of alienating Bitter
from Children of Nature. Too good. She hated him, and it was obvious he’d have
to find another way to get her under his control. She’d sign the bloody
document the bank required to let him withdraw the deposit if it was the last
thing he did.

He’d worked hard for the money, and by damn,
he was going to take it. Bitter wasn’t going to muck up his life any longer.

* * * * *

Children of Nature Compound

The roar of motorbikes split the air,
drowning out the dinner bell. Birds roosting in the nearby trees took flight
with squawks of indignation.

Inside the compound, Brother Rick stilled,
a sliver of fear sliding down his spine. Shit, this wasn’t good. He had to get
Bitter soon. Failing wasn’t an option.

And meantime, he’d just have to bluff it
out.

“They’re here,” Brother Felix said.

“Remember I told you I thought they’d send
someone. That’s what I’d do in their position. We’ll have to stall them until
we get our hands on Bitter.”

Brother Felix frowned. “I thought you said
she refused to return.”

“She did, but there’s a reason I’ve been
following her around and getting to know her routine. Tomorrow we’ll grab her.
I’ll force the bitch to sign the document then get rid of her.”

“Murder?” The color fled from Brother
Felix’s face. “You can’t…I can’t… No.”

Rick made a sound of disgust, deep in his
throat. “Not murder, you idiot. I thought I’d give her to the leader of the
Rebel Brothers. He has a weakness for women. He’ll take her off our hands with
no questions asked.”

“But I’ve seen their women…the drugs…”
Brother Felix trailed off.

“Don’t go weak on me now, Felix. We need to
stick together and sweat this out or else we’ll lose everything. Felix?”

Felix sighed and gave a curt nod, acting
more like his normal self. “You’re right.”

“Excellent. Let’s go and greet our visitors
and show them how good our hospitality is out here in the country.”

Rick strode from the office he and Felix
had holed up in to discuss what should be done. Of course, there was little
doubt in Rick’s mind as to what the solution to their problem was, but it
didn’t hurt to maneuver Felix on side. He couldn’t do this alone, needed
Felix’s help. He aimed for confident as he stalked toward the entrance.

Outside, the sound of motorbikes faded,
replaced by chatter.

“Open the gates,” an imperious voice
shouted.

The two elderly men on security looked to
Rick when he approached. Rick nodded. “Please open the gates and let our guests
enter.”

The gates groaned as the men unlocked them.

“About time,” the man at the head of the
group said.

Brother Rick curved his stiff lips into a
welcoming smile. Despite his words to Felix, worry churned his gut. He wanted
to tell them to leave, but he wasn’t stupid. He held his hands behind his back
in an effort to hide his tremors.

“Welcome to Children of Nature, Elijah,”
Rick said. “Good timing. We’re about to have dinner.” The last of his words
were drowned out by the roar of motorbikes. They sped past him, ten in all. Not
good.

Pulling confidence around him like a cloak,
Rick glanced at Felix and walked in the direction of the gang members. Ten
Rebel Brothers. The rest of his day promised excitement, if he lived to tell
the tale.

* * * * *

“Luke, something is going on here at the
compound,” Jake said in a low voice while scanning his surroundings. “Ten
members of the Rebel Brothers have turned up. I’ve no idea why they’re here,
but Brother Felix is green around the gills. Brother Rick is harder to read,
but even he is uneasy.”

“Interesting. The Rebel Brothers were into
drugs and weapons when I worked in the city. I need to chat with a few of my
contacts. Can you keep me posted?” Luke asked. “Keep a low profile. I’ve heard
rumors about people disappearing after getting hooked up with this gang.”

“I’ll try.” Jake hung up and tucked his
phone away, double checking it wouldn’t fall from his pocket at an inopportune
moment. The condom fiasco had taught him a valuable lesson.

Jake hobbled into the dining room, keeping
his head low and his shoulders slumped. He joined the line of people waiting to
collect food, sneaking a peek at the visitors in his peripheral vision.

They were loud, their guffaws ringing out
in the large room. By contrast the cult members remained quiet, and Jake could
feel the stench of fear and uncertainty wafting through the air. Frankly, he
didn’t blame the brothers and sisters. The arrival of gang members at the
compound didn’t bode well.

With his meal in hand, Jake scanned the
tables and limped over to one near the visitors in the hope of eavesdropping.
Hopefully, he’d learn something of interest to help Luke work out why they were
here and what it meant.

“I’m waiting for one of the signatories to
arrive back from holiday,” Brother Rick said in a calm voice. “I told you on
the phone.”

“And I’m fine with waiting,” the man
sitting next to Brother Rick said.

Jake knew the type. Big and rough in appearance,
he relied on fear to keep challengers at bay.

“We wanted to see the setup. No point in a
partnership if the compound is crap.”

“Partnership,” the woman sitting next to
Jake muttered, horror coating her tone. “What partnership?”

Jake got it. He wouldn’t slip into bed with
any of these men. “Shush,” he murmured in warning. He didn’t want anyone to get
hurt. “We can discuss this later.”

Cattle rustling was the least of Luke’s
problems.

“How long are you intending to stay?”
Brother Felix asked. “We’ll need to organize accommodation and food for you.”

“And drinks,” one of the men said. “I
deserve something stronger than lemonade to wash down my meal.”

“Lemonade is for pussies,” another snarled.

“There is a pub in town,” Brother Rick
said.

“Good. Organize some rum and a few beers,”
the man who seemed to be the leader ordered.

“Of course,” Brother Rick said without
missing a beat. “You’re our guests. We want you to feel welcome.”

“I wouldn’t mind a woman,” the man said,
his gaze scanning the room.

Jake tensed, his gut twisting with
foreboding.

“That, too, can be arranged,” Brother Rick
said smoothly.

Fuck. Not good. He was one man, and he
didn’t have any weapons apart from his brain. He shoveled mashed potatoes into
his mouth, swallowing automatically while he tried to shape a way out for the
residents of Children of Nature. They were innocent and didn’t deserve the hell
that’d just descended on them.

* * * * *

Jake hadn’t visited last night. Sorrel
pushed herself out of bed, worried because he hadn’t arrived as he’d promised.
She hurried through her shower, dressed in a new black miniskirt and a black
and white top.

“Have you seen Jake?” she asked Janaya as
she entered the kitchen. The scent of coffee filled the air, and she helped
herself to a cup. “Do you want me to pour one for you?”

“Please,” Janaya said. “There’s been a
development.”

The tight note in Janaya’s voice made
Sorrel’s stomach buck in alarm. “What sort of development?”

“Ten gang members turned up there last
night.”

“A gang? At the compound? I don’t
understand. Why? Children of Nature—stars, we—I mean, they—don’t have anything
to do with gangs.”

“Luke and Jake think Brother Rick has gang
connections. They’re there because of him.”

“Are the brothers and sisters in danger?
Can Luke do something to help them?”

Janaya shook her head. “The tests came back
on the pills yesterday. They’re party pills, but they don’t contain any of the
banned substances. Luke can’t do anything unless the law is broken.”

“But Jake is still at the compound?”

Janaya nodded. “Do you want some scrambled
eggs?”

“I…no, thank you. I don’t think I could eat
right now. I can’t believe Brother Rick would do this. It’s like inviting the
devil to dine. Do you know if Jake has had a chance to search the office yet?”

“He told Luke the office has been occupied.
They’re using it most of the day, and he hasn’t had access yet.”

“I should march up there and demand my
property back.”

Janaya caught her arm as she paced past.
“No. Please tell me you won’t go anywhere near the compound. It’s dangerous.”
She frowned. “Luke told me not to tell you, but Jake heard Brother Rick offer
to get the gang visitors alcohol and women. That’s a recipe for disaster, and I
don’t want you caught in the middle.”

“But the young girls at the compound…”
Sorrel gripped the edge of the counter. “He wouldn’t. Please tell me…” She
stared at Janaya in a beseeching glance. Every scrap of knowledge she had of
Rick told her he’d dare anything if it meant saving his own skin. “He would.
Stars, Luke has to help.”

“Luke can’t do anything yet. Jake’s there,
and he’s the best weapon the cops have to keep control over the situation.
Luke’s working on identifying the gang members. If they have records, he’ll
have a reason to enter the compound.”

Sorrel nodded, the coffee she’d sipped swirling
uneasily inside her belly. She swallowed rapidly, setting her mug down.

“What are you doing today?” Janaya asked.

“Alice has discovered another building for
lease that’s right in the center of the town. She thinks it might be better
because of the pedestrian traffic and it’s available right now. I’m going to
view it with her this morning.” She glanced at the new watch she wore on her
left wrist.

“Where are you meeting Alice? I can drop
you off when I take Luke his breakfast.”

“Thanks, we’re meeting at Fancy Free. I’ll
go and grab my stuff.”

After Janaya dropped her off, Sorrel
couldn’t stop thinking about the situation at the compound. Her new cell phone
buzzed and Sorrel answered.

“It’s Alice. I’m running late. Mr.
Montgomery said he intended to go to a breakfast meeting at the cafe. Grab the
key from him and go and look at the building. I’ll be at Fancy Free this
afternoon. Let me know what you think of it and if we should take a lease on
this one or wait until the end of the month to take over the one nearer to
Fancy Free.”

Despite her distraction, Sorrel felt a
surge of pride because Alice trusted her to undertake the task. “No problem.
I’ll see you this afternoon.” Sorrel hung up and set off for the cafe. She
collected the key from Mr. Montgomery, and after grabbing a takeout coffee, she
wandered across the street to the vacant building. She walked around the back
and unlocked the door. Her boots echoed on the wooden floor as she walked into
the empty building.