Biding His Thyme: 4 (6 page)

“I figured we could fake it somehow. Maybe
take it private.”

She shook her head. “The last time Brother
Rick told everyone to stay inside the communal room.”

“Maybe we could wait until everyone gets
involved, distracted.”

“I don’t know. I figured I’d shut myself in
my workroom.”

“We could always start something
beforehand.” Jake thought out loud. “Before Brother Rick gets back. Yeah, give
him something solid, something he doesn’t expect and throw him off balance.”

“I am not having sex with you. Or anyone
else,” she said hurriedly. “If I get pregnant I can’t leave.”

“You could still leave.”

“How? Who’s going to help me?”

“You still have your invention.”

“The moment Brother Rick learns I’m
pregnant, he’ll shift me to another part of the compound. All the pregnant
women are kept together and have different duties. They have an honored place
within Children of Nature. All the things I have in the workshop would be given
to my successor.”

“If that’s the case, he won’t be able to
complain if you’re involved with someone. Could you kiss me? Let me touch you
without flinching? Could you keep up the pretense of a relationship in front of
the others?”

“Did you see James or Alice? Did they
mention the progress on the tests?” She started pushing her handcart again, her
steps hastening to the compound.

“Don’t change the subject.” Then he took
pity on her. “Janaya said they’re still testing, but she loved your cream, and
initial tests are promising.”

“Do you think they’ll try to cheat me?”

“Who, Alice? No.” At least he didn’t think
so. All the people he’d met so far—the normal ones who didn’t live on the
compound—seemed decent. “Think about my suggestion or, better yet, offer up a
workable alternative.”

She scowled but didn’t reply. They arrived
back ten minutes later, the two men on the gates opening them to let them
through.

“Brother Rick is back early,” Jake said,
spotting the vehicle first.

“It’s better when he’s not here,” Sorrel
said in a tight voice. She pushed the handcart into the shelter and stalked
into her workshop.

Jake followed, closing the door behind
them. “Do you have any family here at the compound?”

“My mother died a few months before Brother
Samuel. She had some sort of a stroke.”

“Hell, sorry. I didn’t know. You have other
brothers and sisters?”

“No. I was the only child my mother managed
to carry to full term.” She flicked her braid over her shoulder. “I thought I’d
make some candles. The women in the shop said the batch I made a few months ago
sold in a few days.”

Jake turned her to face him. “Your mother
was close to Brother Samuel.”

“Yes.” She tugged away from his grip. “They
spent their free time together and shared a bed.”

Something in her voice gave away an
unspoken fear. “Do you think Brother Rick had something to do with your
mother’s death or his father’s passing?”

“No. I don’t know,” she said, twisting her
hands together. “I try not to think about it too much.”

“Tell me how they both died. I need all the
ammunition I can find to help you.”

“I told you my mother died of a stroke.”
Her voice hitched, but she carried on gamely. “She’d had a minor stroke the
previous year that left her with a slight paralysis on one side of her body.
The Sloan doctor said this one was a massive stroke.”

“And Brother Samuel?”

Sorrel frowned. “His death was sudden. One
week he was fit and healthy and the next he was bedridden with convulsions and
vomiting.”

“What was the official cause of death?”

“Poisonous mushrooms. The poison destroyed
his liver. Two young children died at the same time. Sister Andrea was adamant
she didn’t use poisonous mushrooms in her pie, but popular rumor says that was
the cause.”

“Did they discover where the mushrooms came
from?” Jake’s mind twisted the pieces of information and came up with
suspicions. “Is it possible Brother Rick murdered his father? And why does
Brother Rick loathe you so much?”

“I don’t know. Brother Samuel called
Brother Rick for a meeting about a month before he died. After their meeting
there was tension between them, but murder? I don’t know.”

Jake considered her words, saw her
confusion. She didn’t know, but maybe his questions would prod her memory, and
she’d remember something to help his investigation.

Outside heavy footsteps sounded, the scuff
of gravel and he acted on instinct. He hauled Sorrel into his arms and laid one
on her.

He’d barely registered the surprised O of
her lips, the uneven firmness of her curves when the door flew open, striking
the wall. Sorrel jumped but Jake didn’t release her. He maintained his hold on
her and lifted his head to face the interloper.

“Did you want something?”

Brother Rick gaped at them for a moment
before recovering. He chuckled in a suggestive manner. “That, I did not
expect.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “Did you want
something?”

“I heard from Sister Marigold at the store.
They need more stock. You’ll have to do another delivery tomorrow morning.”

“Fine,” Jake said.

Sorrel pinched his forearm beneath his
robe. Hard. “Of course, Brother Rick.”

Jake wanted to punch the smirk right off
the man’s face. He resisted because he felt the nip of Sorrel’s calloused
fingers again, and she was right, damn it. He’d flatten the guy’s nose another
time.

Instead, he released Sorrel and hobbled
over to the other side of the workshop. With a pained grimace, he dropped onto
a stool and made a point of rubbing his leg. “Walked too much today. Did you
conclude your business earlier than you expected?”

“Yes,” Brother Rick gritted out, a flash of
temper replacing his slimy smile.

“I’m sorry it was unsuccessful.” Jake
noticed Sorrel’s flinch even though he was across the other side of the
workshop. He also read the warning in her blue eyes. Unfortunately, she was
right. He shouldn’t draw too much attention to himself or make Brother Rick
curious enough to poke at his background. Luke said his cover would stand
scrutiny, something his stepmother had done. Hacking and such, but he still
didn’t want to risk it.

“The vehicle broke down. It’s going to cost
a bit to fix. We were lucky to make it back to the compound.” Brother Rick’s
gaze went to Sorrel. “I’m pleased with the increase in your production, but the
women at the shop still need more. Some days they sell out of stock.”

Sorrel lowered her gaze, but not before
Jake caught the flash of fury in her blue eyes. “Of course, Brother Rick. With
Brother Jake’s help I was able to deliver double the amount of stock today. We
took down two handcarts this morning.”

“Excellent. I’ll leave you to your work.”
His lips curled into a sneer. “Work,” he emphasized and he stepped from the
workshop, not bothering to close the door behind him. Obviously politeness was
women’s work.

Jake glared after him. Sorrel was working
as hard as she could, and he doubted she could physically produce more, given
the number of hours she worked and the size of the workshop. “That man is a
prick. The more I get to know him, the more I want to flatten his nose.”

“You shouldn’t rile him. He’s dangerous.”

Yes, she was right, and he knew better.
Everything about this assignment was rubbing him the wrong way. He stood and
walked to the door, forgetting about his limp for a few steps. With a soft
curse, he shoved his head into the game again, paused at the door to note the
locations of the various people in sight. From his observations to date
everyone took care to remain apart from Sorrel and her workshop. He closed the
door with a gentle
snick
and turned to her.

“Are you going to tell me why you have so
much padding under your robe?”

She gaped at him before erupting in a
flurry of movement. “You heard Brother Rick. I need to start work on the
candles.”

Jake paused, stared at her stiff shoulders
as she grabbed supplies from her cupboards. She was right, but this conversation
was merely shelved. Now that he studied her closely, he was starting to notice
other things about her as well such as the spots and rash that was in a
different place from yesterday. Sorrel Thyme had secrets, and he intended to
ferret them out.

* * * * *

Damn, damn, damn. The man had taken her by
surprise, springing at her in his catlike manner. He was playing a part, she
reminded herself. Her hand trembled a fraction as she placed the beeswax into
the tin to melt. “I need these molds set out and the wicks trimmed to the
correct length.” She indicated the silver molds for the tea light candles. Her
hand steadied and she continued to work, showing him what to do while she
started mixing the ingredients to make more bath bombs.

“Maybe Brother Rick should look at raising
the prices in the shop.”

“The women set the prices. I’ll talk to
them. It sounds as if we’ll be making another trip to town in the morning. You
can relax on the bench near the river and rest your leg while I supervise the
unloading of the carts.”

“Thanks,” Jake said. “Will we have enough
stock by then?”

“I think so, although I’ll have to work
late.” Her stomach let out a lusty rumble of complaint since she hadn’t taken
time for breakfast.

In the distance the lunch bell rang,
summoning everyone for the midday meal.

“Are you going to stop for lunch?”

“No, Brother Rick doesn’t allow me to have
more than one meal a day, not when he’s around the compound.”

“Why?”

“I refused to attend the last gathering,
citing my age, and he decided to punish me for it.”

“I’ll bring you something back,” Jake said.

“No, the last thing I need is Brother Rick
focusing on me more than he does already.” She’d have to leave the compound
soon. Brother Rick was making things more and more difficult for her. No, she’d
keep her head down and keep the promise she’d made to her mother. She was doing
this for both of them.

Jake shot her one of his looks—the one that
sliced through her and crept into her mind, learning things she didn’t want him
to see. He couldn’t have stared at her for longer than a few seconds, but he
made her vulnerabilities surface. He scared her with his intense eyes and his
dark good looks.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll be back in half
an hour. Line up some jobs for me. Could you organize one of the younger girls
to help for a few days? It might lessen Brother Rick’s questions if there is
someone else here with us—at least for a few hours.”

“Good idea. Ask for Sister Andrea when you
collect your meal. Tell her I require one of the older teenagers to help for three
hours each afternoon this week. She’ll send someone suitable if she agrees.
I’ll make some space so we’ll all fit in here without tripping over one
another.”

Jake moved toward her, and she pressed up
against one of the counters to enable him to pass. Instead of limping past, he
halted right in front of her. His dark eyes gleamed as he glanced down at her.
His arms slid around her shoulders, and he tugged. She lurched, off-balance and
landed against his hard chest, letting out a soft
oomph
.

She would have spoken, but his mouth
trapped her words, leaving her instinctive protest unspoken. His lips moved
against hers, the warm stroke of his tongue surprising her into opening her
mouth. Immediately, he took possession, deepening the kiss, tangling tongues and
leading the sensations inside her into unfamiliar territory.

Warmth seared her body, and everything
seemed louder, brighter, moving in a strange, slow motion. Her thoughts rioted
in abandon, the rich masculine scent of him tinged with faint citrus filled each
breath. She found herself clinging, her fingers digging into bulging biceps.

And still he kissed her, explored her mouth
and nibbled at her lips until she trembled and she was aware of every part of
her body. The linen strip rubbing against her breasts, the fit of her plain
cotton panties and the abrasive rub of her cotton robe against her arms and
legs.

When he lifted his head, she stared at him,
heart hammering against her ribs. His eyes seemed darker than before, but there
was no mistaking the masculine satisfaction shining in them.

He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip,
the faint drag making her want to groan out loud.

“I’ll see you in half an hour.”

Somehow she managed to formulate words
before he wrenched open the door. “Why?” One word, she amended.

“This is the best way to keep you safe. I
can’t let you leave yet, because we need your help, but I promise, Sorrel,
Brother Rick is not going to grab you, no matter what sick thoughts fill his
warped brain. We need to practice so everyone believes we’re together. I don’t
want any slip-ups in this plan.”

Then he was gone, leaving her with
trembling legs and heat still coursing through her energized body. He intended
to kiss her again, touch her. She pressed her fingers to her lips. They felt
swollen and sensitive. A dart of heat tore through her body pooling between her
thighs. One kiss from Jake and everything she’d known about sex was cast adrift
and consigned to nothingness.

Shaking herself from her stupor, she
dragged a table from the storage room where she kept her handcarts and set it
outside in front of the workshop. Jake wouldn’t mind being outdoors, since it
would allow him to watch the comings and goings while he was working.

And it would give her some breathing space
while she gathered her scattered wits.

Jake Ramsay was a disturbing man, a
dangerous man. In the silent battle of him against Children of Nature she had
little doubt who would emerge the winner. The man was too clever for his own
good, too observant.