Page 13 of Finding Limits

“Nah, you saw how scared he was, ain’t no way he’s talkin’.” Wade shakes his head.

“I gotta get back to Maisie, she was pretty shook up.” Garrett nods for his brothers to follow him back to his truck. “Come on, we’ll give ya a lift back to your cabin on the way.” He smiles at me sadly.

I smile as we pull up to the cabin, and I see the oil lamp on the porch has been lit. Everleigh started doing that about two months ago, and I never would have thought such a simple gesture could bring with it so much appreciation.

“How is the girl?” Garrett asks, gripping the wheel and still looking tense.

“She’s okay, still don’t say much, and refuses to leave the cabin. I don’t think the shrink she’s talkin’ to is doin’ much good.”

“You know, if it’s a burden I can make other arrangements just because Jimmer’s d?—”

“She ain’t a burden, and she’s fine where she is,” I snap at him as he pulls to a stop outside the cabin. The thought of her being anywhere but here doesn’t just make me mad, it makes me fuckin’ hurt.

“I think you're goin’ soft, old man.” Cole leans forward and kneads both my shoulders.

“And you're a fine one to talk,” I remind him. There was a time when I thought Cole was lost to the darkness, but that sassy girl from L.A. dragged him right back out of it.

“You like her, don’t ya?” Of course, Wade has to stick his two cents worth in too.

“I like her just fine. Same way I like all you assholes. Everleigh is a nice girl and she didn’t deserve what happened to her, but she’s half my age.” My own words wound me as I get outta the truck and slam the door.

Stepping up onto the porch, I turn off the lantern and knock on the door.

“Everleigh, it's me.”

I hear the bolts on the other side of the door move and when she opens it I like how she looks pleased to see me.

“You okay?” I check.

“I am now.” She smiles as she steps away from the door and gets back to the couch, picking up the book she must have read four times over, and she begins to read.

Solomon plunges the sponge into the bucket of cold water and wrings it out before slapping it against my skin. I stand, shivering, with my back to the wall and my dignity in tatters. I hate that he won’t release me from my shackles so I can do this myself. I hate the way he takes his time lifting up my nightdress and hooking it behind my head, and I hate the way his eyes linger on my body as his tongue slides out of his mouth to wet his lips.

“He’s getting stronger every day. Soon he will visit you,” he tells me as he slowly massages the sponge over my skin. His motions are so precise and focused I can tell he’s enjoying my humiliation. I hold my breath as he squeezes the sponge and makes the water trickle over my breast.

“You have such a beautiful body, Everleigh, it’s so sad that he wants to ruin it.”

I gasp when he leans down, taking one of my nipples in his mouth and sucking it harshly.

“Please, Solomon,” I beg, I have no idea how long I’ve been in here but even the luxury of being clean isn’t worth this.

“It was supposed to be mine, there's no harm in me sampling it.” He smiles up at me as he rolls his tongue around my nipple, and I try so hard to hold my tears in it feels as if my cheeks will shatter.

Everything about this is so confusing. Solomon touches me in all the ways I hate, and yet he shows me such kindness. He comes down here to wash me every few days, and just yesterday he snuck me down some fresh bread so I didn’t just have what the elders provide for me.

“We could still be together, we could run away. Just us.” I use whatever tactic I can to get me out of what's coming. The whole village saw what Abraham did to Charlie, he slit his throat in front of everyone when he found out he was bringing in medication from beyond the gates to help his brother. I can’t imagine what he has planned for me.

“You have the devil of your sister in you.” Solomon laughs at me as he soaks the sponge and shoves it between my legs, rubbing me as if he’s trying to draw something out of me. “Should have been mine, and now it will be wasted,” he snarls as he continues to assault me, and I quickly put all my efforts into blanking him out.

I try to think of better things like Addison being free, and how it used to feel sneaking into her bed to make up stories late at night when she still lived at home.

“You know some women take pleasure in their men,” Solomon grunts as he takes out his manhood and lets it press against my stomach.

I don’t believe that's true, I don’t think anyone could take pleasure in the way he touches me. He slides his body against mine, thrusting his cock between us and making me squirm.

“I think you’d have liked it to be me who made you a woman, Everleigh.” I’m shocked when he takes himself in his hand and starts beating it through his fist roughly. Then his breaths get heavier as his lips press over mine and his tongue invades my mouth.

I can’t push him away because my hands are shackled, and so my only choice is to remain still and hope for it to be over. My tears come, along with the retching of my stomach and I say a silent prayer for it to stop.

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