Page 14 of Into the Woods

I didn’t think about small woodland animals that were likely scurrying along the ground looking for shelter or food. I didn’t care that I was completely exposed. The thought of dying in the woods was so much better than whatever might have happened back at my house, that much I knew.

That summer, I spent a lot of nights sleeping in the woods, surrounded by night sounds, knowing that I would see Christophe every morning, as soon as he was able to get away.

Chapter 7

Deals

Christophe

Sunshine,innocence, and pure sweetness, that’s what she is. Her eyes widen with surprise as I grip her hair, her lips parting in a silent gasp.

The draw is strong.

She is temptation and sin wrapped in cheap clothing and desperation.

And I need a taste. Just one little taste to see if she’s still as sweet as I remember.

I lean in and press my mouth to hers, to the same spot I kissed her all those years ago. When she was nothing more than a child and I thought I still had a lifetime ahead of me.

How wrong I was.

Her eyes drift closed as she tilts her head, granting me access. Giving me more. Soft full lips that taste sweet like honey. Allowing me to explore her mouth and lose myself in everything that was before. Before I walked away from the naïve child in the woods and entered hell on earth.

I can’t do this.

I can’t allow myself to fall into the fantasy of what could have been if I hadn’t snuck off to entertain the kid who’d had an innocent crush on me.

She was practically a baby.

I was almost a man.

Puppy love. That’s whatMamancalled it. She’d told me to let the girl down gently and say goodbye before stepping into my role withinLe Milieu.

That was the last thing we talked about. Winnie and her crush.

Anger rolls through me and I can feel Winnie tense against me. She tries to pull back and the whimper, that sweet little whine of fear when I don’t release her, has the unexpected result of making my dick swell. I can’t get wrapped up in this—in her.

I pull back, her breath coming in desperate pants that puff warmth against my skin. I hold her perfectly still and just out of my reach.

“What’s your plan, honeybee? How are you going to make things right?” She has abso-fucking-lutely nothing to her name. Unless…

“I c-c-could d-dance.” Her eyes dart away from mine and I give my fist a little shake, tugging on her hair to get her attention back where it belongs. On me. “At the Honey Pot, I mean. I, um, I think tips might be better there than at the diner?”

Would they fucking ever.

This beautiful young thing taking her clothes off and dancing on stage…she’d be flush with cash. And the regulars at the strip club her parents ran would be beside themselves to get a glimpse of her. The thought of that has my jaw clenching hard enough to crack a tooth. I don’t like it. Not one bit. Those dirty old fuckers don’t have any right to lay eyes on her, let alone touch her while tucking their filthy cash into her G-string.

No. Just, no.

“Absolutely not. With the time that’s passed, the interest that has already accrued, you’re going to need something more.” Are my intentions pure? Not at all.

“More? I’ll give you all my tips. All of them. Please, Christophe,” she pleads, and goddamn, do I love the sound of her begging.

I fucking want more of that. I want to hear her beg from the floor, on her knees in front of me. But I can’t let her strip. I can’t handle that, sharing any part of this girl. What is she doing to me?

“Even if you supplement that income on your back, you’ll never make enough to be free and clear. The only thing that might get you enough funds is if you were still a virgin and sold that prize to the highest bidder.” The remark is flippant and completely off the cuff, but the way she steps back, red flush creeping up her delicate neck tells me I hit a mark. And I hit ithard.

Winnie wraps her arms around her middle. She hitches one foot up and places it on the far side of the other, crossing her legs. Protecting the only thing she has of value. And that is one valuable fucking commodity.

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