Page 95 of Freedom Mine
Her tongue wrapped around the tip, drawing a slight moan from him. That sound. . . so incredibly addictive. Inch by inch, she drew him in, working him with her tongue and mouth until he rocked his hips. She straightened her throat, aligning herself with his length as he slowly pushed farther in. Breathing through her nose and focusing on controlling her gag reflex took center stage as Kayo took over. He moaned her name as he slowly pumped back and forth. Then without warning, his warm seed shot into her throat.
“God, Alli,” he said as he pulled out and she swallowed. She’d never done that before, despite how many times a man had spilled inside her throat. She’d always spat out the man’s cum, preferably in his face, which earned her several beatings over the years. With Kayo it was different.
The peace and awe on his face as he looked down on her with his cock buried deep in her throat had convinced her to drink his essence because it would bring him pleasure. It was as simple as that. No one else had ever mattered to her as much as Kayo, no one, and she would do anything for him.
The way he drew her chest to his, with one hand gently but firmly holding her lower back, locking her in his embrace, made her feel cherished. His lips fell to hers, drawing her into a slow but passionate kiss. How had she ever thought ill of this man?
“No one will touch you ever again, Alli,” he said as he broke the kiss. His thumb caressed her cheek. “You’ll stay here, do what you can to help Jace and the others, and eventually the mine will produce. Or maybe you’ll find another way to make money from the land. If anyone can come up with a plan, it will be you, I’m sure of it.”
He talked as if he were leaving. He’d sold the slaves to Jace, but it was still his land. He wouldn’t leave here. Then she remembered the papers strewn on the floor. He had been rifling through them when she’d entered.
“What are you doing with all these papers?”
“I wanted to count how many slaves we’ve freed over the years,” he said, as he broke away. He averted his eyes, which was unlike Kayo.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I was thinking about Mac this morning. He never seemed to run out of money and bought and freed slaves almost on a schedule. I never lived up to what he expected when he transferred this place to me.”
“This place made you miserable.”
Another shrug, though this time his gently eyes met her. “I never thought about what it would mean to accept Mac’s offer. I just accepted it. While he was alive, I was merely working the place, helping him free men. Then, when he died and I took over, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that Iownedpeople. I’d become an owner, like the men who’d owned me before Mac.”
“But you aren’t like other owners. You never could be, Kayo. It’s not in you to treat people like property.”
He sighed, but he moved away from her too, putting distance between them. “Mac chose me because he thought I could handle it. He was wrong. I only wish I hadn’t had to do the same to Jace. I’m not sure he’ll forgive me.”
So that’s what they had been fighting about, before the sale. Jace didn’t want the weight of this place anymore than Kayo had, but there’d been no choice.
“Owning slaves is considered a moral failing where Jace and I are from.”
“You’re free of the responsibility, Kayo. You can go anywhere, do anything now. Why bury yourself in this stuffy office, rummaging through old photos? It’s over now. You’re free of it all.”
He gave a half-hearted laugh. “If only that were true.”
This had to do with Jace then. He’d passed the burden on to his friend. “I’m sure Jace will be fine.”
“Damn right he will be. He’s a tough bastard who will do what needs to be done.” Kayo fell silent for a few minutes as he held her close. Then, as he kissed her forehead, he said, “Freedom’s fleeting, Alli. Remember that, and never take it for granted.”
As she glided her fingers through his hair, his eyes closed. “There’s something you’re not telling me, Kayo.”
“Just thinking about home. I never used to allow myself to think of home, but lately, it’s hard not to.”
He deserved to leave. He’d been tied to this place, this tremendous responsibility, for too long.
“Does this mean you’re leaving?” she asked. She didn’t want to hear the answer, but she needed to know. The thought that she was going to be dragged from Kayo had been daunting, but him leaving her was a whole new level of pain she wasn’t ready for.
“Hells, Alli, I’d never leave you, not of my own will. Jace and I spoke. He’ll continue managing the mines and I’ll be in charge of the property as long as possible. This place is a lot for one man, and I never meant to saddle him with everything. Doing to him what Mac did to me. . .” He shook his head. “It was the only solution I could come up with. I sold everyone to protect you and the men, nothing more.”
Alli released a deep breath. Good, he was staying. Legalities aside, nothing had changed. Maybe now that Jace owned the slaves, Kayo could start to heal.
His eyes returned to the pile of pictures on the floor. She bent down and picked up the photo of several young men, shirtless, faces smudged with dirt, pickaxes in hand. She’d seen this photo before, the one with two older men with five younger men between them.
“Tell me about the people in this,” she said, hoping to get him talking more. Kayo held too much inside of him.
A slight smile graced his face as he pointed to the man on the left. “That’s Mac.”
“And the other man?” she asked, pointing the man who stood at the far end of the photo. He was close in age to Mac and dressed in well-tailored clothing, clearly not a slave.
