Page 19 of Hidden By the Convicts
“I know,” she said, as her palms settled against his chest and she snuggled closer, her head beneath his chin.
“Go to sleep, T.”
She laughed, a sincere laugh that made him feel good. Now he understood what Harlis had meant about doing something good for a change. He only wished he could see her face right now, to see if her eyes shone for him as they did when she looked at Gavin.
He slid his hand to her back and pulled her in closer even as he twisted his hips to press his cock against the mattress and not her. She didn’t seem to be enticing him intentionally. There was an innocence to her. And that’s when he realized she was innocent. Her boss and the guards had taken her against her will. She’d never truly known intimacy, only men who took. That’s why he couldn’t touch her. It’s why he would suffer through a hard cock all night, every night, if necessary.
* * *
TEAGEN
Teagen hadn’t seenthe sun or felt it warm her skin in three weeks. She was starting to go stir crazy in the guys’ house.
Bowen had been clear about her not going outside for anything short of the house burning down. The place was starting to feel so claustrophobic that she toyed with the idea of setting it on fire, just so she could go outside. But she’d never do anything to hurt these guys.
Bowen had kept his word. He hadn’t touched her, and whatever Gavin had said to Harlis that first day had kept him from touching her, too. As for Gavin, the one she had hoped would touch her, he barely looked at her.
She never thought she’d want another man touching her until that morning, when Gavin had pulled her out of the hole and held her. She had felt nothing but care and concern from him, and it made her realize she wasn’t so damaged that she couldn’t still feel for another person or be touched without freaking out.
Being in Gavin’s arms had felt so incredibly safe that she didn’t want to leave his embrace, but he had to go to his shift. When he’d returned later that night, he could barely meet her eyes.
She had put him in an awkward position with that kiss she’d meant as a thank you. Now she kept her distance from him, though her eyes followed him everywhere. It was hard not to. His gentle and easy-going nature stirred her.
Harlis, meanwhile, made her laugh. She never expected she’d come to enjoy his company, especially after the first night when he had seen her as nothing more than a sex toy, like the guards. But he was nothing like the guards. Horny, yes, but not cruel or abusive. He was sweet too, even when his impatience surfaced.
Gavin had taken on a fatherly role to Harlis, trying to reign him in, or maybe just keep him from annoying Bowen too much. Despite all their differences, the three men worked well together.
She worried that she was causing issues for them. Not that they complained about anything they had to do because of her. Alarm. Pit. Shutters. Drugs. Shorter showers. Sharing beds.Risking their lives.
Despite all that they did for her, she contributed nothing to their lives. She didn’t even give them the one thing they all wanted. Sex. That was perhaps the part she was most conflicted about.
This growing attraction to Gavin and Bowen, and even Harlis, confused her. She wasn’t sure she could tolerate a man’s touch, not like that, not after what the guards had done to her. The idea of initiating anything beyond a simplethank youkiss terrified her. And what happened if she did get involved with one of the men? Would the others expect the same from her?
A hand touched her shoulder. She jumped and swung the frying pan.
The man ducked and grabbed her wrist before she could swing again.
It took a moment to register the blue eyes and squared jaw with the scruffy beard. Bowen.
He held her by both shoulders now. “Breathe, Teagen. You’re fine. It’s just me. I called your name when I entered, but you didn’t react.”
“I need to get out of here, Bowen. Just for a bit. You don’t know what it’s like to be trapped in a small space like this. It’s almost as bad as the pit.”
He clenched his jaw. “I know what you’re going through.” He inhaled a deep breath. “I was trapped in a mine when I was eighteen. Hundreds died in the collapse, including my brothers and fathers. My mother had died years before, so I had no one left after the collapse. And I can’t handle being underground or in confining spaces any more. It’s why I have the middle bed. It feels more open than being against a wall.”
“I’m so sorry, Bowen. I shouldn’t have complained. I have it good here with the three of you.”
“Hardly.” He laughed as he kissed the top of her head. “But we’ll get you outside soon.”
“Bowen, can I ask you something?”
“Sure?”
“Your family. . . Were you close? If they had lived, would they have fought to keep you from being sent to Narkos?”
“With everything they had, T. Ironically, I wouldn’t be here if that mine on Barlis hadn’t collapsed. I never feared being in small spaces before that. When I entered the military, I told them I needed missions that were above ground, nothing involving tight spaces. But they sent my squad to fight on Relos.”
The planet had a wealth of natural resources. The Company and one of its competitors had been fighting for control of Relos for years. A few years back, after a bloody war, The Company had won.
