Page 18 of Screwed

I sighed. “I’m a Kingsnake. The mill let me go, and we were going to lose the apartment. I couldn’t let that happen. I did what I had to do – for all of us.”

She nodded, absorbing the new information with a blank look on her face. It was a similar expression to the one Mila had worn, on her knees in front of the Kingsnakes. “And Mrs. Mullins’ granddaughter?”

I sat up straight, looking dead into Avery’s eyes. “I donotkidnap women. I do the bare minimum of what the Kingsnakes require of me, and only to keep you and Ella safe. But I promise you, Avery. I have never stolen a woman.”

Avery smiled sadly. “Do you really think you’ll be able to keep us safe our entire lives? There’s going to come a day when you aren’t here to protect us.”

My heart tightened, her words a reflection of what Mila had said to me at the motel. Maybe I was crazy, thinking I could protect those I loved. But to me, it was crazier not to try. I had to do what I could, no matter the consequences. “I’m going to do my best.”

Avery opened her mouth, ready to say something, and then closed it quickly. She shook her head. “I’m gonna go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

With quiet footsteps, she left the room. I dragged my hands over my face. Maybe all of this was some messed up fantasy I believed in.

Thinking I could keep my sisters safe, get us all away from the city, and the Kingsnakes. Imagining what freedom – real freedom – would taste like. But I couldn’t give up hope.

Not even as I sold my soul, night after night, woman after woman. I just hoped I had enough left of me to enjoy it once I got there. I got to my feet and walked to the small bathroom.

The girls’ bedroom was on the way, and I poked my head in to find Avery already asleep, and soft snores coming from Ella. Their connection made me smile, and broke my heart at the same time. I would protect them, whatever the cost.

I hadn’t showered at the motel, trying to make the most of every minute I had with Mila. I desperately needed to shower now. It hadn’t been a typical night, to be sure, but I still needed to wash off the smells of the motel, and the lingering feelings that stuck around after any time spent with my “brothers.”

Before I stepped into the bathroom, I paused in the small hallway. I was silent, making sure my sisters were actually asleep before I dropped to my knees and shifted the loose floorboard. Under it, covered by the old replica Persian carpet, was a decent-sized hole. Here, I kept my stash. I hadn’t even told Avery about my hiding place, needing to keep the danger, and the hope, to myself.

In here, I stored non-perishables I got from the Kingsnakes, ready-to-eat military meals that would keep for years. There were a few thin blankets, excess water, and even a small bit of cash I had managed to scrounge together. Everything was stuffed into a couple backpacks, in case of emergency. Or, as my heart demanded, in case of a chance to escape.

Tonight, I added a flashlight and extra batteries to the backpacks, stolen from the motel’s common room when no one was looking. As I zippered it back up, I did a quick visual inventory of my supplies. They were meager, but enough to get us started. Would it be enough for myself, my sisters,andMila though?

I shook my head, closing the floor back up and replacing the carpet. What was I thinking, including Mila in my hopeless escape plan when I had only seen her for the first time in years tonight?

Because you’d never leave her behind,my brain whispered. No. I wouldn’t. Never again. Even if the first time,shehad leftmebehind. I stood, brushing off my knees and stepped into the bathroom to start the shower.

No hot water tonight, but at least there was water. Small miracles, right? I took the small sliver of homemade soap off the ledge, scrubbing myself thoroughly. I didn’t want to wash off the traces of Mila, the reminders that she was here, she wasback, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep unless I rid myself of any residue of being associated with the Snakes at all. I stood under the cool water, letting it run over my body as I thought back to the motel.

Mila was thinner than when I had seen her last, her youthful curves replaced by the muscles and strength necessary to survive in this life.

The weak didn’t last long. But God, the way her body responded to mine, how wet she was by my touch alone… she would always be the most beautiful woman in the world to me.

Fucking hell. The cold water did nothing to diminish my desire for Mila, and I shivered as I remembered the way she had breathed my name when I pressed my hand against her delicate throat. She wasn’t the same woman, but neither was I the same man.

Somehow, I didn’t think she minded. Our bodies still fit together, all of our jagged edges locking into place. First, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep thinking about the motel. Now, even clean, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep without dealing with the growing hard-on between my legs.

I gripped my cock in my fist, propping myself up against the slick shower wall with my free hand. I could imagine Mila on her knees in front of me. Not because she had to be, but because she wanted to be. Smiling up at me with a grin that always seemed to make my heart stop beating – the one everyone else saw as innocent, but only I knew hid the dirty thoughts racing through her mind. Her hand would circle my cock, pumping slowly at first, and I would groan and let her take control. She would pick up speed, licking her deliciously full bottom lip as she focused.

Shit. Her sexy smile would always be the death of me.

I moaned softly, my need pulling me from my daydream and back into my yellowed shower. I was a goner as I edged myself toward orgasm, the memory of Mila’s dangerous eyes pushing me closer. My orgasm was building, and I whispered her name as I came, my release splashing against the faded tiles.

I shook the water out of my hair, my heartbeat settling back to normal.

Fucking Mila.

I had gone years without her, and now I couldn’t function for an hour away from her. I snapped the water off and grabbed one of the once-white towels from its hook.

My footsteps were silent as I walked down the hall, stepping over the floorboards I knew creaked to avoid waking up the girls. For months, my sex drive had been shot to hell. The Collapse, everything that happened with the Kingsnakes, and just plain survival, had zapped me of any and all energy. Mila returned, and suddenly I was a desperate teenager again.

Ridiculous. I grabbed an old pair of sweatpants from my small pile of clothes, and found my blanket next to the tv. My bed had been the couch since my mom and the girls had moved in, and I made myself as comfortable as I could.

---