Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Willow listened, her fear growing with each word.
“Help him, Geary,” Beck ordered. “Coyle, you come with me. We have things to discuss.”
Willow was taken to a spot on the side of the longhouse. Night was falling rapidly, but she could make out three wooden grates laying on the ground a few feet from each other.
Seeing them, she knew what Beck intended. She would be placed in one of the holes and from what they had said, she wouldn’t be alone. She’d be with a man. Fear gripped her stomach, roiling it, the thought frightening her senseless.
She was familiar with such punishments or keeping a prisoner confined like that, having seen it once when she had gone with her father to a neighboring clan. A hole was dug only deep and wide enough for a person to stand in.
One person.
How she would fit with another person in there, she didn’t know, and she would rather not find out.
Rob moved the wooden grate aside. “You got a guest,” he yelled down into the dark hole.
No response was heard.
“It’s a woman,” Rob said and waved to Geary to bring Willow to the hole.
“Best grab her legs as she comes down or she might make it uncomfortable for the both of you,” Geary warned.
Willow wanted to scream out and beg them not to put her in the dark hole with a strange man. But if she did that, she would show her fear and weakness to the man in the hole. The man she would be stuck with for who knew how long. She had to swallow her fear, tamp it down, let no one know she was frightened more than she had ever been in her life. And for the first time in her life, she couldn’t make sense, see reason, for what was about to happen. Reason had always helped her deal with things, but when reason was lost what did one do?
Rob grabbed her under one arm and Geary the other, then they held her over the hole and began to lower her down into the dark pit.
Chapter 2
Willow shut her eyes. She didn’t know why, instinct probably. She tensed when hands caught at her ankles and thought she would scream when they slid slowly up under her garments along her bare legs almost as if the hand was caressing them. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter when his hands went to her bare bottom, roaming over her cheeks to settle a squeeze on them before holding her there in place.
“Let her go,” the strong voice called to the two men.
They did and he held her firm as she slowly slid the rest of the way down into his arms, her shift and tunic bunching up at her waist as he eased her to her feet to rest against him.
It was when she felt his manhood press against her that she realized he was naked. She hurried her arms down to adjust her garments, but they landed on his bare shoulders and her worst fears were confirmed. He was completely naked.
“There is no room to turn or do anything but to stay as we are,” he said, a bit of an angry bite to his tone. “If you remain still, I’ll adjust your garments for you.”
Willow didn’t know where his anger came from, but then she had stolen what little space he had. She dropped her arms to her sides. “I can do it.” She gasped when she felt him squeeze her backside.
“No, you can’t.”
She went to step away from him and he yanked her up against him.
“There is little room to move. Back up too fast and you will dislodge the earth wall, and possibly cause it to come crashing down around us.”
Instinct had her pressing herself against him as if she couldn’t get close enough. Good Lord, could things get any worse?
She felt something stir between her legs, and it took her a moment to realize what it was.
“I’m not a eunuch and I’ve been too long without a woman. I have no doubt Beck did this on purpose. What that purpose is, I’m sure we’ll find out. So, lass, let’s get you covered and I will do my best to ignore your inviting scent and how nicely you fit in my arms.”
He eased her a bit away from him and struggled to get her garments down around her, mumbling a few oaths as he did.
She almost sighed with relief when her shift brushed her shins and fell to her ankles. When his hands fell away from her, she went to stand straight, if only to keep a hair’s breath away from him, but her legs were so limp from walking, riding, and fear, that they gave way on her.
His arm hooked around her waist in an instant. “Damn. You’re weak.”