Page 86 of Trapped for Her Blood
I pass by the fire to stand next to Zuben, who stays crouched as he hands me a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Goose bumps rise on my skin, but I can’t tell if it’s due to the temperature change now I’m near the fire, or the electricity of being closer to Zuben.
“You are cold,” he says, clearly noticing my body’s reaction.
His hand traces up my leg, slides over my hip and then my torso as he stands, stopping when it’s against my throat, his fingers cupping my face. “The fire should warm you soon. As will the dry clothing.”
Looking up into his eyes, I nod, my mouth like a desert again in spite of my recent drink.
The wool blanket lands over my shoulders and I look back to see Ryker behind me. The blanket instantly warms me, as does the presence of the two men, both so close.
“Anyone mind if I take these off?” Axe asks, drawing my attention back to him, and the other two men move slightly away from me. “Been a while since I’ve worn clothes,” he says. “Forgot how fucking restricting they feel.”
“You do you, bear man,” Ryker says as he sorts through the remaining garments. He holds up a pair of jeans, his nose slightly turned up as if they displease him, and Axel removes his jeans quickly, laying them on the stone floor alongside the black t-shirt he never even bothered to try on.
“Then again,” Ryker says. “That thing between your legs looks dangerous. You sure it shouldn’t be caged?”
Axe lunges toward him, and I step between them, moving more quickly than I ever thought I could.
“Hey.” I give a scolding look to Ryker. “Don’t be mean.” I reach up to touch the soft hair on Axe’s chest, loving how his muscles visibly contract at my touch. Ryker’s mention of a cage must have triggered Axe—for good reason.
“If we’re going to be stuck here for a while,” I add. “We better all get along.” I lower myself to sit on the furs, and the three men do too, the four of us forming a loose circle.
The heat of the fire warms my back as the light dances over the men, amplifying my feelings of both comfort and lust, simmering into the most delicious soup of emotions in my belly.
I don’t dare think about what Ryker suggested, the idea of my having all three men as lovers, but I’ll settle for keeping them from killing each other.
“As I was saying,” Zuben breaks the thick silence, “based on what we overheard, it is possible that Octavia will issue orders to have the dungeons searched until Ryker is found. It is not safe for you here.”
Ryker frowns. “You kicking me out?”
Zuben shakes his head. “No. That is not what I am suggesting. I am merely informing you that you are in danger. And as a consequence…” He nods his head toward me.
“They said she plans to burn you alive,” Axe adds.
“Been there, done that.” Ryker grins as he shifts his position on the furs.
“She will not let you survive again,” Zuben says.
“Aw, shucks,Reuben. You saying you care about me?” Ryker reaches over and punches Zuben’s arm. “Dude. I’m flattered. But I much prefer pussy.”
Zuben’s jaw tightens. “I am saying that her imminent search increases the urgency of our need to escape.”
“No one escapes,” Axe says.
“That is a false equivalency,” Zuben says. “Just because no one has yet to escape, does not mean it is notpossible.”
“This guy…” Ryker mutters under his breath as he stretches one leg forward and leans back on his arms.
His new position accentuates his muscled chest with its scars of battles past, and his erection shifts to rest against his thigh.
I shift my gaze away from that delicious distraction.
“Do you have any ideas for us to escape?” I ask Zuben.
He nods and hope floods my chest.
“I have many ideas,” Zuben says, “especially since we have an advantage not possessed by other inhabitants of this dungeon.”
I lean forward over my crossed legs. “What advantage?”
