Page 31 of Taken By the Soldier
“A while,” I confess, setting the plate on the counter. “You have a lovely voice.”
She sputters a bit and her face flushes an even deeper shade of pink. “Well, um, if I’d known I had an audience, I would’ve tried to nail those high notes a little better.”
There’s a strange sensation in my chest, almost a cough, and it echoes in my throat, though I don’t quite make a noise. A laugh, I realize. I’d almost laughed. Jesus.
“Dinner smells delicious,” I force out, not knowing what else to say.
Her face brightens and she gestures at the table. “Thanks. I’m fairly certain I didn’t burn anything this time. Have a seat. I’m almost done putting everything on the table.”
I sink into my chair and try to banish the dark memories that still linger in the back of my mind.
“So, how did training go today?” she asks once she takes her seat across from me. “I saw you guys running all the way on the other side of the lake. I, uh, found a pair of binoculars in the attic.”
“It went well,” I reply, then lean forward and meet her eyes. “Tomorrow morning you will accompany me on a walk around the settlement. You will wear one of the Zasforran dresses I got you, and I will introduce you to our neighbors.”
Surprise flickers over her face, and she glances down at her current attire. She’s wearing the jeans and t-shirt that was given to her on her first night here. I recently gave her six brand-new Zasforran dresses, but she rarely wears them and keeps rewashing the jeans and t-shirt almost every day.
She draws in a quick breath, and I think she’s about to argue with me. But she soon presses her lips together and peers out the window with a look of longing. “Very well,” she eventually says. Her gaze returns to me, and she offers me a faint smile. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Two weeks ago, she would’ve cussed me out if I ordered her to wear a dress. But she’s kept her fiery temper under wraps since the last punishment I gave her, when I punished her bottom hole before giving her a very hard, long spanking.
I’m pleased by her acquiescence, but I resolve to keep a close eye on her as we walk around the settlement. If she tests me, or, God forbid, makes another escape attempt, I’ll be ready.
Chapter17
JUDITH
I’m outside.
A thrill rushes through me, and I try to contain my excitement. For some reason, I don’t want Luka to know just how much this trip out of the house means to me.
I lift my face to the sky and soak in the warm rays of the sun. I inhale deeply of the earthy scents of the nearby forest, as well as the scent of the lake and the numerous gardens we pass during our walk. When we come upon a rather large mud puddle, I gather up the long, billowing skirts of my Zasforran dress and step around it.
The second I let go of my dress, Luka surprises me by grasping my hand and lacing his fingers through mine. At first, I think the gesture is sweet, but when I meet his gaze and notice the serious gleam in his deep blue eyes, I realize his motivations for holding my hand don’t have anything to do with affection.
He wants to keep me close.
He wants to make sure I behave.
A tingle races across my ass cheeks at the thought of what will happen if I’m naughty in any way—he’ll march me home, bare my bottom, and give me a sound thrashing. He’s only spanked me twice so far, and though it’s been a while since that last one, the memory of the awful sting still hasn’t faded.
“I’m not going to run off, Luka,” I whisper. “You don’t have to hold my hand so tightly.Ouch. You’re practically cutting off my circulation.”
His eyes flash, but he loosens his grip.
He guides me up the walkway of the nearest house, and I’m soon introduced to Samuel and Harriet, a Zasforran soldier and his American wife. I’ve seen both of them during my numerous surveillance sessions as I peered out the windows, but it’s nice to finally meet them in person.
Harriet is a few years older than me and she’s hugely pregnant, though I don’t comment on her condition. It’s obvious given the timeline of when the Deep Creek settlement was established that the child she carries isn’t Samuel’s. And yet the way he looks at her… well, it’s moving. He looks at her as if she’s his whole world. The tender glances they exchange leave me in no doubt that Samuel will love and raise the child as his own.
We carry on down the line, visiting house after house. Eventually, we come upon the cabins occupied by Adella and Chloe. Lucky for them, their new husbands were close friends who’d decided to claim houses right next to one another.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Adella says as she gives me a tour of their large garden. She laces her arm through mine and sends me a concerned look. “When we didn’t see you for so long, we started to worry. Is everything all right?”
I peek over my shoulder at Luka. He’s conversing with Forrest and Gunnar, but his eyes are on me. My stomach flips when he lifts his eyebrows at me slightly, as though he’s giving me a warning look. Part of me wants to flip him off and make a mad dash for the trees. But the more sensible part of me knows that would be stupid. Not only would I embarrass myself in front of my new friends, but he would drag me home and punish me, and then I would be lucky to see the light of day ever again.
“Judith?” Chloe prompts when I take too long to answer her sister’s question. “Are you all right?”
“Oh, I’m perfectly fine,” I reply, making sure to shoot them each a polite smile. “I gave Luka some trouble after we were first married, and it’s just taken him a while to finally trust me outside the house.”
