Chapter 13

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Tal scowled as he paced his living room and thought about what had happened the night before. He hadn’t slept well, and this morning Heather had asked him if she’d done something wrong. He’d said no, of course, but hours later, he knew he needed to talk to her, reassure her that he wasn’t upset because of her…but because of how helpless he’d felt with what she’d gone through last night.

Yesterday, Heather had spent the day with Finley in the kitchen of The Sweet Tooth while he took a shift at the barbershop. Harvey had been more than cool with the time he’d taken off, but he didn’t want to take advantage of his boss’s generosity. And Heather always enjoyed spending time with Finley.

But he’d taken her to Sunny Side Up for dinner—and it had been a disaster. Word had definitely gotten out about her return.

Since Simon had confirmed her DNA matched that of Heather Brown’s, the locals had gone a little crazy. The mayor even wanted to put together an impromptu parade, but Heather had been utterly horrified by the idea, so the plans had been scrapped.

But there had been stories in the online Fallport Gazette, and anyone and everyone who’d ever known little Heather had been interviewed. Details about where she’d been and the ordeal she’d suffered had been scant, but that hadn’t kept people from speculating.

Not only was Heather now a celebrity according to the citizens of Fallport, word had officially traveled outside their little community.

As a result, while they’d been trying to have dinner in Sunny Side Up, she’d been suddenly mobbed by reporters from near and far. Everyone wanted an interview with the girl-turned-woman who’d been miraculously found after twenty years.

Sandra had done her best to run interference, but after the fifth person rudely interrupted their dinner by walking up to the table and sticking a recorder in Heather’s face, and after the umpteenth picture had been taken, Talon had definitely had enough. He’d wrapped an arm around Heather’s shoulders and, with the help of a few locals, he’d not so gently shoved his way through a dozen or so reporters to his SUV.

They were safe in his apartment, but Tal had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before the reporters were knocking on his door. Heather’s situation was unique, and the entire world loved to hear about a missing child being found after so many years.

“I’m sorry about last night,” he told Heather as she sat on the couch.

“It’s not your fault,” she said in a tone that was flat and a little distant.

He ground his teeth together and sighed. He’d known this would happen. Known everyone would want her story. They’d ask inappropriate questions, want to know every detail about her captivity…because that was what it was. Even though she didn’t have chains around her ankles, she’d still been a prisoner.

He went into the kitchen and got her a Sprite. She didn’t like the taste of wine or beer, but loved the sweet, bubbly soft drink. He sat next to her on the couch and handed her the can.

She gave him a smile and took a sip. “Maybe I should go back to my cave.”

Tal was shaking his head before she’d even finished the sentence. “No!” he blurted—then he took a deep breath to try to control the fear coursing through him. “Do you really want to go back?” he asked a little more calmly.

It was Heather’s turn to sigh. “No.” She stared down at the soft drink in her hand. “I like it here. I don’t have to worry about finding my own food or chopping wood. I love my new clothes and everyone’s been so nice. And now that I know how I ended up with The Community, I don’t want anything to do with them, ever again. If I went back into the forest, I’d be letting them win.”

Tal reached over and took one of her hands in his. His intention was just to squeeze her fingers, letting her know he was here for her, but when she tightened her own fingers around his almost desperately, he couldn’t let go. “They aren’t going to win. Simon’s going to find them and make them pay for what they did to you.”

She shrugged. “I wish I could change the past,” she said quietly. “I hate thinking about how awful my disappearance had to have been on my parents. I wonder how many other families went through the same thing because Arrow condoned the stealing of babies.” She looked up at him. “How could he be so…horrible? So immoral? Believe it or not, he was kind of nice to me at first. I think I saw him as a grandfather or something.”

“Until he forced you to have sex with him,” Tal muttered with disgust.

Heather’s nose wrinkled. “Yeah, until that. But still, out of all the men in The Community, he was the least mean. Though in reality, since he was the leader, he was probably the most depraved. He had to know what the others were doing. He might have even ordered them to find more girls. He always took it upon himself to teach the boys who joined our group.” She shivered. “He knew what he was doing, and he didn’t care.”

Tal felt helpless. All he could do was sit there and let Heather dig her fingernails into the back of his hand. Of course, she had no idea she was hurting him, but he’d felt far worse. He’d sit there as long as she needed him.

Heather looked at him then, but instead of seeing tears in her eyes, he saw determination. “I hate them. I hate them all. They took me away from a family who loved me. From my life. They denied me food, made me a slave, raped me, didn’t give me proper clothes, and did their best to beat me into submission.”

“But you didn’t let them,” Tal soothed.

“No, I didn’t,” she said, sitting up straighter. “But only because I was so old when they took me. If I had been even a few years younger, I wouldn’t have remembered anything about my old life. I would’ve believed everything they tried to teach me, everything they said about women being unworthy and how men were to be obeyed without question.”

She wasn’t wrong. And Tal hated that.

Doc Snow had suggested Heather talk to a psychologist who lived in Christiansburg, and she’d agreed, but Tal hadn’t had a chance to set up the first meeting. He was fully on board with her talking to someone about what she’d gone through, even if he had a feeling she wasn’t going to need long-term counseling. Just in the short time since she’d returned to civilization, he’d seen her blossom so much. The time she spent with the other women had helped immensely too.

His Heather was strong as hell.

Wait…his Heather?

Yes.

Yes, that was exactly what she was.

He’d been obsessed with finding her, helping her, ever since Brock and Finley had told him about the mysterious woman who’d saved them. Now he understood the year she’d spent by herself in the woods had been an excellent kind of therapy in and of itself. She’d realized she could support herself. Didn’t need a man. She could do what she wanted, when she wanted, and it had to have been liberating for her.

Tal wasn’t sure her hatred for Cypress was entirely healthy, but he’d take that over her feeling sorry for the man or wanting to protect him. “We need to talk about something.”

Her big blue-green eyes stared at him expectantly.

“Now that your story is out, I’m afraid the media frenzy we saw last night is going to be just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a very good chance Cypress or others you used to know will see it. Will know you’re alive and here in Fallport.”

He watched as the color leeched from her face. Her fingers tightened around his hand once again.

“You’re safe here,” he said quickly. “But you need to know so you can protect yourself. Do you think anyone would come here and try to talk you into leaving with them?”

Heather nodded, but didn’t speak.

Tal didn’t want to ask this, but he felt he needed to. “Do you think they could say or do anything that would convince you to leave? I know it’s been a while since you’ve been in that world, but they manipulated you for twenty years. If Cypress came back and started yelling at you, threatening you with the punishment tent…do you think you’d go with him?”

Even though she had fear in her eyes, she straightened as she said, “I will never, ever, go with Cypress Goodson. No matter what he says, no matter what he does, I won’t go to Florida with him,” Heather vowed.

“He might try to force you,” Tal warned.

“Then I’ll fight. I’m not the same person he knew. I’m not Sunset anymore. I’m Heather Brown. I like my life now. I have friends and a soft bed. I’m warm and don’t have to wear that awful brown dress. I can wear shoes and look men in the eye, and I’m learning to read and write better. I like living in your world, Talon. I don’t ever want to leave.”

His heart swelled in his chest. He couldn’t resist bringing their clasped hands up to his lips and kissing the back of her hand reverently. “And I like having you in my world, sweetheart.”

Then Heather surprised him by leaning over and putting the can of soda on the end table by the sofa, and scooting closer to him. She let go of his hand to put her arm around his stomach…and snuggled against him.

As natural as breathing, as if they sat like this every night.

Tal inhaled slowly, loving the feel of this woman against him, the scent of her shampoo and sweet lotion in his nose. He put his arm around her shoulders, and neither of them spoke, just enjoyed the closeness of another human being.

“I missed this,” she said quietly after a few minutes.

“What?” Tal asked.

“This. Hugging. Human contact. No one in The Community touched outside of sex. No hugs. No handshakes. Arrow used to touch me. But I wasn’t even allowed to touch during my marital duties. I just had to lie there until he was done. Same with Cypress.”

“No more talking about that,” Tal said gruffly. “They weren’t marital duties because you weren’t fucking married.”

“All I’m saying is…this feels good.”

Tal did his best to put her words behind him. He was glad she didn’t seem completely broken and traumatized by what she was forced to do, but it still bothered him greatly. “To me too,” he reassured her.

“Talon?” she asked, lifting her head so she could meet his gaze.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think anyone will want to be with me after they find out what happened? You know…that I was kidnapped?”

He frowned in surprise at the question. “Of course. Why wouldn’t they?”

“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug.

Tal waited a beat, and when she didn’t say anything else, he said, “You can talk to me about anything, Heather. Say what’s on your mind.”

She’d dropped her gaze after asking her question, but with his words, she looked at him again. “Do you think you might ever feel anything for me beyond friendship?”

He almost choked at her question. He thought he’d been pretty clear when he’d told her how much she was coming to mean to him not that long ago. But she either needed reassurance or hadn’t understood what he’d meant.

He needed to tread lightly here. He wasn’t sure if she was ready to talk about a future relationship…or even if he should pursue one with her, no matter how desperately he wanted to. Though, two things were very clear in his mind…

One, he didn’t want to even think about her with another man. And two, he didn’t want to do or say anything that might scar her more than she already was.

He’d obviously paused too long in answering, because she began to pull out of his arms.

Tal tightened his hold, refusing to let her go. In the end, he simply said, “Yes.”

She stared back. “Yes?” she asked with a small tilt of her head.

“Yes,” he repeated. “If I hadn’t felt a deep connection to you, I would’ve brought you straight to Simon. He could’ve found you a place to live, worked with women’s organizations to get you clothes and other necessities. I wouldn’t have introduced you to my friends, or encouraged you to befriend them. I wouldn’t be sleeping next to you every night. I wouldn’t be so worried that someone from that damn cult will hear about you being here, and do or say something that will make you want to go back to them.

“You’ve gotten under my skin in a way no other woman has before, Heather. It scares me to death. You scare me. I don’t want to do anything that will make you want to leave. I lie awake at night and listen to you breathe and thank God that I found you. That you’re mostly all right. That you’ve somehow managed to retain a beautiful, sweet personality even after the Devil tried to beat it out of you.

“So, do I think I can feel something for you besides friendship? Sweetheart…I already do.”

The last three words were whispered, but Tal couldn’t lie to her. Refused to.

She stared at him without blinking. At his last words, her lips drew up in a beautiful little smile. “I do too,” she said.

Her words sent lightning bolts straight to his heart, but he didn’t react in any way. “You need more time. You haven’t been out of the woods for that long. I’m the only man you’ve really been around.”

She shook her head firmly. “I’ve been around plenty of men,” she argued.

Tal brushed a lock of hair off her cheek and behind her ear. He loved how silky and smooth her hair was now. He’d cut off enough so that it now fell to her shoulder blades, and she hadn’t told him she wanted to stop yet. The more weight he cut off, the curlier the strands got. It was all he could do not to thrust both hands into the gorgeous waves. “Around normal men,” he clarified. “Good men.”

A stubborn look flashed over her features, and Tal instinctively braced.

“I watched you,” she said. “In the woods. I followed you and your friends as you did your searches, though I didn’t really understand that’s what they were at the time. But I saw how you laughed with them, how you were serious when you should be, how careful you were with people who were lost and hurt. I listened to your conversations. And I watched other hikers in the forest. Heard how men talked about women when they were with their buddies. Listened to them bragging about all the sex they’ve had. How they hated their jobs, how they stole things from their employers. It’s amazing the things you can learn about people by watching and listening when they think they’re alone with their friends.

“I’ve been around men other than those in The Community, and you, Talon, are the one I want. You told me that I was now living in your world, and I want that. I want to be in your world. You aren’t going to hurt me, and I can trust you. You’ve told me that over and over, but you’ve proven it too. I know I’m not that smart, that I’m different, but if you give me a chance, I can learn. I can be like other women you’ve dated.”

Tal’s heart nearly broke at her self-deprecating words. Without thought, he reclined on the couch, taking Heather with him. She ended up straddling his stomach as he lay under her. “You can trust me, and I will never hurt you,” he told her earnestly. “And you’re the smartest woman I know. I don’t know anyone else who would’ve been able to do what you did. You outsmarted Cypress and the others. Hid where they couldn’t find you. Forced them to leave without you. You saved yourself, and that’s incredibly amazing…and sexy as hell. Remember when I told you about those women and children? The ones I couldn’t save?”

She nodded. Her hands were flat against his chest, propping herself against him.

“If they’d been half as brave as you, they would’ve found a way to save themselves. That’s probably not fair of me to say, because I don’t know their situation, but by saving yourself, being able to survive in the forest—in a fucking dress and bare feet, no less—you’ve touched me in a way no other woman ever has.

“If you want me, I’m yours,” he promised. “I still think after more time has passed, you’ll see that you have an entire world in front of you. Men who would line up to be able to call you their woman. But until you no longer want me, I’m happy to be yours. To help you navigate a world that still seems a little overwhelming.”

Her eyes teared up again, and she asked, “You’re mine? Don’t you mean I’m yours?”

“No. You’ve got me wrapped around your little finger. Anything you want, I’ll bend over backward to give to you. You’ll never belong to anyone ever again, Heather. Unless you choose to give yourself to someone. You’re free of that shit. From this point on, you decide your fate. Not me, not anyone else. You make the decisions about what you want. I’ll be happy to guide you, to give you whatever info you need to make those decisions, but you’re in charge. Of where we go from here…of everything.”

A tear fell from her eye, and she reached up and swept it away impatiently. “I want to kiss you,” she told him quietly. “I’ve seen Lilly, Elsie, and the others kiss their husbands. But I’ve never been kissed.”

Talon’s heart lurched in his chest. He forced himself to let go of her hips and brought his arms up and over his head, trying to seem as unthreatening as possible. “Then kiss me,” he said softly.

She smiled—then immediately frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve never…Being above you is weird.”

The anger toward the men she’d known in her past threatened to overwhelm him. He understood what she was saying all too clearly. “It’s not weird,” he reassured her. “In normal relationships, sometimes the man is on top, and sometimes the woman. There are lots of different ways couples can be intimate together. This is just one of them.”

He saw understanding register in her gaze. She nodded. “So I can kiss you?”

“You can kiss me anytime, anywhere, whenever you want,” Tal said fervently.

“Will you tell me if I do it wrong?” she asked.

“You can’t do it wrong, sweetheart,” he told her. “I promise.”

He knew he shouldn’t do this. Should give her more time. She was very likely latching onto him because he was the first man who’d been nice to her in twenty long years. But he couldn’t deny her. He was too far gone. The only thing he could ever do was give her what she wanted. Let her experiment. Give her back her freedom and independence…and pray she’d want to stay with him in the end.

Her leaving would destroy him, but ultimately, he’d let her go with a smile on his face if that was what she wanted.

As she slowly leaned toward him, Tal’s heart was practically beating out of his chest. He kept his eyes open, as did she, as her lips tentatively brushed against his own.

She pulled back a fraction and stared down at him. “Like that?”

“Like that,” he agreed. “Try again, harder.”

She leaned down and this time, her lips pressed flush to his. He couldn’t stop himself from opening his mouth and licking her lower lip.

She jerked up and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Some kisses involve tongues. Licking, sucking, nipping,” he told her.

Heather’s tongue wet her lips, and Tal nearly groaned.

When she kissed him again, some of her reticence had already disappeared. She licked his lip this time, and it was all he could do to keep his hands where they were. He wanted to tangle his fingers in her hair and hold her still as he ravished her. But he’d told her she was in charge, and he’d be damned if he went back on his word.

Her long hair fell around them as a kind of curtain, cocooning them from the world as the kiss went on and on.

She learned quickly, following his lead. Every time he did something, she repeated the move. When he nibbled her lower lip, she did the same. When he groaned, so did she.

It wasn’t long before she no longer needed to mirror his actions, she took full control of the kiss. Her tongue entered his mouth, and soon their heads were tilting and they were full-on making out.

She tasted like the sweet soda she’d been drinking, and Tal had a feeling he’d never be able to taste Sprite again without remembering this moment. One of her hands moved to his cheek as they kissed. She ran her fingers lightly over his short beard, and the quiet rasping sound of his facial hair against her skin made goose bumps break out on his arms.

She pulled back to take a breath, and Tal realized he was panting as hard as she was.

“I like kissing,” she told him with a blush.

“I like kissing you,” he replied.

“I like being on top too,” she said innocently.

Images of what else they could be doing with her on top swam through Tal’s brain. It took all his self-control not to thrust up against her. His cock was rock hard, but luckily she hadn’t felt it yet. It was only a matter of time though. She was innocent in a lot of ways, but she’d surely know what his erection meant, and he didn’t want to bring back any bad memories for her.

As soon as he had the thought, Heather moved. She sat up a little, and as she did, moved backward enough that she nestled her apex against his cock.

They both froze.