Chapter 14

14

Clarke

T ears streamed down my cheeks as I stared up at the white, tiled ceiling. I could hear the guard making his way down to my room, his heavy boots thumping down the corridor. I clenched my hands into fists, tugging on the cuffs bound tightly around my wrists. The only thing they did was clang against the metal railings, echoing loudly in the otherwise silent, mostly empty, clinically-white room.

Vomit rose up my throat, my fear ratcheting higher with every step the guard took. Those boots were getting louder, the steps still steady—calm and unbothered. Snot ran down over my lips as I quietly sobbed . I knew I couldn't get out of these restraints, but it didn't stop me from trying every time I was conscious.

If I didn't keep fighting, what would happen to me? To my will to live? I had to get out of here one day. Someone was going to come for me, right? They had to.

My mom and stepdad were too influential for someone to not come find me. I had to keep hold of that hope. If I lost it… I may as well just die.

The door slowly opened, the well-oiled hinges not making a single sound. The guard gave me a predatory smile. "Hello, Clarke."

I opened my mouth…

And screamed.

I jerked awake, my heart slamming against my breastbone, my skin clammy with sweat. I sniffled and swiped at my cheeks, staring up at the dark ceiling. I squeezed my eyes shut, choking on another sob. This room bore too many shadows that too easily took on the form of the monsters from my flashbacks, even with Beck's arm thrown over my waist.

Shakily, I eased my body out from beneath Beck's heavy arm. He didn't so much as grunt when I got up, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew he would want to know when I had a nightmare… or, well, flashback, but he needed rest. Especially after his time with Tank.

They'd done their best to hide all evidence, but the scent of sex had become so ingrained into me now that I could pick up even the slightest hint of it. I'd known the moment I'd walked into the room that they'd fucked.

It didn't bother me. Didn't even trigger me. But it had made me slightly jealous that I hadn't gotten to experience it, too.

Tank's door was slightly ajar when I emerged into the hall, and before I could even realize what I was doing, I was already slightly pushing it open, peeking in. His eyes snapped open, and a small squeak of surprise slipped past my lips since I hadn't expected him to be awake. He grunted as he raked his eyes over the part of me that wasn't hidden behind the door.

"What's wrong, little one?" he murmured, his voice husky and thick with sleep. My core tightened, my belly warming. He always sounded sinfully sexy, but when he was like this, his voice all deep and gravelly, he made me want to let him do whatever he wanted to me.

"I, um… I had a nightmare," I whispered, my fingers tightening around the door.

He patted the mattress beside him. "Come to bed," he rasped. "I'll do my best to keep the nightmares away, baby."

Fuck, that name . My insides went all gooey. I mean, they did when Beck called me that, but he'd always called me that. When Tank did it, it felt different. Like he was warming my insides and caressing my heart with those rough, calloused fingertips.

Releasing my tight grip on the door, I stepped further into the room. He pulled back the covers, and I slid into bed beside him, giving him my back. He made a small noise in the back of his throat before he rolled onto his side and his thickly muscled arm banded around me. He tugged me back against him so my body was flush against his, his body curved around me.

In his arms, I felt as safe as I did in Beck's. How was that possible?

My skin warmed all over when he pressed his lips to the back of my head. "Go back to sleep, little one."

I decidedly liked that name better than baby. Baby was reserved for Beck. And I liked Tank having that special name for me.

His cock was swelling against my ass, and warmth flooded my core, dampening my panties. My skin flushed, and I attempted to get a little more comfortable… only I ended up brushing my ass right over his hard cock. He grunted, his fingers pressing into my belly as he tightened his arm around me.

"Stop being a tease, little one," he rasped, pure sex leaking into his voice.

I licked my lips, my heart in my throat. Was I really about to attempt this? Fuck yes, I was. For months now, I'd been raped, my body taken against my will. But I wanted Tank. And he wasn't making any secrets about wanting me, too. Not right now.

Would he give me what I wanted? Would he trust me enough to know what I could and couldn't handle?

I curled my fingers into the blanket, imagining my nerves in my grasp. As if I could control them. Drawing in a deep breath, I tentatively asked, "Ash…" I almost called him Tank, "would you have sex with me if I asked?"

He softly growled, the sound still deep despite how quiet it was. "Little one, I'd do just about anything you asked me to. If you want to have sex, I'd agree. But I'd put some stipulations in place first. And we would need to talk about your limits."

I licked my lips, my panties drenched now. I rubbed my thighs together, which only made my ass rub against him again, and he groaned before nuzzling the back of my neck. A shiver raced down my spine. "My limits?" I croaked.

He nodded, his beard scraping against my skin, creating a delicious burn I was eager to feel more of, except this time, I wanted it on other parts of me. More sensitive parts. "Yeah, little one. Your limits. You've been through some shit."

I frowned then. "I don't know what those limits are," I softly confessed.

He gently rolled me to my back before looming over me, his dark hair flopping over his forehead. Reaching up, I tenderly ran my fingers through the strands, loving how soft they were. How they felt sifting through my fingers. "Then we could learn as we go," he assured me. His eyes locked on mine—steady and sure. "Are you sure you want to have sex, Clarke?"

I nodded. "I do." My fingers trembled when I pressed them to his cheek. He leaned into my touch, and my heart throbbed in my chest. "I want you, Ash." Tears glistened in my eyes. "I know you'll take care of me."

Turning his head, he pressed a kiss to my palm. Then, he looked back down at me, his dark eyes even darker. "Always, little one," he roughly promised, his voice thick with some kind of emotion I couldn't exactly pinpoint. "If something becomes too much or frightens you, or if you even need to stop, I want you to say ‘red', understand?"

"Red." I tasted the word on my tongue before nodding at him. "Okay."

He blew out a soft breath before lowering his head to mine, his lips just brushing mine. "You and Beck… God , little one," he rasped. My heart squeezed in my chest, warmth flooding my soul.

And then, he was kissing me.

My entire world flipped on its axis.

Softly moaning, I clasped the back of his neck, tugging his body down more toward mine. He released a soft groan before situating his body so his hips were cradled between my thighs. My lips parted beneath his, our tongues dancing together in a slow, erotic rhythm as I parted my thighs a little more, my heels pressing into the mattress. When my hips rolled up, my hot core pressing against his cock, he released the softest, sexiest moan I'd ever heard before rolling his hips, giving me the friction I'd secretly been telling him I was seeking.

I whined, and he pressed his lips to my jaw. "That's it, little one," he coaxed when I began moving my body in time with his, my ankles linking behind his back. He gently pushed my head to the side to gain access to my neck, his teeth and tongue working my skin as well as his hard length was working me up higher and higher. "You're so fucking beautiful like this."

"Ash," I panted. He moaned at the use of his real name. I didn't want foreplay. I didn't need him to get me wetter. What I needed was him inside of me, his cock filling me. I needed him to show me what it was like when a man properly took care of my body.

"You need me already?" he asked, leaning up a little to look down at me. When I nodded, he softly kissed me again, his hand gripping the hem of my shirt. "Then, I want you naked."

I nodded, lifting my arms so he could pull my shirt over my head. He blew out a soft breath at the sight of my breasts, my nipples hardened into little points. Moving down my body, he laved his tongue over the left one, and I gasped, my fingers sinking into his hair. I barely even noticed he was shoving my sleep shorts and panties down my thighs.

But I did notice when he slipped two thick, calloused fingers over my slit before rubbing my clit in slow circles. I choked on my next breath, my back arching off the mattress. Fuck , that felt so good. Too damn good. Why were Tank's fingers so fucking magical?

It took him mere seconds to tip my body over the edge. He covered my mouth with his, swallowing the sounds I made as my mind blitzed out from how fucking good my orgasm felt. Then, his cock was pressing against my hole, and I gasped, my core clenching from the sensitivity.

"We still good?" Tank asked.

I nodded. "Yes," I panted, knowing he needed to hear it.

He pushed further inside of me, and my body easily welcomed him, even as my core burned from the stretch. He was easily the thickest cock I'd taken, and it felt so fucking good . My neck arched, and my nails dug into his shoulders as he eased inside of me inch by inch until his balls were flush against my ass cheeks.

"Ash," I gasped, sweat breaking out over my skin. I clawed at his back. "Need. Please?—"

He pulled out and pushed back in, his eyes steady on my face as he began to slowly fuck me. I couldn't think. Could barely function. All I could focus on was how fucking good he felt inside of me. How good it felt for a man— this man —to take care of me and give me what I needed. He was so focused on me, tracking every twitch of my face, drinking in every sound. Every plea.

"Fuck, little one," he grunted when my walls began to tighten around him. "You going to come for me?"

I nodded, my lips parting. And before I could stop myself or he could cover my mouth, I cried out, my orgasm washing through me with the force of a tsunami. Tank growled and thrust inside of me three more times before softly moaning my name, his damp forehead dropping to my shoulder, his arms shaking on either side of me in his effort to keep himself upright.

The door opened fully as Tank rolled us to the side, his arms banded around me. His chest rapidly rose and fell, pressing into mine with every labored breath. Beck stared at us, his hand on the door handle. I froze, tensing up, terrified I'd just fucked up whatever beautiful thing the three of us had been building. Tank stroked a hand down my back and tucked my head beneath his chin.

"Hey, baby," Tank rasped, sounding like he'd been chewing and swallowing gravel. "Come let me take care of you."

Fuuuuck . That should not have sounded that fucking hot.