Hearts on Fire 6: Healing Sophia(11)

“Okay, I guess so, if Cerdic and Lew say it’s okay.”

Cerdic felt his chest tighten. Was she beginning to trust them and their judgment, their indication and promise that she was safe here in Treasure Town? He wasn’t certain, but he sure knew he liked her looking to him and Lew for reassurance and for their permission. He wondered if she were a natural submissive, or if her ex was so controlling and demanding, abusive, that she’d had no choice. As much as a submissive woman tuned him on, he would rather have Sophia handing over control to him because she trusted him, felt the connection, and wanted to, not because she felt she had to. Seemed to Cerdic that they sure did have a lot to figure out, but at least Lew seemed to admit he was attracted to Sophia, too. So maybe their rule of not getting involved would be broken.



* * * *



“Is there someplace else you wanted to go before we head back to the house?” Lew asked Sophia as she carried her bags of groceries and placed them into the back of the truck. Cerdic carried theirs and placed them inside.

“I think I’m good for today. I’ll probably take one of the bikes out Thursday and come here to go to the clothing store. I really don’t have a lot of things, and I’ll need something for Friday and then, of course, if I get any job interviews, I’ll need clothes, too.”

“Andreas and Gideon can always bring you. They’re off Thursday and Friday.”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be. I wouldn’t want to hold them up.” She stepped back when Lew touched her hand. She froze in place, and he stared down into her dark blue eyes.

“It’s not a problem. We like spending time with you. Don’t you like spending time with us?” he asked, and then he couldn’t resist. He reached up and pressed a stray hair behind her ear, her skin smooth against his palm.

She went to say something and then closed her mouth. He held her chin and tilted it up toward him as Cerdic came to stand right next to her. Her eyes darted from Lew’s to Cerdic’s and back again.

“Well, don’t you like spending time with all of us?” Cerdic pushed.

“Yes,” she whispered softly.

Lew gave a soft grin. “Good, then it’s settled. Andreas and Gideon will drive you into town Thursday. How about we get this stuff home and you come over for dinner tonight?”

But before she could answer, his cell phone rang. He gave her a wink, and they all got into the truck as Lew spoke to one of the tenants about a broken garbage disposal.

“Looks like I’ll be cooking the steaks on the grill tonight,” Cerdic teased, and they all headed back to the house.



* * * *



Sophia didn’t think she could handle this dinner with the four intimidating men. She thought it wasn’t a smart idea for so many reasons as she looked in the mirror and pressed her hand down the beige skirt before she readjusted her breasts in the pale blue sleeveless blouse she wore. She wondered if she should undo another button. That was what Mateo would have wanted her to do, but it wasn’t her taste. She hated flaunting her breasts. She left two undone and only because she would be busting out of the top if she didn’t and wouldn’t be comfortable. She took a deep breath.

This isn’t a date, so why am I so nervous?

But the way Lew looked down into her eyes and asked her about dinner and feeling comfortable with them and liking to spend time with them swirled around in her head. She was attracted to all four men. Their friends were all involved with ménage relationships, and the men were definitely attracted to her, but how could she follow her heart or let down her guard when danger was imminent?

Mateo would kill them if she got romantically involved with these four men. It wasn’t fair to them to place them in such danger. She felt the ache to her back. Although the branding looked more like a strange tattoo now, and was no longer raised and painful looking, she still knew what it stood for. She was Mateo’s possession, an object he owned and controlled, even now that he was gone on the run. But she knew him so well. He would return. Even if it took months or years he would do it.

The tear escaped from her eye, and she quickly wiped it away. How would Cerdic, Andreas, Gideon, and Lew react when they saw the branding? It was one thing to have sexual relationships with men and have lovers, boyfriends. But it was different, sick and despicable and degrading to be branded by one so no other man would touch her, want her, or respect her. That was what hurt the most. Perhaps her future entailed sexual partners to ease a need for a connection and some form of compassion and affection, but ultimately she would be alone, considered used, damaged goods that no one would want but for sex.

The tears flowed, and she felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t go over there and pretend she was a normal woman with a normal body, a normal heart, and normal past. She was anything but normal. A battered, scarred victim, a woman destined to be alone and never truly loved.

She walked over to the bed and opened the container of prescription Valium the doctor had prescribed to help calm her nerves and help her to relax. The tears continued to flow, and she took a pill then drank the water. She climbed up onto the bed and cried her heart out. Thoughts of no future and always living in fear had her sniffling and moaning until exhaustion overtook her.



* * * *



“She isn’t answering. I’m going over,” Andreas said, and he put the cell phone back into the clip on his waist.

“We all are. Something might be wrong,” Lew added, and the four of them headed next door.

They made their way through the house as if they were in a raid, guns drawn, securing each room from bottom to top floor. Andreas’s heart was pounding for he feared she was hurt and somehow someone had gotten into the house and taken her. He thought about the conversation he and Gideon had with Lew and Cerdic about their admittance to being attracted to Sophia as well and wanting to pursue the feelings but knowing she was fearful and a victim of violence by a man who she thought had loved her. But then, as they got to her bedroom and his eyes landed on her back, the branding they feared she’d sustained in plain sight, his stomach pulled into knots. They placed their guns into their holsters, and Lew picked up the prescription bottle.

“She took Valium.”

Gideon sat down on the bed and caressed her hair from her cheek.

“Looks like she’s been crying.” Andreas couldn’t help the upset he felt and then the anger as he stared at her beautiful skin and then the letter M so bold and bright against her lower back.

“I hope she didn’t take more than one,” Cerdic said, and then it became a panic to wake her. How unstable was she? Could she try to take her life? What had possessed her to lie here and take the pills?

“Sophia? Sophia baby, wake up now. It’s Gideon,” he said to her as he caressed her cheek.

They all sighed in relief as she exhaled and then slowly opened her eyes.

“Gideon?” she whispered and then rolled to her back and stretched. The move accentuated her large breasts. Her skirt lifted, and more sexy thigh showed. Then she gasped.

“Oh God.” She went to sit up, and then she grabbed onto Gideon.

“Easy, baby. Take your time. I think you took some Valium.”

“How many did you take?” Lew demanded to know.

Her eyes widened. “One,” she whispered, and then she seemed to catch sight of their guns and the fact that they were all in her bedroom. She reached up to make sure her blouse wasn’t undone, but her breasts were so big, so beautiful, that they flowed from the top.

She was gorgeous, Andreas thought as he sat down on the bed.

“What’s wrong? Why the guns? Is he coming? Did he find me?” she asked, looking panicked as she gripped the comforter, her eyes wide with fear.

“Shhh, no, baby, we just got worried that you didn’t come over. We were waiting for you,” Andreas said and then reached up and caressed her cheek.

She lowered her eyes.

“What happened? Why did you take the pill when we were expecting you to come over?” Lew barked at her, putting Andreas on guard. Even Andreas and Cerdic were shocked as they looked at Lew with strange expressions and then to Sophia.

“I’m sorry, Lew.”

“Why?” he pushed. “Were you considering doing something to hurt yourself?”

She shook her head.

“Were you in pain?” Andreas asked as he caressed along her back.

She pulled away.

“You saw it?” she asked, voice quivering.

Andreas swallowed hard and nodded.

She covered her face. “That’s why.” She started to cry.

“Sweetie, what is it? What do you mean?” he asked as he caressed her hair and then her shoulders.

Gideon was up on the bed, kneeling and caressing her back.

“You didn’t want us to see it, did you? And you were afraid that we would tonight because of the attraction we feel,” Lew said to her.

She uncovered her face and held his gaze.

“The fact that he did that to you just makes us want him dead even more. He had no right to force that mark on you and try to claim you like some object.”

“But he did, and I am. I’ll always belong to Mateo,” she said.

He shook his head as Andreas said, “No, baby, no way.” Andreas caressed her cheek and tilted her chin up toward him.