of her bodywash was overpowered by the sweet, heady scent of her arousal. He was so hard that he hurt.
He kissed the underside of each breast. “I want you.” He kissed the swells, avoiding her nipples, hard and erect. Humming in frustration, she palmed his cheeks and tried to pull his mouth closer.
Her whisper was barely audible. “Suck me.”
Gently he grabbed her wrists, guiding them over her head and restraining them with one hand. “I only get this first time once,” he told her. “I don’t want to rush.”
She tipped her head back. “Tom,” she whined. “Don’t distract me with being all romantic.”
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No,” he agreed. “I’m not.” He licked one nipple and her mouth fell open.
“You’re a fucking tease,” she growled. “I didn’t expect—” She gasped when he closed his lips over the other nipple and sucked, her hips rocking up into him.
His brain and his cock were already ten steps ahead, planning what he’d do and how he’d do it, when a stark realization had him screeching to a halt. Lifting his head, he frowned. “I don’t have anything. Condoms. I didn’t bring any with me. I’m clean, but . . .”
She groaned. “So am I, and you know I trust you with my life, but I’m not on the pill.”
He lowered his head, resting his forehead between her breasts. “I almost bought some, but I didn’t want to assume what would happen when I got here.”
She tugged one of her hands loose of his grip and stroked his hair. “Do you have some at your house?”
He looked up, his damn pulse rocketing. “No, but there are roughly sixty-two drugstores between here and there.”
She brushed her fingertips over his cheek. “Let’s go home, then.”
God. Hearing her say “home,” and knowing what they’d do when they got there . . . He drew in a breath and shuddered it out. “I’m going to need a few minutes.”
She was back to stroking his hair, and it felt so good. “We have time.”
Clarity cut through the haze in his mind. Time. She was going to Sunnyside Oaks in roughly thirty-six hours. If DJ Belmont caught wind of who she was . . .
Time wouldn’t be something they had nearly enough of.
EDEN, CALIFORNIA
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 8:00 P.M.
“Hey.” Graham stuck his head around the curtain separating Hayley’s cubicle from the rest of Joshua’s holdings. Which had grown, because he was now “in charge” and “deserved upgraded facilities.”
It was insane. There was no upgrade to be had here. It was all horrible. And my baby’s going to born into this. My baby could die here. I could die here.
Who would take care of Graham? Who would keep him from being “apprenticed”? Not their mother, for sure. She was the reason they were here. She’s the reason my baby’s getting stolen if she lives. She’s—
Fingers pinched her chin. “Hey,” Graham repeated more firmly.
She looked up, surprised to see him kneeling in front of her.
“You were starting to panic,” he said. “I could see it on your face.”
She nodded, then slowly backed away from him, deliberately not breathing through her nose. He smelled like the toilets, but he was doing it for her, for them, to get them all out of here, so she wouldn’t say a single word about it.
He grinned, unoffended. “I believe the word is ‘pungent.’ I think Joshua is torn between making someone else dump the pots while making me take a bath, and letting me continue because no one else wants to do it. And we don’t have water for baths anyway. I brought you a snack,” he added, reaching for the bowl of broth that he’d set on the floor.
Hayley took it gratefully. It was the fifth bowl of broth she’d had that day. Joshua made sure that she got food “for the baby,” but it never seemed enough. Tamar had been slipping her extra too, but Hayley knew that she was taking the other woman’s own rations.
She studied her brother as she sipped the broth. “What have you done?” she whispered, feeling a little of his good mood lighten hers.
Solar panels, he mouthed.
Hayley swallowed her gasp of delight. They were alone because Joshua had moved his other wives into quarters he’d claimed after declaring himself the acting pastor. It was temporary, he’d assured everyone, saying, Magdalena will soon give birth and she needs privacy for that. I will relinquish this space when Pastor and Sister Coleen return.
It had been then that Hayley had realized Joshua’s expansion had been