Page 22 of Consumed By Fire

“No, I did not want you to keep going!” she whisper-yells. “I didn’t want any of it.”

“You wanted me to keep going. Fuck! I didn’t know you were going to…go there…I swear. It happened so damned quickly.”

Her whole face turns even redder, and she looks away, her jaw tight. I regret the statement.

“I shouldn’t have said that, Trinity. It doesn’t matter. I really didn’t know you were…there, and then you held onto me, so I let you finish. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have. It was wrong! A mistake.”

I feel like the biggest prick alive.

“I…” She makes a noise of irritation. “It’s just that I’m more sensitive now that I’m pregnant. Everything is just… I… It’s also been a while since I last had sex,” she blurts. “The combination of a dry spell and being pregnant made me…it… I—” She groans, sounding frustrated. “That wouldn’t have happened otherwise. I shouldn’t be angry with you. You were trying to help me. I’m embarrassed, that’s all. I hate that we had to do that. I hate myself.”

“Don’t be embarrassed.” I shake my head. “It was a normal reaction… It had to look real and…” I frown. “Why has it been a long time? I thought you said you were mated.”

“I am! Of course I am,” she splutters.

“Why has it been a long time, then?” It is none of my business, and I’m half-hoping she tells me so, but she doesn’t.

Instead, she shakes her head. “I…it’s… He isn’t attracted to me right now. That’s all. I mean…” She touches her curved belly and then cups her ripe-as-fuck tits. “My body is changing.”

“What?” I growl. “Are you fucking serious? That can’t be true. I refuse to believe it.”

“It’s because I’m pregnant. He’s afraid of hurting the baby.” I can see that she’s lying.

The prick won’t touch her because he put a baby in her belly. His baby. It makes no sense to me.

“What the fuck bullshit has this prick fed you?” I push out. “I really hope he tries to rescue you. I will beat him fucking senseless and then torture the fuck out of him for answers. You know he doesn’t deserve you, right? You don’t have to answer that because he doesn’t. You are beautiful and so fucking sexy. I very nearly came all over you not so long ago.” I turn and walk away, running a hand through my hair. “Everything I just said is completely out of line, but I needed to say it, anyway. I’m sorry… No!” I pace back to her. “I’m not sorry. I’m glad I gave you an orgasm. You needed it. You would never have come for me if he was doing his goddamned job.”

“Let’s please forget it ever happened…please.” She folds her arms across her chest.

No fucking way I can forget.

I nod, anyway. “We need to go.”

8

Trinity

The jungle starts to turn dense. Octane relaxes more and more with every step we take. He leads the way, breaking down branches and moving vines so that I can pass more easily.

As we trudge on, the oppressive heat and humidity weigh down on me. My hair sticks to my face and neck. The heat isn’t the only thing that weighs me down. It’s been hours since our run-in with the Draiger guard, and I’m still mortified.

I orgasmed.

Even worse, it was one of the best orgasms I’ve ever had, and Octane wasn’t even inside of me. What’s worse still is that he’s right; I didn’t want him to stop. I held onto him. I wouldn’t let him move away. I made him keep going until I finished.

Then I blamed him! I was so upset with myself that I took it out on him.

I can argue that I wasn’t thinking straight because I wasn’t. I was at first chasing an orgasm and then riding the waves of one…and what a ride it was. My mind wasn’t firing on all cylinders at the time.

Holy smokes!

I’m terrible.

Even now, my skin prickles at the memory and my core tightens, wanting more. Wanting all of it. I am sexually attracted to my captor. What is wrong with me? Everything, that’s what. Everything is wrong with me because it’s so screwed up.

And then I nearly let slip that I don’t have a mate. I just blurted out that I hadn’t had sex in a long time, which is true…because I don’t have a mate. The last time I had sex was the night this baby was made.

I don’t want Octane to know my mateless status. He can’t find out. It started out as a ploy to try to get him to let me go. My reasons have changed since then because it’s clear it isn’t going to happen. He’s not going to just let me go and welcome a male Red to question. Now, I don’t want to tell him about not having a mate because I fear that we might end up actually having sex. That can’t happen.