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She was wrong about me wanting to ruin her life. Giving her as much pain as I was didn’t bring me an ounce of happiness. The flood of joy I’d felt seeing her writhe against my fingers and my dick had been the highest points I’d experienced in years. With each day I spent with her feisty, bratty, troublesome self, it got harder and harder to justify doing my job.
My job was the one good thing I had going for me, though. It wasn’t worth throwing it away to let her disappear back into the ether.
We walked on into the bright day; the road stretching endlessly before us.
Neither of us said a word.
For hours.
TWENTY-THREE
ESTHER
My feet burned in my shoes, every step like walking through hot coals at a slow, blistering pace. Aches gripped at my arms from their painful position attached to my hips, and every part of me was bone weary.
The hours of silence had washed away my anger, leaving me an empty shell. I needed to sleep, shower, and eat, and it was driving me out of my mind.
Every step was torture, and Alec had slowed beside me, keeping to my pace. The sun was dipping, and I wanted to crash down along with it.
For the first time, I regretted my rash decision to cut us off from the world. To cut us off from money, transport, and communication.
I stumbled as I took another step, my foot catching on a tuft of roadside grass. My arms were useless in catching myself as I fell, and when I hit the cooling grass, I welcomed it like the finest feather pillow. If I closed my eyes, I could just have a little nap...
‘Esther,’ Alec said, worry lacing his words as he knelt and turned me over.
‘I just need to sleep. To leave for a bit.’
‘Not yet, Princess. Come on.’
He slipped his arms beneath me and lifted me, groaning as he stood. He had to be just as exhausted as I, and I didn’t know how he found the strength to pick me up.
His eyes grazed over me as he frowned, concern furrowing his brow.
As he walked us away from the road, I heard the gentle babbling of a brook. Leaves cascaded overhead as trees welcomed us into their midst. My head lolled against his chest as I let relief sweep over me, glad to be off of my painful feet.
A few minutes later and he was setting me down at the edge of the river, removing my shoes and socks with sure hands and inspecting my feet. I watched him quietly as he placed each foot into the cold water, making me moan as the chill swept over my burning feet.
‘Oh god, that feels good.’
‘You should have told me how bad they were.’
‘I didn’t think you’d care.’
The blue of his eyes was steely as he looked up at me. ‘I care.’
He rooted through his bag and pulled out a cloth, wetting it in the river and then coming over to me and wiping down my face and neck, removing the dust that had clung to my sweaty skin. It was glorious. Each swipe of the rough material made me feel a little more human. His tenderness caught me off guard, the nearness of him making my insides turn to jelly as he fussed over me. I sighed with relief as he cut my hands free from the restraints at my waist, stretching them out overhead as tingles shot from my shoulder to my hands.
He washed out the cloth and washed himself down too. Then took off his shoes and joined me, dipping his feet into the water before rooting through his pack and bringing out two apples and some sort of power bars I couldn’t read. I didn’t care. I was hungry enough that I’d have eaten just about anything.
The crumbly chocolate bar filled my mouth as I ate without reservation.
‘Slow down,’ Alec said, leaning over to wipe a smear of chocolate from the side of my mouth. ‘It’s all we’ve got left. Take your time.’
I nodded and slowed down, watching the sky go through its colourful dance as the sun set.
‘After we eat, we can sleep until morning. It’ll be cold, but I’ll see if we can find enough branches for a fire.’
‘Are you going to tie my hands again?’ I looked down at the red marks that wrapped around my wrists. The skin chafed where the plastic ties rubbed.
