Page 47 of Tame Me

“No. Just hold her,” Thane says. “Just give her a second. She’s okay.”

“You’re safe. I’ve got you, Ayla,” Jerry murmurs, kissing the top of my head. When I am calmer, he lets me pull back. “Don’t even say it. Thank you for trusting me.”

“Say what?” I ask.

“You were about to apologize. You had that same look that your momma does when she thinks she’s done something wrong,” he says.

“Y’all ready to go?” I ask with a smile, and the others chuckle.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, apparently, even when it’s stolen out of the orchard.

A Week Later

The last week has been unreal. When we got to Thane’s house, Mom and I spent all night talking about my time at the hospital and Meridian. Everyone quietly listened and was always smiling when we’d look over at them.

The next day, when discussing how we could go about making sure we see each other often, Thane pulled me aside and asked how I would feel about them taking over his pool house. I loved the idea, so Thane pitched it, and Mom cried. Needless to say, they are in the process of moving. Since Mom is between clients, she is going to get established here as a victim advocate and work for the court system.

I sleep in bed with Thane, Reid, and Giovanni. Although Giovanni has just been watching them right now, he looks absolutely feral when they do anything to me, to each other, or in general. I’m learning that he fucking melts for them, but is the most dominant of the three with me. It might just be that I am the most submissive with him. I am not looking to get punished by him, so I’ll be good.

Thane, Reid, and Giovanni are at Meridian getting their day program set up. Mom and Jerry are downtown getting Mom set up as a victim advocate, so I am on my own for lunch. I am craving a sub, so I’m going to drive down to the place we ate from a few days ago and grab a sandwich.

I grab my keys and go out to my car. I think I want to get a new one because this one has been through some shit while I was in college. That is a problem for a different day, though.

I have the music blasting as I drive, ignoring the uneasy feelings about the car behind me following too closely. When I pull into the parking lot and the car pulls in with me, I have a terrible feeling. Before getting out, I call Thane, but he doesn’t answer. I call Reid and Giovanni, and the same thing. They must be in their meeting already, so I decide to just make it quick so I can get back to the house.

In the shop, I am okay. I feel like someone is watching me, but I feel better inside than outside at this point. It’s not until I get outside that my instincts scream at me to hurry up. I am nearly sprinting to my car, but I’m not paying attention. I pass an SUV as the back door opens, but I don’t get a chance to scream when a hand covers my mouth, and I am dragged into the back seat. I start to fight, but instantly freeze when a gun is placed against my temple.

“Hello, Ayla,” a man says, still covering my mouth. “Are you going to be good and talk to me, or should I shoot you now?”

I mutter into his hand that I’ll be good. He must automatically know I will be, because he releases me. I turn and back against the door, not with the gun in my face. “Do you know who I am, Ayla?” he asks. He is a handsome man who is tall, but his eyes are cold, and he is devoid of a soul.

“N-No,” I stammer.

“My name is Josh Larson. Joe Larson was my little brother,” he says. I open my mouth to lie, but stop. He’s not stupid. “Thane took someone special from me, so I plan to do the same to him…”

“Please, don’t kill me,” I say quietly.

“Oh no. You are worth far more to me alive,” he says with a smirk. “So, here’s how this is going to go… One day, I will come for you. You can have your fun with Thane for now, but when I do come for you… You’re mine. I’ll make you my wife and put my baby in your belly. Thane will have to live with that for the rest of his life. Fight me, and I’ll make this process far more painful. Understand?"

“Y-Yes,” I whisper. I am so fucking scared right now; I don’t know what to do.

“Good girl. What happens if you fight me, Ayla?”

“I get hurt,” I say, with emotion cracking in my voice.

“Yes,” he says as he unbuckles his belt with his free hand. “Let’s test you, hmm?”

I am still frozen when he sets the gun down and grabs me by the hair. I don’t fight him as he holds the sides of my face and pushes my face down, forcing his dick down my throat. I don’t know why I'm not fighting, because my brain is. It’s screaming at me to fight him and get away, but I don’t move in any way that he doesn’t make me. He forces me to bob my head, fucking my throat as he groans. I gag when he pushes deep, but I still don’t fight. Why don’t I ever fight back?

When he comes, he pulls back and keeps a hold of my hair as he strokes himself to make his come splash across my face and hair. With a swift motion, he opens the door and brings his foot up to kick me backward out of the SUV. I hit the ground with a thud, and it knocks the wind from my lungs, leaving me gasping for air as the vehicle drives away.

Too stunned to do much, I abandon my sandwich on the ground and grab my bag to run to my car. I hardly remember the drive home because when I pull into the driveway, I am utterly confused about how I got here.

I am so fucking panicked right now, and I don’t trust myself. I rush inside and go upstairs to the master bedroom. I already know what I want to do, and it scares me. I make sure that I bring my phone, but I also grab a straight razor I had hidden in my car.

I am sobbing by the time I climb into the massive claw-foot tub, and I don’t want to do this, but I need my mind to shut up. I am gripping the razor as I fumble to call Reid.

“Hey, sweetheart. Sorry we missed…” he answers.