Page 15 of Ly to Me (Devils of Alliston Springs #1)

Lyra

The Escape

R unning on foot through what was possibly over a hundred acres of private property seemed futile. But just because something seemed impossible didn’t mean I couldn’t at least try. Mama used to tell me that at the end of the day, sometimes runnin’ was all you could do.

Or maybe she taught me that by actually doing it and never coming back.

Seeing as Carver had taken my keys right in front of me, he either planned on me not running, or the opposite was true and he planned on the chase—by foot. And if the racks and horns on the walls were any indication—Carver still enjoyed the hunt.

But fuck it.

The moment he left, I dressed up his pillow, then threw on the first shirt I saw in his closet with a pair of boots I’d found beneath it and wrote a note. Then, I hightailed it through the window. Right as I ran past the barn, I heard a loud bang, followed by the rev of an engine.

Thunder rumbled in the sky as I kept running toward the woods, knowing his truck wouldn’t fit between the tall pines. I ran and ran until I could no longer hear his truck, and then stopped abruptly as a stream broke my path.

“Of fucking course.” I squinted and peered up through the trees right as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Heavy oak trees mixed with tall Florida pines, creating shade with drooping moss further down the stream. “Well, Mama, if I die today, you get your wish.”

I dipped my toe in, testing the waters before I glanced back.

The woods had turned more quiet than it’d been when I entered.

A rush of cool water coated my calves, then my thighs, then ate my body nearly whole as the bottom of the stream dropped in the middle.

Wading through on the tips of my toes, I let the stream guide me down slowly, edging me toward the heavier brush.

Something shifted above me, and pain seared my scalp as my head was yanked back. Fear clogged my throat.

No .

No, no, no.

A callused finger pointed up as my head crashed into his firm chest. Car’s breath was hot and heavy on the shell of my ear as he whispered, “See those?” I pinched my eyes closed, and his fingers wrapped around my throat.

“Open your eyes and see why you’ll never escape me again.

” My eyes fluttered open as I focused on one, no, two—

Fuck.

Lightning cracked in the darkening sky. “Those cameras pick up motion. You run, and I’ll know about it.

” Rough teeth grazed my ear and I let out an involuntary moan.

“You leave when I say you can. Not before, not on some false hope of fleeing the contract you willingly signed. You can leave when I’m done with you. ”

“I want to read it,” I forced out through the hold he still had on my throat.

“Is that so?” His other arm snaked around my waist as he started walking us out of the water.

“Yes.”

“You sure you want to know how fucked you’re going to be?

” The water slipped lower, but my toes never hit the ground as he glued my back to his front.

More air met my cooled skin, and I tried to wriggle free, which granted me a chuckle from him.

“You keep doin’ that and you’re going to find out real quick what you agreed to. ”

“What—” He jerked my body, the tops of my feet still touching the water as my stomach slammed into the mud. “Get off me, asshole!”

“You mispronounced ‘husband.’” His voice was gritty as he shifted, then that air I thought had felt like freedom minutes before turned to poison. “So, let me remind you who I am.” His legs moved between my thighs right before his fingers plunged inside me.

I bucked my hips back against his hold, which only made him pull back and thrust in deeper.

Again and again with jerky movements, he fucked me with his fingers like he did with his tongue in the bathroom, only this time, he didn’t have to remove or shift any clothing.

Why the fuck hadn’t I thrown on one of the lingerie pieces?

“Look at you, actin’ like you missed me.” I tried to swing my arms back, but he gathered both my wrists with one hand and secured them behind my back, making my chest lift from the ground.

“I’ve hated you every day of my life for ten years.”

“Nice to know I was on your mind,” he drawled.

“Only while fucking the guys who left me the most disappointed.”

His nails dug into my wrists as he slowed his torment. Another roll of thunder boomed above us, matching Car’s tone. “Which was every man after me.”

“Not even close—” I bit down on my tongue to stifle a moan as he removed his fingers and pinched my clit, then went right back to my entrance.

He tsked. “Your mouth says one thing, but I know you, Lyra.” Thrust .

“This pussy is mine.” Thrust. “This ass”—he pulled his fingers free and smacked my ass, then shoved his fingers right back in with brute force—“is mine.” I whimpered, and let my forehead fall to the mud.

“Any part of you that you gave to anyone else is mine, too. Every inch of you has always been mine, whether you want to admit it or not.”

“Fuck. You.” Even as I said it, I ground against his hand. Fire licked across my skin as he bent down and bit my shoulder.

“I will. But not yet.”

My eyes rolled back as he picked up the pace. “What makes you think I’ll let you?”

“ Let has nothin’ to do with us, sweetheart. Never has, never will.” He leaned in closer, whispering, “You haven’t even begged me to stop.”

“Car—” An orgasm began to ripple through my anger, feeding it more.

Abruptly, he pulled his fingers free and gripped the back of my neck, slamming my cheek to the mud. “I told you not to call me that.”

“Or, what? You’ll fuck me over and over until I want you again?”

“Ly—”

“No. Fuck you, Carver.” Mud splattered in front of my lips as I spit the words.

“You want who I used to be, well guess what? You buried her , too.” My hips swayed, making my inner thighs rub against his soaked jeans.

“You want my body? Fine. Take it. My body is easy to give. In fact, it means nothin’ to me at all.

” I tucked my chin to my shoulder and watched his features twist with fury.

“So, go ahead, then. Fuck me. Use me. But you won’t ever actually have me again. ”

His fingers flexed around my neck, where a strong pulse thrummed like a hammer on a nail as he glared at one of the trees in the distance.

“Go get washed up and put that set on. You have one hour.” Rain finally crashed down as he stood and dropped a ring of keys in the mud, right by my cheek.

My brows furrowed as my shaky hand reached for it.

“My truck is about half a kilometer that way.” He pointed, and without another word, he gave me his back and left through the woods.

TEN YEARS AGO

“You trust me?”

I rolled my eyes over to Car and squeezed his hand. “You’re the only one who’s ever seen my house.”

He flicked his nose with his thumb and slid his gaze to me. “So, that’s a yes?”

“Why are you askin’?”

He stopped walking and pulled me to him.

“’Cause I wanna take you somewhere.” He tucked his chin, kissing the top of my forehead.

It was either the heat or his touch, but ever since he kissed me the first time hours ago, I’d felt like I had butterflies in my stomach that wouldn’t settle.

“So, you trust me?” The corner of his lips lifted, and those fluttering wings burst into a frenzy all over again.

My nails eased on my backpack strap as I sighed. “Yeah. Course I do.” I wrinkled my nose as I looked around. “Where are we, anyway?”

He chuckled and started pulling me by my hand. “C’mon. They’re gonna love you.”

“What? Who?”

He didn’t answer, just kept dragging me past several houses in a neighborhood I’d never been to before. Those darn butterflies had kept me so preoccupied—or really, he had—that I had no clue where the heck I was walking.

“Car, where—” He pulled me to him and slipped my straps from my shoulders, then slung it over one of his.

“I like when you call me that.” Car’s fingers trailed over my jawline before reaching for my hair, tucking the strands behind my ear. Heat flooded my cheeks.

“You’re actin’ funny again. Who’re you talkin’ about? Where are we—”

“My parents.”

“Huh?” I tilted on my toes to peer past him. A perfectly maintained white-picket fence wrapped around what could only be described as one of those HGTV farmhouses worth a million or two. Two-stories high, all white siding, with a yellow door and a wrap-around porch complete with two bench swings.

He chucked his thumb in the direction I was already looking. “Welcome to my house.”

“This…” I couldn’t find the words and felt those butterflies fall right to the lowest parts of my stomach.

“What’s wrong?” His dark brows furrowed. “Oh, shit. Am I scarin’ you?”

“Um…no, it’s not that.”

His fingers wrapped around the strap of my bag. “You’re lying again, aren’t you?”

I swallowed. “Maybe?”

A look crossed his face before he snapped out of it. “How ’bout I sneak you in?”

My eyes cut to him. “What?”

His lips found mine immediately, and those wings rose right up to my throat. “I wanna keep kissin’ you. So, we either go to your house, or you let me sneak you into mine.”

“Car.” He kissed me again and my shoulders slunk. “You’re okay with me not wanting to meet your parents?”

He shrugged, though his eyes screamed something else. “I can wait.” He touched the tip of my nose. “You’ll find I can be real patient for the things I want.”

“Like kissin’ me more?”

His eyes darkened. “You gotta pick one, Ly. Either meet my parents today, or let me sneak you up into my room.”

“How will I get back down?” I angled my body to look past him again. If his room was on the first floor, there were dozens of windows I could leap through, but the top floor—

“Same way I’m gettin’ you in. The front door.” He must’ve seen me mentally calculating that, because he added, “My parents hang out in the back a lot. As long as your feet stay quiet on the stairs, they won’t notice.”

“Okay.”

His tone shifted, clearly happy with my answer. “Yeah?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. But if they catch me—”

“They won’t. I’ve snuck out a doz—” He looked over his shoulder, then back at me. “Shit. Nevermind about that. I’m not like that anymore.”

“Like what?”

“Just, nevermind. Let’s get you inside.” He glanced up at the looming black clouds. “It’s about to storm.”

The clouds were heavy, and it was nearing summer. The storm could go all night, which meant I’d be stuck here.

He glanced over his shoulder again. “If you don’t want to stay the night, I get it. I can borrow my dad’s truck and drive you back home.”

“Won’t he ask why you need it?”

Car shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I’ll stay.” His shock at my quick response made something final settle in my bones.

“You sure?”

I nodded. “Yeah. No school tomorrow, anyway.” And Chet would be back tonight. A deep groove formed between his brows as I walked past him. “Comin’?”

He stood there for a beat, then grinned. “Comin’.”