Blackwater by Tara Brown Page B

soft kiss at first. Slowly his mouth starts to work on mine. He takes his time, expertly. His lips caress mine as his hands close around my back. He holds me so tightly against him that my breasts are popping out the top of my dress. He lips leave mine, leaving me breathless. They travel down my cheek to my neck.
    "We can't do this." I whisper.
    He whispers back, like a lover would in the dark and the moonlight, "You're so much prettier than I imagined you would be. Beautiful even." His hands move to the front of me and slide up my stomach until they reach my chest. He cups my breasts and kisses the tops of them.
    I'm panicking.
    I don’t know what to do.
    I feel my hands twitching with want to slap him or push him away. All that finishing school and I'm left unprepared for this.
    He slips a hand down the top of my dress, cupping my breast and rolling my nipple. I lose my self-control, "Stop!" I push him and stagger back. I don’t get away very fast because my heels get stuck in the grass.
    He catches me and grabs my arm, spinning me. His grip tightens slightly. He smiles coyly, "You want to wait until we are married?"
    I shake my head and close my eyes, "I don't want to marry you." I feel sick that I have said it out loud. I jerk my arms free and turn to walk back to the house, but again he grabs my arm and spins me around. His greedy hands are on me, pulling and groping. I push against his chest but he's hard as a rock.
    His eyes are hard and mean. "Well little girl, that isn't a decision you get to make. Your father and mine have made the deal. You are mine." His words are scary and firm. The way he mocks me and controls me already makes my stomach cramp with fear. I want his hands off of me. I feel dirty just being near him.
    The scary dominating look leaves his face. He smiles softly, "I just want a kiss, Lorelei. I want a small taste of just how sweet you really are." His voice is scaring me. I push against him again and lose my shoe to the grass. I stumble out of his arms and hobble up the gravel pulling at my dress.
    "Lorelei, come back." His voice is frighteningly demanding. I hurry when I hear his footsteps on the grass.
    Tears are flooding my eyes. I refuse to cry. "Asshole." I mutter. I won't cry for him. I won't cry because it's not the right place to cry. I was raised right. I was raised to hold it back, hold back the shame I want so badly to feel. As I round the corner, I feel hands on me again. I open my mouth to scream, but I see something I never imagined I would.
    "Mr. Whitlock." His name flies from my lips, but it's muffled from his warm fingers over my lips. I try to straighten my dress and control my breathing. I'm certain my hair is a mess from the struggle. At least if he's looking at the mess it is, he ain't looking at my nearly exposed chest.
    He pulls me into his arms, "It's okay, Lorelei. I've got you now."
    If a southern girl is a sucker for anything, it's a strong man holding her and keeping her safe. The second he holds me to him, I burst.
    "I'm gonna kill him." he mutters. He saw. He knows I was just assaulted on the lawn. He saw it all.
    Shame is filling me faster than I can push it down, like a proper girl does. I'm trembling and his warm lips against the top of my head are wreaking havoc on my heartstrings. I think he is pulling them all, but at least I feel safe.
    "You can't go back to the party like this, want to walk?" he whispers. His voice has an edge to it.
    I nod against him. He wraps his hand around mine and pulls me with him. I hobble along until he turns around to the far side of the house, the side I've just run from. I claw at his arm, "Not this way."
    He holds me tight and pulls me along, "We need to get your shoe."
    Bile rises in my throat. I shake my head and tremble, but he holds my hand tightly and kisses the top of it, "I'm here now. If he is out there, he doesn't want to come near you; it won't be good for him. You're safe. Men like him are chicken shits anyway. If he