The Promise (Wolfe Creek Duet #2)

17

SUTTON

I’m holding Thea against me, trying to steady myself after grabbing her. Damian told me to sit this out, but I insisted. Normally, I’d be sensible, however, I’ve had a bit to drink. I’m seeing that this wasn’t a good idea now.

I left my cane behind the scenes and my leg is screaming at me for it.

As soon as Wes told Thea to run, he pushed open a hidden door that the staff uses to navigate the haunted house without customers seeing. Wes handed each of us a mask—well, not Adrian. Damian instructed him to wait until Thea made it far enough along her path that she wouldn’t see him and to find the exit.

Wes showed each of us where the other hidden doors and peep holes were so that we could watch for Thea. I’m first, then Wes, and finally Damian. Normally, I might try to talk my brother out of something like this, it’s not my style, but the liquor’s taken over.

The feel of Thea pressed against me makes my skin heat. I can practically hear her heart racing from the shock of being grabbed. I bet she’s turned on, too.

“Move it,” I growl.

She hesitates at first, so I give her a push. That seems to work. Her steps start out slowly as she makes her way around the corner that spits us into a room. The white-tiled walls are blood splattered and covered with the words im not crazy.

As we move further into the room, movement in the corner catches my eye. An animatronic woman with long stringy hair in a hospital gown rocks back and forth, alternating between laughing and crying. It’s fucking creepy.

Thea struggles against me, finally mustering some courage. My arm around her tightens while the other slides over her ass. The thinness of the lace dress she’s wearing gives me perfect access to tease her.

“Get your hands off of me,” she snaps and yanks herself away, nearly making me fall in the process. This fucking leg is ruining everything. I need to give her some reassurance that she’s in good hands.

“Baby, don’t make me beg for it,” I purr smoothly. She’ll know it’s me. As soon as the words leave my mouth, she relaxes some.

Thea tries to turn in my grip, but I stop her. “What the hell are you guys up to?”

“Shhhh. Just enjoy it. Don’t think too much.” I can tell she wants to argue—she’s been feistier lately. This time, though, she listens. “Keep walking.”

As she moves slowly forward through the room, my hand that was keeping her in place slides lower. Her breath catches and her feet stumble. An ear-splitting scream echoes around us, making both of us jump.

We make it to the other side and into a dark hallway. Through it, I see the outline of a man standing in front of a gurney. A woman lies screaming with her arms spasming. The man’s hand raises, in it is a large butcher knife. He brings it down and then up again and down. He hacks into the woman over and over again. When he moves to the side, I see her stomach is a bloody mess with her intestines spilling out of her. She’s fake, but he’s not. This is one of the scare actors.

Thea steps forward. I pull her back. We’re far enough back in the dark hallway that I’m pretty sure the man can’t see us. And even if he can, they’re apparently discreet.

My hand runs over the fishnets she’s wearing. I trace the pattern until I reach the smooth velvet of her bodysuit. She moans as my fingers slide between her legs over her clothes. I love teasing her like this—I know she loves it too.

Memories of her grinding against me and getting off on the couch in my bookstore makes my cock throb. I press into her so she feels how much I want her.

I’m too impatient. Also, we only have an hour and I know my brothers want a piece of Thea, too.

My fingers find the edge of her bodysuit and slip underneath. She gasps as I massage her clit.

“Sutton,” she breathes out. “We can’t. Someone’s over there.” Her words contradict what her body’s telling me as she presses down into my touch.

The damn mask is too much. I rip it off with my free hand, then kiss over her neck and jaw. Her sweet vanilla scent makes me groan. I need to focus . “He can’t see, baby. Do you want this?”

Ultimately, the decision is hers, but I’m not going to make it easy. I slip a finger inside of her. Her hand flies up, cupping her mouth to stifle a moan. I slide in and out, then stop abruptly.

“Tell me if you want this, Thea.”

I don’t continue until she nods.

I keep an eye on the actor in the distance. He’s not showing any signs that he knows we’re here. My finger circles Thea’s clit, a steady rhythm that has her body tensing against me. Her head drops back to rest on my shoulder. She’s controlling the sounds that want to pour out of her mouth by biting her lip.

My head starts to buzz and my eyes fall closed as I lose myself in the pleasure I’m bringing her—and in the alcohol.

“I’m close, Sutton. I’m so close,” she whispers, forcing clarity to clear away the tipsy fog. She reaches around, surprising me when she grabs my dick through my pants, stroking me and matching my pace. Her breaths come faster and faster. Fuck, she’s going to make me come at this rate. Finally, her whole body pauses and then she explodes.

I clap a hand over her mouth and try to hold her steady as her body shakes, then goes limp.

I give her a minute to come down from her release, but we’re short on time. She needs to keep going. I give her a kiss on the nape of her neck and push her forward out of the dark hallway as I go back the way I came.

THEA

My whole body feels weak. The exhilaration of getting off with the possibility of someone seeing mixed with the rush of fear from being ambushed has left me drained.

I look behind me to find that Sutton’s gone. Moving forward is my only option. I have no idea what Wes and Damian have in store for me, but if it’s more of this, I don’t know if I can take it.

I move past the scene with the woman on the gurney. The actor has his back to me, thankfully. I know Sutton said that we were far back enough—still, I feel awkward knowing what we just did. As I follow the path leading to the next room, I hear a deep rumbling voice call out, “come again soon.”

Fuck. There’s no way that’s a coincidence. He must have seen or heard something.

My cheeks heat at the realization. I should have known better, yet something about letting Sutton do that to me was so hot. Not only hot, I felt powerful. I took a risk. It was my decision. I don’t know why that gives me some sort of satisfaction.

The screams of the woman in the other room get quieter as I move through another dark hallway. Her sounds are replaced by a low thumping beat that almost sounds like a heartbeat. I jump as a voice to my right whispers, “They know…”

Fuck. My fingers run over the smooth wall until they hit a slight ridge. The texture of tiny perforated holes confirms my suspicions—a speaker.

The knowledge does nothing as another whisper to my left makes me jump again. “He’s watching…”

Deep down, I know that these are just pre-programed sayings, but the words resonate and paranoia sets in. What if Cole knows I’m here? What if he infiltrates this place and gets to me? I try to shove those thoughts down.

I turn a corner and find myself in a glowing neon room. The overhead black lights illuminate the yellow green graffitied walls. White cobwebs radiate brightly in the dark corners. It looks like a party at a frat house with bottles and trash strewn across the floor.

Making my way through the room, I look behind me and see a figure sitting in a ratty, old armchair. He’s wearing an electronic mask with neon pink and purple sloppy Xs for eyes and a messy wide grin. I can’t tell if it’s a prop like the woman who was rocking back and forth in the asylum room.

Then I see something I recognize. Dark messy hair falling over the top of the mask. Wes. Run. I hear his command in my head.

My feet move instinctively, carrying me into the next dark hallway. The thumping beat blends with the thud of my heart until I can’t separate the two sounds. It’s in my ears and in my throat. It’s so loud that I can’t tell if Wes is following me.

I chance a look behind me and see that the neon from the room behind me is blocked out by a massive figure running toward me. I’m absolutely terrified even though I know the man chasing me. Thoughts of him catching me, throwing me to the ground, and fucking me cause the throbbing between my legs to match the beat of my heart and the sounds of the house.

I turn a corner, but this time, instead of a room, it’s just another long hallway. My legs ache as I push them to run faster. I take another corner and then I’m in a pitch black room with the sounds of screaming all around me. I’m not sure exactly how I know I’m in a room—I can’t see a thing. But I feel it. The tightness of the hallway’s walls have disappeared. I reach out around me to confirm. My hands find nothing.

My eyes have adjusted to the darkness of the hallway enough that I could see the path in front of me, but this room’s too dark—it’s all-consuming. My head whips around, trying to figure out where to go.

Wes is coming. I might even be within his reach. I lunge farther into the room, then something reaches out and grabs me, dragging me farther into the darkness.

My breath comes in ragged pants and my heart feels like it’s going to explode. I’m safe. I’m safe. I know who I’m with. I repeat it, trying to calm myself some as I’m being pulled somewhere.

The darkness eases a little as the glow of a red light gets closer. Suddenly, I’m being pushed against a wall and I’m face to face with Damian’s mask. It’s the same bloody skull one I lifted to kiss him that day in the kitchen after he fucked me. My fear eases a little and my skin prickles as images of the last time he wore it slam into me. I can’t help the need that ignites inside of me.

I’m feeling brave after my encounter with Sutton and the chase with Wes. My hands run over his muscled biceps and down the sleeves of his shirt. I stare into the face of his mask, trying to find his eyes, but I only see harsh shadows and darkness.

My fingers slide under his shirt, moving over his chiseled abs. I wrap my arms around his back and pull him in close to whisper in his ear, “Fuck me, Damian.” His body stills against me, but it’s momentary.

He hooks a hand beneath my knee, lifting my leg to rest against his hip as pushes his hardness into me. I need him, badly. I want him to force me like he did the other day. His palm travels up my thigh and over my ass as he squeezes. On his way back down, I feel the tearing of my fishnets.

“Fuck, Damian. Please, I need you. Please,” I beg him. He pushes in closer. I try to lift the mask—I need his mouth on me, but he stops me. Then, the smell of cigarettes hits me. Just as soon as I get a whiff, he pulls away, spins me around, and shoves me against the wall.

He grabs my hips roughly, pulling me into him and grinding his cock against my ass. I brace my palms against the wall as I circle my hips, slowly at first, then my eagerness takes over. The friction of our bodies makes my eyes roll back as my skin grows hot.

Damian’s hand slides over the front of my bodysuit until he gets to my chest. He gropes my tit aggressively, his nails digging into me. My breath rushes out. The pressure between my legs is too intense. I need to come again. I need him to make me come.

I plead with him again. “Fuck me.” My voice is hoarse and desperate as I yell it.

Suddenly, he’s grabbing me by the arm and dragging me back down the hallway. Back toward the swallowing darkness.

“Hey!” I scream, trying to yank out of his grip. “Hey!”

Damian doesn’t listen, he keeps going until the red glow disappears. He stops abruptly, then shoves me forward until I feel the open air of the pitch black room as I stumble backwards. I’m fuming. I hear his footsteps running back down the hall and I yell after him. “Fuck you! You’re starting to smell as bad as Adrian, by the way!”

No response, not that I’d really be able to hear one over the sounds of screaming.

I’m over this. I reach into my corset where I have my phone tucked and turn on the flashlight, nervous for what I might find. It’s just an empty room, no one here except me. I shine the light in every direction. To my left, the hallway that should be there is gone, but I see the faintest outline of where there’s a hidden door. Behind me is the hallway that leads back to the neon room. In front, there’s another hallway. That has to be the way out.