Haunting Woods Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 - Meeting Tatiana

  Chapter 2 - Running to Nick

  Chapter 3 - Nick

  Chapter 4 - Skin Deep

  Chapter 5 - Viktor

  Chapter 6 - Nick

  Chapter 7 - The Dark Fights

  Chapter 8 - "NYPD, open the door!"

  Chapter 9 - Last fight

  Chapter 10 - In Hospital

  Chapter 11 - Skye in New York

  Chapter 12 - Watching the fights

  Chapter 13 - Viktor's shadow

  Chapter 14 - The Russian connection

  Chapter 15 - Los Angeles

  Chapter 16 - Meet the Walkers

  Chapter 17 - Magnolia Grove

  Chapter 18 - Skye's apartment

  Chapter 19 - New York without Skye

  Chapter 20 - Happily Ever After

  Haunting Woods

  Under Covers

  Book 2

  By Adalind White

  www.adalindwhite.com

  Text copyright © 2017 Adalind White

  All Rights Reserved

  Contents

  Skye's Story

  Chapter 1 - Meeting Tatiana

  Chapter 1- Running to Nick

  Chapter 2- Nick

  Chapter 3- Skin Deep

  Chapter 4- Viktor

  Chapter 5- Nick

  Chapter 6- The Dark Fights

  Chapter 7- "NYPD, open the door!"

  Chapter 8- Last fight

  Chapter 9- In Hospital

  Nick's Story

  Chapter 10Skye in New York

  Chapter 11Watching the fights

  Chapter 12- Viktor's shadow

  Chapter 13The Russian connection

  Chapter 14Los Angeles

  Chapter 15Meet the Walkers

  Chapter 16Magnolia Grove

  Chapter 17Skye's apartment

  Chapter 18New York without Skye

  Chapter 19Happily Ever After

  Other books by Adalind White

  FREE BOOK-Perfectly Complicated Book 1 – A Perfect Night

  Perfectly Complicated Book 1.5 – Complicated Nights

  Perfectly Complicated Book 2 – A Perfect Secret

  Perfectly Complicated Book 3 – A Perfect Lie

  Perfectly Complicated – Book 3.5 - Complicated Days Book

  BOX SET – Perfectly Complicated

  Under Covers - Book 1 - Darkening Skye

  Skye's Story

  Chapter 1 - Meeting Tatiana

  The night after my first fight, I was high on adrenaline and horny as hell. No amount of meditation could help me calm down. My pre-mission weekend long sex marathon with Nicholas Woods was so far into the past I had trouble believing it had been real. I signaled the bartender for another tequila. It was my drink of choice despite how vile it tasted on my high protein fighter's diet. Tequila on a cold New Jersey winter night was just wrong, but it kept me sane.

  Last time I drank tequila, I was in Baja California as part of a North American human trafficking cartel. The salty smell of the sea mixed in with cigar smoke and cheap drinks kept my head cool on that hot summer night despite some of the sinfully attractive men around me. That time I was toward the end of my four months mission and I had grown accustomed to my fake identity.

  My current identity still chafed, like a new pair of shoes. The great thing about it was that most idiots didn't dare to bother me when I was in a club. People go to bars to drink themselves stupid, but I had to stick to the game plan and go to clubs like Slice. I swiveled around on my chair to look at the mass of bodies moving more or less to the rhythm of the music. After four tequilas on an empty stomach I was still one of the more lucid people in the room. Drinking reasonably was acceptable while undercover, and in this particular case it was the only way I could keep my cover, but not drugs. Never drugs. Just for the fun of it, I tried to count the people I thought were not high on something. Not counting myself, I came up with a grand total of three. To my displeasure, all three were members of the security staff around my target, Boris Vasilievich Fadeyev. It was going to be a long road for me to get anywhere near Fadeyev.

  A tall girl with blonde hair down to her waist and ridiculously long legs walked straight toward me. She looked like a super model but the way she carried herself would have told me she was a fighter even if I hadn't seen her profile as part of my preparation. She was not in my weight division so I had her marked as someone I could befriend.

  "My friends want to know why you're not dancing," she said.

  "You're not curious?"

  The bright smile on her face reminded me of what I used to see in the mirror a few months ago. She looked me straight in the eye, she took my free hand and pulled me gently off my stool.

  "No. Because I'm sure you will come with me now and have fun."

  I downed my drink and set the glass on the counter without looking away from her eyes. I allowed her to take me to the ring. Her friends were mostly tall strapping young men with blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Unlike my charming kidnapper, they didn't smile at me. Their gazes were cold and calculating. They weighed me for value in their world.

  "I'm Tatiana," the blond girl said. "This is Kiril, Alexei and Viktor."

  "Joanna," I said pointing at myself.

  "We know," Viktor said in a subtle Russian accent. "We saw you fight tonight."

  "Did you bet on me?" I asked him.

  His gaze sharpened as it traveled again up and down my body. Even in the awful pulsating light I could see the hunger on his face.

  "Not tonight. But I won't make that mistake again."

  I liked the answer. Winning was my favorite thing in the world and it felt good to see people believe in my chances. There wasn't anything like the rush of victory.

  Chapter 2 - Running to Nick

  My very skin was itching and it had nothing to do with the stupid polyester clothes I wore. My body was asking for release. Loudly. Punching bags and sparring only worked for so long, I needed the other kind of release.

  "You're wearing a groove in the floor," Tatiana said.

  I stopped in the middle of the room. I hadn't even realized I was pacing. She seemed amused by my behavior.

  "You are so tightly wound," she said. "I know you're a health freak, I'm not going to offer you any of my candies again, but you better find something that works for you."

  I appreciated her not offering me drugs again. Living in this world… sometimes I forgot I wasn't one of them. It was getting difficult to say no to a comfort pill when I knew that everyone used them. It was getting right on my nerves to be the only one to forgo chemical enhancements. It fueled my anger in the cage, and I delivered three punches for each one I took.

  "Nothing works for me," I said and resumed pacing.

  "You have to find something if you want to make it long term."

  She was serious. For whatever reason, this blonde goddess cared about me. Why did everything had to be so messy?

  "Do you really believe that what we do has any chance of being long term?"

  Clouds passed over her gorgeous features, then disappeared as if scattered away by a spring breeze. Her big blue eyes reminded me of the summer sky over Catalina bay. Her white skin was like the crest of the Pacific waves or like the snow that never fell in southern California. I missed home so much.

  "I meant long term for us. What we do is hard enough."

  "Even with candies?" I asked, genuinely curious. I envied people who manipulated their moods with drugs as much as I envied those whose faith helped them through the dark times. All I ever had was meditation and the innate and instilled need to do the right thing. On this particular mission, I didn't even have meditation.

  She nodded and plopped down on my co
uch. She looked sad all of a sudden and the people pleaser in me surfaced before I could stop the instinct.

  "There is something that would make me feel better," I said.

  My tone was secretive enough to draw her attention. I bit my tongue at my own stupidity, but I couldn't stop. I was going to confess something to her. Something as close to real as I could.

  "Actually, there is someone who could make me feel better."

  *

  What the hell was I doing? I was dressed in some old jeans and the cleanest hoodie I owned under a leather jacket. I wore my hair free, the lack of boxer braids intended to make me look less scary. Some makeup would have gone a long way to soften my appearance even more, but I couldn't afford the risk. I was walking a thin line between normal enough not to scare the average New Yorker and scary enough to keep away the jackals in my neighborhood.

  I got myself a hotdog in Penn Station checking to see if I was followed. I took a bite and I had to throw it away in the first trashcan. It would ruin my meal plan. It had nothing to do with the crazy butterflies in my stomach.

  When I was satisfied I wasn't followed, I went to a payphone and dialed Nick's number. It was quite possibly the stupidest thing I had ever done in my life. It felt like the only thing I could do if I wanted to keep my cover. Nick was the only man I could trust with my needs. The idea of using Viktor's sculpted body, or Kiril's gigantic bulk, or Alexei's stamina appalled me. Even Tatiana's sweetness held no appeal and no sense of safety. My friend was bi-curious or maybe even more and it was tempting to work out if I was. Except, of course, I wasn't. The only body I wanted was Nick's.

  "Woods," he said.

  "Hi, Woods," I said stupidly.

  "Skye!" The mixture of warmth and surprise in his voice was like a soothing balm over raw wounds. "Are you all right?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I'd like to see you."

  "Of course. Where do you want to-"

  "Same as last time," I interrupted him. "If it's ok."

  He hesitated only for a moment.

  "It is."

  Chapter 3 - Nick

  He opened the door just as I was about to knock and pulled me inside the house. I continued his movement as in a dance, and it ended with him pasted to the wall and my mouth on his. He didn't seem to mind. He pulled me tight and let me kiss every inch of his skin I could get my lips on.

  "So many clothes," I complained while trying to undress him frantically.

  My hands were shaking so hard I couldn't do something as simple as unbutton his shirt. He let me struggle with it, idly caressing my hair. His breathing sped up just a little while I felt like I'd been running for miles. I gave up half way down and rested my fists and my forehead on his chest. He took my chin in his hand and lifted my head up to look into my eyes.

  "What's wrong, baby?"

  Tears of frustration welled up in my eyes and when I closed them the tears slid down my cheeks. He cupped face and wiped the tears with his thumbs. He leaned in and kissed my lips softly.

  "You want me to make it feel better?"

  A whimper and a nod was the best I could do.

  "Say the words."

  His body was strong and vibrant in my arms. For a moment, I had the urge to wrestle him to the ground and take what I wanted. My instincts were set so firmly to fighting I was beginning to forget myself. My muscles tensed, on the brink of reacting as if I was back in the cage. My whole body was numb, prepared to ignore pain by ignoring all sensations. Nick was looking at me curiously. Without fear. With infinite patience. I unwound, muscle by muscle, until the adrenaline subsided enough to allow me to feel again. The heat in my lower belly turned my knees to jelly. His strong arms sustained me. He kept me from sliding to the floor.

  "Please." I whispered the word. It hurt to dig so deep down inside me to find the strength to show weakness. The second word came easier. "Daddy."

  He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rocked me gently. He kissed my forehead and my eyes, whispering soothingly. "You're safe here. Daddy is going to make it all better."

  I wanted to believe him. Shame burned through me to feel arousal growing with each chaste kiss. Why did this turn me on so much? What was wrong with me to want daddy to fuck me senseless? The questions and the shame faded away when he reached between my thighs. The world spun out of control and I allowed the pleasure to engulf me. He made me come with a few caresses along my slit and a few nonsense words uttered in the thick husky voice I loved. I hung on to him as best I could while the waves of orgasm came crashing down on me.

  Still in post-orgasmic haze, I fell flush to his chest. He picked me up and carried me into his bedroom. It might have been romantic if not for the smell of sex that hung heavily on my skin. He set me on his narrow bed and peeled off my clothes so much more slowly than I wished.

  "Faster. Please," I said.

  "Be a good girl and you will get everything you want."

  "I am good. And I want you in me."

  The rumbling sound coming from his chest set something else ablaze in me. He wanted me, too. I didn't know why I still needed the confirmation. I was in his bed, pinned under his weight, but the sound made it even more real.

  After all those months of intense Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training and fights in my own weight class, I was used to thin bodies just like my own between my thighs. His girth was distressing, it forced me to spread my legs far wider than I was used to. I fought the strong urge to hook my legs behind his back and squeeze the breath out of him as I did with my opponents. It was such a stupid thing for my body to do, to react as if it were a fight. I never got aroused while fighting, and it had nothing to do with the opponent being male or female. Fighting was solely about surviving and winning. It was going to take so long to get deprogrammed after this mission.

  He didn't force me to open up. He buried his face in my shoulder and kissed my heated flesh. His beard scratched the skin on my neck and collarbone. The sensations swirled and expanded from his kisses all through my body. The sweet pleasure unknotted my muscles from the inside. I didn't loosen up completely, but my body was in a different state of tension.

  I was getting used to his width and I allowed him to change position. He slid downwards slowly until his mouth was over my chest. He pulled up my top to expose my breasts. My nipples perked up in the cool air. He swiped his tongue over each one in turn. I moaned loudly wishing he would become bolder. I wanted his strong hands on my flesh, I wanted a touch of pain to spice up the mind altering pleasure.

  His cock smeared the inside of my thigh with precome. The swollen, hard piece of meat seemed huge as it pressed into my flesh. It had to be difficult for him to hold back much longer. I reached between us and took his erection in my hand. The pressure on my nipple increased to the pain threshold, which almost made me lose concentration. I needed to cheat to get what I wanted. He tried to pull back while still holding my nipple prisoner between his lips, but the movement ended abruptly and it was followed by a sharp thrust. He started pumping in my fist, at first in a stilted rhythm, still fighting to hold back the need, but he soon found his pace. I didn't want to miss the best part so I tried to guide him to my entrance. The blunt head bumped into my pussy and to my dismay his next move was to pull back so far that he slipped out of my fist. I tried to find my voice to protest but I stopped when I heard the familiar sound of a small package being ripped. He rolled up a condom with one hand and in one smooth move he aligned himself to the entrance.

  "I want you so bad," I whispered.

  "Want you, too, baby girl."

  His massive dick sank into me smoothly, without hesitation. I was honeyed and desperate to feel him but even so the very girth of his cock made me wince in pain. He felt my discomfort and paused half way down. My inner muscles were painfully stretched but what hurt even more was to feel incomplete. I hissed but I lifted my ass off the bed to shove more of his dick inside me. It hurt and it felt amazing at the same time. He let me do this for a few moments waiting pat
iently while I stumbled from one small orgasm to the next in a beautiful cascade. My clumsy rhythm frustrated him. He pinned me to the mattress and shoved the rest of his magnificent length in my pussy. He thrust again and again, each time picking up the pace and cranking up the intensity. I felt like he was pounding me into the mattress. I was suspended on a plateau of pleasure until I heard the groaning that escaped his lips. His last movements were jerkier, without any rhythm to them. He screamed as he came and the visceral sound released my final orgasm.

  He fell asleep holding me in his arms. There was little room for the both of us in his single bed. He deserved so much more than I could offer him. It hurt to disentangle myself from his embrace, but I had to do it. I snuck out of bed and left his house like a thief in the middle of the night. I had to make it back to the neighborhood before anyone noticed I was gone. Training started at dawn and there was no excuse not to be at the gym same as the day before and the day before that. I cherished his smell on my skin and I held on to it through the lon0g subway ride all the way to my little hell hole.

  Tatiana wasn't up when I got back. I went into the shower immediately to remove any traces of him. Nick was my secret. I had to keep him away from this place.

  Chapter 4 - Skin Deep

  Tatiana helped me undress. She applied the lotion on my bruised back with gentle touches. I dug my nails in the couch to stop the scream. A hiss of pain escaped from my lips.

  "I'm sorry," she said.

  "Christ, it's not your fault."

  The words came out harsh between clenched teeth. I wanted to thank her, to tell her how much I appreciated her assistance.

  "Do I have any cuts?" I asked instead.

  "Yes. You should get an X-ray. There might be some bones-"

  "I don't think so. I'll go, but it doesn't feel like anything's broken inside."

  She went to the bathroom to wash her hands. I tried to pull down my t-shirt and I felt my shoulder was going to pop out of its socket. The touch of cotton over my raw skin felt like an intense burn. That bitch had pushed my back into the metal of the cage over and over again. It hurt like I was in an iron maiden. The history nerd in me piped up saying that the iron maidens were never actually used and it was just one of those fake things about medieval torture that people believed. Fuck history. My flesh felt as if it the metal wire of the cage had pierced my skin and dug into my muscles.