Marigold, page 21
Gemma moaned. “Oh, God.” Her fingers dug into his shoulders.
Heaven. There was no other word. Not just because it had been four years but because it was Gemma.
Damon slid almost out and thrust in deeper. He wasn’t going to last. He held his breath as she writhed under him.
She was panting. “I didn’t know,” she breathed out. “Holy shit. That feels so good. Do it again.”
How could he deny her? Damon forced himself to focus on her expression while he made love to her, trying to ignore the way his balls were drawing up and how hard his cock was.
He hadn’t really expected her to enjoy it this first time, but by all appearances she was far from disappointed, so he slid a hand between them and found her clit.
She cried out again when he stroked the swollen nub. Her hips lifted as she dug her heels into the mattress. “Damon,” she shouted.
He held himself deep and stroked her faster until she screamed.
God, yes. Fuck, yes.
The moment her body stiffened with her orgasm, he slid his hand out from between them, used both hands to hold her shoulders, and resumed thrusting. The pulsing of her pussy milked him, forcing him over the edge two seconds later.
He groaned around his release, filling her tight pussy with his essence. Nothing had ever felt so good in his life. Bare. Inside the only woman he’d ever loved and would ever love.
He was the luckiest bastard on Earth.
He was panting when he found his voice. “I love you, Gemma. So much it hurts.”
“I love you too, Damon.” She held his gaze. She was grinning.
Suddenly, he kissed all over her face and down her neck, everywhere he could reach.
She giggled.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he informed her. “I’m going to yank your clothes off the moment we get home from the club and do this again. It will be better the second time. I promise.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible, but I’m up for the challenge.”
When he kissed her left shoulder, he paused and kissed it again. “This sexy mole on your shoulder was most helpful. Did you know that?”
She twisted her head to look at the spot. “How?”
“It’s how I knew for sure I’d found you.”
“My mole? You saw it in pictures? Didn’t you recognize my face?”
He shook his head. “The seller never shared your face.”
Her breath hitched. She pushed him off her and sat up. “Seriously?”
He narrowed his gaze, confused. “What’s wrong?”
She smiled. “Do you know how much that means to me? That motherfucker took millions of pictures of me. I assumed my face was all over the planet by now. Do you suppose he didn’t include any of our faces?”
Damon drew in a breath and stroked her cheek. “I can’t be sure, baby, but he didn’t share them with the buyers. He probably didn’t want to risk anyone recognizing the girls he was selling. But I knew your body better than I should have. I didn’t need your face to know it was you.”
She blinked. “You’d never seen me naked.”
He shrugged, not containing his grin. “Baby, the only part of you I hadn’t seen was your nipples. You strutted around that damn pool in the skimpiest bikinis I’ve ever seen.”
She slowly smiled. “And you watched.”
“Fuck, yes.”
She pushed him to his back and climbed over him, straddling him, her breasts swaying. “You saved my life.” She leaned closer and kissed him. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
He slid his hands up her back. “I’m so fucking glad I found you. There are no words. I’m sorry it took me so fucking long, but you’re mine now.”
“I was always yours.”
“Yeah, you were, baby. You were.” He couldn’t argue that fact.
Chapter 23
“It’s like a whole different world I only knew about in books and on the internet,” Gemma murmured into Damon’s ear.
She hadn’t let go of his arm for a single moment since they’d arrived at Roses and Thorns an hour ago. They hadn’t participated in anything, but that was okay. She agreed she wasn’t ready for that tonight. She was content simply observing.
What she did know was some of the scenes were titillating, and she was making a mental tally of the aspects of BDSM she would ask Damon to help her experience over time.
He was being so careful with her. Mostly, he stared at her while she watched the scenes unfolding around them.
Yeah, it was weird, but she hadn’t found herself triggered. It was obvious every single thing that happened in Robert’s club was consensual.
Ella was there, too. She had followed Gemma and Damon for the first thirty minutes, providing female support and answering questions. But she’d gone to Robert’s office a while ago.
Jagger was there, too. He’d arrived before Damon and Gemma. She knew he was there for another layer of moral support to ensure Gemma didn’t panic. She appreciated her growing list of friends.
She was almost feeling like a normal human being for at least a fraction of every day. Each day she felt more like she might survive intact. She wasn’t Marigold. She wasn’t the old Gemma either. There was no going back. She was becoming a new version of herself, and she liked it.
Damon did, too. She knew because he was always smiling at her, pleased with her gradual changes.
They were watching a spanking scene, and Gemma was trying not to let herself react to the restraints holding the naked woman to the bench. She kept reminding herself the woman wanted this. She’d scheduled this scene specifically with the Dom who was swatting her red bottom. It was consensual. Safe. Sane.
Suddenly, a voice made ice crawl up Gemma’s spine. She stopped dead, stiffening as all the blood ran out of her head, leaving her feeling like she might faint.
She gripped Damon’s arm harder and squeezed her eyes closed. She couldn’t breathe. Surely her mind was playing tricks on her.
“Gemma?” Damon whispered her name so close to her ear. “Baby, what is it?”
The voice spoke again, making her wince. She had to force herself to turn a few inches to the left, mostly to prove to herself that her mind was playing tricks on her. There was no way Master J was here at Roses and Thorns. Not a chance. It wasn’t possible.
Except, there he was, two yards away from her. His back was to her. He was attaching a woman to a St. Andrew’s cross. He was issuing instructions as he stretched her arms above her head and restrained her.
Gemma screamed so loud the entire room fell silent. She started shaking violently as the man spun around to face her.
Her legs gave out. She would have collapsed on the floor if Damon hadn’t grabbed her around the waist.
“Fuck.” Master J’s eyes bugged out, and he turned and ran from the room, shoving everything and everyone out of the way.
The commotion around her was instantaneous. Shouting and running. Damon never let her go, though. He swooped her off the floor and cradled her against him as he turned in the other direction.
Gemma couldn’t focus. Moments later, she felt herself fading. She knew she was going to faint, and she didn’t care. She needed to escape, so she welcomed the darkness as it crept in.
“Baby…”
Gemma moaned and burrowed herself deeper against Damon’s chest. She clung to his shirt, uncertain why she was asleep in his arms for several moments.
Finally, her memory rushed in, and she gasped, coming fully alert and sitting up straight in his lap. She yanked her head around to take in her surroundings. “It was him. Master J. I saw him.”
“I know, baby.” Damon rubbed her back. His brows were furrowed deeply with concern.
“Did he get away?”
“No. The police have him.” Damon cupped her face. “They’re out front, and he’s in cuffs. He can’t get to you. I promise. You’re safe.”
She thought she might hyperventilate as panic set in again.
“Deep breaths, Gemma. It’s over. They’ve got him. He didn’t even bother to deny anything. In fact, he was muttering your name under his breath while Jagger and Robert tackled him to the ground.”
“My name?”
“Marigold,” he whispered. “He was more shocked to see you than you were him.”
She started shaking. “Why the hell was he here?”
“I don’t know. I suspect he was bored after selling off his entertainment.” Damon seethed. She could tell he was barely containing his anger. He was only doing it by a thread, for her sake.
Damon held her so tightly that it almost hurt. He didn’t give her enough room to fully breathe. “He claims he never knew who you were, who had bought you, or where you’d been taken from, but he hadn’t expected to ever see any of the women again.”
“But he came to a fetish club,” she pointed out. She sat up straighter. “And he knew your name. It was on the chip. He had to know you were a member here.”
Damon shook his head. “I don’t think he knew what was on that chip. And as far as he was concerned, you weren’t sold to an upstanding, law-abiding citizen who practices consensual BDSM. He sold a slave. He probably expected you to be on the other side of the globe by now or living in some sick fucker’s basement as he used you for what you were trained.”
Gemma shuddered.
Damon cringed. “Sorry.”
What he’d said made sense, though. The women he’d trained wouldn’t show up in a legit establishment for legal fetish play.
Damon turned her so he could more fully hug her against his chest. He buried his face in her hair. “I’m furious but also relieved. He can’t get to you now. He’ll be locked up for life. I don’t have to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, wondering who that fuck was and worrying he might find you.”
Gemma collapsed against Damon’s chest, her eyes closing. She wasn’t sure how long before her mind would shut down again. She was close to another panic attack. But she understood what Damon had said. She would live through this night and be stronger and safer because of it.
Master J could never hurt her again. He also couldn’t hurt anyone else.
Suddenly, Gemma had another thought. She sat up straighter, putting a few inches between her and Damon. She met his gaze and grabbed his shoulders. “You said he didn’t know my real name.”
Damon drew in a breath and nodded.
“Then he wasn’t the one who raided my father’s compound and kidnapped me.”
Damon swallowed, not looking away. “No, baby. I don’t think so. Not if he’s telling the truth.”
“Then someone else kidnapped me.”
Damon set his forehead against hers and sighed. “Most likely.”
Her heart was racing. “Damon…”
He nodded. “I know, baby. I know. But we have to take this small victory. That demented fuck held you for three years. He did unthinkable things to you and five other women. He can’t do it again.”
“But he wasn’t working alone…”
Damon winced. “Human trafficking is a battle that will never be fully won, but today is a victory. The FBI will question this guy until he wishes he were dead. They’ll figure out what he knows and keep working. There’s always a bigger fish. One day, he’ll get caught too. The FBI won’t stop looking for the other women, and they won’t stop looking for whoever kidnapped you.”
Author’s Note
I hope you’ve enjoyed Marigold. The Roses and Thorns series will have six full-length novels. Each novel will stand alone, but they will be more enjoyable if read in order. Each of the other five women has a story to tell. Stay tuned for Oleander’s story, coming October 2023.
Roses and Thorns:
Marigold
Oleander
Jasmine
Tulip
Daffodil
Lily
* * *
If you want to know more about Robert and Ella, they are featured in a novella called Roses and Thorns which is published in my anthology: Where Alphas Dominate.
* * *
To learn more about Gemma and Damon, they have a novella in the Bite of Pain anthology published by Black Collar Press. It releases October 2023.
Also by Becca Jameson
Roses and Thorns:
Marigold
Oleander
Jasmine
Tulip
Daffodil
Lily
* * *
Shadowridge Guardians:
Steele by Pepper North
Kade by Kate Oliver
Atlas by Becca Jameson
Doc by Kate Oliver
Gabriel by Becca Jameson
Talon by Pepper North
* * *
Blossom Ridge:
Starting Over
Finding Peace
Building Trust
Feeling Brave
Embracing Joy
Accepting Love
Blossom Ridge Box Set One
Blossom Ridge Box Set Two
* * *
The Wanderers:
Sanctuary
Refuge
Harbor
Shelter
Hideout
Haven
* * *
Surrender:
Raising Lucy
Teaching Abby
Leaving Roman
Choosing Kellen
Pleasing Josie
Honoring Hudson
Nurturing Britney
Charming Colton
Convincing Leah
Rewarding Avery
Surrender Box Set One
Surrender Box Set Two
Surrender Box Set Three
* * *
Open Skies:
Layover
Redeye
Nonstop
Standby
Takeoff
Jetway
Open Skies Box Set One
Open Skies Box Set Two
* * *
Shadow SEALs:
Shadow in the Desert
Shadow in the Darkness
* * *
Holt Agency:
Rescued by Becca Jameson
Unchained by KaLyn Cooper
Protected by Becca Jameson
Liberated by KaLyn Cooper
Defended by Becca Jameson
Unrestrained by KaLyn Cooper
* * *
Delta Team Three (Special Forces: Operation Alpha):
Destiny’s Delta
* * *
Canyon Springs:
Caleb’s Mate
Hunter’s Mate
* * *
Corked and Tapped:
Volume One: Friday Night
Volume Two: Company Party
Volume Three: The Holidays
* * *
Project DEEP:
Reviving Emily
Reviving Trish
Reviving Dade
Reviving Zeke
Reviving Graham
Reviving Bianca
Reviving Olivia
Project DEEP Box Set One
Project DEEP Box Set Two
* * *
SEALs in Paradise:
Hot SEAL, Red Wine
Hot SEAL, Australian Nights
Hot SEAL, Cold Feet
Hot SEAL, April’s Fool
Hot SEAL, Brown-Eyed Girl
* * *
Dark Falls:
Dark Nightmares
* * *
Club Zodiac:
Training Sasha
Obeying Rowen
Collaring Brooke
Mastering Rayne
Trusting Aaron
Claiming London
Sharing Charlotte
Taming Rex
Tempting Elizabeth
Club Zodiac Box Set One
Club Zodiac Box Set Two
Club Zodiac Box Set Three
* * *
The Art of Kink:
Pose
Paint
Sculpt
* * *
Arcadian Bears:
Grizzly Mountain
Grizzly Beginning
Grizzly Secret
Grizzly Promise
Grizzly Survival
Grizzly Perfection
Arcadian Bears Box Set One
Arcadian Bears Box Set Two
* * *
Sleeper SEALs:
Saving Zola
* * *
Spring Training:
Catching Zia
Catching Lily
Catching Ava
Spring Training Box Set
* * *
The Underground series:
Force
Clinch
Guard
Submit
Thrust
Torque
The Underground Box Set One
The Underground Box Set Two
* * *
Wolf Masters series:
Kara’s Wolves
Lindsey’s Wolves
Jessica’s Wolves
Alyssa’s Wolves
Tessa’s Wolf
Rebecca’s Wolves
Melinda’s Wolves
Laurie’s Wolves
Amanda’s Wolves
Sharon’s Wolves
Wolf Masters Box Set One
Wolf Masters Box Set Two
* * *
Claiming Her series:
The Rules
The Game
The Prize
Claiming Her Box Set
