Cassidy let the hot water sluice over her tired muscles and closed her eyes, the scent of shampoo like a luxury she’d never before appreciated. She still wasn’t ready for bed. That was one thing she certainly hadn’t gotten used to. The early-to-bed, early-to-rise mentality held by The Community.

She was a night owl. Always had been. She adored the quiet of the night, the twinkle of the stars, the lack of people around to interrupt her thoughts.

The lack of David trying to stick his tongue down my throat.

Her eyes opened, thousands of stars filling her field of view.

“So beautiful.”

She hadn’t known what to expect when she came here. David had sent a helicopter for her after she contacted him through their website, saying she was intrigued by the ideals of The Community.

They’d flown in late afternoon and by the time they’d finished with the tour, the sun was setting over the Sawtooth Mountains and she’d been captivated by the beauty of this place.

David had been far less captivating, but from the moment she was introduced she gushed with enthusiasm for The Community and her own desire to join.

She hadn’t been home since. She hadn’t let her guard down or truly been herself or relaxed beyond her evening outdoor shower after all the other women had gone to sleep. This was her time, her moment to regroup so she could face another day in this place.

She soaped up her back with the handmade soap they all used here, an herbal scent that clung to her skin long after she dried off. It was intoxicating and thick, and it seemed to symbolize her belonging to the group, as if even her own personal scent had been sacrificed for the communal one.

Julianne had bathed in these waters, had been cloaked in this same smell.

The thought made her want to cry, but over the last few weeks she’d gotten very good at keeping her tears at bay. She had to find Julianne, had to learn the fate of her friend even if Julianne herself was gone. And the longer Cassidy was here, the more convinced she became that her friend was no longer alive.

No. She would know if that was the case.

She certainly wasn’t part of this group anymore and she never came home, which meant there was a third option that must be true.

What if I never get home either?

“Stop it,” she whispered to herself. But the thought had taken hold in her mind. What if she never left the compound, never saw her parents again, wasn’t able to leave this place as easily as she’d arrived?

There was no talk of leaving from anyone in The Community. She hadn’t been told she was required to stay here, yet it seemed like a given that she was. Hell, there was no disagreement about which vegetables to eat with dinner, and she couldn’t imagine anyone disagreeing with David on such a large scale as to ask to leave this place.

The vow was for life.

The soap slipped between her legs, lathering in her curls. Would he take that too? Would her body belong to The Community as well as her soul?

I’ll do whatever it takes to find Julianne. Anything I have to do.

She turned, letting the water cascade down her features and opening her mouth to breathe in the humid air.

A deep male voice spoke very close by. “Don’t scream.”

Her eyes flew open. The shower wall was nearly the same height as her eyes, but the man was taller than she, his face in full view as his stare locked with hers.

“Austin?” She couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d seen his face a hundred times in her dreams, in that half-wakeful state between the day and night when she longed to be held in his arms.

She missed his body most of all, that amazing torso made of solid muscle, the arms that held her tight against his nakedness. She and Austin did best when there were no words. Words only got them in trouble.

Her arms covered her breasts. She stood on her tip toes, her eyes darting around. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here to help you.”

“Help me?”

He nodded. “Your parents sent me to bring you home.”

“My parents?” Nothing could be more insane. Her parents hated Austin. They would do anything to keep him away. “They think I’m in Paris.”

“Not anymore, sweetheart. They checked up on you in France and realized you’d never made the trip. It didn’t take a lot of snooping to find out where you’d gone, or so I hear. We weren’t brought in until after that.”

“We?”

“HERO Force. My teammates and me. It stands for Hands-on Engagement and Recognizance Operations. We got separated after a parachute accident. I’m the only one who made it to the ranch.”

She scoffed. “Not much of a rescue.”

He raised one eyebrow. “I can handle it.”

The distant sound of footsteps on gravel had her adrenaline pumping. “Someone’s coming. You have to hide.”

He crouched down so that he was hidden by the shower wall. Cassidy again put her head beneath the shower spray, listening as the footsteps grew closer and the person rounded the corner not far from the shower.

What would happen if they found Austin here? She thought of her virgin lie to David just now. Surely anyone could look at her and Austin together and see the giant neon sign over their heads that read WE USED TO BE LOVERS.

And damn it if she wasn’t getting wet down there already just from him showing up to “save” her. Not that she needed saving, but all that man had to do was be within five feet of her body to get her insides all dewy, warm and aching for a nice, hard fuck.

Stop it.

The door to her shower stall rattled lightly and she realized Austin had moved around opposite their guest, and now wanted to come inside.

“No!” she hissed quietly.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it Sister Cassidy?” came another man’s voice.

David.

Fuck!

That man didn’t know how to take no for an answer. How could she explain she wasn’t a virgin sent by God like some kind of third-century Christmas present? “Yes, it is,” she said, furiously soaping her body.

What was he doing here? And what would he do if he found Austin? She slid open the bolt and let Austin inside, the stall now incredibly crowded. He’d removed his shirt, his dark chest hair a dangerous shadow in the tight space.

“I’ve seen you down here late at night, taking showers when the other women are sleeping,” David said.

“It’s hard for me to get to sleep.” Austin was curled in on himself, squatting on an upside-down milk crate in the corner of the shower stall, his head less than a foot from her naked breasts.

David chuckled. “I can relate. I found it impossible to get to sleep this evening, myself.” During that sentence he had walked so close to the shower, he must be directly on the other side of the wall. He wasn’t as tall as Austin, however, which prevented him from making eye contact with her.

“I kept thinking about you,” he said. “Imagining we’d had the opportunity to finish that kiss.”

Her face crumpled and she shivered despite the hot water running down her body. She’d never been so disgusted by a man as she was in that moment, and the sudden and surprising presence of Austin by her side was the only sense of safety she possessed.

Her eyes locked with Austin’s in the darkness and she knew he could clearly see her fear. Still she said, “I do, too.”

“The temptation to be near you is great, Sister Cassidy.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “Perhaps in the morning we can have breakfast together.”

“And if I can’t wait until morning? If I give in to these feelings you stir inside of me?”

She shook her head, frantic now. “No.”

“You’re afraid. You know not man. But I can show you things that will make you happy. Make you feel good.”

Cassidy dropped her chin to her chest. She couldn’t even look at Austin’s reaction to that one. “Those things are for a husband and wife.”

David laughed. “Indeed they are. And you shall be mine. Now let me inside.”

Her hands went to the door, holding it closed despite its lock. “No!” She bit her lip. She caught a glimpse of Austin’s face, surprised to see the anger so clearly painted on his features. Aware of his judgment of her. Aware of her own nakedness and the horrible light in which she appeared. “I want it to be special when we are married.”

“Then we must marry very quickly, before the temptation overtakes me.” David sighed. “I will go home. In the morning we will talk again.”

“I would like that.”

His footsteps could be heard retreating. When he was gone, Austin spoke. “Turn off the lantern.”

She did as he asked, aware of his body coming to its full height beside her. He turned off the water.

“You know not man?”

She sighed. “I lied.”

“I remember.” He touched her shoulder, the connection sending a bolt of excitement up her arm and down her body, lighting up her senses on the way.

He cursed under his breath before he kissed her, his mouth finding hers unerringly in the dark. He tasted so familiar, her body instantly remembering what this man could do to her and readying itself for his assault.

Her arms snaked up his naked chest, reveling in the feel of his wet hair and skin. She hadn’t imagined this, hadn’t blown up the attraction in her mind to some level it never truly attained. This was real, damn it, every bit—and her sexual experiences since him paled meekly in comparison.

She stepped on the milk crate and leaned into him, knowing before he did that he would grab her ass and hold her against his stiffening cock. His tactical fatigues were rough and wet, covered in pockets and belt loops that rubbed the sensitive flesh of her sex.

He was kissing her face, her forehead, her neck, and she imagined he would leave behind bruises as he roughly sucked at her skin.

Then he was trying to pull away, slow down what was happening between them, and she brought his hand up to her breast, moaning when he squeezed it.

He cursed again. “You need to get dressed. We don’t have a lot of time.”

“No, you need to get undressed. It’s easier to fuck you that way.” She threw herself back into his arms, kissing him, his arms coming around her once more.

“Jesus, Cass.” He ground against her. “I need you to come with me. Please get some clothes on.”

She bit his ear. “That isn’t really what you want.”

“Now, Cassidy! We have to go before someone catches me here.”

She leaned back. “What?”

“We need to leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I need to find—”

“You’re looking for your friend. Your parents told me all about it. But Cassidy, her press credentials were mailed to her editor at the Washington Post, along with her necklace. She was discovered. She’s gone, sweetie.”

She shook her head frantically. “No. That’s not possible. I got a ping from her on my satellite phone yesterday.”

“A ping?”

“Yeah. It’s just a blip, no information, but it shows she tried to contact me.”

“It must have been someone else.”

“No. She’s alive.”

“How else would those things have shown up in the mail? They were bloody, Cassidy.”

“I don’t know, but there must be some rational explanation.”

“It’s not safe for you here.”

“I’m not just going to leave her!”

He crossed his arms. “What’s your plan, then? You really going to marry that guy?”

“If I have to do that to find her, then yes.”

“Unfuckingbelievable.” The disdain in his voice was no different than the disdain in her heart, but she hated that it was directed at her, that he’d so quickly judged her and found her lacking. He grabbed her clothes and handed them to her.

“Will you turn around please?” she asked.

“You’re kidding.”

“No.”

He turned to face the wall and she pulled up her panties and tugged on her clothes, with more than a little regret. “I’m done.”

He turned around and met her stare. “You’re sure you won’t come with me?”

She shook her head. “Positive.”

“Then I’m sorry I have to do this.”

Before she realized what he was about, he reached around her with arms seemingly made of steel. A sharp sting in her ass cheek made her gasp with surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Rest for a while, sweetheart.”

She felt drunk almost immediately, the dizziness in her head suddenly overpowering her consciousness. She didn’t understand what was happening, could barely understand what he’d done.

He drugged me. He injected me with something.

“Bastard,” was all she got out.

Her eyelids were too heavy for her to keep her eyes open and she fought for balance. Were those his hands on her upper arms? She was going to fall. That was her last thought before she completely lost consciousness.