Chapter 1 Inks Game 9

Molly 

He led me further and further into the dark. Easily manoeuvring between the rides but taking us further and further away from people.

Further away from Della. I didn’t want her out of my sight, not now they had found me.

I tugged on Inks warm hand, trying to slow him down. I trusted Ink: he had done so much for me in such a short amount of time but he was dragging me away into the dark. And I always remembered what I had been told.

Women should not be alone in the dark with a man. Any man. 

Plus with all the noise around us, the screams and whoops of glee if he tried to hurt me and I screamed no one would hear.

I dug my heels in. Forcing him to stop and stare at me. “Why have you stopped?” He demanded. His eyes swept over my face and his eyes narrowed. “Why do you suddenly look afraid. This is me, Molly. When have you been afraid of me?”

“I don’t know.” I muttered under my breath. “You seem angry with me?”

He sighed. His shoulders rising and falling with the exhale of air. “I am mad at you.” He snapped and then softened his voice. “Ok no I’m not mad at you. But I want to know what you are running from? Who was that guy?”

“Ezekiel.”

His lips slipped upwards in a grin. “No fucking way? Someone named him that or is it just a nickname? Like people call me Ink but that’s not what my mother named me.”

“It’s his name.”

He chuckled for a second, then the smile slipped. “Well that’s unfortunate. I bet he got his ass kicked at school didn’t he?” 

I knew he was trying to make light of the situation. But I couldn’t bring myself to smile. Not even to fake it.

Reading my silence. ink frowned. “Did you even go to school little bird?”

Slowly I lifted my eyes to him. “I was home schooled.” I admitted as shame hit me.

“I see. What else didn’t you do?”

I didn’t know what to say to that. How could I admit to this handsome man, who had been so kind to me that I hadn’t had a normal upbringing. 

I’d worked so hard to try and be normal. I’d read and watched tv as much as I could after I first escaped. And I was sure I was doing well in fitting in.

But sometimes Ink looked at me, and I thought he saw straight through the lies I had woven around myself.

Right now was one of those moments .

“You didn’t go to prom?”

I shook my head. 

“Boyfriends?” He asked it like he already knew the answer.

“Never.” I whispered. “That wasn’t allowed.” I closed my eyes. 

“Then how-“ he trailed off.

My eyes snapped open. And I knew he was going to ask about Della. I didn’t want to talk about Della or how she came to be born.

Catching my look, his chest heaved. “Ok we will circle back to that.” He said kindly. “Tell me who that man was.”

“Brother Ezekiel.” I answered before I could stop myself.

“Your brother?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “No.”

Confusion pinched his features together. “This is making no sense Molly. What aren’t I getting?” He reached out , his hands closing around my hips. He didn’t pull me into him but I held my breath anyway.

Inks eyes widened. “Everything is so new to you. You’re a woman. A grown woman and clearly clever but you look at the world like you’ve never seen it before. It’s been confusing me since I met you.”

I ducked my chin into my chest, breathing heavily. “Everything is new to me. I grew up very sheltered. No school, no friends, definitely no boyfriends.” I mumbled. “This is my first place of my own, my first job. My first fair ground. Until you bought me one I’d never even had pizza.” I wanted to stop talking but I didn’t seem to be able to.

It was like he had opened the flood gates.

“I have never even been kissed.”

His nostrils flared. “But Della?”

I shook my head. I’d watched enough television now to know that how Della was conceived was not normal.

“How old were you?” He whispered.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes.” Inch by inch he grew closer. “Yes it matters Molly

Because I’m pretty sure you were a kid when you had her. Am I right?”

“I guess by your standards.” I shrugged. “I was a woman in my community. Promised to brother-“

“I don’t know whether to give you your first kiss or go after that guy and rip him apart. I thought you said he wasn’t Dellas dad.”

“He didn’t. Brother Ezekiel is second born. Only firstborns are allowed to procreate.”

“Procreate?” He mumbled. One hand sliding up to cup my cheek in his giant palm. “Is just a fancy word for breed. I’m not a clever man but I know that. Someone took your innocence,” his voice was growing ragged. “And forced a baby into you and you’ve never been kissed.”

I shook my head, even as his eyes swept across my mouth.

“I’d like to kiss you.” He said in a soft whisper that I could barely hear over the music of the ride we were hiding behind. “I’d like to be the kind of first you remember happily.” He edged closer still. Finally coming to a stop when my breasts pushed against his chest. “Would that be ok? Or do you only have eyes for Click?”

I frowned. 

“Not Click then.” The hand on my hip, slipped around my waist. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I met you Molly. So put me out of my misery. Is it ok to kiss you.”

I tilted my face up to his. Handsome, gentle , kind. Ink was all of those things wrapped up in worn leather an tattoos.

I surged upwards onto my tiptoes and smashed my lips to his. Closing the distance between us so fast that our teeth clashed together.

“Easy little bird.” He chuckled, giving a slight tug on my ponytail. “I like that you're eager but let's go slow hey.”

I blushed. “I’m sorry.”

“Nope.” Tilting my chin up, he brushed his lips against mine. Softly. “You don’t get to hide from me now.” Another kiss and this time I kissed him back.

Pressing myself to his body when he opened my mouth with his. The first touch of his tongue against mine sent a million bolts of electricity through me.

Groaning, I reached up to tangle my hands in his hair.

Ink groaned low in his throat, spinning me around and pressing me back against the vibrating metal of the ride. 

“Jesus.” He groaned again. His tongue thrusting into my mouth to tangle with mine. “Jesus you’re sweet. What are you doing to me?”

I didn’t know. I didn’t even know what was happening in my own body. All I knew was that if he stopped kissing me I was going to die.

He lifted my left leg over his hip. Grinding into me in time with his swirls of his tongue against mine.

Time lost all meaning. It didn’t matter to me that this was wrong. There was a fire in me and I knew that only he could fill it.

“Whoa.” He pulled back so suddenly that I cried out. “Whoa whoa whoa.”

Hungrily I reached for him. Desperately trying to yank his head back down to mine. 

“No Molly.” Catching my wrists, he yanked them down to my side. I gave a whimpering growl. “Fuck I get it now. I get what you’re running from.”

“I-“ like a wild animal I fought to get close to him.

“No.” His eyes flashed. “Tell me the truth. You’re running from a cult aren’t you?”