Captured in Croatia (15 page)

“T
hat’s right, Carew, try again.”

My finger caresses the trigger
while my eye is latched against the rifle’s scope. My target passes before my lens, and I line up the sights …. Yes! Another spot-on hit! It has taken many months of constant practice but I am up to ten shots without one single miss. I hope that my father will notice and be proud. Today my goal is fifteen. It’s invigorating.

A
loud, barking voice that I can hear through my earplugs pulls my concentration away.

“Major General Sloan, a word sir?”

There is something off about the voice. It’s overtly arrogant. I lower my rifle and push up from my prone position on my stomach to stand. My father is only seven feet away, his broad back facing me.

“Yes, what is it
, soldier?”

I watch the soldier remove his hat. An odd gesture.
We are at a civilian firing range and he’s dressed in full camo gear, as if he’s ready for war. He’s young, maybe only twenty-three, with skull-trimmed blond hair and a fresh face. But his onyx eyes are so flat, so dead. A cold chill runs up my spine.

“Dad?” I call to him in a wary voice.

At the same time, the soldier pulls his pistol from his hip and points it right at my father’s chest.

“This should get me some recognition from the fucking military!”

My father makes a quick, valiant attempt to go for the gun but the shot has been fired, nailing him directly in the chest. I struggle to catch him in his backward fall.

I gasp as another single shot rings out
and armed people race to our aid. The man unloaded on the side of his own head.

As my father l
ies sprawled across my lap, blood spewing from the wound in his chest. I scream frantically, “Daddy, nooo! Someone,
anyone
help us!”

The words are still on my lips as a hand passes over my forehead
. My arms fly up to push it away, convinced that it is a threat. My eyes spring open to see Zoran staring at me, a look of shock on his face.

I gasp and
try to lurch backward out of his arms but he holds fast, speaking to me in a soothing voice. “Shhh,
princeza
, it’s okay, nobody will hurt you. Did you dream about what happened tonight?”

Still trying to shake the
tragic memory, I say, “No, it wasn’t about that guy. The stress may have triggered it, though; it usually does. I’ve had that dream hundreds of times before. It’s about my father.” I try to calm my breathing and continue. “He was shot by a disgruntled ex-Marine. It happened right in front of me. I should have done something to stop it. I mean, I had a rifle right in front of me!”

Tears
spill down my cheeks. He looks concerned but continues to hold me as he lightly stroking my hair.

“You’re
all right now. Don’t worry.”

Thankfully he avoids any
additional questions and we sit propped against the soft pillows. The fire casts low light across the darkened space.

After several minutes he
surprises me by whispering, “Both my parents and my immediate family were murdered by soldiers as well. It happened during the Croatian War of Independence. The Kosovo Liberation Army, they were called. They wanted our home and property. I wish I could go back to that day with the knowledge that I have now. Things would be very different.”

I take in his confession and finally reply, “I’m very sorry. That
’s horrific.”

His arms tighten around me from behind. I watch him stare across th
e room at the dancing flames for a long moment before he continues in a pained voice,“B and I escaped and eventually joined the Croatian military to get our land back. Took us four years but it eventually happened. Had it not, we would have died trying.”

“So you were both soldiers?”

“Yes. First it was just me because B was too young. He stayed with a distant relative until he turned sixteen and then joined the fight. I stayed in and B got out two years after we reclaimed our home. He went on to college and teaches English at a nearby school. That’s where he met his girlfriend, Georgina. You’ll meet her tomorrow.”

“Are you planning on releasing me tomorrow?”

“That’s not what I said.”

I look away from him, out the window
at the white half-moon. “Will you ever?”

With both arms around me
, he turns me gently in his arms and pulls me beneath his hot body. I should fight him but my need betrays me as desire washes over me. His full lips meld against mine, erasing all but pleasurable thoughts.

He is like a beautiful force that I am helpless to deny. I feel a hand at my stomach as he un
fastens the delicate bow of my lace robe, spreading the fabric apart before he draws it off, pulling it out gently from beneath me to toss it at the bottom of the bed. Without the barrier, I feel his smooth nakedness and moan as he begins to grind his hips between my legs. I spread them far apart, aching from deep within my core. I want this … him. I need him to fuck me, brand me as his.

I pull my mouth away
and plead, “Tigar.”

“Shhh, just feel me on you.”

I smooth my hands across his wide shoulders and down his back. A rough sound of male approval escapes before he slowly lowers his head between my spread legs. I throw my head back at the first swipe of that skillful tongue, so wet and forceful. I won’t last long.

He laps hungrily at
my core, through my slick pussy lips, and over my sensitive clit. Over and over until I writhe beneath him in mindless pleasure.

“Yes, oh yes!
Please, please don’t stop!”

Two thick fingers fill me as he begins a relentless
, pumping motion. That wicked tongue stays on my clit, licking in a frenzy. I spread wider, wanting, needing everything that he offers. I feel my channel tighten around his fingers just before everything shatters apart into a prism of vibrant colors and warm heat so intense it rips a scream from my throat.

“
Tigar! Oh, my God! Ahh!”

I writhe as
the orgasm flutters continuously, spurred on by his hungry determination, so fierce that I’m left breathless.

I pant, blissed out beyond measure. “Thank you.”

He climbs back up to hover over me and whispers in a silky voice, “My pleasure. Now, no more bad dreams tonight,
princeza
, okay?”

“Yes, ok
ay, Tigar.”

His liquid clear eyes light up as
he places a soft kiss on my lips before he twists to fall onto the mattress beside me.

Without overthinking it
, I sit up, pull the white cover away, and kneel between his thick legs.

He knows what I’m up to because a
low male purr cuts through the air. I grin and let my hair fall across his ripped stomach as I open wide to take him between my parted lips. Hot, silky flesh welcomes me. I take his shaft in slow pulses at first, letting my mouth stretch to accommodate his girth. He tastes so perfect and clean—a bit like fresh pine blended with mint. I encircle the base of his shaft with my right hand and hold fast as I begin to suck his cock with all the fervor and passion he has just given to me.

H
e must like what I’m doing because his huge hands thread through my hair and are trembling lightly. Desperate moans escape him. I amp up the rhythm, intent on driving him wild.

Balancing on my knees
, I reach my left hand under to lightly stroke his sack with the soft tips of my fingers. With my cast, that is the best I can manage, but I feel him jerk as his balls tighten up. He’s close … his body is as taut as an iron bar. I remove my left hand and take him deep, touching the back of my throat with the head until my eyes water. I want this to be so very good for him.

On
my third deep stroke down onto his straining cock, his hands grip my head and he arches up into me.

“Ungh!” His
guttural moan bounces off the walls. “Carew!” I feel his hot cum flood my mouth as I try my best to swallow all that he offers.

His hold loosens and he brushes my left cheek with the back of his fingers. I sit up, suddenly feeling shy.

Before I can move away, he pulls me forward with a light tug on a length my hair. I fall onto his bare chest and feel the thundering of his strong heart beneath me.

“Thank you
,
princeza
. That was a first for me.”

My eyes widen and I look at him in disbelief. “You’re messing with me
, right?”

Please let it be true.

Dark brows draw together. “Why would I mess with you? That was a first. No woman has ever given me oral sex before. What you did was amazing.”

He’s completely serious. “I don’t understand. How old are you?”

“Thirty-seven. And it was my choice.” He begins a halting explanation, as if embarrassed, “I’ve always paid whores for sex. I used condoms. I never wanted their well-used mouths on me.”

“Oh. Oh my, well
, that’s interesting.” I’m at a loss.

“Enough talk.” He slides me to the side a
nd spoons against my bare back. “Rest up. Tomorrow we’re off on an adventure.”

An adventure? As if I’m not already on the ultimate one?

I close my eyes and do my best to relax in the safety of his warm arms.

I’
m rinsing my hair in the shower when he opens the glass door.

“Georgina brought over a set of proper clothes for you to wear.
I placed them on the bed. We are heading out in half an hour. Can you be ready?”

“Sure
. Where are we going?”

He grins
mischievously and says, “You’ll see.” And then he’s gone.

I towel off
and make my way to the neat stack of clothing placed on the now made bed. A black mug of steaming tea rests on the bedside table.
What is he up to?

I slip
on the slinky, black silk panties that go with my new gown and the pale gray socks resting on the top of the neat stack. Next is a pair of dark blue, snug skinny jeans. They are a few inches too short, hitting me above my ankles, but they work. A soft black sweater is at the bottom of the stack. It is fitted and has a ‘v’ neckline. I slide it on and work the length of my hair out of the neckline.

Besi
de the bed, I see a pair of knee-high black leather boots. They are flat with the exception of a light tread on the underside. I pull them on and I’m pleased to see that they’re only half a size too big and quite supple and comfortable. It’s a relief to be wearing practical clothing, even if it belongs to somebody else. I’ll have to thank this Georgina.

It has been days since I have worn anything but
couture lingerie, which really isn’t a bad thing, but still ….

Standing in front of the sink,
I run the towel over my hair once again, hoping to get it fairly dry before I work on the length with his brush. I watch myself in the mirror. My eyes are bright, the fatigue and stress long gone. I stare curiously at my reflection. I look happy, sated, cheeks tinged with a natural pink color. Is this from all the electrifying sex?
Must be
. Whatever it is, I can’t recall the last time I looked so alive. I shake my head and cross the room to retrieve the tea. Taking a long sip, I enjoy the bergamot flavor swirling within the smooth, black liquid.

I carry the mug with me
while making my way downstairs to the kitchen. Stepping into the foyer, I hear a distinctly feminine voice chatting away. I slow my steps into the living room before hitting the kitchen. It’s feels strange to meet a woman whose clothes I’m wearing.
Here it goes.

She’s beautiful
. Straight, dark chestnut-brown hair hangs halfway down her back. Her frame is very petite, and she’s certainly no taller than five-foot-five. Emerald-green eyes meet mine and full pink lips curl into a smile. She says in a fluid accent, “This must be Carew. Hi there, I’m Georgina.”

S
he steps forward to give me a light, friendly hug. Her hair smells like a field of peony flowers.

“Hello, nice to meet you
, Georgina. Thank you for the clothes. I, ah, appreciate it greatly.”

Her laughter
rings throughout the house. “I bet. I hear Tigar is hosting you here in his house for a while then?”

I flit my gaze to
Zoran as he rakes his eyes up and down my body in undisguised male approval. I tighten my lips and manage to grind out, “I suppose you could put it that way.”

B struggles not
to choke on his tea, a strangled laugh erupting.

So nice to know they find my captivity humorous!

“Let’s get going,” Zoran says before he takes a final swig of his tea and rinses out the mug in his steel sink. He catches my hand in mid-stride and I walk with him to the front door.

B asks, “We riding together?”

“Yep. Carew’s up front with me.”

After he disarms the alarm
, we step out into the spring sunshine. It has to be in the mid-sixties, I think. The weather is gorgeous. I breathe in the clean, fresh air. A flash of movement has me clinging to Zoran. The dogs.

He laughs as all three bound up to him.
They jump about between B and him, hoping one of them will play with them. They are a lot less intimidating when they are not snarling. Wanting my limbs intact, I keep my hands to myself and match Zoran’s stride to the military grade, gigantic black Hummer.

He opens the door for me and I reach in with my good hand to grab hold of the leather handle that runs parallel across the metal glove box.
He circles my waist with his hands and lifts me up into the vehicle. Once seated, I look around. He certainly has tricked out this truck! Immaculate black leather is everywhere and all the gauges are surrounded with carbon fiber detailing.

B
helps Georgina into the back, and as I belt up, the massive engine of the cool truck roars to life.

I look over
at him. “What year is this?

He watches the
rearview mirror as we reverse. “Two thousand four. The final year that they were made for civilian use. I was way into the military ones that I used to drive, liked all the space. I picked this one up as soon as it came on the market. You like it?”

“Yes, it’s really cool. I never would have guessed that it is ten years old.”

“I had the interior re-done recently.”

B snickers
. “Yeah, Tigar has always been a pain in the ass about what he likes. Always has to have it on site, no questions asked.”

Georgina giggles and Zoran pins him with a l
ook in the mirror as he switches into drive and we crawl forward down the dirt road.

Georgina leans forward
. “Since you’re the only one in the car who hasn’t been to our destination today, we are keeping it a secret until we get there. But don’t worry, we are only about fifteen minutes away. B told me you were recently in a car accident. Is your wrist all right?”

“I’m not sure
. You’ll have to ask the big guy that question.” He ignores my pointed look. “So … Zoran mentioned that you both teach?”

B laughs
. “Yeah, I saw her playing kickball on the playground amid a sea of seven-year-olds and thought, ‘Now that is the woman for me!’”

I turn and watch Georgina laugh and kiss his cheek.
“Yes, we both enjoy teaching.”

“What is your subject
, Georgina?”

“I teach
Priroda i Drustvo
, which means Nature and Society. It is wonderful. You should see their little faces light up when we go out on hikes and collect things. They’re interested in anything and everything at this young age.”

I laugh
, but then she asks, “And what about you, Carew? What do you do back in America?”

I
bite my lower lip and glance at Zoran. His eyes are on the road ahead but his grip tightens on the steering wheel.

“I’m a cryptographer.”

There’s silence for a second and she asks B in her native tongue, “What’s that?”

He answers he
r in English, “Not sure. Carew?”

I suck in a breath. “It’s coding. Computers mostly.” Best to keep it short.

Zoran looks at me, his expression unreadable. I glance away.

“Where did you study?” Georgina asks with genuine interest.

“I received my undergraduate degree from MIT.”

She nods. “I hav
en’t heard of it. So you are intrigued by numbers and computers then?”

“You can say that, yes
.
”

I wish we could talk about anything other than this
 …. Arctic climate change and the polar bear crisis anyone?

I try to
change the subject. “So how long have you two been an adorable item?”

I watch as B throws a long arm around Georgina’s
delicate shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

She smiles and answers, “Three years now. It wasn’t like I had much of a choice
. Carew, as you’ll soon come to see, these Vranic men can be very … how do you say? Persuasive, yes, that’s it. I miss speaking English, Balthazar; it’s such a fun language! It reminds me of being at the movies!”

He says something to her in Croatian that I
don’t catch and kisses her lips. I avert my eyes to give them privacy. After fiddling with the cuff on my sweater, making sure it is off my cast, I sneak a look at Zoran. His is so completely stunning in the daylight.

L
ight filters down through the majestic trees, entering the wide windshield. Those eyes, so watchful and beautiful …. This man misses nothing. As I drink him in, admiring the way his charcoal gray sweater clings to his magnificent body, he turns to me. What I see in his eyes unnerves me. It’s a look that, if I’m not mistaken, expresses sincere adoration.

My lips part
and we drink each other in before he focuses once again on the road
. When I get out of here, I hope my memories of him will be vivid.

Whoa, where
in the hell did that come from?

“
We’re nearly there, Carew!” Georgina calls out from the back. “It’s still early in the year so hopefully it will be relatively quiet.”

I ponder where we could be headed as Zoran rolls the truck to a stop at a
small A-frame guard house. The two armed guards are clearly more interested in Zoran’s wicked black Hummer than what we are doing here. After letting them look their fill, Zoran clears his throat and speaks in his native tongue, asking for four entrance passes.

The shorter of the two guards gives him some kind of total and he reaches into his back pocket to pull out a slim
, black leather wallet. After paying in cash, he is handed the tickets along with a brochure or map of some sort. Everything is quickly passed over to me. The glossy brochure has the image of a massive waterfall on the front. It reads “Plitvice National Lakes Park.”

“Are you excited
, Carew? This park is so beautiful! There are many, many waterfalls here. I adore hiking this area with B. It’s so romantic.”

Thankfully
Zoran pulls into a spot before I have to answer that one. We all hop out. Zoran comes around to my side to help me down, clearly taking care to watch out for my arm.

“Are we hiking together
, Tigar, or do you want some more alone time with Carew?” The jesting tone in B’s voice is unmistakable.

Zoran replies
in a flat, dismissive voice, Refusing to take the bait, “We’ll meet you back here at two o’clock. We can grab a late lunch at the pub in town.”

“Whatever you say
, big brother. Georgina and I are headed up the northern trail. Your loss!”

Zoran shakes his head
as B tosses tiny Georgina over his shoulder and races off. She is laughing, her glossy long hair streaming down against the legs of his jeans. I watch them disappear up a narrow path. They are clearly in love. It’s so sweet. I wish we were sticking together on this little nature hike of ours.

“Come
, Carew.” The heat in his voice makes my nipples tighten beneath the softness of the fitted sweater.

He reachs out
to me, and I slip my hand into his rough, callused palm. Lately I have found myself longing for his closeness. Not just the explosive pleasure we experience together, but
him
. What is happening to me? From our first encounter he has done more to stir the fires within me than I ever dreamed possible.

As we enter a
wooded trail he looks down at me. “There is something I want to show you. Are you up for a morning hike?”

I lift an eyebrow
. “It’s not like I have much of a choice.”

He
smiles and holds my hand in his warmth. “Come on.”

It’s one thing to
drive through this vast forest; however, walking through this paradise is even more awe-inspiring. The intense shades of green along with the diffused sunlight falling onto the small dirt path before us transports me to a very happy place. The rush of water is all around, so omnipresent that it is impossible to pin down any one source. Now this is a perfect day for a hike ….

“You know
,
princeza
, Kreshmir was never like that … before,” he says in a serious, sad voice.

“Who?”

“The man who attacked you. His name is Kreshmir. We have known each other since we were small boys. He was a happy kid, always laughing, joking. You know the sort. Anyhow, his family was also wiped out by the invading army. We entered the military about the same time.

“
I don’t know how much you know about war, Carew, but the violence changes men. It did this to Kreshmir. He seeks it out like a drug, needs it to survive, I suppose. He really should never touch alcohol. I believe it makes it worse for him. He’s going to be hurting badly this morning.”

“Yeah, well
, he sort of deserved it. I mean, the guy was well on his way to raping me!”

He stops us and holds
me by the arms as he stares down into my eyes. “That never would have happened, Carew. I would never let that happen to you. I went out to feed the dogs when he snuck upstairs. I’m sorry that you were frightened, but I’ll always protect you. You know that, right?”