The Woods Ch. 02

Trigger warning: This story features characters that deal with past abuse and trauma.

*NOT 100% non-erotic BUT THERE IS VERY LITTLE SEXY STUFF*

This story is a slow burn. So, if that's not your cup of tea, please try one of my other stories!

All characters are 18 years old or older. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions! Thank you for reading and enjoy!

*****

He wiped the icy snow from his beard roughly with one sleeve and hiked on. His feet ached. His stomach was rumbling with hunger and his back was sore from carrying the supplies such a long distance. The wind howled at his back. He could hear small branches and twigs snapping.

The young woman followed behind him carefully placing her feet in the prints he had made. The snow was not very deep yet, but it would not be long until it was too much to travel. It had come early this year. Her feet ached. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt snow. Even in the freezing temperature, even as the sweat made her uncomfortably hot and cold at once, she never said a word. This man was willing to treat her well. She would not give him a reason to let her go. She would not allow herself to be discovered by her former masters. She would never belong to anyone again. This man offered safety, shelter, and knowledge. She would stay here as long as she could, knowing that it was hard to come by such a combination.

He counted himself lucky that he had not run into anyone yet. Henry found it difficult to believe. Even on his easiest trips, he had encountered some people outside of town. Vigilantly, he kept an eye out for anyone lurking behind trees or in other hiding places. Even in the beginning of a storm, you could never be too safe. The woods were among the easiest places for criminals to hide. In the town, they wouldn't be able to get away with stealing or harming others. In the woods, criminals had free reign.

Henry had chosen his cabin carefully. He knew how dangerous a place this could be. But he also knew the kind of freedom and simplicity that could be found in the depths of the forest. His cabin was difficult to find through the thicket of trees and kudzu that seemed to engulf everything around him. The leaves and brambles made for excellent camouflage.

It was dark when he approached the cabin. The tin roof had been lightly dusted in snow. The mixture of leaves and ice crunched underfoot as they walked up the hill towards his home. Slowly he opened the door. The room was cold from the storm and Henry immediately went to start a fire.

"Please, go ahead and put those things away," he said to the girl as she closed the door.

Nodding she went to follow his orders. In the kitchen she could hear the fire begin to crackle. She was dying to be in front of its warmth. When she came back into the living room, she saw him sitting on the couch. She noticed that he was wearing a different shirt and pants. His wet clothes were hung up by the fireplace.

"You should change into some warm clothes," he said standing up to give her the items, "Give me your other ones and I'll dry them with mine."

She hesitated before taking the clothes. She nodded in thanks. Slowly she began to disrobe. The image of her naked breasts startled Henry who had not known that she was naked. He turned his eyes away in order to maintain her privacy, but she seemed completely unphased by her nakedness.

Still naked, she turned his face to hers. He could tell now that her expression was one of bewilderment. She nodded and ran her hand along the outside of the garment, smoothing down any wrinkles. She smiled one of her rare smiles as if she were trying to reassure him that his gift meant a great deal to her.

Henry forced his eyes to the ceiling with great difficulty. He had caught a glimpse of her erect nipple, light brown against her pail, freckled skin. She was young and naive. Perhaps it was innocence that made her so unaware of how her delicate frame and soft, supple curves could spark desire into his thoughts. He thought not. The way in which he found her suggested that she had seen her share of violence. Without looking he quickly fastened the cloak to cover her. He had been the one to find her in the woods. This poor, sweet girl needed his help; he would not treat her as prey.

"I didn't mean in front of me. Go. Put some clothes on. I don't want to see you undressed in this house. Is that clear?"

When he looked down at her, he saw that she was confused. There were tears brimming in her eyes, but all too quickly she nodded and turned away. He could hear her footsteps upstairs. Leaning back into the armchair, he wondered if he had spoken too harshly.

Upstairs she fumbled with the new clothes he'd given her, a shirt and pants. She'd hung the cloak up and closed the bedroom door. She had always been trained to wear as little clothing as possible around men, especially men that were to be respected. Why had he seemed so offended at her display of loyalty? She was unsure of what to do next, but she put on the clothes as he had told her and came back downstairs.

When she came back into the living room, she was wearing As she worked, her thoughts began to trail off to the room upstairs. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach. It was true that she did not know what happened there, but she could easily have guessed.

In her mind, something awful had happened in that room. Thoughts drew her back to her own past and the terrible things that she had endured with her many previous owners. But she had never had an owner like Henry. He was different from the rest. Perhaps it was because he was not formally her owner. Technically, she was still owned by her most recent buyer. But after trying to run away he had treated her even more violently and left her to die. That was when Henry found her. He had taken her in and fed her and asked for nothing in return. He had given her a bed and clothes and asked for no favors from her. She was desperate to show her gratefulness to him. And there was one thing that no man had ever refused her.

There he was. Lying on the couch, collapsed from exhaustion. His legs were spread out, his head leaned back in a way that allowed his mouth to hang open in sleep. She would have laughed at his appearance if she did not admire him so. Instead, she knelt before him, as she had done for countless others.

Her slender hands reached up to unzip his jeans. She began to kiss his shaft over his underwear, feeling as it got harder. A soft moan escaped him. She kept going. She began to use her hand to massage his balls as she kissed a trail from his belly to the hem of his underwear. He moaned again. This time his eyes fluttered open, somewhat confused.

She felt him jerk back sharply, yelling an obscenity. He zipped up his pants and buttoned them. As he stood he picked her up by the arm and sat her down on the couch roughly. Startled by his quick movements, she sat motionless before him.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?"

She looked around, panicked. She hadn't done anything wrong at all. She tried to bite her nails to cover up for how badly her hands were shaking. She'd never had a man tell her to stop doing that. What had she done wrong?

Henry saw how nervous and fearful she had become. He took a breath and sat down on the table in front of her. He couldn't help but wonder about this strange girl. He looked at her hard for a few more moments before he spoke.

"I'm going to bring you a notepad and you are going to explain to me just what the fuck you think you're doing."

When he handed her the paper and pen she hesitated but took it. She looked up at the man for a moment, deciding. Slowly, she began to write. All the things she had wished desperately not to tell. Surely when he found out that she had an owner, he would sell her back for the profit. She wanted to slap herself for not being more thoughtful. She should have charmed him slowly. She had gone too fast and now she would be returned to her terrible owner's harem of starving, brutalized women.

When she had finished the last word of the last sentence. She looked up at him. She couldn't stop the tears. They flowed down her cheeks so much that no matter how she wiped them away her face was still wet. With a shaky hand, she gave him the letter.

His heart sank as he read her story. Betrayed by her mother she had been sold again and again. She gave details of the vicious owners she had and their expectations of her. He knew that she had not fabricated the story. There was too much pain in her eyes for it to have been a lie. The ache in his chest was palpable. She had expressed her fear of leaving in a way that made him want to protect her. He set the letter aside.

Without a word, he took a seat beside her and pulled her into his lap. She was unsure of what was happening? Why did he embrace her now, when only a moment ago he had scolded her? She was overwhelmed with emotions that she could not name. Henry held her there, his hand cradling her head as she sobbed. He whispered words to her that he hoped were comforting. He stroked her hair and told her that he understood and that he would keep her safe.

Even in the letter, she had not shared her name.

"What would you think if I gave you a nickname? You don't have to keep it unless you like it." He said, "I think it might help to make you feel better. Like you're starting something new and that the past is behind you."

She nodded, wiping another tear.

"What about Randylin?"

She replied with a hug nodding into his chest as he held her close. He stroked her hair gently. For a moment they stayed there, embracing each other in silence. His mind was filled to the brim with thoughts, ways he could help her. He wanted badly to mend the young woman before him.

He closed his eyes and hugged her more tightly. He knew now that she was not trying to be crude or vulgar before. In her own twisted way, she had meant to demonstrate how much she cared for him. But he would show her other forms of affection. He would treat her as the precious girl she was. He pulled back for just a second to wipe away her tears. When she looked up at him the look on her face made him furious at the men who had harmed her. He kissed her softly on the forehead and patted her back until her crying subsided. After a moment, he got Randylin some water and carried her to bed.He sat there, just beside the sleeping girl on the bed. Her slender, delicate frame outlined by his plain sheets. She looked peaceful. Her brow unfurled as any trace of worry left her face. Her breaths became deeper, slower. He began to stand up. As he went to leave the room, he turned and caught a glimpse of her asleep in his bed.

Something inside of him shifted. It was something primal, instinctual. He had felt the surge of protectiveness wash over him when he first found her, but this was different. It was almost a longing. He wanted to keep her safe, of course. But there was something else that made him want to teach her, guide her.

It was off-putting how ready she was to provide him with sexual pleasure. Something about the way she did it felt like she saw it as an obligation. The detached, mechanical way she went about it was devoid of any feeling or emotion. It was simply a task to be done. His heart broke when she acted this way. Although he regretted how harsh he had been with her when telling her no, he still wanted her to understand that she was not expected to act that way with him. He had no interest in taking advantage of her in that, but he had learned that she'd only been trying to show her admiration.

He thought about the men from her past. She'd been quite descriptive in her letter, detailing how they had each hurt her. Some had harmed her physically or emotionally. She didn't write about anything about if she had ever been able to talk, but something told him that she could. She had just been too frightened, too hurt.

He wanted to heal that brokeness inside of her. When she woke up the next morning he would treat her as she should be treated. In time, he thought, she will unlearn all those cruel and harmful things she'd been taught by her owners.

When she woke the next morning she walked downstairs. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment at the events of last night. She had told him everything after he'd reprimanded her for undressing and trying to suck his cock. Now, he was standing in the kitchen, warming up what smelled like coffee and oatmeal. He placed two bowls on the small wooden table.

Walking over to it she waited until he nodded for her to sit. There were even bits of dried fruit sprinkled over the top of her steaming bowl. She smiled down at it, and then at him.

"You're welcome," he said, placing the mug in front of her as well. He kissed her on the top of her head before sitting down.

A rush of warmth filled her at this small gesture. She felt it run from the top of her head down to her pussy. It was such a confusing mix of emotions. The happiness she'd felt at first twisted into something erotic. She felt her pussy throb a little before that same feeling contorted itself into a mixture of guilt and sadness. Something bubbled up inside of her and without understanding why it was happening, she began to tear up.

Henry was mid-bite when he saw her expression change. Tears trickled down her soft cheeks. She avoided looking at him directly, even when he asked what was wrong. Finally, after he asked again, she shook her head.

He got up and squatted beside her chair so that he was able to look into her eyes. Brushing her hair behind her ears and away from her face, he dried her tears with his thumbs.

"Randylin, what is it?" He spoke calmly to her, almost like he would speak to a child. "Did I upset you?"

She shook her head, nodded then eventually shrugged. A look of utter confusion upon her face.

"Here," he said, "Finish eating. Then you and I will go to the couch and I can read to you and help you relax."

When she had helped him clean the table and wash the dishes they went to the couch. Randylin chose one of her favorite books from his shelf and handed it to him.

When she sat in his lap she noticed how she could not feel his erect penis. She wondered why it was not erect. Usually, when she sat this way with men she felt uncomfortable, but not with Henry. She snuggled closer. Randylin could feel his chest rising and falling with his breaths and the sound of his voice reverberating in her ears and in his chest. She loved the sound of his voice. It was gentle without being soft.

Laying there with him she noticed how nice he smelled. A mixture of tobacco, pine trees, and fresh ground coffee. Randylin looked up at him. For a moment Henry kept reading. Eventually, he stopped.

"Is something the matter?"

Her gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips. Suddenly her mouth was pressed to his in a desperate attempt to show him how thankful she was. She had never been treated with any sort of kindness and wanted to repay him in some way. It was true that she let this man take her in because of what he offered. Yet, something else was also pulling her towards him. He offered her such kindness and asked for nothing. Why did he ask for nothing?

Their kiss grew deeper. She pressed her soft breasts against his strong chest. He could feel her hard nipples even through both their shirts. He pulled back and shifted so that she was sitting at his side. Henry noticed how her shirt was pulled askew, exposing her bare shoulder and collar bone. He quickly fixed it for her. Unable to help himself, he brushed her hair to the side and gently stroked her cheek.

"Are you comfortable there?"

She fidgeted a bit. Finally, she nodded. Henry began to read again. His voice was deep and calming. Randylin had never felt as peaceful as she did now. There in the warm cabin, sitting beside this gentle man as he read to her, something inside of her broke. Suddenly, she was acutely aware of the fact that she had run away and that her owner could still be searching for her. She had thought that he'd sent those men to harm her, but maybe not. Maybe he still wanted to bring her back.

Fear struck her like lightning running through her veins, hot and sharp. She could feel the panic set in, her heartbeat quickened. He would find her. He would find her again. Soon she would be taken away from this place and the peace she had felt would be nothing but a memory.

Henry stopped when he saw that the young woman was shaking. Her eyes wide, staring off into something in the distance. Alarmed, he put down the book.

"Sweet girl," he said softly, "What is it? You seem very on edge today."

She didn't answer, or even move, but he could see the fear in her eyes.

"Come here." He said pulling her onto his lap. "You're shaking. Did something frighten you?"

Randylin looked at him, her eyes were desperate. Silently, they were begging him to keep her safe.

"Can you tell me what it is?" he asked gently, patting her back as she trembled.

When she had calmed down a bit she signaled for Henry to get the writing pad. After taking a deep breath she expressed how cruel her last master had been and that her greatest fear was being returned to him. She was technically still his and unless she was sold off she would remain his. She told Henry how much she liked it here with him and how she wanted to stay.

He stroked her hair again, "You don't have to worry about that. I won't let you out of my sight. You don't deserve to be treated that way by anyone."

He forced her chin up to meet his gaze, "I will protect you. Do you believe that?"

Randylin nodded.

"Good." he said with a confident smile, "Now, would you like to stay here in my lap while I finish reading to you?"

She nodded, sniffling. He kissed her forehead and began again. When he had finished he saw that she was fast asleep. He laid her down and sat silently beside her. His head was filled with thoughts. He had not been concerned for anyone but himself in a long time. The feeling was familiar but painful, bringing back memories of both his wife and daughter. He had failed to protect them both. He would not fail again.

Outside the wind howled and the rain poured. It got louder and harder with each passing hour. Henry went to get the small radio from the closet. Wiping the dust from the top, he fiddled with the knob before finally settling on a channel. It was one of the few channels that could be reached from this far into the mountains. Over the static, he heard that there would be heavy ice and sleet.

After the weather, he stayed sitting on the floor, listening to the radio.

"Another underground harem found today," a male anchorman stated, "fifteen young women were found alive. The women are in critical condition due to malnourishment and alleged abuse. They have been taken to a facility nearby while the owner remains in custody with the police."

Henry couldn't help but wonder what more Randylin was hiding. Surely what she had told him today was not even scratching the surface. She was shaking with fear, and so he suspected that she had been treated in ways no human ever should. He wondered how to remedy that. He could not easily change her mind or make her forget her past. How desperately he wished he could take that burden from her.

He sighed, deep and heavy pondering what she needed most from him. He wondered if she would even be able to tell him what she needed. He shook his head. Surely what she needed most was someone trustworthy, a person to keep her safe and treat her kindly.