Each stamp on the green grass flashed darkness through Tess's eyes as the cuff slit deeper into her wrist. She got relieved when Lanse slowed down to the pace of normal walking. No longer gasping from the painful jolts, she could speak.
"Cooper... Why don't you come with me to the beach away from the others---And pick up where we left off? Let's go walk in the wind and not talk... We can find a spot on the soft sand to sit. You can lay on my lap while I feed you."
She hoped Lanse mistook the low drag in her voice for genuine yearning and not lethargy from hunger.
Lanse kept walking towards a tree with no roots to sit on. They stopped under the shade and Lanse turned his back to her to face the bark. He looked down and the sound of his zipper echoed in her ears.
"What are you doing?" It was after she spoke that the realization hit her, and her brows twitched in every area.
