Lottie’s life settled into a tolerable routine.
Her guards changed in a steady rotation. Casey let her bathe in the river every evening. And aside from when they shared his tent at night, or when he was on duty guarding her, he kept his distance.
She rolled over and tucked her hands under her cheek. It really wasn’t so bad here in Casey’s camp compared to that other one, and Lottie was trying to ignore the few things that did upset her. Most of the soldiers were not nice—and in fact, some were downright rude—but Lottie was used to that. The communal homes weren’t known for their rainbows and sunshine either.
Actually, after a week in Casey’s camp, there was only one thing that made her worry. Two or three times a day, her belly would tighten repeatedly. It didn’t hurt—not really—but it wasn’t comfortable either. The sensation would repeat itself every few minutes for about an hour and then would go away. She wondered if there was a name for it. Maybe Casey would know. When he got back from patrol she would ask him.
Lottie sucked in a breath as another of these muscle spasms happened. As it released, she let out the air she was holding and took a shaky breath. It’s passed, she told herself. Her stomach growled. She should probably get up and go get something to eat for breakfast or drink some water. She could hear the men around the campfire.
With a sigh, she pushed to her knees and crawled to the tent entrance. It was easier to crawl out and then stand instead of trying to maneuver within the tent hunched over. She nearly fell once, and she didn’t want to repeat the scare.
Lottie exited the structure and zipped the tent flap closed before putting on her ratty shoes and gaining her feet. As she stood another of the spasms gripped her, and she bent over to brace herself on her knees. She waited for it to pass.
“Is princess feeling ill, again?”
Ethan.
She declined to answer. When she started walking down the hill to the bathroom, Ethan and Teo, followed after her.
Great, she grumbled mentally. It was the first time she had to deal with them alone, since that first full day. The kept to themselves when Casey was nearby.
That strange tightening sensation happened two more times on her way down to the restrooms, and she struggled to appear unaffected. She didn’t like being the object of their ridicule and she didn’t want to give them anything else that they could use to make fun of her.
When she arrived at the outhouse, she locked herself in and took a calming breath. And then another. As her tension drained away, the tightness in her abdomen did too. The relief fed on itself until she was completely calm and in control. She used the restroom and then schooled her expression before unlocking the door.
Lottie stepped out from under the roof and into the sunshine. Her face tilted toward the sun filtering through the leaves.
“Enjoying yourself, beautiful?”
Lottie sucked in a breath. Ethan was standing way too close. She looked right then left for some way to escape him, or at least put some distance between them.
“At least one of us is,” Teo remarked. “I know I ain’t”
Lottie stepped back and to the side, trying to skirt around Ethan, but he advanced. He managed to keep her from moving around him. In a few more steps she felt the wall against her back. She couldn’t move any farther away.
“You’re going to stay right here and listen,” he said. He punctuated the “hear” and “listen” with a hand on either side of her head. Each thud of Ethan’s hands hitting the wall made her jump. She started to pant.
Ethan leaned in and brushed his cheek along hers. “So soft. I bet all of you is that soft once you get rid of the brat in your belly.” When he looked at her again, he was smiling. But it had an edge to it as if he were pleased with how uncomfortable he made her feel.
She clasped her hands around her abdomen, giving it gentle rubs and pats. Lottie couldn’t tear her eyes away from Ethan’s. It was as if the whole world faded away to nothing, leaving only his smirk.
“Look, doll—face. I expect some sort of compensation for having to stand out in the heat to watch your ass, but you’re too fat to fuck right now.” His eyes traveled down her body and then back to hers. She held her breath. “Once you have that kid, I will take payment for my extra watches. A couple others may join in… Or maybe I won’t share. I haven’t decided yet.” His hand left the wall on one side of her head, and she could see him readjust himself. She let the air out of her lungs slowly. He replaced his hand next to her head afterward. “But no matter what I choose, I will have satisfaction from your body. Who knows? Maybe I can knock you up again before you get back to St. Louis.”
A chuckle drew Lottie’s gaze to Teo, who she could see over Ethan’s shoulder. She quickly looked back to Ethan, who had turned his head to look at Teo. Teo was doing something, and Lottie didn’t want to examine too closely what he was doing with his hand in his pocket. She gulped.
“Looks like I’d have to fight Teo to keep him away from your cute ass. Good thing I don’t want to, right Teo.”
“Yep,” his reply was strained. With effort, she kept her eyes on Ethan.
“Make no mistake, I’ll get to you here in camp or on the march back to the city.” His hand lightly brushed the hair from her cheek. “I hope you have that brat soon. I can hardly wait to receive your payment.”
And with that, he stepped away from her and Lottie slowly sunk to the ground. Her legs were shaking too hard to hold herself upright. Ethan walked several feet away and turned to stand at attention. He readjusted himself again and grinned when her eyes were drawn to the action. “Told you she would like it,” he laughed and punched Teo in the shoulder.
Lottie felt the hot tears spill down her cheeks. She let them fall without trying to stop them.
*****If you like Conscription Compromise, please add it to your library!
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