HER DADDY’S JEWEL

LAYLAH ROBERTS
 CONTENTS

Her Daddy’s Jewel

Let’s keep in touch!
Books by Laylah Roberts
Trigger Warning

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
HER DADDY’S JEWEL

Laylah Roberts
Laylah Roberts
Her Daddy’s Jewel

© 2021, Laylah Roberts

[email protected]
laylahroberts.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal
Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part
of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system
without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Cover Design by: Allycat’s Creations

Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Editing: Celeste Jones
Created with Vellum
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BOOKS BY LAYLAH ROBERTS

Doms of Decadence
Just for You, Sir
Forever Yours, Sir
For the Love of Sir
Sinfully Yours, Sir
Make me, Sir
A Taste of Sir
To Save Sir
Sir’s Redemption
Reveal Me, Sir
Montana Daddies
Daddy Bear
Daddy’s Little Darling
Daddy’s Naughty Darling Novella
Daddy’s Sweet Girl
Daddy’s Lost Love
A Montana Daddies Christmas
Daring Daddy
Warrior Daddy
Daddy’s Angel
Heal Me, Daddy
Daddy in Cowboy Boots
A Little Christmas Cheer
Sheriff Daddy
MC Daddies
Motorcycle Daddy
Hero Daddy
Protector Daddy
Untamed Daddy
Her Daddy’s Jewel
Haven, Texas Series
 Lila’s Loves
Laken’s Surrender
Saving Savannah
Molly’s Man
Saxon’s Soul
Mastered by Malone
How West was Won
Cole’s Mistake
Jardin’s Gamble
Romanced by the Malones
Twice the Malone
Men of Orion
Worlds Apart
Cavan Gang
Rectify
Redemption
Redemption Valley
Audra’s Awakening
Old-Fashioned Series
An Old-Fashioned Man
Two Old-Fashioned Men
Her Old-Fashioned Husband
Her Old-Fashioned Boss
His Old-Fashioned Love
An Old-Fashioned Christmas
Bad Boys of Wildeside
Wilde
Sinclair
Luke
 TRIGGER WARNING

Please be aware that our heroine has a darker past than the other heroines in
my books. She’s experienced past abuse, trauma and rape. The rape was
years ago and doesn’t occur on-page, but she is still dealing with some of
the after-effects.
If this is a trigger for you, please read with caution or you might wish to
give this book a miss.
 PROLOGUE

G rabbing her around the waist, he spun her towards the wall.
Her heart raced. His large hands grasped hers, pinning them to
the wall as he pressed himself against her back.
“You’re not going anywhere. Now that I’ve found you, I’m not letting
you leave me.”
Her hands were transferred to one of his and held above her head. She
was helpless. Unable to move. Her mouth was dry, her heart in her throat,
and she couldn’t answer. Couldn’t do anything except whimper.
It should have frightened her, but instead of tensing or attempting to
fight back, her body wanted to melt into his. To give him whatever he
wanted. A heaviness invaded her limbs.
Obey him.
No. This wasn’t right. She tried to fight the feeling.
He moved his free hand to the front of her throat, his mouth down to her
ear.
“Who do you belong to?”
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Biting the inside of her cheek, she
stood there, unable to move.
Thump-thump-thump.
He pushed himself against her.
“Obviously, you don’t know. That’s my fault . . . ”
 1

A week earlier

T HUMP . Thump. Thump.

Jewel forced herself to take a long, shuddering breath.
This wasn’t her.
She wasn’t this scared little girl, sitting in the corner with her legs
tucked up to her chest, face hidden in her knees.
She was a kickass bitch who took no prisoners.

T ELL J EWEL that Maxwell said hi.

F UCK .
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
How was this happening? How was this her life again? It was him. It
was because of him. He did this to her.

T ELL J EWEL that Maxwell said hi.

S HE SHOULD HAVE RUN . She should have run far and fast. But she’d been
scared to leave this life.
And now it was her fault he was in danger, that he was being threatened
to keep her in line.
She’d cut herself off from everyone to protect them. Yet in the end, he’d
found her biggest vulnerability.
Selfish.
She’d been selfish. She didn’t deserve this life. With friends. With
people who gave a fuck.
He was meant to be dead. Why wasn’t he dead?
Because you’re just that fucking unlucky.
How many people have to live through their own personal nightmare
twice?

T ELL J EWEL that Maxwell said hi.

S URELY IT WASN ’ T HIM . It had to be someone else fucking with her.

But who? God, she didn’t know. Why torture her like this? Notes on her
car, phone calls where the person would just hang up.
And then the photos.
Fuck. The photos.
Her breath came in sharp pants. They were what had sent her over the
edge. Sent her into hiding. But she couldn’t keep living like this. She was
giving herself an ulcer. She couldn’t eat or sleep. She simply sat in her
apartment and waited.
Think, Jewel.
What are you going to do?
Reyes had promised her that he was dead. He’d paid a shitload of
money to get rid of him. To give her a new life.
The room around her started to spin. Fuck. She was going to be sick.
Toughen up, Jewel. You’re stronger than this. You have to be. Nobody is
going to save you. You need to save yourself.
 She wished she could go to Reyes. She wanted to. She wanted to lay
this problem at his feet. Wanted someone else to solve this for her. But it
was far too risky. Maxwell would destroy anyone who came between them.
This is why it didn’t pay to get close to people.
“You’re strong. You’re tough. You’re a badass bitch.”
If only this was some fairytale.
But it wasn’t. And she was no princess in the tower. She didn’t need a
white knight. She needed a monster. Someone bigger, stronger, nastier than
the evil stalking her.
“I need a freaking miracle.”
Forcing herself out of the corner, she slowly walked over to the table
where she’d spread the photos out.
She ran her hand over her face then tugged at her hair. She stared in
horror as strands of hair came away in her hand.
She was losing her hair.
That bastard was stressing her out so much, that she was falling apart.
She knew he would be enjoying this. Torturing her. She ran her finger
over a photo. She’d do anything to protect him. Even walk back into her
nightmare. Turning the photo over, she read the message on the back. There
was just an address.
The arrogant bastard expected her to come to him. She knew that it was
all a mind-fuck. Why take her? Why risk a scene when he could make her
come to him?
And she was going to do it.
Going to her bedroom, she drew out a duffel bag and packed some
clothes. On her way out the door, she grabbed her handbag and the photos.
She stood at the door. Deep breath in. Out.
This place had been the only real home she’d ever known.
Straightening her shoulders, she headed out the door.
She no longer had a home.

J EWEL STARED down at her phone. She knew Reyes hadn’t bought that
bullshit about her helping a friend. But from what Sunny had told her, he
was up to his eyeballs in his own stuff.
 She let out a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It had taken her a few
days of travel to get here. To the address on the back of the photo.
Sure, she hadn’t been in a rush. Her car was also a piece of crap. If that
fucker was in a hurry for her to get to him, then he was out of luck. She
erased her phone’s memory before powering it off. Then she tried to find
that place inside herself. The place where nothing could hurt her.
She attempted to go numb.
After Reyes had helped her escape him that first time, it had taken her
so long to start to feel. To allow herself to be happy. To trust.
Fuck.
For such a short while, she’d been fucking happy. And now he was
taking that from her.
And she was. So. Fucking. Mad.
Easy, Jewel. Breathe.
Getting mad wasn’t going to help. Maxwell liked her compliant. He
liked knowing that he’d tamed her. That she would obey his every whim.
That’s what she needed to do. Be his obedient little puppet.
Yeah.
Fuck. That.
Gathering up her courage, she left her stuff behind as she got out of her
shitty little car and started walking towards the dark, abandoned-looking
warehouse.
Striding confidently towards the front door, she shoved it open. She was
here on time. Eight pm. It was already dark; the street lights didn’t reach
this far back. Once she got inside the warehouse, it was creepy as hell.
Show no fear.
Her heart pounded so hard she felt ill, but she refused to let it show.
Tossing back her hair, she walked into the middle of the large space. The
place was mostly empty, a few old packing crates and by the smell of it,
some dead animals.
A run-down, dirty, smelly warehouse wasn’t Maxwell’s scene. In fact,
he was kind of a germaphobe so she was shocked he’d even come here.
How the fuck had he survived? Reyes was going to be so pissed if he
ever found out. He’d used all his savings to have the asshole taken out, to
give her a new life, a new identity.
She made her way forward. This was the only way she had of protecting
them all.
 Her friends. Her family.
Standing in the middle of the warehouse, she tapped her foot
impatiently. How hard was it going to be to act like a mouse again?
“Well?” she called out. “I’m here. How long am I expected to wait?”
Silence.
Fuck. What if he’d brought her out here to lure her away from her home
to . . . what?
Maybe he’s brought you here to kill you.
“Are you here? Because I’m leaving soon. I didn’t come here to stand
around in some dark, smelly pit of a building.”
“My, haven’t we become awfully mouthy.” The silken voice filled the
warehouse. It was the voice from her nightmares. The one she’d tried so
hard to forget.
Her insides quivered, fear nearly threatening to unravel her.
Part of her had hoped that someone was just playing a cruel trick on her.
If it was just one of his lackeys, she could have handled it.
They weren’t her nightmare. They weren’t her personal demon.
He was.
And the fucker was alive.
Fear threatened to send her to her knees.
“I’m going to have to cure you of that now, aren’t I? Turn you back into
my obedient pet.”
Like a worm slithering from the ground, he appeared. He moved
towards her, dressed in some expensive-as-fuck suit that likely cost more
than she made in a month.
She could smell his aftershave as he grew closer. It was cloying, horrid,
it filled her mouth and made her want to vomit.
Or maybe that was just him.
Maybe his cologne would be sexy on someone else. On him, it just
smelt like oppression, torture, misery.
That would be a great way to sell it, huh? Buy this cologne and you too
can become a narcissistic psychopath.
Eau de psycho.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you smiling?”
Was she? She reached up to touch her lips with her forefinger. She
winced. She’d pulled off so much of her nail that the tip of her finger was
bleeding.
 “Maybe I’m just pleased to see you,” she forced herself to say.
“Is that so?”
She squinted, wishing she could see him. Maxwell had always looked
like perfection. Beautiful. Handsome. There wasn’t an inch of him that
wasn’t gorgeous.
On the outside.
The inside was rotten. He was filled with maggots and decay.
“Somehow, I think you’re lying to me. You ran away from me. Hid
from me.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“And you thought you were free. Too bad for you that you were wrong,
hmm?”
He took another step, right into a patch of moonlight. It was a deliberate
move, made to intimidate.
She sucked in a breath. Because this wasn’t the Maxwell she
remembered. His cheekbones were higher. His nose, narrower. His hair was
dark, not blond. If it wasn’t for those eyes . . .
No, she realized now as she looked closer that he wasn’t as different as
she’d first thought. He’d had surgery, changed his appearance. Why?
“W-what happened to you?” She didn’t have to fake her shock.
“You didn’t hear? I guess you were too busy scurrying away like a rat
escaping a sinking ship, hmm?”
“Hear?”
“That I was nearly killed in a fire. Well, the fire came after I was shot.
See, that’s what people need to learn. Always make sure that your mark is
dead before leaving them. Because making a rookie mistake like that can
come back to haunt you.”
Please don’t let him see anything in my face.
She thought she had a pretty good poker face; however, it was about to
be tested.
Where were all his goons? Maxwell never traveled without someone
watching his back.
“Did you have anything to do with the attempt on my life?”
“Me? No.” She congratulated herself on her calm. When she wanted to
scream. When she wanted to cry that it wasn’t fucking fair.
She was hardly the rat. It was him. How the fuck had he survived? What
had he done? Made a deal with the devil?
 Probably.
“I’m not so sure. Why change your identity if you thought I was dead?”
She shrugged. “I thought whoever killed you might come after me.”
Stepping forward, he grabbed her chin. Hard. Her heart raced. Her brain
screamed at her to run. But she kept her ground. Because where was she
going to run to? He’d found her.
There was no escaping.
“I expected some fucking loyalty,” he spat out. His fingers were
bruising. So sore that tears appeared in her eyes.
How was she going to survive this? This was nothing. She knew he
could and would do worse.
“Loyalty? From me?”
“Yes. Fucking loyalty. Like my men showed me. Like Oscar, who
risked his life to drag me from the fire and was injured in the process.”
Fucking Oscar. He was on her shit list.
No Christmas card for him this year.
Okay, Jewel. Losing your mind here.
“While I was in a coma, getting my face reconstructed because of the
damage it sustained in the fire, they stuck by me. Helping me rebuild what I
could in the background, while searching for whoever attempted to kill
me.”
“Did you find him?”
“We did. It took us a while, but we finally found him.”
Fuck. Fuck. They’d found the guy Reyes hired? Had Reyes used his real
name? Surely not.
“Who was it?” Stay calm.
“A professional killer. He was hired to kill me. Too bad he was crap at
his job.”
“Who hired him?”
Maxwell tilted his head, his dark eyes studying her. Like a snake about
to strike. He moved his hand away from her chin and she resisted the urge
to rub at the bruised skin.
Show no fear.
His hand moved down over her chest, running along her black top.
She’d dressed all in black. Black jeans, boots, leather jacket, and T-shirt.
Black like her mood.
“Why do you want to know?”
 She shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose a man like you has a lot of
enemies.”
“Hmm. I do. It also seems that there is a certain loyalty lacking amongst
my people. Or perhaps, just with you.”
She couldn’t believe he seriously expected her to be loyal.
“I was your prisoner.”
“You were my woman. You should have been by my side. Helping me
get better. Instead, you ran. You hid. You’re going to pay for that, Julie. Oh
wait, it’s Jewel now. Isn’t it? You’re going to pay dearly.”
Her heart raced as he ran a finger down along her jaw. “Kneel.”
Her knees were shaking so badly that it might be a relief to kneel. If it
wasn’t a command coming from this asshole.
He could be making her kneel for a number of reasons. To apologize. So
he could shoot her. To suck him off.
She grimaced. Go to that place where nothing can hurt you. Damn it,
why was it so hard to find that place?
“Fucking kneel.”
“And if I don’t?” she whispered.
He got in her face. “If you don’t, then instead of just making you suffer
for being a disloyal bitch, I’m going to make him suffer. You see the way
this works? You do what I say, exactly what I want, and this will just stay
between us. But disobey, try to run, do anything I don’t like and I will go
after him. Got me?”
Fuck. Fuck.
Her breath came in huge gasps.
And she knelt.
“Good pet. You’re going to be my good little slut again, aren’t you?
You’ll do everything your master tells you and then no one else has to
suffer. No one but you.”
There was a shuffling noise from behind her, but before she could turn
to look, Maxwell had grasped hold of her head and there was a sharp prick
in her neck.
Then nothing.
 2

W here was she?

Helping a friend? Jewel didn’t have friends other than
Sunny. She was so closed off from everyone around her.
Occasionally, she’d give small glimpses of what she really thought behind
the smirks and the sarcasm.
Yeah, he’d get snippets. What she didn’t realize was that he’d planned
to chip at that shield until it cracked enough for him to slip in.
Seemed that maybe he should have gotten a fucking stick of dynamite
and blown that shield to smithereens.
His. Fucking. Fault.
He had to do something. All this time he’d been controlling his need to
claim her as his.
And look what fucking happened.
“I’m going after her.”
Around him, conversation ceased. He wasn’t sure what they’d even
been talking about. He didn’t care. Someone needed to find her. And that
person was going to be him.
End of story.
She’d run.
And when she ran, he chased. It was the predator in him, sure. But she
wasn’t prey.
She was his queen.
And if he’d fucking claimed her then none of this would have happened.
Once he found her, he was going to make things crystal clear.
 Running away wasn’t an option for her anymore. He would be laying
down some rules. He was reining her in. Not because he wanted to break
her spirit. Never that.
But because she would learn that he was her safe place.
She. Would. Run. To. Him.
He didn’t care what the fuck it was about. He would always be here for
her.
It might be a hard lesson for her to learn. But learn it she would.
Because he wasn’t fucking going through this again.
His fucking fault. Because he’d gone for the soft approach. He hadn’t
made it clear that if she ran, he would come after her. That if she was
harmed, he would kill for her.
And if she needed someone to put her over their knee to teach her not to
put herself in Goddamn danger, then he had a big lap and a willing hand
just waiting to impart that lesson.
“You are?” Reyes asked. “What about the gym, Jason?”
Who the fuck gave a shit about the gym? He’d only opened the damn
thing to give him somewhere to go to each day. In truth, his partner did it
all, leaving him free.
“Jermaine’s been running it fine for the last few weeks while I took care
of this place.” He’d been watching over Reaper’s bar while Reyes had been
with Emme.
“You sure you want to do this?” Reyes asked.
“You don’t even know where she is,” Razor pointed out, turning to look
at him.
Jason was leaning against the back of Reyes’ office. It gave him the best
view of the room. It also meant he was already on his feet if something
happened. If someone needed help out in the bar, he could be there quick.
Not that he usually had to do more than show his face.
He hadn’t gotten his fucking nickname off the back of a cereal box.
Maybe he hadn’t gone psycho on anyone’s ass for a long time, but the
rumor mill worked well. Someone had leaked the reason for his nickname
and now when most people looked at him, there was still a hint of fear in
their gazes.
And fuck him if he didn’t like that.
If they feared him then it meant that they would think twice about
fucking with him. Or anyone he cared about.
 “Razor’s right,” Spike said. “We only know that she was in Minneapolis
when her phone went dead. You have no idea where to look for her.”
His control over himself was unraveling with every fucking second she
was gone. And nobody wanted to know what would happen once it was
completely gone.
Death. Destruction. Agony.
So he better fucking find her and soon.
“I’m going.”
“You want some company?” Razor asked him.
Fuck. No.
“Work best on my own.”
They all knew this.
Reyes leaned forward. He looked tired, worried. Jason knew he had a
lot of shit going on. But that wasn’t his problem right now.
Jewel was.
He had to find his wayward little brat. Then he had to ensure that this
never happened again.
“Get Brody to send me the location of where her phone was last on. I’m
going back home to grab some stuff.”
“Jason, can I talk to you for a moment?”
He sighed as Reyes called out then waited until everyone else left.
“There’s something you need to know, about Jewel’s past.”
Jason narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like that Reyes knew something he
didn’t.
“I’ve noticed you watching her,” Reyes told him.
Reyes had been watching him? Or watching Jewel? Oh, Jason didn’t
like that. It didn’t matter that Reyes had his own woman and gave off a big
brother vibe around Jewel. Jason didn’t want anyone watching her but him.
Jealous much? Possessive psycho? Domineering brute?
You bet. He was all those things and more. And he wasn’t apologizing
for it.
“Seen the way she looks back at you.”
Deep breath in. Out.
“Yeah? That’s all you’ve got? That we look at each other?”
Reyes stiffened. He wasn’t used to Jason biting back. He was the silent
one. The easygoing one. Well, most of the time. Until he snapped. But that
had only happened once.
 So far.
No guarantees it wouldn’t happen again.
Especially if she was hurt.
“Fuck, listen, this isn’t something she’d want me to tell you. Hopefully,
what I’m about to tell you has nothing to do with why she left, but Jewel
and I knew each other from before she came here to work. We were in the
same foster home for a short time. She was young, maybe thirteen.”
Not what he’d been expecting, but okay. It explained the big brother
vibe. Everyone knew that if they messed with Jewel then they’d suffer
Reyes’ wrath. Of course, they didn’t realize that Reyes would be the least of
their problems. The last guy that tried touching her had been beaten to a
bloody pulp and left out front as an example of what happened to guys who
touched Jewel.
Hmm, he wondered who could have given that lesson?
Oh yeah. That would be him.
Not that anyone knew for sure. They never would. Because that pissant
wasn’t going to talk.
For a long time, he’d been the guy in the background. But there was
obviously something fucking big he’d missed. He’d fucked up, going slow,
giving her time.
His therapist had warned him that he had obsessive tendencies,
bordering on stalking. That if he didn’t back off, give her space, he risked
pushing her away.
He couldn’t believe he’d listened to the shit that came out of that
dickhead’s mouth. If he’d gone with his gut, if he’d monitored her more
closely, stuck his nose into her business, then she’d be safe, wouldn’t she?
In his arms. In his house. Hell, he’d have locked her in the damn
basement if he had to in order to keep her ass safe. With him.
She’d always be safe with him.
“You sure you want to go after her? I should be the one doing it. It’s my
responsibility.”
Yeah, like fuck he was going to let another man go after his woman.
“You got your own shit going on. I don’t,” was all he said, though.
He’d learned to play his cards close to his chest. Less leverage he gave
people, less possibility of them using something or someone against him.
Not that he figured Reyes would. He considered the men who had just been
in this room to be among his closest friends.
 Still, he wasn’t going to give him much. Not yet.
Reyes ran his hand over his face. He looked conflicted. Tormented.
“Don’t mean to be a dick, but I need to get on the road. So talk or don’t
talk, but just decide, yeah?” He lied. He meant to be a complete dick.
Because he wasn’t feeling too charitable towards Reyes just now.
“Fuck. Fine. What I say stays between us, though.”
Jason just grunted. If the fucker didn’t know that he was a goddamn
vault, then he hadn’t been paying much attention.
“Like I said, Jewel and I lived in the same foster home for a while. I
didn’t see her again for years, not until I was on the boxing circuit.
Underground boxing circuit.”
Jason nodded. He knew more about that than Reyes probably realized.
“That’s when I saw her again. I recognized her when I was at a fight,
checking out the competition. Only she wasn’t the same girl. She was
vacant. She was closed-off. Blank.”
Jason frowned, not liking the sound of that. “What was wrong with
her?”
“Him. He was what was wrong with her. Kenton Maxwell. Ever hear of
him?”
Jason stiffened. “Yeah.” Kenton Maxwell was scum. Head of a gang
who ran an underground boxing circuit where men frequently died.
Especially if Maxwell had bet against them. Of course, that wasn’t all that
he was into. That was just where he liked to flaunt his greatness.
Drugs were his main interest. Or had been. Because Maxwell was dead.
“He’s dead.”
“Yeah. Well, before he died, he nearly killed Jewel. She was thin to the
point of emaciation, completely drugged up. But the blankness was the
worst. When she looked at me, it was like she was looking through me.
There was no fire, no sharp tongue, no life. That fucker had driven her
down until she was just a shell. I knew he was abusing her and I . . .”
Reyes’ hands were now fists. Jason knew a woman or child being abused
was a hot topic for him. “There was no way I was leaving her there. So I got
her out. I bought her a new identity and she disappeared.”
But then she’d reappeared? Why?
“Several months later, she contacted me, said that she needed
somewhere to go.” Reyes couldn’t look at him and Jason knew there was
something more to all this. “I told her to come here. Everything seemed to
be fine until lately. I should have talked to her about what was going on.
Should have checked in on her. This illness of hers went on too long and
then taking time off. Fuck, I should have known something was wrong.”
“But this can’t have anything to do with Maxwell,” Jason pointed out.
“He died in a fire if I recall correctly.” There’d been a lot of talk at the time
that he’d been taken out by a competitor. There was a new player that had
come into the scene recently.
Yeah, there were reasons he knew all of this.
“Yeah, I know. For some reason, he inspired a lot of loyalty in his
soldiers. Maybe one of them found her, fuck, I don’t know. All I know is
that I’m fucking worried and if I didn’t tell you this and her disappearance
has something to do with him . . . then I’d never forgive myself.”
Jason just nodded. Then he turned to leave. He’d think this all through,
but while he was on the road.
“Find her, Jason.”
Oh, he would. He had no doubts of that.
And then he wouldn’t let her go.
 3

R olling over, she took in her surroundings.

Her prison, she guessed.
There were a few blessings. She’d woken up vomiting her guts
out. Sure, that might not seem like much of a blessing to someone else, but
Maxwell was a germaphobe. He couldn’t be around her while she was
puking.
These past two days since she’d stopped throwing up, she’d barely been
able to get out of bed. She was weaker than a newborn babe.
He could do anything he wanted to her, and she wouldn’t be able to
fight.
Maybe it was better this way. What use was fighting back? It wasn’t like
she could leave. For one thing, she had no idea where she was. When she’d
woken up, she’d been in this room. It had a bed, a wardrobe filled with
slutty clothes that she knew he’d picked out for her. Because that’s what he
liked her to be. His fuck doll. Someone he could parade around. She didn’t
know why he was obsessed with her. There were plenty of women he could
have. Women who would come willingly to him.
More fool them because he wasn’t the bad boy to be reformed. The
danger that clung to him wasn’t sexy. It wasn’t some dark fairytale.
It was pure evil.
And that evil wanted her.
The door to the room opened and she stiffened. She expected him to
stride in, with that beautiful face and his horrid stench. But to her surprise,
in scurried a girl. She didn’t look older than eighteen. She had a haunted
look in her brown eyes that told Jewel she’d seen far too much.
She carried a tray, the dishes on it rattling. The girl set the tray down on
the bedside table without looking at Jewel. But that was okay, because
she’d had turned away to study the door.
The open, unlocked door.
She closed her eyes. She knew what it was. A fucking test. Like she
didn’t know his games? He enjoyed giving her these opportunities. Enjoyed
seeing her try and fail.
And then he got to punish her.
The stupid thing was that in the beginning, she’d enjoyed being
dominated by him. The rules. The punishments. She’d liked the edge of
pain, pushing boundaries, and being tugged back. She’d met him at a
BDSM club, she’d gone there thinking that she might have been a Domme.
Turns out, she was wrong.
Yeah, shocked her too.
Maxwell had drawn her into his web of pleasure and pain. Until she’d
been completely sucked in.
Until it was too late.
So here she was, staring at an open door and knowing it was a test, but
still wanting to run for it.
But she couldn’t.
“Food. Eat.”
The quiet whisper came from beside her. She flicked her gaze over to
the girl who still wasn’t looking at her.
Her accent puzzled her. Eastern European maybe?
The girl flicked her gaze over briefly then towards the door. She let out
a shuddering breath. “Dressed. Bath. Eat.”
She was shaking, terrified.
Jewel sighed. “All right.”
The girl shot her an incredulous look then glanced over at the door.
“They told you to leave it open, right? You expected me to run.”
She dragged herself up into a seated position then glanced over at the
soup. Ick. Chicken soup. Definitely not her favorite. Then again, she was
used to surviving on toast, fruit, and caffeine.
Yes, she knew it wasn’t healthy. But she’d never learned to cook and
she couldn’t afford to eat take-out all the time. These past few weeks, she’d
only left her apartment long enough to grab the basics. To her surprise, a
bunch of groceries had been delivered to her apartment a few days after
she’d called into work ill. She’d never known who had delivered them.
Sunny said it wasn’t her. She guessed it was Reyes.
“Yes,” the girl whispered so quietly that she had to strain to hear her.
“It’s okay, you can relax. I’m not running.”
She just watched her without blinking. It was kind of odd. Jewel
grabbed the glass of juice she’d brought her, taking small sips. She really
didn’t want to eat that soup.
“I know what happens if I run.”
“Punished.”
“That’s what happened to you?”
And the girl just stared back at her blankly.
“What’s your name?”
The girl bit her lip, but wouldn’t reply.
The door remained open as she tried to force some soup into her raw
stomach. The juice went down a bit easier, soothing her throat and giving
her some much-needed energy. By the time she was finished, the girl had
laid out an outfit.
A short black skirt, red bra, and a skimpy black top.
Jewel liked wearing short skirts. Tight clothes. But on her fucking
terms. Not because some asshole had picked what she should wear.
But she swallowed back the protest.
“Bath,” the girl whispered, disappearing into the bathroom.
Jewel forced herself to stand. She looked to the door. Seriously? She
knew there had to be cameras in here. Did he think she was fucking stupid?
Then again, maybe she was, considering the raised middle finger she
gave the room as she moved towards the bathroom.
Yep. Maybe she was fucking stupid. Because she knew that wouldn’t go
unanswered.
She stepped into the bathroom. The girl startled looking over her
shoulder at her with wide eyes. Fuck. She hadn’t meant to scare her.
Jewel walked closer then forced herself to kneel next to her. She
lowered her head so if there were cameras they’d have less chance to see
her lips moving. The running water would hide any sound she made.
“They won’t hear with the water going. What’s your name?”
“Karina.” The girl dropped her head too. Fast learner.
 Jewel reached out to run her fingers through the water. “How long you
been with him? How did you come to be here?”
Jewel wasn’t great with accents. It wasn’t like she’d ever traveled, after
all. Wasn’t exactly in her budget. She was lucky if she could pay the
utilities, rent, and food. Well, she might be better at paying the bills if she
didn’t have a bit of a shopping addiction.
But bills were boring. Shopping was fun.
“Taken.” Karina was looking at her funny. “Not usual girl. Older.
American.” Karina was staring at her like she had three heads all of a
sudden. “Why here?”
Then her breathing started to come in panicked pants. “Didn’t mean
anything. Didn’t say anything. Tell him didn’t say anything.”
Fuck. She thought that Jewel was some kind of spy.
“I’m not saying anything. I’m on your side. I was taken too.” Kind of.
But Karina just shook her head. “You not us.”
The words were spat at her.
“I’m not with him. Does it look like I’m with him?”
Karina started to calm, but she still eyed Jewel suspiciously.
“Bath.” Karina stood and turned it off.
An hour later, Jewel was exhausted. All she wanted was to climb back
into bed and sleep.
Karina hadn’t said anything more to her. She’d simply helped her get
dressed then done her hair and make-up.
“She’s not ready yet? What the fuck you been doin’, girl?”
Jewel glanced over at the doorway. She recognized the deep, dark,
gravelly voice. It was enough to send chills over her skin.
“You were told two fucking hours. You know the punishment for not
doing what you were told.”
Karina whimpered and Jewel’s protective instincts flared.
“Grafton, should have known you’d be here. A devil can’t survive
without his minions.”
“I’m no fucking minion.”
She glanced over at the bald-headed asshole who featured too
frequently in her nightmares. He’d never touched her. But the way he used
to stare at her . . . much the same way he was staring at her now. With
hunger.
 He liked to make people bleed. To make them cry out in agony. It got
him hard.
Fear.
Fear turned him on.
She wouldn’t give him that, so she met his gaze head-on. Beside her,
Karina was shaking so hard it was a wonder she could stay upright. Jewel
turned slightly, putting the other girl further behind her.
“No? I’m shocked that you didn’t try to seize control while the boss was
down and out. Weren’t you tempted? To be the big boss, instead of the guy
that gets constantly ordered around? Why didn’t you do that, Grafton?
What’s wrong? Were you too chicken?”
She was pushing it, yeah. She knew he was about to explode. But if his
anger was aimed at her then his attention wasn’t on the girl quaking behind
her.
“You fucking bitch.” He stormed into the room.
“Run,” she said quietly to Karina as he grabbed her, hoisting her off the
stool she’d been sitting on. He shook her like a ragdoll.
Her head thumped, her stomach rolling.
Don’t puke. Don’t puke.
Yeah. That wasn’t happening. Opening her mouth, she threw up the
chicken soup.
All over his nicely polished shoes and fancy pants.
Whoops.
Sorry. Not sorry. Asshole.
The backhand to her face wasn’t unexpected. Didn’t mean it hurt any
less, though. Or that a cry of pain and shock didn’t leave her mouth as she
fell backward, slamming to the floor. Her cheek throbbed. Her raw stomach
and aching head protested the movement. And she groaned as she lay on the
ground, trying to calm her racing heart. Fuck. Fuck.
“You little bitch! What the fuck? You ruined my pants. I’ll teach you to
fucking vomit on me, slut!” She braced herself for a kick to the ribs. It was
coming. Or maybe her stomach. The back of her thighs. She wasn’t sure.
Could be all of them, depending on how mad he was.
He sounded pretty fucking mad.
Shit. She hoped Karina had run. And run fast.
“What’s going on in here? What’s the hold up? Fuck, are you covered in
puke? Get away from me.”
 Her insides quivered at the sound of Maxwell’s voice.
Fear nearly had her pulling herself into a ball, putting her arms over her
face to protect it.
Instead, she made herself sit up, even though her head was throbbing
and she could barely see. How hard had he fucking hit her? The pain in her
cheek was barely indistinguishable from the agony engulfing the rest of her
head.
She stared up at Maxwell, her heart racing, her breathing shallow.
“Grafton? Why is there vomit everywhere? And why is she on the floor,
with a swollen cheek?”
She knew he wasn’t asking because he was concerned or cared about
her well-being.
“Bitch vomited all over me after she spouted off shit.”
“Hey, I was just catching up. Long time, no see, and all that. Got to say,
though, I didn’t actually miss our chats. And the vomit is your fault, it
happens when you shake someone who’s recently been ill.”
“We have forgotten our lessons, haven’t we?” Maxwell mused. Then he
suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her hair which had been put into a
high ponytail. She yelped as he yanked her onto her feet.
Fuck. He was stronger than he looked. How had she forgotten that?
She stood because otherwise she figured he’d yank her hair straight
from her head. And she’d already lost plenty of that lately due to stress.
Hmm, would he still want her if she was bald?
He drew her close to him. It seemed wrong that he could hide the devil
behind an angel’s face.
It was Maxwell’s turn to shake her. Fuck, seriously! She closed her eyes
as her head throbbed with each shake. But that was a bad idea as her
stomach complained, rolling over nauseously.
“Listen to me and listen carefully. You’re going to stop being fucking
sick. You’re going to play your part or he suffers, understand?”
Fear filled her. She got it.
“Yes. But if you don’t want me to puke, then you might want to tell ape-
man to stay away from me.”
“Fucking bitch.” Grafton got up in her face.
“Whoa, dude, maybe think about a breath mint.” She waved her hand
back and forth in front of her face. “There’s a thing called dental hygiene.”
“You cunt!” His fist went back and she braced herself.
 “Stop!” Maxwell slashed out the word.
Grafton froze. Quite a feat, really. For a man who was all brawn, no
brain.
“She’s trying to rile you up,” Maxwell told him.
“What? Why?” Grafton asked.
“Probably so you’ll knock her out and she’ll be excused from tonight’s
fun.”
Damn it. She hated how well he knew her. That shit wasn’t fair.
Because she realized he was right. She hadn’t consciously thought it,
but she had likely been riling him up in the hope that he’d knock her
unconscious.
“Grafton, go clean up. You stink.”
Grafton straightened with a grimace as he glanced down at his vomit-
splattered clothes and shoes.
With a last glare at her, he left.
Maxwell faced her. “You’d do well to remember the rules. It’s going to
go much easier for you if you just obey me.”
Fuck. Him.
God, it was so hard to make herself compliant. To make herself lower
her eyes. Give him her submission.
“My pretty pet. You ran away when the leash wasn’t properly tied but
now you’re back. Unfortunately, for you, all disobedient pets must be
punished. But if you learn from your mistakes then those around you won’t
have to suffer for your mistakes.” He savagely grabbed her chin, pushing
her head back. “Understand?”
“I understand.”
“Good girl.”
There was a timid knock on the door. When he opened it, another young
girl stood there. What the fuck? There had always been women around, of
course. But they’d usually been harder, older, with that look in their eyes
that told you they’d seen more than they ever should have.
But these girls were different. Young, fresh, so fucking scared it made
her teeth ache.
“Clean up this mess. Thoroughly.” His nose crinkled as he stared at the
vomit on the floor. “And for God’s sake, get her a breath mint.”
She could tell him where to stick his breath mint . . .
Not a good idea, Jewel. Just breathe. Just endure.
 She had no idea when the end would come. Whenever he got sick of
her. Or she figured a way to end it. But she wasn’t there yet. There was
more fight left in her.
Only she wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
“How did you find me?”
Tell that Maxwell said hi.
It was the message Ink had given her.
He hadn’t remember to give it to her for a while. He’d had a lot going
on back then. And by the time he had, well, she’d already felt like she had
eyes on her, watching her.
“That was an accident. One of my men was in the right place at the right
time. I nearly came for you right away. Then I thought I best have one of
my men watch you while I did a bit of research into what you’d been up to
in my absence. By the way, that therapist you saw had quite a lot to say.
You should be careful what you tell people.”
What? He’d spoken to the therapist she’d had to see after leaving him?
Her mind whirled as she tried to remember everything she’d told him.
Nothing about Reyes thankfully, but she had told him other things . . . oh
God.
She just realized what she had told him.
This was all her fault.
 4

A heavy fist hit flesh. Blood spurted from a broken nose, but the
man didn’t even flinch back. He simply shook his head and dove
back into the fight. The crowd roared.
Jewel knew better than to pay too much attention to anyone. That would
backfire on her in one of two ways. Either she’d get punished for looking at
someone other than him.
Or the person she’d been staring at would be taken out back and killed.
Because Maxwell was nothing if not obsessive over her. She had no
idea why. Hell, if she did, she’d fucking stop whatever she was doing that
made him want her.
It had been five days since she’d woken up in that room.
Five days in her own personal nightmare. Well, the days of vomiting
hadn’t been so bad in comparison to the rest.
At least he hadn’t touched her yet. Her illness kept him away. But he’d
had a doctor come in today to inspect her. To run tests. Because God forbid
she give him anything.
As soon as those tests came back clear then there would be nothing
keeping him away from her.
Last night she’d heard an argument coming from the courtyard.
Maxwell had been speaking on the phone. When he’d gotten off, he’d been
angry. He’d told Grafton that the Russian wanted to move up the timeline
due to a new shipment coming in.
Another smack of a fist against flesh, this time into the other boxer’s
ribs. This wasn’t boxing like you saw on the television. There wasn’t a
referee there to stop things if they got out of hand. The men in the ring
would fight until one of them was unconscious or so hurt that they couldn’t
get back up.
This was raw and violent.
This was what Maxwell lived for.
Jewel stayed perfectly still as she stared out at the fight. Another smack
of a fist against flesh and the dark-haired man fell to the ground. But the
other guy, a big guy with a bald head, didn’t stop there. Moving to the
unconscious man, he drew his foot up and head-stomped him.
There was silence as if those in the crowd were shocked by this
brutality. She didn’t know why. After all, that’s why everyone was here,
right?
They were seated up in a VIP area. They had their own bar with a
private bartender. Nobody could see up here, but it was like they were all
waiting for a reaction.
She snuck a glance at Maxwell. He smiled. There came a ripple of
laughter and applause from his goons, sitting around him. She didn’t
recognize any of them apart from his top three lieutenants. All of the rest
were new.
How had he built everything back up so quickly? She didn’t get it.
When one cockroach died, there were plenty to take his place. Was it due to
this Russian?
The man who had gotten his head stomped on was being dragged out of
the ring, none too carefully. The woman tending bar must have left as a new
woman walked over to them.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked.
Maxwell placed his order and the woman turned to her. To her shock,
she placed her hand on Jewel’s. What was she doing? She ran her finger
over the top of Jewel’s hand in a T shape.
“And you?”
“Don’t touch her.” Maxwell shoved her back and she fell on her ass.
Jewel didn’t react. She couldn’t. Staying still felt unnatural. Like there were
thousands of ants running over her skin.
Her heart raced, but she stayed impassive as the woman shot Maxwell a
frightened look.
“I . . . I . . .”
 “Nobody touches her without my permission. Grafton, get her out of
here. I want that last bitch back.”
Grafton grabbed hold of the woman’s arm, dragging her out. She didn’t
look. She wanted to. God, she hoped all that happened was that she got a
few bruises on her arm.
Please let that be all that happens to her.
She didn’t really understand what had happened. Had she imagined that
T? Did it mean something? Maxwell had turned away from her, uncaring
about what he’d just done. He didn’t say anything to her.
He’d made his point. She was his. His slave, his pet, his property.
And at one time, that’s what she’d wanted.
That’s what really made her sick. That she’d willingly gotten involved
with this asshole.
“I need the bathroom,” she said suddenly. What was she doing? She
knew better than to ask for anything. To speak up without being spoken to
first.
Fuck.
She hated that she remembered the rules so well. She tensed as she
waited for retaliation. But all he did was nod. He waved forward one of his
goons. She knew she was gaping at him. This wasn’t like him. How much
longer could she do this?
Her stomach was always in a knot. Eating had become a distant
memory. She was barely surviving.
But she had to protect him.
“Rich, escort my pet to the bathroom.”
With a shuddering breath, she got to her feet and the room around her
spun.
“What’s wrong?” Maxwell asked sharply.
“Dizzy spell.”
“Why?”
Why? Why the fuck did he think?
“Just stood up too fast.”
“Hugh, get my pet a bottle of water and some food. Can’t have you
fading away, can I?” he crooned, running his fingers up her arm.
Firming her legs, she moved out with another silent jerk walking behind
her. He was huge. Seriously, where had he found these guys?
Goons-r-us.
 Hulks-for-hire.
No-neck-necessary.
Brawn-over-brains.
Okay, that was just dumb. As they grew closer to the private bathroom,
he moved ahead.
“I think I can get the door myself,” she said dryly.
“Got to check there’s no one in there,” he replied in a surprisingly high
voice.
“Jeez, the steroids really did a job on you, huh?”
“What?”
“The pimples. The bulging veins. The high-pitched voice.” She shook
her head. “You should probably lay off a bit.”
“Listen, bitch—” He reached for her.
She pushed the door open and stepped back. “Uh-uh, no touching the
merchandise.” She moved into the bathroom and braced herself, expecting
him to follow her inside. Her breath came in sharp pants.
Did that actually work? Fuck.
She wasn’t sure it would. But when a few seconds passed and a body
didn’t slam against the door, trying to break the lock, the tension started to
ease out of her.
“Just as well he didn’t touch you with that hand or he would’ve lost it.”
Shock flooded her. She froze. She couldn’t move.
It wasn’t real. He wasn’t there.
Nobody knew where she was. Nobody could find her. Nobody was
coming for her.
For God’s sake, she was in the private VIP woman’s bathroom in an
underground flight club owned by Kenton Maxwell. Well, Luc Darrins,
since that was his new name.
So there was no way he was here.
Slowly, she moved. She braced herself. She took deep, slow breaths. He
couldn’t be the reason that woman had traced a T on her hand, right?
But there he was, leaning against the wall of the bathroom. His arms
were crossed over his wide chest as though he didn’t have a care in the
world.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered. “You can’t be here. If they
find you . . .”
 Oh hell. She put her hand over her stomach. They couldn’t find him.
Panic flooded her.
Stop, Jewel. Think. You have to protect him.
She didn’t have time to freak out.
“One of them is just on the other side of the door. He could have come
in here. He could have seen you. You weren’t even hiding.”
“Because I wanted him to come in here,” he said darkly. “Then I could
teach him that no one threatens my woman.”
His woman?
His. Woman.
“What’s happening right now? I’ve been drugged again, right? I’m
having a dream. You’re an illusion. None of this is real.”
Losing it. She was finally losing it. And who could blame her? She
sometimes felt like she’d been hanging onto the edge of her sanity for
years.
“They drugged you?” he asked in a low, grumbling voice.
“I’m having hallucinations. Because there’s no way you’re actually
here. In this bathroom. Nope.”
“Why is there no way?”
“Because why would you be? How would you even get in here? It’s
heavily guarded. There’s no way in.”
“Well, obviously there is. Or I wouldn’t be here.”
She shook her head, pacing up and down, her hand on her stomach
trying to calm it. “You have to leave. No, wait. I need to go first. He’s right
out the door. Then you’ll sneak out. Oh God, what if you’re caught? Can
you leave without the way you came in?”
“I’m not leaving.”
“What? Yes you are. You have to.” She grasped hold of his arm. “Oh
fuck, you’re real.”
“I’m real.” He placed his hand around the back of her neck. It was a
mark of possession. Of protection. And for a moment, her eyes closed as
heat filled her, chasing away the cold.
No. This was bad. She couldn’t fall for whatever piece of safety he was
offering.
She attempted to step back, fully expecting him to let her go. Shock
filled her as he tightened his hold on the back of her neck. He drew her
slowly towards him.
 “Jason,” she whispered. What was happening? She was confused.
Sure, she had always felt this attraction to him. But he’d never shown
any sign of interest in her. Had he? She’d thought he just saw her as a
friend.
And she’d told herself that was for the best. He was younger. He was
quiet. He wouldn’t understand the darkness she had inside her. The things
she’d done to survive.
How fucking ashamed she was of some of the things she’d done.
Sometimes the shame was so thick that it was hard to breathe.
How could she ever tell someone like this everything? Sure, she didn’t
know much about him, but he was a guy who seemed to live an easy life.
There was nothing easy or simple about her.
Complicated. That was the best word to describe her life.
“What the fuck is this?” He ran his finger over her cheek. His tea-
colored eyes flashed dangerously. His light-brown hair was tamed back into
a low ponytail.
He was so big. So warm. She wished she could sink into him. So badly.
But she couldn’t.
“It’s none of your business.” Yeah, she sounded like a complete bitch.
But if that’s what she had to be in order to get him to leave then that’s what
she’d do.
Because he could not be here.
It felt like ants were crawling over her skin. Shoot. She’d been in here
too long. She was shocked the big goon wasn’t beating on the door. But it
wouldn’t be long until he was, and then Maxwell would get involved.
And she’d be toast.
But more importantly, so would he.
His gaze narrowed. Oh, he didn’t like that. Not at all.
Well, tough titties.
Really, Jewel? Tough titties?
She licked her lips. Crap. “Go, Jason. There’s no reason for you to be
here.”
“Pike.”
“What?”
“My woman calls me Pike.”
She sucked in a breath. She knew that Pike was his real name. “You
know the obvious reply to that, right?”
 Who was this guy and what had he done with the quiet, easygoing
Jason? Because that wasn’t the guy she was looking at right now.
“What’s that?” His gaze was still on her cheek. She didn’t know how
he’d spotted the bruise. The swelling had gone down and she thought she’d
done a good job of hiding it underneath foundation. But he couldn’t seem to
move his gaze.
“That I’m not your woman, therefore I don’t call you Pike and there’s
no reason for you to be here. If you came here for me.”
He made a scoffing noise. “What other reason would I have to be here?
You think I came to watch men bash each other until one of them collapses
with a head injury?”
She winced, remembering the last fight.
“I’m walking out that door, and I’m going to pretend you were never
here.” She turned away. It was hard. So fucking hard.
Because she wanted to throw herself at him. She wanted to demand that
he take her with him.
So. Damn. Bad.
But this was for the best.
Grabbing her around the waist, he spun her towards the wall.
Her heart raced. His large hands grasped hers, pinning them to the wall
as he pressed himself against her back.
“You’re not going anywhere. Now that I’ve found you, I’m not letting
you leave me.”
Her hands were transferred to one of his and held above her head. She
was helpless. Unable to move. Her mouth was dry, her heart in her throat,
and she couldn’t answer. Couldn’t do anything except whimper.
It should have frightened her, but instead of tensing or attempting to
fight back, her body wanted to melt into his. To give him whatever he
wanted. A heaviness invaded her limbs.
Obey him.
No. This wasn’t right. She tried to fight the feeling.
He moved his free hand to the front of her throat, his mouth down to her
ear.
“Who do you belong to?”
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Biting the inside of her cheek, she
stood there, unable to move.
Thump-thump-thump.
 Her heart raced. The taste of copper filled her mouth.
He pushed himself against her.
“Obviously, you don’t know. That’s my fault . . . ”
What was going on here? What did he think he was doing?
“Jason—”
“Pike.”
My woman calls me Pike. She shook her head. A sob built inside her.
“I can’t. You have to let me go.”
“No.”
“Where is this even coming from?” she whispered. She wanted to
scream. Why hadn’t he made a move before now? Why now? When she
couldn’t do anything about it? When her life wasn’t her own?
She had to get rid of him. Even if she broke herself doing it.
“You know it’s been building. Don’t tell me you haven’t felt it because
I’ve seen the looks you give me. I know you feel the same. My mistake was
moving too slow.”
Maybe she should have been frightened or angry. He was big. He was
being aggressive. Possessive.
Things she hated in Maxwell.
And craved in someone else. Someone who actually cared. Who put her
needs first. Giving her what she required.
Firmness tempered with tenderness.
Love with unwavering loyalty.
It was something she’d give back ten times over, for the right man.
Unfortunately, she’d never met the right man.
Or maybe she had. Just at the wrong fucking time.
“Let me go.”
“No. You’re coming with me.”
“Okay, how did I never know that you were fucking insane? I’m not
coming with you.”
“You are.”
“I can’t.”
“Why? Tell me what he threatened you with and I’ll take care of it. Who
is Luc Darrins to you? How do you know him?”
She closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the wall. She wished
she could tell him everything. “Someone’s going to come looking for me.”
“I’ve taken care of that, but we do have to get out of here soon.”
 What did that mean? He’d taken care of it? How?
“You’re not listening, I can’t go with you.”
“I’m listening.” Gently, he spun her around to face him. He cupped her
bruised cheek, staring down at her. “Just don’t like what I’m hearing.”
“Jason.”
“Pike,” he reminded her.
“You need to leave.”
“You’re coming with me.”
“No.”
He leaned down, placed his face up against hers to whisper in her ear.
“Don’t like the word no, especially from your lips.”
“Well, get used to it. Because I use it a lot.”
Why did she always have to save everyone? Why couldn’t someone
save her?
That’s what he was trying to do. Only he couldn’t save her because this
world wasn’t one he could handle. This wasn’t some MC with rules and a
good leader. This was hell.
And she wasn’t dragging him in here with her.
“Every time you tell me no, I might just have to retaliate,” he warned.
“Have you had some sort of personality transplant?” she blurted out.
“Something like that. I was given some bad advice about how I should
act and now I’m disregarding that. You could say that this is the real me.”
“I’m not sure I like the real you.”
He gave her a knowing look. “Lying to me isn’t a good idea. That will
end with a hot ass.”
“Yeah? I get to spank you, huh? You should have led with that. Always
thought I’d make a good Domme.”
He ran a thumb over her lip. “Don’t even start with me. We both know
who is the dominant one and it’s not you.”
His gaze moved over her, darkening. “I prefer your usual wardrobe.
Much as I like the view, I don’t want anyone else staring at what’s mine.”
She preferred her usual wardrobe too. This tight, sequined dress barely
covered her nipples and if she bent over, she had to be careful not to flash
her bare ass. Apparently, Maxwell didn’t want to supply her with panties.
She missed her denim and tight tops, and . . . what? Staring at what was
his?
“I’m not yours,” she hissed.
 “You are,” he countered.
“Did you get hit on the head? Have you been drugged? What the fuck is
wrong with you?”
He opened his mouth, but a knock on the door interrupted him before he
could say anything. Probably just as well. If he said anything more caveman
and possessive, she was likely to knee him in the balls.
She shot a frightened look at the door. “You need to hide. I’ve been
gone too long. I’ll take care of this. Just hide until you can leave.” She
pushed him towards the toilet cubicle.
He grasped hold of her neck again. “No.”
Fuck.
“I don’t like the word no, either.” She glared up at him.
“Tough.”
Tough? Seriously! If this wasn’t such a bad situation she might have
kicked him in the shin for that.
“Besides, it’s not who you think it is. It’s a sign for us to go.”
“I’m not leaving with you, Jason.”
Who knew that he’d have a tic by his eye when he got mad? But there it
was. Beat. Beat. Beat.
“You are. Even if I have to carry you.”
He had to go. All that mattered to her right then was that he was safe.
Him and everyone else she had to protect.
When did the safety of the world come down to her? She had thin
shoulders, she couldn’t bear it all.
Stop whining.
Taking a big breath, she stood tall. She had to make him leave and never
return.
“And you’ll end up getting shot or worse. Because Luc doesn’t like
when someone else touches me.”
“Luc,” he said quietly, his eyes narrowing.
“Yes, the guy I’m here with. You best go before he finds you. He’s the
jealous type.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes, nobody is threatening me. I’m here because I want to be.”
“You want to be.”
What was up with him? Why did he keep repeating things she said?
“You want to be with him.” He tilted his head to the side, studying her.
 Fuck. This was hard. So hard.
She wanted to scream her denial. Of course she didn’t want to be with
him. He was a fucking psychopath who was ruining her life, who hurt those
around her, who . . .
Vault. Put it in.
“I came here to be with him. So whatever you think is between us, I’m
sorry, but it’s all in your head. I don’t want you. I don’t care about you. I’m
with Luc and you need to leave before he sees you here and kills you.”
She turned away, towards the door. Just keep moving. Don’t look back.
Don’t think about what you’re leaving behind.
This is for the best.
“Sunny misses you. She’s terrified something bad has happened to
you.”
She paused. Swallowed. But didn’t turn. Fuck, it hurt. It hurt so bad that
she almost bent over. She almost collapsed under the weight of all the
agony, of everything she had to carry.
This wasn’t fair.
Life isn’t fair. Now stop whining.
That bitchy voice stopped her from falling down. So did the thought of
what would happen to Jason if she didn’t get him to go. She couldn’t have
his death on her conscience. She could take what Maxwell dished out to her,
but she wouldn’t have him hurt anyone that was hers.
That included the huge, stubborn man standing behind her.
“Tell her I’m fine.”
“Tell her yourself. Call her. If you’re really here of your own free will
that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
She closed her eyes briefly. Fuck. That bastard knew exactly what he
was doing, didn’t he?
Suddenly, he was at her back, the heat of him infusing the chill that had
settled deep in her bones.
“I find it weird.”
She had her hand on the door handle. Jesus, just go, Jewel. Don’t make
this harder.
“What?” She forced her voice to go cold.
“That for someone who chose to come here, to be with that asshole, that
you look so fucking miserable. He. Hit. You.”
“That wasn’t him. It was someone else. He defended me.”
 Why did he have to smell so damn good? Why couldn’t he smell like
old gym socks?
He brushed her hair away and placed his lips on her neck. “Liar.”
This was madness. What if Maxwell walked in and found them? What if
he had cameras in here? She wouldn’t put it past him.
He would destroy Jason.
So yeah, she should step away. She definitely shouldn’t just stand there
and let him kiss his way up her neck towards her ear.
“I’m not lying.”
“I’ve watched you for a long time, Jewel. It’s what I’m good at. What
I’m not good with are words. So actions will have to do.”
His arm came around her waist, pulling her firmly back against him.
“We’ll deal with your lying later. I know you’re doing it because you think
you need to protect everyone around you. But you don’t. I’m not leaving
you here. Even if I have to knock you out and carry you.”
Terror filled her. She couldn’t let him do that. Turning, she glared up at
him. “You do that and I’ll never forgive you. Understand me? There is stuff
going on you know nothing about and if you do that then he will kill
someone I love. And that cannot happen.”
For the first time, doubt entered his eyes.
Quickly, she turned and grabbed the door handle.
“Jewel,” he said in a low voice.
Please, stop talking. Stop forcing me to be the bad guy.
“Jason, you’re delusional if you think I want to go with you.” She
glanced over her shoulder. “You’re nothing to me. I don’t know why you’ve
developed this obsession with me, but you need to get over it. I don’t want
you.”
God, those words.
They hurt. They hurt so bad that it felt like she couldn’t breathe. She
wanted to take them back, to fling herself into his arms.
“Take care of yourself,” he warned.
Fuck. Fuck.
Instead of throwing herself at him, she unlocked the door and darted out
into the passage. She had no idea where her guard was. Should she wait for
him or go back to Maxwell?
“There you are.”
She nearly jumped at his voice. Fuck. Shit.
 She needed to steer him away from the bathroom.
“Where have you been? Where’s Rich?” Maxwell asked.
He grabbed her arm, holding it so hard she knew it would bruise.
“I don’t know where Rich is. Maybe he got sick of waiting for me and
left. I was just coming out to find you.”
His eyes narrowed. “What took you so long?”
“I still have an upset stomach from the drugs you gave me. I was busy
puking my guts up.”
He shook her. “That excuse is getting old fast and it’s not going to save
you.”
She swallowed, her mouth dry.
“Blame whoever drugged me. It’s not my fault.”
He shoved her against the wall. His fingers on her shoulders gripped
tight, inflicting more bruises. She was going to be black and blue tomorrow.
His hold was so different from Jason’s. Jason’s touch didn’t bruise. He
didn’t move her around to intimidate her. Well, he did but not in the same
way. Maxwell did it because he was a violent psycho, while Jason . . .
Fuck, she was starting to think that she knew nothing about Jason.
Until tonight, she’d have said that Jason didn’t have a dominant bone in
his body. He was always in the background, watching, observant and quiet.
Seems you might have misread him.
The man in that bathroom wasn’t the man she knew.
But she wanted to. Her pussy was wet, her clit throbbing. His calm
dominance had nothing on Maxwell’s manic violence.
Suddenly, Rich lumbered out of a room down the passage. He was
rubbing at his head. He moved from side to side, nearly banging into the
walls.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Maxwell demanded. “Where have
you been? You were supposed to be watching her!”
“I don’t know. I woke up in the cleaner’s room. I don’t remember going
there. I think there was a woman.”
“So you didn’t do your fucking job because of a piece of ass? Is that
what you’re saying? What? She offered you a blow job so you left your post
and snuck into the closet with her?”
Maybe she should have felt sorry for him, but this was one of
Maxwell’s guys. Meaning he wasn’t a good guy.
He was scum.
 Still, she wondered how Jason had arranged all this.
“Have you been taking fucking drugs?” Maxwell snapped.
“What? No. I don’t do that shit.”
Even she could tell he was lying. She let out a scoffing noise. Maxwell
shot her a sharp look.
Shit. She wasn’t acting submissive enough.
My woman calls me Pike.
Oh, God. Why did he have to turn up now? She’d made her bed. She
knew what she was doing. Hope wasn’t something that she could afford.
Damn him anyway.
“Get out of my sight,” Maxwell told Rich. “I’ll deal with you later.”
A shiver raced through her at his words. He grabbed her arm and
steered her back towards the room that he’d come from.
 5

Y ou’re nothing to me
I don’t want you.
She lay on her side, staring at the white walls. She should
probably get up. Should do something other than lie here all day.
Part of her acknowledged that her mental health was suffering. That the
longer she stayed here, the worse it was going to become.
Eight days of imprisonment.
Three days since she’d seen Jason.
My woman calls me Pike.
If only . . . if only she was worthy of a man like Jason. Then maybe her
life would have ended up differently.
Born in the gutter. Die in the gutter.
Well, not exactly the gutter. This house, what she’d seen of it anyway,
was over-the-top luxurious.
At least Maxwell had been called away on business before he could take
things further with her.
But her luck was running out.
Put it in the vault. Don’t think about it.
Her mind wandered as she lay there, listless and exhausted. She needed
to eat more, but every time she ate, she felt ill.
She put her hand to her throat. The way Jason had held it, his body
surrounding hers, it should have felt threatening. But it hadn’t. It had made
her feel safe.
What was wrong with her?
 She heard the door open. Knew someone was there. “You get up. Now.
Get up.”
She opened her eyes, staring up into the worried gaze of one of the girls.
“What?” she croaked.
“Get up. Need get ready. The master wants you.”
She cringed at the way she called him master. That bastard lapped it up.
Asshole.
With a sigh, she sat, willing the room to stop spinning.
The girl stared at her in concern. She was slight and young. There was a
definite pattern. “You need eat.”
Fuck. She wasn’t wrong. As much as she wanted to fade away, she
didn’t have that option. Not yet.
What she really needed to do was find a way to get rid of Maxwell.
Good luck with that.
“Come, come. Get in bath. I get food.”
“What’s the hurry? It’s not even dark,” she asked as she pushed her into
the bathroom.
“New fighter. Good. You look good.”
Awesome.

A NOTHER HIDEOUSLY REVEALING TIGHT DRESS .

Another awful hairstyle. With terrible make-up.
All right, she lied. The dress was awful. But the hair and make-up were
gorgeous. Jewel had a weakness for make-up. Especially lipstick. She
mourned her collection of lipsticks she’d left behind.
Maybe it was stupid to focus on superficial shit. But it was that stuff
that made her happy.
She was sitting next to Maxwell at his club again. The bastard had
barely paid her any attention tonight, just looked her over to make sure that
his property was in working order.
She supposed that she should be thankful he didn’t order her to strip so
he could inspect her. She took a deep breath as she felt herself start to tense.
The last thing she wanted was to draw his attention.
 She could still feel Jason’s lips on her neck. Kissing her. The press of
his body against hers, surrounding her in safety.
I know you.
“His fight’s on next, boss,” Grafton said from behind her, catching her
attention.
Maxwell looked up from his phone, which he’d been frowning down at.
He seemed tense tonight. Normally he loved fight nights. His narcissistic
side craved it. Up here, he got to be the King. He lorded over everyone
down below. He could watch grown men beat each other to a bloody pulp
while sipping a martini.
It was all his favorite things.
So why was he tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair? She
hated that she was so in-tune to his moods. That she knew something was
wrong. And that it wouldn’t take much for a switch to flip inside him and
that calm to shatter, the shield to go down and the devil inside to come out.
She knew that she didn’t want to be around him when that happened.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” she stated.
His hand shot out and caught her wrist. “No.”
“But—”
He turned to stare at her and the look in his eyes had her freezing.
Because there was nothing there. No heat. No anger. No dark amusement.
Fear rocked her and she swallowed heavily. Fuck.
“I need to pee.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t hear you ask, pet.”
Shit. Fuck.
“Please, may I go to the bathroom?”
“Master,” he added.
She was aware of his dickhead goons around him, watching on. He
wasn’t trying to be quiet. Why would he when the point was to humiliate
her?
Blood rushed to her head, making her dizzy. Anger sizzled and burned.
A headache had started thumping in her head. She couldn’t cope with much
more.
“Please may I go to the bathroom, master?” She didn’t look at him as
she asked.
“Hmm, I’m not sure that you meant that. It didn’t sound sincere.”
 She’d give him fucking sincere right after she kneed him in the balls.
Then she’d sincerely tell him to go fuck himself.
“Maybe you should get down on your knees and ask, with your mouth.
What do you say, boys?”
There were murmurs of agreement. She was going to be sick. He
wouldn’t.
But she knew he would. The vault. Stick those memories in there. Bury
them deep.
“Here’s the fight we’ve all been waiting for,” the announcer suddenly
put over the speakers.
Maxwell turned, taking his attention from her and she breathed a bit
easier. She knew this was just a reprieve.
Maxwell moved to the edge of his throne, watching the fighters enter
the ring. He really was interested in whoever this guy was.
She felt a small stirring as one fighter entered. He was huge. But some
of it was fat rather than muscle. Sure, he could probably knock out his
opponent with one punch. However, he didn’t appear to have the stamina to
go for long. And that could be his downfall.
Was this the guy that Maxwell was so interested in?
The crowd started murmuring, drawing her attention as someone else
walked towards the ring. People moved apart for him.
He was big. Not as big as the other mammoth, but you could tell he was
in much better shape. She ran her eyes over him hungrily, surprised by her
reaction.
How many of these fights had she watched? She’d gotten used to over-
muscled guys in small shorts and nothing else.
But there was something about this guy. Unlike everyone else, he wore
a tight, short-sleeved T-shirt. It clung to him but covered him at the same
time.
However, that wasn’t the biggest surprise. No, that would be the mask
covering his face. How could he fight like that? Why would he?
“Why is he wearing a mask?” She winced as she realized she’d said that
out loud. It never paid to show interest for another man in front of Maxwell.
“He’s always fought like that,” he replied, to her shock. “He’s the
Masked Fighter.”
“Original,” she muttered. Why bother? Would anyone here really care
about who he was? Unless he had a reason to hide.
 A feeling of unease rolled through her. She studied him as best she
could. There were no distinguishing tattoos on his arms or legs that she
could see.
“He’s fought before?” she asked.
That couldn’t be right. If he was a regular then she was wrong. It wasn’t
him.
It wasn’t Jason.
However, that logic didn’t dispel the belief that the man down there,
stretching while the guy he was about to fight threw insults at him was the
same guy that had stood in the bathroom down the hall with her.
Maxwell grunted. She knew she couldn’t ask too many questions before
his insane jealousy reared its ugly head.
“Yeah, been a long time though. He asked to have his first fight here. I
want to see if he still has it. Nobody knows who he is. But I’m going to find
out. If he’s still good, I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
She swallowed heavily. Was it possible? No, it was too much of a
coincidence.
Or not a coincidence at all.
But this was so damn risky.
She swallowed, her mouth as dry as the desert. This couldn’t happen.
She had to protect him. But how?
Outwardly, she attempted to keep her appearance calm, but inside she
was freaking out.
“What offer?”
She knew she was risking a lot by asking another question. Beside her,
Maxwell turned. His snake-like gaze took her in.
Fuck. Should have kept your mouth shut.
“Why do you care?”
The mammoth took the first shot, Jason easily avoided the hit. No, she
had to think of him as the Masked Fighter.
She shrugged. “I just think it’s weird he’s wearing a mask.”
“Do you like the look of him? His body? It’s very chiseled, isn’t it?”
Fuck, she knew leading questions when she heard them. If she answered
wrong it could be dangerous and not just for her.
She glanced away. “Seen one, seen them all. They’re just the same each
night. Overgrown meatheads beating on each other for sport.”
 Maxwell was silent and she risked a glance up at him. He appeared
thoughtful, that wasn’t good. Then he smiled. Reaching over, he ran a
finger down her jaw. “But he isn’t like them. He’s special. Like you.
Perhaps you can help me persuade him to join me.”
“Why would I do that?”
He grasped hold of her chin, the anger in his eyes flashing hot. It was
better than chilling nothing. But not a lot. “Because I fucking said so.”
Fuck. Fuck.
What was he expecting her to do? He was changing the game on her
and she didn’t like it.
“I want him on my team. And I want to know who the man behind the
mask is. And you’re going to help me do both, aren’t you?”
Was it a trick question? If she said yes, would he get angry thinking she
wanted the Masked Fighter? If she said no, would he be furious at her
disobedience?
She licked her dry lips, but he’d given up on her, turning back to the
fight. Jewel worked hard to get her fear under control. One part of her knew
that she had to act normal. And normally, she paid little attention to these
fights.
However, her gaze kept going back to him.
The Masked Fighter.
He was good. God, he was good. Fast on his feet. Smart. Forceful. She
had a feeling he was playing with sasquatch. His opponent was quickly
tiring, just as she’d thought. His face was red, his breathing labored.
The Masked Fighter didn’t even look winded. Although it was hard to
tell with that mask. Wasn’t he hot? It was black and covered the entirety of
his face. So tight it would be impossible for an opponent to remove it
during a fight unless someone held him down and ripped it off him.
That could happen, though. What if Maxwell wanted it off? He could
overwhelm him, reveal his face.
Then it would all be over.
But if it was Jason, then why would he have hidden his face when he’d
fought years ago? It didn’t make much sense.
And it was making her realize how little she knew about him. She knew
nothing of his past. Had Reyes fought in the same circles as Jason?
Although Reyes had moved around a lot, going from state to state. Maybe
they’d never crossed paths.
 “Why doesn’t he finish it?” Grafton complained.
“He’s playing with him,” Maxwell said. “Giving the crowd a show. A
lot of people will have placed bets on Argyle. They either don’t remember
the Masked Fighter or thought since he’s only newly back in the ring that he
might be out of shape. More fool them.”
She guessed that Argyle was his opponent. And yeah, it seemed the
Masked Fighter was just playing with him.
“End it,” Maxwell muttered.
It was almost like he heard him, or maybe he sensed the bloodthirsty
level in the crowd growing. Because he suddenly upped his game. Moving
in, he laid a series of punches to his opponent’s ribs.
Then darted back while Argyle was still trying to figure out what the
hell happened.
It was wrong to grin. She really couldn’t. But inside, she was smiling.
God, he was so fucking good.
And she wished she could tell him. Wished it was her job to take care of
him after he finished a fight. She’d heard stories about what happened after
they won. The surge of adrenaline. The need to expel that energy . . .
What would happen if she was alone with him after this fight? Would he
push her against a wall and take her? Bend her over a piece of furniture?
Would he lay her down and eat her out? Or have her suck his dick?
Moments ago she’d been ready to vomit over the idea of having to give
Maxwell a blow job. But with Jason . . .
Shit. What’s wrong with you? You can’t do this. You can’t have him. You
don’t even know if this guy is Jason but even if he is . . . nothing can
happen.
A roar from the crowd drew her attention back to the fighters. The
Masked Fighter had Argyle on the back foot, he slammed another fist into
his face then his gut. Argyle went down on one knee. Another to the face
and sasquatch was out cold.
She waited with bated breath to see what he’d do next. It wasn’t
unknown for a fighter to keep going, even once their opponent was out
cold. It always made her sick, but everyone else seemed to like the
bloodthirsty show.
However, the Masked Fighter took a step back.
Then he looked up. Right up.
Those eyes. Fuck.
 Of course she couldn’t see them properly from here. That was
ridiculous, she was too far away. And he wasn’t looking right at her,
because it was impossible to see her from down below. She knew that
because Maxwell had told her.
So, yeah, she didn’t know any of that.
However, as he turned away, she felt this keening sense of loss that
nearly made her cry.
But that feeling wouldn’t go away. Of knowing him. That it was him.
“Bring him up here,” Maxwell said to Grafton. “I want to meet him.”
She tried not to tense. What would he do? What would happen if
Maxwell tried to remove the mask by force?
Fuck. Shit.
How was she going to protect him?
 6

T here was a bit of a wait.

She could tell Maxwell was getting impatient. He didn’t show it
visibly, but he’d grown increasingly tense. Which didn’t bode well
for anyone.
When Grafton returned, he looked suitably nervous.
Oh fuck, had he declined Maxwell’s invite? Not a good idea. At all.
But then Grafton moved further into the room and he stepped in. He
was wearing a big black hoodie, with the hood up over his face.
Her heart raced. She was going to vomit.
“Ah, there you are.” Maxwell didn’t move, forcing the other man to
come to him.
All a fucking power play.
But from the easy way the Masked Fighter moved forward, it seemed he
wasn’t bothered. Maxwell had moved to the lounge area behind his throne.
He was seated on the sofa and he had her sitting right next to him. His arm
went around her, curling over her shoulder. His finger rubbed along the top
of her breast. It wouldn’t take much for her breast to slip free of the dress
she wore. But a nipslip was the least of her worries right now.
She watched as he sat across from them, placing an order for a drink
which was quickly delivered.
As she sat there, with Maxwell running a finger over her breast, his
slimy touch making her insides shiver with disgust, she swore that she
could feel the Masked Fighter’s gaze on her.
Hard. Possessive.
 But it was impossible to tell with the hoodie pulled so far forwards.
“Good fight,” Maxwell said.
The other man just nodded.
“Please, no need to hide here.” Maxwell waved a hand through the air,
gesturing to the hoodie. “Get comfortable. After all, I have a feeling we’re
going to be good friends.”
The other man just grunted, leaning back but left the hoodie in place.
She could feel Maxwell’s annoyance growing.
He wasn’t a man who was used to being denied.
“All right, I understand. All part of your persona. You know who I am?”
Silence.
Maxwell grew more tense.
“I’m Luc Darrins.” He said it with all the arrogance of a King. The
other man didn’t react.
Shit.
“I have an offer for you, one I don’t think you’ll want to refuse.”
The other man still didn’t say anything. She also noted he didn’t take a
sip from his drink. Probably wise. Maxwell would think nothing of
drugging him, revealing who he was, then using whatever he found to
blackmail him, if necessary.
Maxwell slid his finger under the top of her dress and she had to work
hard not to react, not to move, not to do anything that might show how she
really felt.
Was it her imagination or did the guy in the hoodie tense up? She told
herself she imagined it.
If this was really Jason, though . . .
If it was, then she needed to act like she desired Maxwell. Although she
didn’t think Jason had believed her lies the first time. Still, she should try to
pretend.
So she leaned into Maxwell, making a small murmur of pleasure.
Eww, she vomited in her mouth a little.
“I want you to join my team of fighters. I’m sure you’ve heard how well
they’re taken care of.”
Still no reaction.
He gripped her breast. Hard. She had to fight not to react. But fuck,
she’d always had sensitive breasts.
“You’ll be well compensated.”
 “Got money.” The voice was gruff. Deep. And it sent a wave of need
through her. She had to drop her gaze, knowing that he’d see it in her face,
that she couldn’t hide it.
It was him.
“Don’t need more.”
Maxwell grew even more tense. He took his arm away from her and
leaned forward. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was getting increasingly
hard to hide her true feelings for the asshole. Especially now that she knew
it was Jason sitting across from her.
She glanced around. There were five of Maxwell’s goons in the room
with them. There was no way he could do something without being
overpowered.
“I was pleased you chose your first fight in years to happen in my club.
Tell me why.”
Jason shrugged. “This is the best, right?”
Maxwell sat back, clearly pleased. “It is. Which is why you should join
forces with me. Together we can make it great.”
“Maybe.”
Maxwell’s hand went up her leg, pushing her short dress up further. Her
breath grew faster. She knew Jason was watching his hand travel up her
thigh.
Please don’t react.
Don’t do anything stupid.
She made herself relax, lean into Maxwell.
“So you’ll take my offer? You’ll have everything you desire. Money,
power, pussy.”
Jason just grunted.
Maxwell tightened his hold on her thigh, gripping so tight that she knew
it would bruise. “Would you like to experience some of the pussy on offer?
I can get you girls. Anything you like. Young, sweet, brunette, blonde.”
“Don’t go for young. Like experienced.”
Fuck. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t ask for her, would he?
“Bet your girl here has experience.”
Shit. Shit. Fuck.
Maxwell would kill him. He was insanely jealous.
“You wish to sample my pet?” Maxwell asked silkily.
“She’s my type. Let me have her, you have a deal.”
 She could feel Maxwell’s breathing grow faster. Oh God. Oh God.
“I don’t usually let people have my pet. But she has been very naughty
lately. Maybe this is what she needs.”
No. No, no, no.
“Would you like to experience her mouth?”
What the hell?
She stiffened, unable to hide her shock or horror. Not that sucking Jason
off hadn’t featured in many of her dreams. It had. It had shocked her that
she was still able to dream about sex. To feel turned on.
It was only for him.
But not here. With people watching. Being forced to touch him . . . it
would break whatever was between them. This fragile tie, this sexual pull.
It would be tainted.
“Don’t get my dick out in public. Can’t be on my guard if I’m too busy
getting head.”
Maxwell tightened his hold on her thigh again. Fuck him. She had to
fight hard not to grab his hand and wrench it away from her.
“Then please, feel free to go somewhere private and enjoy her.”
“What?” She couldn’t help but protest.
Before she could move, Maxwell had her hair twisted in his hand, her
head pulled back and his mouth was at her ears.
“You’ll do everything he says. This is very important to me. Fucking
give him whatever he wants or you know what will happen.”
Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs at the threat. She got it.
And fuck him, she’d do it.
“Sorry,” Maxwell said. “She needs a firm hand. But I promise she’ll be
completely obedient.”
Jason shrugged. “I like’ em with fire.”
“Yes, as do I. Grafton, show them to one of the rooms.”
“No,” Jason stated.
Fuck. What was he doing? Why did he keep pushing Maxwell? Didn’t
he fear for his life? Did he feel no fear?
“Excuse me?” Maxwell asked.
“Got my own room, hotel down the road. We’ll go there.”
“I’m afraid that’s not happening, as you can understand I need to keep
an eye on my merchandise.”
Fuck. There went the nail in her coffin.
 There was no way Jason was going to believe she was here of her own
free will. Well, it was unlikely he’d even believed it in the first place since
he was here.
What the fuck was she going to do now? How to convince him to leave?
If anything happened to him . . . she could feel herself starting to
hyperventilate and attempted to calm down.
“So send one of your guys with me. He can stand outside the door. I’m
on the tenth floor, nowhere to go.”
“That doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be abusing her behind the door.”
Like he fucking cared.
“Won’t bruise her. Not my style. She’ll come back in one piece. We
need to start a relationship with trust, okay?”
“All right,” Maxwell said. “My man will need to go through the suite
first. And there will be another man by the elevators and each exit. I’m sure
you understand that Jewel is very special to me.”
Special. Gag.
Jason was silent. “Grafton, Zac, and Hugh, you go with them. Make
sure you keep my pet safe. I have other needs for her.”
Really. Did he want her to vomit all over his nice, shiny shoes?
 7

S he waited for the door to shut and lock on the hotel suite. Grafton
had already gone through it silently, just grunting and glaring at her
as he left.
Yeah, she got it. Play nice.
They were in the penthouse. It was far flasher than any hotel she’d been
in. But she didn’t give a shit about any of that.
Opening her mouth, she turned to yell at him. Well, quietly yell at him.
She didn’t know how much Grafton would be able to hear on the other side
of the door.
“You know, if you wanted sex there were easier ways to go about it,”
she snarked.
His gaze narrowed. His jaw tensed. She braced herself for his anger. She
hated that she had to push him away, but it had to be done.
“You know this isn’t about sex.”
She snorted. “Then what is it about? Love? I’m not an idiot. So come
on, let’s fuck, then I can leave.”
He stalked towards her and she backed up into the wall. He placed his
hands on the wall next to her head then leaned in.
Her heart raced. But mostly from excitement. There was just something
about his dominance that turned her on.
Christ. She was so screwed.
“I’d go the rest of my life without sex just to have you in it.”
Oh God. Oh God.
 She shook her head and he placed his hand on her neck. Lord, she felt
that touch throughout her body. She was so screwed.
With her past, she should steer clear of someone dominant, right? But it
seemed her body had other ideas.
“Do not use sex to put a wedge between us.”
Her breath grew faster. He pulled her up into his arms, cradling her to
his chest.
“What the fuck are you doing? Put me down!”
“I warned you.” He strode with her into the ridiculous bathroom. The
floors and walls were marble. Everything was over-the-top. A huge walk-in
shower that could probably take ten people, and for all she knew it had.
But it was the bath that caught her attention. It looked like it could fit
four people with room left over.
“What do you mean, you warned me?” she asked.
“About taking care of yourself.”
What the hell?
He set her down on the counter then drew off his hoodie. Underneath,
he wore a balaclava. Which he ripped off as well.
“Not worried that someone will storm in and see your face?”
He shrugged. “If that happens then I’ll just kill them.”
She froze. “You’d kill them? To protect your identity?”
He leaned over her, his hands resting on the counter on either side of her
hips. “No, I’d kill them to protect you.”
She shouldn’t melt. Shouldn’t want to sink into him and beg him to take
care of her.
Stop being weak.
“I don’t need your protection.”
He snorted. “Baby blue, of everyone I know, you need it the most.”
Baby blue?
“I do not. I’m not weak. I can take care of myself.”
“But you didn’t do that, did you? And I warned you.”
Fuck. They’d come full circle. But what was he talking about? Her
mind tumbled over their previous conversation.
“Are you talking about when you said goodbye in the bathroom the
other night?” she asked.
“I didn’t say goodbye.”
“You said take care of yourself. But that’s the same as saying goodbye.”
 “No. It’s not. That was me warning you to look after yourself until I
could get back to you and do it myself.”
“I don’t understand . . .” she trailed off as he leaned in even closer, his
lips mere inches from hers. The look in his eyes was so intense that even if
she wanted to, she couldn’t look away.
He was holding her captive. Without even laying a hand on her.
“I know you don’t. Which makes me sad as fuck. Is it so hard to figure
that someone else might want to look after you? The way you try to do for
everyone else.”
She gaped at him.
“Can see it is. Fuck.” He dropped his head, breathing in deep. Then he
looked up again, his face composed. “What does he have over you?”
Jewel moved her gaze to the wall. Away from him.
“Nope. That’s not happening.” He grasped hold of her chin, gently
moving her face back so she had to look at him. “You’re going to tell me
what the fuck is going on.”
Raising her brows, she glared at him. “Why? Because you say so? Tell
me, how does that make you any different from him?”
As soon as she said the words, she wished them back.
He was nothing like Maxwell.
But even though she braced herself for his anger, it didn’t come.
Instead, he just studied her. “That’s not going to work on me, baby.”
“What’s not?”
“The attitude. The tough bitch act.”
“It’s not an act.”
“I know you, Jewel. Yeah, there’s a tough outer shell. Guessing there
has been a lot of shit in your life that’s meant you’ve had to develop that
shell. But I know what’s on the inside. And it’s fucking soft and vulnerable.
You go around protecting everyone else then act shocked as fuck when
someone wants to take care of you.”
“What is going on with you? This is the most I’ve ever heard you talk.”
“Maybe I just never had anything important to say before.”
“I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.”
“Yeah?” he drawled as he ran his thumb over her lip.
She bit him then let go of his thumb immediately as she felt a zing in
her pussy. Well, that was a mistake. Especially when his eyes flared with
heat. He liked that?
 “Yeah.”
“Liar. I’m keeping track, you know. Your ass is going to pay for all of
those lies.”
“Are you threatening to hit me? And you really think you’re not like
him,” she scoffed, even as her insides were lighting up like the Fourth of
July.
“Keep going, baby blue. Throw it all at me. Do what you need to do.
But we both know the truth.”
“Yeah, what’s that? Are you going to tell me that you’re the good guy?
The white knight come to rescue the damsel in distress? Well, I’m not a
damsel.”
He actually grinned. And fuck, he looked gorgeous. How unfair was the
world to give her this man when she couldn’t have him?
“That’s what you need to learn. I’m not a white knight. I’m the fucking
monster.”
“Not sure that’s a better thing.”
“It is when you hold my leash,” he whispered.
Her heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t for real, was he?
“We’re nothing to each other.”
“Wrong answer. That’s going to get you another red ass. Just racking up
the punishments, aren’t you?”
“Who are you and where is the real Jason?”
He simply stared at her. Unhinged. He was definitely unhinged.
“Have you got one of those split personalities?”
He appeared to think that over. “Guess you could say that. The person
you know is who I am when I’m fully under control. I’ve been playing
normal for so long, it’s almost become a part of my personality. Until my
control breaks. That’s when the monster comes out. And do you know why
he’s come out?”
“Because of me?”
“You.”
“Why?”
Something crossed his face. A look of pain. “It hurts that you don’t
fucking see how amazing you are.”
She shook her head. “You’re insane.”
“Yeah, that’s basically what I was told. I think that was therapist number
three.”
 “What?” she squeaked.
“There’s been a few. Need to have words with this last one. He told me I
had to stop following you.”
“You were following me?”
He scowled. “Until he told me I had stalker tendencies. But if I’d been
following you then none of this would have happened. You wouldn’t have
been taken by him. You wouldn’t have been hurt.”
“I wasn’t taken. I haven’t been hurt.”
“Liar.”
She just shook her head. He acted like he knew her, but he didn’t. Not
really.
He cupped her face between his hands. “He touched you. Hurt you.” He
dropped one hand to where Maxwell had been gripping her thigh hard
earlier.
“It’s just a bruise. I’ve had plenty of those.”
“Don’t dismiss it,” he snarled. “It’s not just a bruise. He. Hurt. You.”
She sucked in a breath at the savagery in his voice.
“Did Darrins rape you?”
She sucked in a breath. This time or last?
“Jewel,” he warned.
She shook her head, unable to answer him verbally. She didn’t want to
get into this.
“Thank fuck.” He closed his eyes with relief. “Beat you?”
“No. I barely saw him while he was there. He didn’t harm me other than
a few bruises where he touched me too hard.”
“That won’t happen again.”
She wished she could believe that.
He leaned away from her then moved to turn on the bath. She attempted
to climb off the counter when he swung round and pointed at her.
“Stay.”
“Why?” she asked, even as she froze. When she realized she was doing
exactly as he ordered, she slid down off the counter. He grabbed hold of her,
spinning her to face the mirror.
“That was naughty,” he murmured.
“Jason, you’re scaring me.” He was also exciting her.
Jason closed his eyes and for a moment she thought she’d gotten to him.
Instead, when he opened his eyes, they blazed at her through the mirror.
 “You have nothing to fear from me. You know me. I will never harm
you. Spank you, sure. Boss you around, definitely. Probably piss you off on
a daily basis. In my defense, it’s not that hard to annoy you.”
“Hey!”
Okay, why the hell did she feel like smiling? This was a serious
conversation.
“Don’t protest. You’re a tad touchy. I think it’s cute.”
“Cute? I am not cute. Bunnies are cute. Kittens are cute. Babies are
cute.”
“You’re my baby. You know a spanking given by someone who cares
about you is far different from being abused by an asshole. And we both
know that you want what I can give you.”
“Yeah?” she scoffed. “And what’s that?”
“Unconditional loyalty. Someone who will always have your back. I
will be whatever you need, whenever you need it. No questions asked.”
“What if I cheated on you?”
“Then I’d kill the motherfucker who dared to touch what was mine.” He
was leaning over her again and she wished she could press her thighs
together. To attempt to ease the ache in her pussy.
There was something twisted inside her. Because his words . . . they
were exactly what she wanted.
Screw romance. Screw the flowers and candles. Okay, she could go for
pretty jewelry, she wouldn’t lie. But she didn’t need soft words, candlelit
dinners, or strolls on the beach. She wanted a man who had her back no
matter what.
“But I’ll need to temper that,” he warned softly. The bath was full and it
looked so inviting. Was he planning on taking a bath? And what was she
meant to do?
He came back to her and gently ran a finger along the top of her breasts.
She knew it was a stupid thought, but it was almost like he was erasing
Maxwell’s touch on her. Suddenly, she wanted his touch everywhere. All
over her.
“Because if you’re given too much leeway, then you’ll put yourself in
danger. You seem to be under this misconception that you’re in charge of
looking after everyone else. That’s why I have to rein you in. Because this
time, you went too far. This time, you’ve put yourself in jeopardy and that’s
unacceptable.” He turned her towards him then reached for the bottom of
her dress.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting you ready for your bath.”
“I’m having a bath?”
He raised both eyebrows. “Why do you think I filled it?”
“I thought it was for you.”
“You’re breaking my fucking heart. You can’t even realize that I’m
taking care of you.”
“This is you taking care of me?”
“Yes,” he clipped out.
“Well, it was kind of hard to tell when you keep talking about
punishments and reining me in and stalking me. I mean, you’re coming off
as a psychopath.”
“I got tested for that.”
What? Was he kidding her right now! “There’s a test?”
His lips twitched.
He was kidding her. Asshole.
“If there was, I’d probably have had it. Think they can scan the brain or
something, but I refused that.”
“Jason, you’re joking right . . .”
He took her finger into his mouth and bit down.
“Ouch! Crap! Why’d you do that?”
“What do you call me?”
“Fuck’s sake. I’m not your woman. We can’t be anything to each other.
I’m not . . . I’m not in a place to be anyone’s woman. Got me?”
“Not even a little bit.” He looked down at her bitten nails, his eyes
narrowed. She braced herself for his comments, but he didn’t say anything.
“Come on, get undressed and into the bath.” He stepped away and drew
off his T-shirt.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Joining you.” He reached for his belt.
“You can’t!”
Her mouth practically dropped open as she stared at him. Fuck. How
had she not realized how ripped he was? Even with the tight T-shirt on,
molding all of his body, she hadn’t been prepared for this.
 A rippling six-pack, that V that she thought only existed on guys in
magazines and the TV. He had a small trail of hair that led down to his
groin. Then he took off his belt. Fuck, was there anything sexier than
watching a man undo his belt?
If so, she wasn’t certain what it was.
He stripped off his pants, just standing there in his boxers.
Her mouth was dry. She could hear the blood rushing through her body
to pool in her clit.
Do it. Take them off.
Please don’t let her have said that out loud.
He chuckled as he stripped off completely. His dick was erect. And it
was fucking beautiful. Thick, with a wider head and a slight curve. She
wanted to sink to her knees and worship that fucking thing then beg him to
take her.
But you don’t deserve him. For all his talk, he could do so much better
than you.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop.”
“W-what?”
He reached for her, drawing her gently closer. His hand was around the
nape of her neck, but unlike Maxwell’s touch, his didn’t fill her with dread
or horror or revulsion.
Instead, she felt protected.
What was wrong with her?
She closed her eyes, dropping her head forward. Unsurprisingly, he
wasn’t going to let her hide. Grasping hold of her chin, he lifted her face.
Then to her shock, he very gently kissed her forehead.
“Easy, baby girl. Just let it all go.”
“I can’t. I don’t know how.”
He moved his hands to her shoulders, massaging them. She groaned.
Had anything ever felt so good?
“Shit, you’re tight. You don’t need to take everything on, Jewel. It
doesn’t all fall to you.”
“I don’t have anyone else to give it to.”
“Yeah. You do.”
She looked up at him. “You don’t want my shit.”
“I’m telling you that if you don’t give it to me, I’m going to fucking
take it. I’m not letting you do this all alone. Not anymore.”
 To her shock, tears filled her eyes. She didn’t cry. Crying was worthless.
Pointless. She hadn’t cried in years. She closed her eyes, forcing them back.
“I have to return. This . . . this fairytale that you’re weaving. It’s not
real. We have a few hours. That’s it. And the thing is,” she took a
shuddering breath, “the thing you don’t understand is that you’re making
everything worse.”
 8

Y ou’re making everything worse.

He knew that she didn’t mean it. She just didn’t know what he
had planned. She didn’t know that she could trust him. Implicitly.
That he would do anything he had to in order to protect her.
She’d come to understand that. To know that all she had to do was tell
him what she wanted and he’d make it happen.
Yeah, he ran the risk of spoiling her. But fuck, with everything that had
happened to her, and he was under no illusion that he knew the half of it,
she deserved to be spoiled.
He had seen her watching the other girls with longing in her gaze.
She wanted what they had.
At first, he thought it was the relationship part. The unwavering loyalty
and love. And she did want that. Much as she might deny the love part. She
was prickly, his girl. Her shield was made with sharp edges of glass, ready
to cut at anyone who got too close. Well, anyone that she didn’t soften for.
She could cut at him, try to hurt him. But he knew her secret.
She only did it to protect him.
Or she thought she was protecting him. But he was going to get her to
cut that shit out. He was a grown-ass man and he didn’t need her protection.
She could save that for their kids.
He was thinking six.
But that would come later. First, he had to earn her trust. He had to
show her that he could protect her, take care of her, give her everything she
needed.
 He’d done his research. While she might not want to sleep with a stuffy
and a pacifier, or color and play with dolls, that didn’t mean she wasn’t a
Little.
Maybe she was more of a Middle. She definitely had a mouth on her.
Something he’d smack her ass often over. And enjoy every second.
But he’d have to be careful. His punishment wasn’t abuse. It would be
agreed on.
He’d read books, romance books. He’d even spoken to a few Daddy
Doms and their Littles. Not the ones he knew. Because he wouldn’t reveal
that part of her to their friends unless that was something she agreed to.
He wasn’t a fucking idiot after all.
He enjoyed having his balls where they were.
He was going to need them if they were having six kids. They’d need to
all be boys, though. Because a little girl that looked like Jewel . . . yeah, he
wasn’t dealing with that.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Kids.”
“Um, okay. I just tell you that you’re making everything worse for me
and you tell me that you’re thinking about kids. That’s not fucking weird at
all.”
“Get used to it.”
She glowered up at him. “You’re not listening to me.”
“Nope.”
She pursed her lips
He tapped her lower lip. “No pouting, baby blue.”
She gasped sounding outraged and he had to hide his grin. This was fun.
“I do not pout.”
“Uh-huh. You’re cute when you pout. But it won’t sway me from what I
have to do.”
A knock at the door interrupted him before he could say anything more.
He scowled, aware of how she’d tensed up. Christ, any tenser and she’d do
herself an injury.
He lifted her up onto the counter again.
“Wait there. Do not get in the bath without me.” He drew on his pants.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s my job to bathe you now.”
“Um, Jason, I’ve been taking baths by myself since I was like three.”
 “Not anymore. Don’t move from the counter.”
He stormed to the door and opened it, finding Grafton on the other side.
“What?”
“I couldn’t hear anything. Maxwell wants her back soon.”
“Tough shit.” He shut the door in his face. Asshole.
Fuck. Why couldn’t people leave them alone? He needed to settle his
woman. Right now, she was scared of the unknown. Sure, it pissed him off
that she didn’t trust him enough to know that he would take care of any
threat to her. But he got it. He could demand trust, but the only thing that
would get her trust was to earn it.
He moved back into the bathroom. She’d gotten off the counter, but
hadn’t climbed in the bath. She raised her chin.
“You can’t boss me around.”
“No?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“No. I’m not some plaything. I’m not a possession. I’m a person. I have
a say in my life.” The fire in her eyes suddenly died, going darker and he
wanted to kill that bastard for taking it. “Or I did.”
“You had it right the first time.” He grasped her chin. “At least partially.
You’re not a plaything. And you definitely have the right to demand things.
To have a voice.”
“But?”
“But you are my possession.”
“You fucking asshole, I am—” He leaned forward and kissed her,
holding her tight to him. She finally melted, giving in to him and he leaned
back. “But I’m your possession too. I’m yours to command as much as you
are mine.”
Something in her relaxed as she took in his words.
She’d been through so much, his baby.
“You tell me what you need, I’ll provide it. The only place I draw a line
is where you harm yourself. That won’t ever be allowed. Understand?”
“Jason—”
“That’s twelve.”
“What?” she asked.
“I’m keeping track of how many times you call me Jason instead of
using my real name.”
His phone rang. For fuck’s sake.
He pointed at her. “Stay there. Or you’ll be in trouble.”
 “What sort of trouble?”
He didn’t turn back, not wanting her to see his grin.
“Well, I could tie you to the bed then drive you insane with my mouth,
eating you out but not letting you come.”
She gasped.
“Or I could plug your ass and make you stand in the corner for ten
minutes with that sexy fucking ass on display.”
An ass that had gotten smaller since she hadn’t been taking care of
herself. That was about to change.
Turning, he looked at her over his shoulder. “Or I could put you over
my knee and spank that naughty ass until it’s a pretty shade of red and
you’re promising to be a good girl.”
He shut the door on her outraged cry, chuckling as he heard something
hit the door.
That was his girl. Feisty, independent, and fiercely loyal.
He wouldn’t have her any other way.
Moving to his phone, he answered the call.
“What is it?”
“Where the fuck have you been?” Reyes demanded. “I’ve been calling
you all night.”
“Calm down, you’ve called me like five times.”
“Jason, I’m warning you, don’t fuck around with me. She’s safe?”
“I texted you that she was.”
“Yeah, and that’s all you fucking said! I’m two seconds from coming
out there and grabbing her myself. And Sunny won’t be far behind me.”
“I texted Sunny already. And Jewel’s not yours to worry about or
protect.”
“She’s like a sister to me. Of course I’m worried. Just tell me again that
you have her.”
“I have her. She’s in my bathroom.”
There was a beat of silence. He could practically sense Reyes seething
down the phone.
“If you touch her against her will—”
“What the fuck do you take me for?” Jason snapped. “Because if you
think I would ever touch a woman against their will, let alone Jewel, then
you should have fucking put a bullet in me already.”
 “Fuck. Shit. I know you wouldn’t. I’m just . . . not thinking clearly right
now. You know I’m protective of her. Let me talk to her.”
“No.”
“Jason . . .” he warned.
“No. I won’t let you undermine what I’m trying to achieve.”
“And what’s that?”
“To gain her trust.”
More silence.
“Jason . . .”
“I don’t need your negativity right now,” he said firmly. “Now is there
anything else? Things are in a delicate balance and I need to get back to
her.”
Leaving her alone to think wasn’t a good idea.
“Yeah, there’s a reason I called. Ink just told me something he’d
remembered. A while ago, there was a fight at Reaper’s.”
“When isn’t there?” Was this really important enough to call him five
times? He and Jewel could be taking a bath together by now. He didn’t
intend on having sex with her right now. Not until he gained her trust. He
didn’t want her using sex as an excuse for his feelings for her. This wasn’t
about sex. Not even close.
“There was a guy who he was helping kick out of Reapers. The guy said
to him to tell Jewel that Maxwell said hi.”
Ice froze his veins.
“That fucker is meant to be dead. So I don’t know if it was someone
messing with her head or what. But this happened right before she started
growing distant.”
“Fuck.”
How the hell was this all connected? What was he missing? Were Luc
Darrins and Kenton Maxwell somehow related?
“Got to go.”
He ended the call.
What was going on? He hated that he didn’t know everything. It meant
he couldn’t protect her properly.
He set the phone down. He couldn’t put it on silent. There were things
he had in motion and he needed to be contactable if things went to shit.
Turning, he headed back to the bathroom. Time for answers. Then some
pampering care. Something that would hopefully soothe the darkness inside
him.

W HY WAS she just sitting here?

She should leave. This was madness. She couldn’t believe he’d come
back for her.
He seemed to be under some delusion that they were meant for each
other. That she should want this. Want him.
Of course you want him.
Yeah, but she couldn’t have him. It was impossible.
Would Maxwell punish her for being with him when she got back?
No doubt.
The counter against her ass was cool. Her dress barely covered her. She
didn’t have anything else to wear.
She felt dirty and used and lost.
If Jason knew the things she’d done, he wouldn’t want her. He’d
understand that she was gutter trash. And he’d throw her away.
But you have this one night . . . shouldn’t you stay? Grab a few hours of
freedom while you can?
Or would that just make it harder to go back into hell? Having a taste of
what could have been.
Yeah, best she just go.
She climbed down from the counter as the door opened and she came
face to face with Jason.
How was it fair that her body reacted like this to him? That all it took
was one look and she went weak at the knees. Her strength was a pretense.
She was weak. The longer she stayed, the harder it would be to resist him.
So don’t.
Maxwell is going to punish you either way. He won’t believe that he
didn’t fuck you. Why get punished for something you didn’t do?
“Where do you think you’re going?” he murmured. It wasn’t a
threatening voice. More curious. Cajoling.
As though he sensed how close she was to the edge.
“I need to go back.”
 He wrapped a hand gently around the nape of her neck then leaned
down so their eyes were level. He was so big. All over. It was intimidating
and tempting all at once.
“You’re not going back there, baby girl. Not ever.”
If only.
“Don’t call me that. I’m not a baby girl.”
“Yes, you are. You’re mine. My baby blue.”
She just shook her head. “Jas—”
He raised his eyebrows, giving her a firm look. And she remembered
his warning. Her bottom clenched together. Maybe at one time, she’d
thought being spanked would be hot. But did she still think like that?
She imagined herself over his firm, thick thighs and a small shiver went
through her. How was it possible that she could think of pain as a turn-on?
“Why won’t you say my name?” he asked quietly.
Because she was worried that might cement something between them.
My woman calls me Pike.
And she couldn’t do that. Because she had to leave in a few hours. And
he would be a memory.
When she didn’t reply, he leaned in. He was going to kiss her.
To her surprise, though, he didn’t kiss her lips. Instead, he placed a
gentle kiss on her nose then each cheek then her forehead. She closed her
eyes, savoring his touch. When had anyone treated her like this? Like they
cherished her.
His gaze moved over her face and he seemed to see something there that
made his shoulders loosen. “You’re exhausted. You need sleep.”
“I just want to sleep without being scared,” she whispered.
He nodded. “Then that’s what you’ll have. I told you, all you have to do
is ask.”
Nobody had ever given her what she needed. Whether she asked or not.
“Let me take care of you. Just let go for a bit and give everything to
me.”
She leaned her forehead against his chest. “Only tonight.”
“Shh, worry about that later. All you need to concern yourself with is
doing what I say right now.”
“What if I don’t like what you say?” she grumbled.
His chest moved up and down on a silent laugh. “I’m sure you’ll let me
know.”
 Yeah, she guessed that was true.
“Can I help you get undressed?”
The gentleness in his voice nearly undid her. At times he was bossy,
then he became almost sweet. It was throwing her off her game.
She bit her lip, leaning back to look up at him. “I think . . . I’m not
ready for you to see me . . .”
He frowned. She could see the questions in his face, but he didn’t ask.
Instead, he nodded. “I just want to help you. I won’t touch you anywhere
you don’t want me to.”
She really wanted that bath. And she wanted to know what it would be
like to feel cared for. Just for a little while.
“Can you look away while I get in the water? I’m not ready for . . . for
sex.” Despite her words earlier.
“Fuck, baby. Fuck. I know that. Christ, that’s not what I want. Not at
all.”
“Well, that makes me feel good,” she commented dryly.
He groaned. “Messing this up, aren’t I?”
“It’s not that I think you’ll hurt me.”
“Christ, baby girl, please stop. You’re killing me. If I promise that all
I’m doing is taking care of you, will you let me? If anything makes you
uncomfortable, I’ll stop at once. I swear.”
“All right. But turn around while I get in.”
He frowned. “I wanted to check you over.”
“I’m fine,” she said hastily.
“I have a feeling you’d tell me that even if you were bleeding out.”
“I really am all right.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “If you won’t let me look, then a
doctor.”
“No.” She shook her head. She wasn’t ready for anyone to see her. To
touch her. Not right now. She was raw and scared.
“I don’t want to push you—”
“Then don’t.”
“But I also don’t want to miss anything.”
“I told you that he didn’t beat me or anything.”
“All right then.” He slowly turned around and she quickly stripped off
the dress. She had to hold onto the side of the bath as she climbed in. The
bubbles surrounded her, hiding her.
 “I’m decent.”
He snorted. “A man could hope that you weren’t.”
The smile surprised her. She hadn’t thought she had it in her.
“All I wanted was a little glimpse of a nipple. Just a peek.” He turned
and winked at her, letting her know he was teasing.
There was a knock on the door and she tensed. “Is that Grafton again? Is
he going to demand I come back to him?”
“You’re not going back to him.”
If only she could believe that.
“And no, it’s room service. Stay here.”
She rolled her eyes. Like she could go anywhere. Truth is, she’d stay
right here until the end of eternity if she could. With him.
When he reappeared, his gaze moved over her face as he set a tray down
on the floor. “One day you will trust what I say.”
She didn’t reply. There was no reply that wouldn’t end in an argument.
The scent of something fried hit her, making her stomach grumble.
“You’ve lost weight. I tell you to take care of yourself and you lose even
more weight,” he grumbled.
“I haven’t felt like eating.”
He simply glared at her. She was coming to realize that the grumbling
and scolding was his way of caring.
“What did you order?”
“What do you think?” he replied. He held up a plate and her mouth
salivated. “Curly fries.”
“My favorite!”
“Yep.” Satisfaction filled his face.
She loved curly fries. They were fun and delicious.
“Did they include—”
“Aioli? Of course.” He gave her an offended look. Then he placed the
plate down and picked up a curly fry and blew on it.
“Uh, what are you doing?”
“Cooling it down.”
But they’re mine.
Chill, Jewel. You’re a grown-ass woman. You can share.
But she didn’t want to share. She wanted all the damn curly fries to
herself.
 Fuck. What was wrong with her? Why did she feel like stomping her
foot and telling him to hand them all over?
Tantrums are for toddlers. Not thirty-two-year-old women with a chip
on their shoulder.
“Can you pass me one?”
“As soon as it’s cooled down. Need to have a word with the kitchen,
these are far too hot.”
“Wait. You’re cooling it down for me?”
“Well, I’m not cooling it down for myself. I don’t eat fried food.”
“You don’t . . . what? Is that even possible?”
He pointed a finger at her. “You have a terrible diet; don’t think I
haven’t noticed. It’s a wonder you don’t have scurvy.”
“I don’t think people get scurvy anymore.”
“They do when they don’t eat any vegetables or fruit. Hate to think of
what your bowel habits are like.”
Her mouth opened. Closed. “Jason!”
“That’s thirteen,” he said in a warning voice.
Drat.
“We are not talking about my bowel movements. Talk about a romance
killer.”
“You want romance? Interesting.” He held up a fry and she had to take
it into her mouth.
Salty, greasy goodness.
She sighed happily.
“We’ll worry about your bowel habits and possible scurvy another day,
though.”
The guy was insane.
“For your information, I take plenty of vitamins. I’m not going to get
scurvy.”
“You mean those gummy things you eat like sweets?”
“Okay, how do you know that?”
He shoved another fry in her mouth. Oh, he was tricky, this one.
Amusement flooded her and she bit her lower lip to keep her smile from
filling her face. How could she be feeling such joy when she’d just come
from such hell?
At once, her amusement faded.
“Stop thinking.” He tapped her forehead.
 “I can’t just stop thinking, simply because you say it.”
He grunted. “Would be a whole lot easier if you did.”
He fed her more curly fries as she lay back in the bath. Her energy was
draining out of her.
“No more,” she protested as he held up another fry.
“You barely ate half.”
She shrugged.
He grumbled something to himself, but she paid little attention. She was
drifting. Sleepy.
“I need to leave.”
“Nope.”
He started massaging her scalp. Ooh, that was so nice.
She yawned. “Have to. Protect him.”
“Protect who?” he asked. “Who is it that you’re protecting, Jewel? How
did you end up with Darrins?”
But she drifted off before she could answer.

F UCK .
He should have gotten her out of the bath before she fell asleep.
And he wished she’d stayed awake long enough to answer his
questions. Just who was she protecting by staying with that asshole,
Darrins?
He will kill someone I love.
Was it Sunny? If not her, then who? He knew it wasn’t a man. Just the
thought made him murderous, but he’d know if it was.
And how did Darrins relate to Maxwell?
What was he going to do now? All he wanted to do was pick her up, dry
her off and tuck her into bed.
She was pale, washed-out and thin. He wanted to coddle her. Put color
back in her cheeks and take that fear out of her eyes.
But while the physical aspects could be dealt with rather quickly, it was
the mental toll that scared him most.
And his inability to simply fix her.
 He could order her to eat. He couldn’t order her to forget whatever
she’d been through.
And what about what Maxwell did to her years ago? Had those scars
fully healed? Would they ever?
He sat on the floor and rubbed at his eyes. What did he do?
First things first. Get her out of the bath. As much as he wanted to do
that without waking her, he was well aware of the ways that could backfire
on him.
For a moment he took the opportunity to take her in. Then he ran his
fingers through her hair. Should he have offered to wash it for her? Would
she have let him?
He wasn’t used to being so hesitant.
He blamed the shrinks.
Sometimes, it paid to go with your instinct. His phone buzzed and he
stood to go grab it, keeping his gaze on her the whole time.
He checked the message.

S TING : Mansion surrounded. Has a lot of hired muscle. Going to wait

another hour until we go in.
Jason: Take Darrins alive. I want him for my own.
Sting: Done.
Jason: You have someone in place to take care of the guards here?
Sting: Yep.
Jason: Good. Let me know when it’s all done.

H E ’ D JUST SET his phone down when she started to cry out, thrashing
around in the bath. Fuck!
“No! No, don’t touch me!”
“Jewel, wake up.” He placed his hand on her shoulder.
“No!”
She was killing him. The rage was building. Breathe deep. You’re no
help to her if you lose it.
“Baby blue, wake up for me. It’s not real, it’s a nightmare.”
“Pike,” she sobbed.
 So she’d use his name in her sleep, huh? Actually, her nightmare.
“Wake up, baby blue. I’m here. Daddy’s here.” It was a risk. But he
needed to do something to help her.
“Daddy,” she sighed, seeming to relax. His tension eased.
“Baby, I need you to come back to me. Wake up, now. Nothing bad is
going to get to you while I’m here.”
Should he have told her the plan? But no, she’d just worry. Best to tell
her once it was over and done with.
He’d learned that from his cousin when he dealt with his wife. Of
course, Josh spent a lot of time sleeping on the couch as well.
He wouldn’t allow that with his woman. There would be no sleeping
apart. She was going to be right where he could watch her. At all times.
Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly.
“I’ve had everything backward. When I should have gone fast, I went
slow. And now, when I need to go slow I want it all. Everything. I’m gonna
fuck up. I know it. But know that I will never leave you. Never let you
down.”
She kept sleeping, her face free of the fear and tension from before. He
hated having to wake her when she was peaceful. But he also didn’t want to
do anything to undermine her trust in him.
Trust that he knew wasn’t easily come by.
“Baby blue, I don’t want to take you out of the bath while you’re asleep
so you need to wake up for me.”
“Tired. Don’t wanna to get up. Let me sleep.” She waved her hand
through the air. Then she rolled onto her side and slipped straight under the
water.
“Fuck!”
He grabbed hold of her, dragging her up out of the water. She was
spluttering, her hair wet, face dripping.
“What . . . what happened?” she asked. “Why am I drowning?”
He snorted. “You weren’t drowning.”
She pushed back her wet hair. It had fallen out of the bun she’d put it in
before hopping in the bath. “I was under the water and I wasn’t swimming,
that means I was drowning.”
“As if I’d let you drown. You fell asleep, then when I tried to wake you
up you told me to go away.” He raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I don’t like being woken up. I’m not a morning person.”
 “It’s the middle of the night,” he pointed at dryly.
“Hmm, maybe I’m just not a waking-up person.” A shiver worked its
way through her.
“Okay, enough of this. You’re cold and wet. Out you come.”
He grabbed a towel and held it up. Then he turned his face away. “I
won’t look.”
When he felt her grab for the towel, he let it go and picked up another
one to wrap around her head.
To his surprise, she let him care for her. That told him more than
anything how exhausted she was.
Death wasn’t enough for Darrins. Cutting off his fucking dick and
stuffing it in his mouth wasn’t enough. Torturing him for the rest of his days
. . . hmm that might take the edge of his fury off.
He should have kidnapped her. Knocked her out and taken her,
consequences be damned. Because what did he care if someone else got
hurt? If it came down to her and anyone else, he would always choose her.
I’ll never forgive you.
She’d meant it. That had given him pause. Because there was something
he was missing here.
“You need sleep.”
“I’m too tired to dry my hair tonight,” she told him, swaying on her feet.
“I’m too tired for anything.”
There was a sniffle at the end of those words, that he knew she’d never
allow him to hear if she wasn’t so terribly exhausted.
“I know you are, baby blue. It’s okay. I’m going to take care of you.”
“I need to brush my teeth. I can’t sleep unless my teeth are clean.”
“I have you covered.” He set her on top of the bathroom counter,
keeping an eye on her while he grabbed the brand-new toothbrush he’d had
the butler put in here.
Yep, this suite came with its very own butler.
After putting some toothpaste on, he held the brush up to her mouth.
She reached up with a tired gesture. “Thanks.”
He took the brush away with a shake of his head. “Nope, I got you.”
“You can’t brush my teeth. That’s weird.”
“I think we’ve established that I’m weird,” he said dryly.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
 “Don’t be. If it means I get to do things for you, I don’t give a fuck if
I’m considered weird.”
“So weird,” she whispered.
“Hush and open your mouth.”
“Like I haven’t heard that one before.”
“That so,” he growled in a dangerous voice. Her eyes widened.
Easy, asshole.
He glanced down at where he was gripping the toothbrush handle. His
knuckles were white.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I have a feeling I’m going to be a possessive,
jealous type of boyfriend.”
“Were you like this with your past girlfriends?”
“Never had a girlfriend before.”
Her eyes widened and he took advantage of her opening her mouth to
start brushing her teeth.
She gave him a death glare, but he ignored it.
“Spit.”
She spat it out. “Never?”
“Never.”
He brushed her teeth again. Hmm, there was something rather relaxing
about this.
“I think I’ll do this every night.”
Her eyes widened.
“Spit.”
“You can’t do this every night.”
“Sure, I can.”

HE WAS INSANE .
But why are you arguing? It’s not like you’ll be here past tonight. Let
him have his fun. It wasn’t easy for her to let go and let people in. But with
Jason, it was surprisingly easy.
It felt right.
God, this was a mistake. It was going to be so hard to go back to her
reality now.
But she had to. There was no choice. So no use in crying about it.
Just get on with it, Jewel. Whining about shit never got you anywhere.
 “What do we need to do about your hair?”
“I’ll deal with it in the morning.” It would probably be in such a mess
that she’d have to chop it all off.
She’d always loved her hair. But now, she was starting not to care.
“I think we can do better than that,” he told her then picked her back up
in his arms.
Pausing by the toilet, he looked down at her with an arched eyebrow.
“Gotta go?”
“No! Sheesh, man. You got to learn some boundaries.”
“Do I? Like what?”
“Like toilet stuff. Toilet stuff is a boundary.”
“Seems like a ridiculous rule to me. And you haven’t gone in hours.
Does that mean you’re dehydrated? It probably does. You need to drink.”
“I’m not dehydrated.” Maybe. It was possible.
“You haven’t been looking after yourself. You need me.”
He carried her into the bedroom. This suite had a Californian king bed.
It was huge enough for them both to use it without touching each other.
That was kind of too bad. She wasn’t opposed to a hug. At all. In fact,
the only time the fear eased from her mind seemed to be when he held her.
He laid her down on the bed and grabbed a T-shirt of his from his
suitcase.
“Wear this.”
He placed the T-shirt next to her then walked back into the bathroom.
She heard the bath start to drain as she unwrapped her hair then her body
and drew the T-shirt on. It was enormous on her. But so soft.
She sighed with happiness as she sat back on the bed, unable to do
anything more. She was completely spent.
When he returned, he held a hot pink hairbrush in his hands.
“Is that for your luscious locks?” she joked.
“I don’t think so, woman,” he replied haughtily. “I have a manly black
one to tame my luscious locks.”
He winked and to her shock, she giggled.
Her eyes widened as he stared at her with satisfaction. “Did I seriously
just giggle?”
“Yep.”
“But I don’t giggle. I’m incapable of giggling.”
 “Seems you are capable.” He settled against the headboard then spread
his legs.
“It must have been the near-death experience.”
He tensed. “Being with that fucker? Did he threaten to kill you?”
“What? No, I was referring to nearly drowning in the bath.”
He gave her an incredulous look.
“It was scary,” she defended. “Also, I’m really tired. Can we go to
sleep? Just for a few hours, before I have to . . . to go back.”
Something softened in his face. She fully expected him to argue that she
wasn’t going back. Instead, all he did was pat the mattress between his legs.
She could argue. Refuse. And maybe she would have if she wasn’t
exhausted, stressed, and just plain in need of some gentle touch.
So she crawled over and settled herself between his legs. She braced
herself for him to tug at her hair. It was a knotty mess and he was a guy.
To her shock, he was patient and careful as he brushed the knots out. It
wasn’t long until he had her hair completely tangle-free.
Her eyes were closed, peace filled her.
“You’re good at that.”
“Had some practice.”
She stiffened at that. What? With who?
“Got a younger sister. Did her hair a lot.”
Oh my God.
That was pretty much the sweetest thing she’d ever heard. She turned
her head to look back at him. “You really did your sister’s hair?”
“Yep.”
“Who are you?”
He gave her a crooked smile. “Same guy I’ve always been.”
Then she’d obviously been blind.
“Turn around, I’m going to braid it.”
Sheesh, would the shocks not stop coming? She wasn’t sure how much
more she could take before she slammed him to the bed and demanded that
he never let her go.
“Have you got just one sibling?”
“I wish.”
He tied off the end. Then climbed from the bed and walked around to
draw the blankets back. “In you get.”
 Too tired to even think she rolled into bed, looking up at him as she lay
on her back. “How many?”
“Three.”
“Wow. I don’t have any. Brothers or sisters. Or family.” Her eyes closed
as he sat beside her. Then she felt his fingers massaging her scalp.
“You have a family.”
“Nope. Raised in foster care. No family.”
“Family isn’t always blood. You have Sunny, Reyes, and the others.”
She guessed. But she always kept part of herself back from them. In
case she had to drop everything and leave. That was always in the back of
her mind. That she might have to leave them all behind.
He started gently rubbing her temples. “Stop thinking. You’re safe. I
have you.”
“Wake me in a few hours. Got to go back before he comes looking for
me.”
“He won’t be looking for you. Just relax.”
“Oh, he will. Fucking psycho. Even worse than he used to be. Think
that doctor messed with his brain when he changed his face.”
 9

H e sat, staring down at her for a long time as she slept.

face.
Think that doctor messed with his brain when he changed his

Mother. Fucker.
Could Luc Darrins be Kenton Maxwell? That would explain a lot. He’d
survived and had some sort of reconstructive surgery. Then come back for
what was his.
The power. The money. The girl.
Jason worked his jaw. All the more reason for that fucker to pay, as far
as he was concerned.
Standing, he walked over to his phone. The bed called to him, but he
couldn’t afford to sleep. Not with so much going on. There were no calls on
his phone. Fuck.
Much as he wanted to be with them, she was his main priority. Sure, he
could have taken care of the goons that asshole had sent with them. But that
would leave her vulnerable and he couldn’t risk that.
He was her protector. Her warrior. Her monster.
He settled into the living room so he wouldn’t disturb her. She needed
her sleep. He was of a mind not to let her out of bed until those dark patches
under her eyes were gone, but he was aware that might be a bit tricky. At
least right now. Once this shit got settled then he was going to ensure that
she got all the rest she required.
He heard some whimpering noises coming from the bedroom. Swiftly,
he walked into the room, putting his phone down on the bench at the end of
the bed. Her legs were shifting around under the bedding. Was she having
another nightmare? Was it normal for her to have two in one night?
Was she sucking her thumb? No, wait, it looked like she was biting at
the nail. A nervous habit?
“No, please, no!” she cried out.
Fuck.
“Please, no! Don’t hurt him!”
Hurt who?
She started thrashing around on the bed and he shoved those thoughts
aside. Sitting on the bed, he reached for her.
“Baby, Jewel. It’s me. You’re all right. It’s just a nightmare.” He
attempted to touch her.
“No! Get off me! Don’t touch me! Nooo!” She started to fight him off
and even though she had no chance of overpowering him, he was terrified
she would hurt herself. So he stood and stepped back, feeling the panic
surge.
He never panicked. He was always cool and calm. Under all
circumstances.
Except when he lost it.
But that hardly ever happened anymore. He worked hard in order to
keep himself under control.
However, the moment he got hold of the bastard who’d done this to her
all bets were off.
“Jewel, listen to me. You’re all right. You’re safe, baby blue. You’re
safe. Please don’t cry. You’re going to kill me.”
Her eyes opened and she stared straight up at him before curling herself
into a ball. Climbing onto the bed, he placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Jewel.”
“Please don’t touch me.”
He was about to snatch his hand back when she kept talking.
“Don’t look at me. Don’t come near me. Dirty.”
Oh, fuck no. He wasn’t having that.
Lying down, he dragged her into his arms. She tried to resist, but he
wasn’t letting her get away with that. If she was scared, then he’d stop
touching her in an instant.
But he wasn’t going to let her feel ashamed.
“Stop resisting.”
 “I don’t want you touching me! Don’t you understand no!” She glared
up at him. “Do you just take without caring what I want?”
Thoughts tumbled through his head, his anger grew like a volcano
nearing eruption. But none of it was aimed at her. No, he knew what she
was doing. Because he’d seen her do it time and again. She was going on
the attack to push him away. Dark thoughts were eating her from the inside
out.
“You can spout all the shit you want at me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Are you deaf? Dumb?”
“Nah, I’m just yours.”
Her face crumpled, and even though no tears made an appearance, a sob
broke through. She buried her face in his chest and he held her tight,
allowing her a moment. As long as she clung to him, as long as he was her
shelter then she could hide all she liked.
Provided she never hid from him.
He ran his hand up and down her back, crooning to her softly. Singing
an old song his grandmother used to sing to him.
Eventually, she started to relax against him. “You can sing.”
“I can hold a note.”
She snorted. “Why be modest now?”
“Good point.” He winked at her. Then he cupped her cheek. “Tell me
what’s going on, Jewel. Let me protect you.”
“You can’t go up against him. You don’t know who he truly is.”
He gripped the back of her head gently. “He’s Kenton Maxwell, isn’t
he?”
Fear flashed through her face, completely gutting him.
She tried to push him away. But he wasn’t moving anywhere, he held
her, waiting.
Talking wasn’t her strong suit. He got it, it wasn’t his strong suit either.
But they had to learn how to communicate with each other. She had to
learn that her secrets were safe with him.
“Baby blue, stop. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”
“If you’d just let me go—”
“Never,” he said fiercely. “I’ll never let you go.”
“Jason, he’ll come for me. Christ, I didn’t realize the depth of his
obsession for me. It’s almost like he came back from the dead for me. He
was supposed to be dead.”
 “That’s fourteen,” he warned. “And I don’t care how fucking obsessed
he is with you, he has nothing on how I feel about you.”
“And how do I know that I’m not swapping one psycho for another?”
“I’m not a fucking psychopath. I can feel empathy for people. I can feel
actual love. I don’t get off on hurting others. I would never fucking harm
you. But I will hurt him. For everything he did to you, I’ll do back to him
twice over.”
“You can’t,” she whispered.
“Getting tired of hearing you say that. I don’t understand can’t or won’t
or no. They’re not in my vocab.”
She rolled her eyes. “I never realized how arrogant you are.”
He shrugged. “I’m good at hiding it.”
“That you are.” She closed her eyes, looking like she was in pain.
“How’d you know that Luc Darrins is Kenton Maxwell?”
“You told me.”
Her eyes shot open. “I did not!”
“You said something about him being worse than he used to be. How
the doctor messed with his brain when he changed his face. I made a guess
and you just told me that my guess was right.”
She groaned. “Fuck it.”
“It’s okay. You’re not allowed to keep things from me anyway. So
there’s no point in trying. Now, what I want to know is how that fucker
came back from the dead and what the fuck he has over you?”
She sucked in a breath then shook her head. “I can’t. You don’t know
what he’ll do. Please, please just leave and forget about me.”
The terror in her face made him feel ill.
“You won’t want me. When you learn what he did to me. You won’t
think that way. He . . . he . . . I’m . . .”
Rage unlike anything he’d felt before flooded him. Even when he’d
fully lost his mind all those years ago and hurt those fuckers, practically
tearing them apart with his bare hands. That rage had nothing on this
feeling flooding him.
But he needed to hold it together because she was falling apart.
“You said he didn’t rape or beat you.”
“This time,” she whispered.
What she wasn’t saying hit him in the stomach with the force of a steam
train.
 “Mother-fucking bastard. He’s a fucking dead man!” He could feel it
boiling inside him. As hard as he tried to control it, it nearly overwhelmed
him. His vision went dark. Not red like anger. Black. Because that’s what he
felt. Darkness.
Knowing he had to let some of it out in order to find his way back to
her, he swung off the bed. His fist found the wall.
Once. Twice. Three times.
The drywall caved. He needed to keep going. To beat something. To see
it bleed.
Him. To see him bleed.
Finally, he managed to gain control of the fury. Then shame flooded him
as he stepped back, looking at the mess he’d made of the wall and the blood
dripping from his swollen knuckles.
This was about her. Not him. Not about his pain or anger. He needed to
concentrate on her.
Turning, he braced himself for her fear. Fuck, he’d really messed up. He
was supposed to be building her trust in him, not making her fear him.
But it was his turn to be shocked. Because instead of fear or disgust on
her face, she was staring at him intently. There was something almost like
understanding in her gaze.
“You know I think they charge extra for that.”
“What?”
“Doing your own renovations.”
How was she so calm? After what she’d told him?
“Aren’t you scared of me?”
“For punching a wall?”
“Yeah. And for losing my temper.”
“I know what it’s like to have demons to fight. To have to claw for
control every day just to get through. I didn’t see that in you before. I
thought you had this Zen thing going on. You were just naturally easygoing
and calm, but you aren’t. You’re full of rage, you just bury it deep.”
“I’ll never turn it on you. Tell me you believe that.” He couldn’t bear for
her to fear him.
“I believe you. But walls everywhere are quivering in fear,” she joked.
He ran his hand over his face. Then he suddenly felt her touch on him.
Her cool hand touched his injured one.
“We need to clean this.”
 “I don’t care about my hand, baby blue.”
“I do.”
Fuck. She slayed him. Those two words maybe wouldn’t mean a lot to
other people. But it was her way of saying she cared. About him.
So he let her tug him to the bathroom. And he sat obediently on the
toilet lid as she raided the first aid kit. She slid onto her knees in front of
him. That made him feel uncomfortable.
He stood and she gave him a surprised look as he held out his good
hand.
She took it and he helped her stand. “I don’t like you on your knees,
serving me. That’s my place.”
Shock filled her face as he had her sit on the toilet then he knelt between
her legs and placed his hand up for her to doctor. He still wanted her to take
care of him.
“Ja—”
He shot her a look and she swallowed heavily. “It’s not your place to
serve me. You’re my queen. It’s my place to take care of you. Of course, if
you want to get on your knees for another reason, I wouldn’t say no.”
Shit. Fuck. Why had he said that? Last thing he wanted was to terrify
her.
But instead of looking scared, she grinned. “You wish, buddy. This
place is really well stocked.”
“I had the butler put everything I could think of us needing in here.”
She froze, glanced up at him. “Butler?”
“Penthouse comes with a butler.”
“You win the lottery or something?” she asked as she cleaned his
knuckles. Her touch was so gentle and he was lapping it up. His cock was
pressed against his pants. He hoped like hell she didn’t notice and get the
wrong idea. He wasn’t expecting anything from her.
“Not quite,” he told her.
She reached for a bandage. He wanted to tell her there was no point, but
he didn’t want her to stop touching him. So he sat there and let her fuss.
“Sometimes he’d hit me. Although he didn’t hit me much. He liked me
to look perfect. A doll. Dolls don’t come with bruises. Mostly I was
compliant because he kept me drugged up. I didn’t have the will to fight
back.”
Fight the rage. Fight it.
 “How did you find me?” she asked.
He grunted then sighed. “Cameras.”
“What?”
“Brody tracked your phone. Ink sent someone to where it last pinged
but they couldn’t find anything. I figured that maybe I needed to take a few
steps back. There were security cameras on the parking lot of your
apartment building. I bribed the company who put them there. Saw a guy
who was there a lot, watching your apartment. He slipped some envelopes
under your door. Got photos of him and sent them to some people I knew.
Came back he was one of Luc Darrins’ goons.”
“You know people who would recognize his men?”
“Yeah. What was in the envelopes? How did he get you to go to him?”
“How do you know that his guy didn’t take me?”
“Saw the footage of you leaving, baby.”
“He found me by accident, can you believe it? Just a chance meeting
and my life changed forever. I started receiving these threats. Phone calls.
Messages.”
“That’s why you started hiding in your apartment?”
“I didn’t want whoever was watching me to see how much you guys
meant to me.”
“Still trying to protect everyone. You should have told us.”
“And have him hurt you? Use you guys? I couldn’t. I couldn’t even tell
Reyes. I couldn’t risk Maxwell discovering that Reyes was the one who
hired an assassin to kill him.”
“Wait, Reyes had him taken out?”
“Oh shit, you can’t tell anyone. I shouldn’t have said anything—”
He placed a finger over her mouth. “Hush, I won’t say a word. And of
course, you should have told me. But if Reyes hired someone, he could be a
loose end . . .”
She shook her head. “Reyes must have covered his tracks, because
Maxwell found the assassin and he didn’t tell him who hired him. Reyes
helped me so much. He got rid of Maxwell, or we thought he had. I owe
him so much.”
“You don’t owe him. I do.”
“What?”
“Your debt is now mine.”
“Jason, no.”
 “Fifteen.”
She sighed. “What time is it?”
“Nearly four in the morning.”
She nodded. “I need—”
“Don’t even start with telling me you need to go back. Not. Fucking.
Happening. I’m like a broken record, but I’m going to say it as much as I
have to.”

S HE WANTED to fight his words, but she didn’t have any fight left. So when
he stood and held out his good hand, she slipped her hand into his and let
him help her stand. She swayed as the room around her spun.
“Baby. You’re so tired.” He gathered her against his chest then slipped
an arm under her legs and lifted her. He carried her into the living area and
sat on the sofa with her on his lap. She went to climb off but he held her
there.
“Jason . . .”
“Sixteen,” he said gruffly.
“I’m not comfortable sitting on your lap.”
“Liar.”
Yeah, she was a fucking liar. She loved sitting here.
She closed her eyes as he massaged knots out of her neck. She was so
tired. All she wanted to do was rest, but he came to her in her nightmares.
“Do you usually have such frequent nightmares?”
“Crap. I said that out loud?”
“You can rest soon. I promise.”
“The nightmares started going away. The longer he was supposedly
dead, the easier I slept. But since realizing he was back, I’ve barely been
able to sleep, and when I do the nightmares haunt me.”
“So you haven’t been sleeping or eating. You’re exhausted, run-down,
and you’ve been terrorized. And you still think you have to do this all on
your own.”
“I . . . I’m tired of being strong all the time. Of doing it all.” Shoot. She
hadn’t meant to say that.
“Then don’t be. Let me be strong for both of us.”
If only it was that simple. Everything was weighing her down. Like she
was walking through molasses. The heaviness in her mind traveled out into
her limbs and she slumped against him.
He turned her so she was straddling his legs, then he gathered her in
against him, rubbing his hands up and down her back as she pressed her
face to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Without thinking, she slipped
her hand up under his T-shirt to press against his heart.
She just took a moment to breathe.
“He gave me an address, told me to come to him. When I got there, he
had someone drug me. I woke up alone and ill. He’s a germaphobe so he
didn’t come near me while I was puking my guts out. He’s got these girls
there, at his compound. They’re young and foreign. I don’t know what they
were doing there but we have to help them.”
He cupped her face. “We will. We’ll help them.”
Her breath was coming in sharp pants.
“But right now, I need you to calm down, understand? Your body
doesn’t need any more stress. I promise, we’ll help them. I’m also going to
kill that fucker.”
Alarm filled her. Why wouldn’t he listen to her? “No.”
His face tightened. “You’re defending him?”
“No!” she cried. “I don’t care about him. But I don’t want anything to
happen to you.”
He stared down at her for a long moment. “This is important to you.”
Of course it was. Could he not see that?
“Yes, of course it is.”
“Because you care about me.”
Shoot. She hadn’t been prepared to lay herself bare. But okay, if this is
what was needed to do in order to get him to believe her . . .
“Yes, because you’re important to me.”
Satisfaction filled his face. He gave her an arrogant nod. “I know.”
He knew? That was all he had to say?
“Well?” she prompted.
“Well, what? Oh, you want me to tell you how important you are to
me?”
Yes.
No, wait. That wasn’t where she was going with this.
“I want you to tell me that you won’t do something stupid,” she begged
him. “That you will walk away from him.”
“No.”
 “I’m leaving. I’m going back to him.”
“No.”
“Just because you say no doesn’t mean that I’m going to do what you
want.”
“Yeah, it does.”
She gave him an incredulous look. “I think they need to do further tests.
You’re definitely insane.”
“He fucking raped you. Drugged you. Terrified you. He’s going to pay.”
The rawness in his voice nearly broke her. Nearly sent her down a dark,
spiraling path. Then she felt something drip onto her shoulder.
Slowly, she drew back and stared in shock as this big, bossy beast of a
man cried. The tears dripped down his face unashamedly.
“You’re crying,” she whispered.
“I know men aren’t supposed to—”
“Hush.” It was her turn to boss him around. “I don’t care who says that,
it’s fucking ridiculous. Men can cry. Even big beasts who think they’re
monsters.”
“Your monster.”
“My monster. You’re crying . . . for me?”
“Yes.”
“Because . . . because you think I’m ruined, that I’m dirty, that—”
“No!” His look was so fierce that it almost frightened her. “Never that.
Fuck, is that what you think? That I’d believe this made you dirty? He did
this. Not you.”
“At least he didn’t touch me this time. I was sick the first few days.
Then he wanted me examined, tests run to make sure I was pure.”
“What the fuck?”
“Yeah, the guy is fucked in the head. He wanted me to be perfect.
Obedient and pretty. He wanted everyone to envy him. His head was a
mess. So this doctor came in and did tests on me. When the results came
back, he was going to do it. I know that. But he was called away. He only
came back a few hours before your fight.”
“Thank fuck.”
“It’s my fault, you know. I got involved with him the first time. I
thought he was handsome, smart, and charming. I mean, can it even be
considered rape when it’s your boyfriend?”
T HERE WEREN ’ T enough words to express the rage he felt. “Listen to me,
rape is rape. No matter who does it. Your boyfriend, your husband, a
stranger it’s all the same. You don’t consent then it’s rape. Understand me?
And under no circumstances is it all right. And it is definitely never your
fault. I won’t have you think that it is.”
She stared up at him. “Even though you say it, even though logically I
know, I still feel . . .”
“I know, baby girl. I know. Tell me what you need.”
“For you to hold me.”
He tightened his hold on her. “Always.” He just held her for the longest
time, his hand rubbing up and down her back.
His phone buzzed with a message and he picked it up. She settled into
him as he read the message.

S TING : Done.
Jason: About time.
Sting: Please, stop thanking me. It’s embarrassing how effusive you are.
Jason: That on your word of the day calendar?
Sting: Fuck you, asshole.
Jason: It went okay?
Sting: Few bumps. But we got everyone. Including the guards at the
hotel where you and your girl are. You didn’t tell us about the girls.
Jason: Didn’t know at the time. How many?
Sting: Eight. Got them in a safe house. They were locked in a room
together.
Jason: Don’t let them see your faces. Not until we know they’re safe.
Sting: Not born yesterday, brother. Your girl okay?
Jason: She will be. Darrins?
Sting: Ready and waiting for you. Will accept thanks in the form of
scotch. The good stuff, not that shit you gave me five Christmases ago.
His fucking life. What had he done to end up with a family like this?
Just lucky, he guessed.

“E VERYTHING OKAY ?” she whispered as he set his phone down.

 “Better than okay. You’re safe now. You don’t have to worry about
Maxwell anymore. Well, unless you want some input into how to make him
pay.”
She shook her head. “I know you think you can take him on, but you
can’t.”
He gave her a look of mock disappointment. “You should have more
faith in your man, baby. I already have the asshole, locked up nice and
tight.”
She drew back, she’d gone so pale that he thought she was going to pass
out. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Y-you can’t! Someone is watching him! What if they hurt him! No, no,
no, no!”
She jumped to her feet then swayed. He stepped after her as she looked
around, seemingly lost. “I need clothes. Money. A car. I need to get to him.
I have to make sure he’s okay. Oh God, what if whoever is watching him
hurts him!”
He gently grabbed her, untangling her fingers from her hair where she’d
been trying to pull it straight out her scalp. Then he tangled his fingers with
hers.
“Jewel, calm down.”
“You don’t know what you’ve done.”
His stomach churned to think he’d caused this agitation in her. But right
now, he knew that she needed him to be calm. And maybe a bit firm.
“Jewel, you need to calm down.”
“I can’t calm down! Don’t you know what could happen?”
“No, I don’t,” he replied. “But you need to tell me so I can fix it. And I
promise, I will fix whatever is wrong. However, I need you to calm down.
Because whatever it is, it will wait until I’m sure you’re all right. Because
you come first. Above everything else.”
“Not above him.”
“You’re my number one priority, Jewel.”
“And he has to be mine.”
Agony slashed through him. What the fuck! Who was she talking
about?
“Who is it?”
“My son.”
 10

J ewel braced herself for his reaction.

For him to push her away. To look at her like he didn’t know
who she was. He let go of her hands and took a half-step back. That
was all she needed to know. To feel her heart shattering.
This is what you got for hoping.
In the end, she wimped out and closed her eyes, unable to see that
tenderness in his eyes disappear. She hadn’t realized how amazing it would
be to have a man look at her like she hung the moon.
As though she was his everything.
She’d never thought she would have that. But that was how Jason had
looked at her. And now . . . now she knew that was all going to change.
Because she had abandoned her son. Didn’t matter that it wasn’t her
fault. That she’d been deceived. She’d lost her son.
“Jewel, stop it. Stop it, damn it.”
She opened her eyes, surprised as Jason drew her finger from her
mouth. She hadn’t even felt the pain as she’d ripped into her nail.
“Fuck, baby. Please stop. Please come back to me.” There was a
desperate note in his voice. She took in how pale he was. How worried. For
her?
“S-sorry.”
His gaze shot to hers. There was none of the anger or recrimination that
she expected. Just heartfelt pain.
For her.
“Please talk to me.”
 “Do you think less of me?”
His head rocked back, as though she’d punched him.
“Less of you? Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“Supposedly you know me really well, right? You’ve been stalking me
—”
“I wasn’t stalking. Just watching,” he interrupted with a grumble.
“Am I the type to joke around about shit like this?”
“No,” he said quietly. His voice took in this low, deadly tone that just
did shit for her.
“But if you’re not joking then you’re thinking some really fucking
ridiculous shit. Do you know what would make me think less of you?”
“What?”
“Absolutely fucking nothing.”
She wasn’t sure that was true but those words, spoken in a tone that
allowed no argument, soothed something inside her. Those raw, jagged rips
through her heart that she didn’t think could mend.
She let out a deep breath. “We have to make sure that he’s safe. He
doesn’t even know he’s in danger.”
“I’ll take care of it. Give me his details. I’ll send someone to watch over
him.”
He would?
“You can do that? Wait, are you going to pay someone? Won’t that cost
a lot of money?”
“My family has plenty of security already on their payroll.” He walked
away to grab a piece of pen and paper.
That sounded odd. Were they famous or something? “If they keep track
of the cost then perhaps I could pay . . .” she trailed off at the look on his
face.
He shook a finger at her. “Will put up with a lot, but I won’t hear any
bullshit about owing my family or me anything, got it? They demand
anything, it will come from me not you.”
“But he’s my son.”
“And you’re my woman. Write down the details here. Everything you
can. Age, looks, where he goes to school. Is he old enough for school?”
“Oh yeah, he’s a junior.”
He stiffened then looked up at her. She swallowed hastily. Right, he’d
probably thought he was a lot younger than that. She took the pen and paper
without a word, writing down everything she could think of that would
help.

J ASON STARED down at the piece of paper in his hand.

C ALLEN A NDREWS .
Age: 16.
Weight: Probably a hundred and sixty pounds.
Height: Tall, likely over six feet.
Hair: Dark, almost black.
Parents: June and Ben Andrews.

T HE REST that followed was an address and the name of his school. His date
of birth as well as a list of hobbies. Seemed the guy was big on sports.
Fucking sixteen. She was thirty-two which meant she was sixteen when
she had him. And what was with the parents? Had she adopted him out?
That seemed likely since he didn’t live with her or share the same last
name.
He quickly took a photo of the piece of paper then sent a message to
Sting.
“Aren’t you going to ask?” she asked.
The questions were burning a hole in his gut. But he didn’t like how
stressed she was looking. His job was to take that stress away, not add to it.
So most of his questions could wait. It didn’t make any difference to
him what the answers were . . . although he had a feeling that he might be
adding more names to his list of people who’d hurt his baby.
Yes, there was an actual list.
He didn’t want to forget about anyone.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not now. I just can’t . . .”
“Then I’ll wait until you’re ready,” he told her.
The relief on her face hurt him. As long as there was no threat to her,
then he could give her time to tell him.
 “But do you want him or his parents to know there is a possible threat?”
“We can’t tell his parents,” she said frantically. “And I’d rather not tell
him anything. I don’t want to scare him if possible.”
“Okay, whoever is watching him will be discreet.”
The tension in her body eased. Then she started biting her thumbnail.
Reaching over, he tugged her thumb free. He hadn’t been joking when he’d
said he didn’t want her hurting herself. No matter how large or small that
hurt was.
“How did Maxwell find out about him? Did you tell him?”
“No, of course not. After his guy spotted me at Reaper’s, he said he
decided to look into what I’d been doing since his supposed death. He
found out I’d been in therapy and he . . . I think he tortured my therapist for
the details.”
“Oh fuck, oh baby.”
“He must have told Maxwell.”
“It will be fine, baby. He will be all right.”
“I hope so. I hate that I’ve put him in danger.”
“You didn’t do anything. That asshole Maxwell is to blame for all of
this.”
Although she didn’t look very convinced, she did nod.
After doing that, he moved over to the minibar and grabbed out a couple
of beers. They were her favorite kind. She raised her eyebrows at him.
“The butler stocked the fridge.”
“And he knew what my favorite kind was?” she replied dryly.
He shrugged. He wasn’t trying to hide that he had studied everything
about her. He undid the top and handed the beer to her.
“Sit,” he told her.
She shook her head. She looked all amped up. Energy was flooding
through her. But she was going to crash and burn, he could see it.
“Jewel, baby, sit. For me, please.” The last word was a bit of an
afterthought, but it seemed to work as she sat on the sofa. She twisted the
bottle in her hands.
“Who will go watch him?” she asked. “Will he be safe? What if
Maxwell’s man tries to hurt him before they get there? What if he still
attempts to harm him even though they’re there. What if—”
Leaning over he placed his hand gently on her mouth. “Hush, baby.
You’re going to give yourself an ulcer. I know you’re scared. But I’ll make
sure your son is safe.”
She frowned. “I should go there, watch over him myself.”
“Baby, I reckon you’re lucky if you’ve got another hour in you before
you completely crash. Those few short naps aren’t a drop in the bucket to
what you need, not to mention that you’re burning through reserves of
energy you don’t have.”
“He’s my responsibility. If anything happens to him . . .”
“I get it. I do. And I know trusting me with his safety isn’t something
you can easily do. But my brother will get this done. It’s very unlikely
whoever is watching him has heard from Maxwell or anyone else.” His
phone buzzed. He picked it up and sighed with relief. “My brother is
sending one of his best men. He’s also got a friend close by who’s going to
watch him in the meantime.”
She was wringing the neck of the beer bottle. “Maybe we should get
you something stronger.” He grabbed the beer from her hands, putting it
down.
“It’s six in the morning,” she pointed out.
“So? I’ll make you one of those drinks with the pink gin you like.”
“You know how to make those?”
He just shot her a look then started to pull everything out.
He mixed her drink and then brought it over. He’d put in a heap of ice
as well as some cut-up strawberries. “Here.”
“Thanks.” She stared at it and shook her head. “I shouldn’t drink.”
“Why not? After the hell you’ve been in, who cares if it’s six pm or six
am. If it will help you relax and sleep then drink it.”
“I won’t drink until I know he’s all right.”
“Should hear from Sting’s friend soon.”
“You trust him?”
“As much as I trust anyone who’s not blood or in the Iron Shadows
inner circle.”
She nodded at that. “Okay. We’ll wait then. Your brother is called
Sting?”
“Hmm. My other brother is Jagger and my sister is Dusty.”
“Sting, Pike, Jagger, and Dusty?”
“Making fun of our names is a punishable offense.”
“I’m suitably scared,” she replied dryly.
“Brat.”
 “Isn’t yours the odd one out?” Considering the others were all famous
singers.
“I’m named after some jazz musician Ma liked. Pretty sure she was on
drugs or something when she named us. Apparently, she’d been set on
calling me Peter. Then as soon as I was born, she changed her mind. Same
as the others. Sting was meant to be Stephen. Jagger was supposed to be
Jeremy. And Dusty, well I think she was always going to be Dusty.”
Her face lost that smile. “I’m really safe from him?”
“I promise, baby.”
“How did you do it? I mean, how did you get to Maxwell? He had so
many men at his compound.”
“My family has criminal ties.” He grimaced. “I cut myself off from that
part of their world. I love my family, but not necessarily what they do.
However, in this instance, they could help me. They raided the compound a
few hours ago. Everyone is taken care of.”
“You asked for their help for me?”
“I’d do anything I needed to for you.”
“What about the girls?” she asked. “Are they all right?”
“My brother took them somewhere safe. This isn’t for you to worry
about.”
“You can’t tell me what to worry about, Jason.”
“Seventeen. And you have enough to worry about without taking on
things that are my concern. Now drink,” he commanded, frowning as he
saw her shiver. “You’re cold.”
“I’m fine.”
He sighed. “You need to learn to ask me for what you need.”
She took a sip of her drink. “Wow, this is good. Did you ever work
behind a bar mixing drinks?”
“Nah, I taught myself how to make one when I saw how much you liked
it.” He got up and walked into the wardrobe, where he’d stored some bags.
“Here it is.”
He drew out a big blanket. It was teal, which he knew was her favorite
color and claimed to feel as light and fluffy as a cloud. He wasn’t sure about
that, but it was soft. And Jewel liked soft things.
Ripping off the price tag, he carried it to her, laying it over her. “What is
. . . oh my God, this is so soft.”
 He tucked it around her. Maybe he wouldn’t get her off to sleep again
before they learned that her son was all right, and he totally got that, but he
hoped to at least get her to relax a bit. He turned on some soothing music.
She loved sixties music but he didn’t want her up on the dance floor. The
curtains were already pulled, so he left them but put the lighting down
lower.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”
“Nah, if I was trying to seduce you, I wouldn’t be tucking you up under
a blanket. Hmm, unless we were in public.”
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him, the glass of pink gin
tipping in her hand. He jumped over and grabbed hold of it, putting it on the
coffee table. “Easy there.”
“In public?” she asked.
He never intended to share. Or allow anyone to see what was his. But he
wasn’t opposed to some safe fun while in public.
“How . . . what . . . uh, that’s never happening.”
He raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “No? So say we were
somewhere . . . let’s say the movies and we had our own blanket . . . ”
“Do you often take a blanket to the movies? Get cold, do you?” she
teased.
The fact that she could tease while everything else was going on told
him that she was starting to feel safe. And he was fucking thankful for that.
“Brat,” he mock-growled. “What if it was one of those outdoor movies?
Big screen, watching one of those old movies you like.”
She sucked in a breath at that. “Be a bit cold for that, wouldn’t it?”
“You asking for a spanking?”
“Hmm, does anyone ever want a spanking?”
“Oh, I would say yes. Sometimes a spanking can be a lot of fun. You
over my knee, my hand caressing your ass. I bet you like your ass touched,
don’t you?”
“Jason!”
“That’s eighteen. Keep this up, baby and you won’t be able to sit by the
time I get through with you.”
“Wait, are you saying that eighteen is . . .”
“Every time you say Jason instead of my name, is a smack to your ass.”
“You wouldn’t!”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
 “Oh Lord, you so would. Pervert.”
“Only for you. Now, what was I talking about? Hmm, being naughty in
public. An outdoor movie. I’ve just fed you dinner, strawberries and
chocolate, and chicken salad sandwiches.”
So all her favorite things. The look she gave him made him shrug. He
wouldn’t apologize for learning everything that she liked.
“We’re sitting on a picnic blanket. With this blanket right here tucked
over us.”
“This hotel might not like you stealing their blanket.”
“Oh, that’s not the hotel’s blanket,” he told her as he grabbed his beer
and sat beside her.
“It’s not? You got the butler to get it?”
“No, I picked it up a while ago for you. Saw it in a shop, knew you
liked that color and soft things so I got it.” He could feel his cheeks
reddening slightly.
She ran her hand over it. “You keep surprising me.”
“That a good thing?”
“So far it is. Thank you for my blanket.”
“You’re welcome, baby. Pass me your drink.”
She handed it over without a word. Unusual. However, he was under no
illusions that she’d always be this compliant. No doubt once she was feeling
better, she’d be challenging him often.
And he looked forward to that. He set it down on the coffee table.
He grabbed her feet then turned her sideways so she was lying on her
back on the sofa. He started massaging her feet.
“Oh God. That’s fucking heaven.”
He had to laugh. “Like that, do you?”
“Getting a massage is one of my favorite things.” She raised her head to
look up at him. “But then I guess you’d know that.”
He nodded unrepentantly. “Along with shopping, getting your nails
done, and collecting lipsticks. How many lipsticks do you have?”
“Too many to count,” she muttered.
He’d bought her a few more. But he’d give them to her later. This
wasn’t the time for gifts, beyond the blanket. He continued to massage her
feet. “Now where were we? Oh yes, we were sneaking in some touching
under the blanket because you can’t resist me.”
“I can’t resist you?”
 “Yep. It’s my magnetic pull.”
“Hmm, where is this magnetic pull?” She pretended to look for it.
“Obviously, it’s invisible. But you feel it.”
“I do, huh?”
“Seen the way you check out my ass.”
“Ahh, so this magnetic pull comes out your ass. Weird.”
He glowered down at her, pretending to be upset. Secretly, he loved the
way she grinned back. This is the way she should always look. Even though
he could still see the note of worry in her eyes. That wouldn’t go until she
knew her son was safe.
“It doesn’t just come out of my ass, brat. Now, where was I?”
“I think you were talking about how I can’t resist your butt magnetism.”
He started tickling her feet and she squealed, trying to kick out at him.
He stopped, not wanting to risk her hitting something vital.
“Right, I might pull you between my open legs, have you sit with your
back to my chest. The blanket and darkness will hide what I’m doing to
you. Although you will have to stay quiet. Which I know is difficult for
you.”
“It is not!”
He just grunted. She groaned as he ran his thumb along the arch of her
foot.
“Yeah, that’s the sort of sounds you’d make as I played with your
nipples. But then everyone around us would realize that you were being
naughty under the blanket.”
“You’re the one touching me.”
“After you begged me. It’s embarrassing really, how you can’t resist my
sexy ass.”
“I’ll try to contain myself better,” she said dryly.
“That would be appreciated. I do have other things to do. I can’t spend
all day every day satisfying your needs. Now, after I’ve had to tell you off
for making noises while I’m playing with your nipples, I’ll move my hand
down your stomach then pull your skirt up your thigh.”
“I’m wearing a skirt?”
“Yep, a skirt with no panties. You’re a naughty little thing. I’ll punish
you at home for that.”
“What? Why!”
 “Because I can.” He grinned down at her. “I think wearing a butt plug in
the corner for ten minutes will be a nice reminder.”
“That is not happening.”
“Isn’t it?” He’d noticed the way she was brushing her thighs together;
her breath had grown faster. She was turned on. He wouldn’t be making any
moves yet, not until she was ready. Her past trauma ensured that he would
go at her pace. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t tease her a bit.
He didn’t want her thinking that he didn’t want her.
“I’ll start circling your clit with my finger, which will make you
whimper, of course.”
“Of course.”
“I might need to get something to put in your mouth to stop you making
too much noise. I don’t want anyone knowing what I’m doing to you.”
“And what would that be?”
“Hmm, if I had to improvise, maybe my thumb. You could rest your
head back on my chest, your nipples hard, your legs spread over mine as I
toyed with your clit meanwhile you were sucking on my thumb like your
life depended on it.”
“Fuck me,” she muttered, clearly not expecting him to hear.
Not in public. But if she enjoyed the risqué feeling of nearly getting
caught or having people close by, he could maybe do that.
If he could guarantee her safety. He wouldn’t be getting caught with his
pants down. Literally.
“Then I’d circle your clit, lightly at first. Gradually it would grow faster.
You’d shift around, because you’re a wriggler—”
“Hey, how do you know that?”
“Just a good guess. I’d have to hold you close as I brought you closer
and closer to orgasm. Then I might stop.”
“Why?”
“Oh, because likely you’d been naughty and broken the rules.”
“Jason!”
“That’s nineteen. I’m going to have to start writing this down.”
His phone buzzed and he picked it up. “Sampson is outside your son’s
house. He spotted him through the window. Hasn’t seen anyone else
around.”
“Oh thank God.” The relief that filled her face made his heart ache for
her. He wasn’t a father, but he knew what it was like to have someone you
loved in danger.
Slowly, he brought her up onto his lap. He expected some resistance so
he was shocked as she wrapped herself around him and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh God. Is it really over?”
“It’s over, baby girl. Maxwell is locked up. Your son is being watched
over. There’s no one to hurt you or be hurt. You’re safe. Everyone is safe.”
She was shaking so hard he was concerned for her. Gathering her close,
he rocked her gently, rubbing his hand up and down her back. It took him a
moment to realize that his T-shirt was growing wet under her face.
Fuck!
She was crying?
“Baby girl, it’s all right. You’re safe. Fuck. Shit. Hell.” He didn’t like
seeing her cry. Didn’t want her upset. Logically he knew this was likely a
good thing. She held things inside her, not letting them out. She pretended
everything was fine, stuck a smile on her face, and got on with shit, but the
things she’d been through . . . they would have broken a lesser person.
“Sorry. Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. You let it all out, my baby. Give them all to me. I’m here.
You can fall. I’m here.”
He didn’t know how long he sat there until he felt her relax. Then her
soft snores filled the room.
Damn, that was adorable. He rested back against the sofa and drew the
blanket over them both as she curled up on his chest. He wouldn’t sleep, but
he was content to sit here and let her sleep as long as she needed to.
 11

J ewel stared at his hands as he changed gears in his truck. It was

slightly beat-up, it had looked out of place in the hotel parking lot
among all the other expensive vehicles.
But that was Jason. He didn’t seem to give a shit what other
people thought or did. He went his own way.
She wasn’t sure if it was his magnetism or something else, but she liked
watching him. And she enjoyed touching him even more.
But to wake up curled on his lap with her pussy practically grinding on
his cock, drool drying on her chin, looking like a complete wreck . . .
Not her finest moment.
She was feeling kind of raw. Like all her nerve endings had been
scraped and were right there, unprotected. She hated it. She needed to build
her shields back up. But around him, that seemed impossible. He kept her
on edge.
“I should text Reyes and Sunny.” She tensed. She knew they’d be
worried, but she wasn’t ready for their questions.
“Already done. You’re worrying too much.”
“No, I’m not.”
He didn’t reply and she shifted in her seat. She’d expected an argument.
“You need the toilet?”
She froze. “Uh, no.”
“You need something to occupy your hands?”
She looked down to see that she’d been twisting them in her top. A top
that he’d bought her. In fact, it seemed like he had a whole suitcase filled
with things for her. His stuff had all gone in a small duffel. While hers was
a surprisingly heavy teal suitcase. She’d gotten a slap on the ass and a stern
scolding for trying to pick it up. She’d had to protest that, of course. She
couldn’t let him get away with thinking that she enjoyed him smacking her
ass or bossing her around.
But of course, she’d be kind of devastated if he stopped. Those slaps to
her ass awakened something in her body. She’d fantasized about a dominant
man at one time in her life. Someone she could let go with. Just be herself
without the thousand worries that came with being an adult.
“Umm, no.”
“Sure? I could find something.” He turned his head and winked at her.
“Jason!”
“Twenty.” He shook his head. “Baby, you’re really racking those up.”
She could feel the heat entering her cheeks as she imagined going over
his knee. She’d never thought of him as being that sort of guy, he’d seemed
too laidback. Was that why she’d never made a move, despite being
attracted to him? That thought kind of shamed her. She’d totally judged
him.
“What’s wrong? Are you still upset about the drooling?”
She groaned, smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Can
we never mention the drooling again?”
“Why? I thought it was cute. So was the snoring.”
“I do not snore!”
“You definitely snore.”
“Uh-uh, take it back.”
“Or what?”
“Or . . . or . . . I’ll paint your nails bright pink while you sleep.”
“I think bright pink would be a good color for me. Although good luck
with that since I’m a light sleeper.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “I only drooled and snored because
I’m so tired.”
“I know, baby. You can have a nap when we get to the house.”
They were on their way to Jason’s family home. Apparently, his
brothers and sister all lived there with his mother. Which sounded a bit odd
to her, but also sweet. His dad died years ago.
Nerves flooded her. “I don’t need a nap.” She couldn’t just arrive at
their house then go to bed. What would they think of her? What were they
going to think of her anyway? A stranger turning up. A stranger who had
caused them all sorts of problems.
Suddenly, a large hand engulfed hers. “Stop stressing.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Sure, it is. Tell me what’s wrong.”
She barked out a laugh. “What isn’t wrong?”
“You and I aren’t wrong.”
She sucked in a breath. “Jason . . . “
“Twenty-one. You’re going to say my name eventually. Then I’ll know
you’re mine.”
“I’m not sure I’m in a good headspace to be yours,” she said quietly.
Even though she wanted that. But what could she offer him right now?
“Then we’ll wait until you’re in that headspace,” he replied.
“You’d wait for me?”
“Wait forever for you. Waited this long, what’s a few more hours?”
“Jason!”
“Twenty-two.” He winked at her. “Or days, weeks, months. I can wait.
What I can’t do is step away from you. I’d really prefer you come live with
me. Give you your own room. With a lock, if you need it. But I don’t like
you in that apartment on your own.”
She didn’t feel like the idea of going back to her apartment either. It
used to feel like home, but now it had been tainted by Maxwell. She was
worried if she went back there, all she’d remembered was being scared. But
to move in with him, that seemed a big step.
“Jewel, wanted you from the first moment I saw you. I haven’t been
with another woman since. Haven’t even looked at them. It’s all you.”
“But what if I have some terrible habit that only becomes apparent
when I’m living with you?”
“Hmm, well we already know about the drooling and snoring . . . ”
“I don’t usually do those things!”
“Do you have any bad habits? Do you leave wet towels all over the
floor? Or dirty dishes in the sink? Do you stay up all night watching re-runs
of reality dating shows.”
“No, I’m quite tidy and I’ve never watched any of those shows.”
“Thank God. That would have been a deal-breaker. We need to write
that into the wedding vows.”
 She just groaned. There was no discouraging him. But she had to grin
because it was nice that he was so into her. So convinced this would work.
“Think about it. Seriously. I don’t know if I could sleep with you in that
apartment alone.”
“I’ve lived there for awhile and Ink put in a security system.”
“Still not enough. I’d probably end up in my truck out in the parking lot,
watching you. Then someone would call the cops on me. I’d end up in jail.
You don’t want that, do you?”
“When did you become so good at manipulation?”
He shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
With a sigh, she ran her hand over her face. Her head was thumping, her
energy levels were low. It was like she’d been running on adrenaline and
fear for weeks and now . . . she was crashing.
“Really, it makes sense on all sides. It will be cheaper, more convenient,
and will save the family lawyers from getting called up at two in the
morning to get me out of jail.”
“You sure that you checked the credentials of the doctor who decided
you weren’t insane?”
He let out a bark of laughter. “I’m sure. It will be better for the
environment too.”
He turned up a street. There weren’t many houses out here. There were
a lot of trees to give each property privacy.
“Uh-huh, and how do you figure that?”
“Because I won’t be using a lot of gas going back and forth from my
place and yours every time you call me.”
“I wouldn’t call that often.”
“Yeah, you would,” he said in a firm voice. “You’d call when your car
made a funny noise, or when you had cramps and needed chocolate and
cuddles, or when you had a nightmare, or heard a strange noise or just got
lonely. You’d call me any of those times.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Now you don’t have to. You have me. I want to do all that stuff, take
all those worries.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re mine.”
He turned into a driveway with an enormous concrete fence and
wrought iron gates with the letters CM woven into the iron rails. Then he
spun around to face her while the gates started opening.
She stared back at him, her breath coming faster. Did he really mean all
that? Could it actually be what he wanted? She licked her lips. “And what
would I do in return? For you?”
He studied her with narrowed eyes. “You think I want you to give me
something?”
“In my experience, nothing is for free. People always want something in
return.”
“Fair enough, I do want something in return.”
She braced herself.
“I want you to be honest with me.” She waited for the rest, but he didn’t
say anything more.
“That’s it?” That couldn’t be it.
“Yep. I want you to promise not to lie. To tell me what you need. To
open up. If you think about it, what I’m asking from you is much harder.”
Yeah, she guessed it was. But that actually made her feel better. “You’ll
be honest with me?”
“Always.”
She let out her breath. “Cuddles and chocolate, huh?”
“I have a sister and mother. Neither of them wanted cuddles, but the
chocolate was a Godsend. Maybe the cuddles would be more for me.”
“I might like the cuddles.”
“Good.” He started down the driveway.
“Your family has money.”
He grunted. “Crime pays. Although Sting is trying to steer them into
more legal activities. You’ll be safe here while I deal with everything.”
Like Maxwell, he meant. She wondered where he was being held.
She felt her jaw dropping open as he drove down a winding driveway
and the huge stone house came into view. “When you said your brothers
and sister lived with your mom, I thought they might get on top of each
other but you could get lost in this place.”
“Over-the-top, huh?” He pulled up beside an Aston Martin and a
Lamborghini.
She glanced down at her tight jeans and teal singlet. She’d taken off the
soft sweater he’d given her while they were driving.
What were they going to think of her? It was obvious they were filthy
rich. She was a girl from the wrong side of the tracks.
 “What did I say about worrying?” he growled.
“I don’t fit in here.” She hated feeling like an outsider.
“Jewel, look at me.”
She raised her gaze to his, surprised by his firm tone. He didn’t use it
often on her, but when he did, she’d learned to pay attention. Funny, how
she felt like she’d known him forever.
“Nobody in there cares what you wear or where you came from.”
Sure they didn’t. Maybe they wouldn’t say anything in front of Jason,
but she’d read enough bully romances to know that the poor girl never fit
into the rich family. They’d probably find some way to get rid of her. No
doubt, Jason’s gorgeous, rich ex would turn up for dinner and his family
would want him to spend time with her . . .
“Whoa, what’s going on?”
Reaching over, he gently grasped hold of her hand, pulling her finger
away from her mouth. Shit. Had she been about to bite her nail again? She
hadn’t even realized.
“Jewel, talk to me.”
“I really am a mess. You could do so much better. Go off with your
cheerleader ex-girlfriend, she’ll fit into your life better than I will. And she
probably has none of my baggage.”
“Okay, whoa. First of all, no cheerleader ex-girlfriend. I was never into
sports. I wasn’t the popular quarterback. I was the kid you’d catch out back
getting high and planning how to tag the biology teacher’s car. He was a
real dick.”
She found herself calming. That still didn’t mean anything . . .
“Second of all, there is no one who is a better fit in my life. For me.
Than you. Because you are who I want.”
“I don’t belong here.” She waved her hand at the mansion.
“You belong wherever the hell you want. You’re a fucking queen,
Jewel. I don’t give a shit what your bank balance is or what you do for a
living. You. Are. A. Queen. All you gotta do is realize that and there is
nothing that is too good for you, understand?”
He’d grasped hold of her chin as he spoke, not letting her look away.
“If anyone in that house makes you feel anything less than a queen, you
tell me. I’ll kick their asses.”
“That’s your family!”
 “So? Even more reason to give out a good ass-kicking. Those assholes
need it once in a while.”
He ran his thumb over her cheek. “If you’re really uncomfortable then
we can leave and stay at a hotel. This place is safer, though. And I’d rather
not worry about you while I’m dealing with stuff.”
She took in a sharp breath. “I know. I get it.”
“I know you’d rather go see your son—”
“No,” she interrupted. “No, I wouldn’t.” He didn’t want her around.
Jason sent her a curious look but didn’t ask.
“You say the word, we’ll leave.”
And he meant it. Her tension eased. She wouldn’t ask him to do that.
“You ready to go in now, Your Majesty?”
She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t even think of calling me that.”
His lips twitched.
Asshole.
She reached for her belt, the one he’d insisted she wear with a ferocious
frown. Apparently, he didn’t approve of her habit of not wearing a seatbelt.
He brushed her hand away though, and undid the belt for her.
“Wait there, I’ll come get you.”
She nodded. He liked doing things for her. So who was she to argue
with that?
He opened her door and helped her down with his wide hands around
her waist. Look at her now. Never in her life had a man opened a door for
her unless it was Maxwell’s goons and they didn’t count.
Speaking of . . .
“Do you think your brother and his men got all of Maxwell’s men?”
“Hard to know for sure.” He reached in and got her sweater, helping her
into it. It was the softest thing she’d ever owned, other than the blanket he’d
bought for her. And like most of the things he’d bought her, it was a
beautiful teal color. She was pretty sure that the sweater was made of
cashmere and she didn’t want to know how much it cost.
Jason had insisted on doing her hair for her. It was up in a high ponytail.
He’d even given her some new lipsticks. Just that small thing had made her
feel so much better. Today she was wearing a shade called Bad Girls.
Be a Queen.
She could do this. Letting him take her hand in his, she followed him up
the wide concrete steps. The door opened as they got there. She half-
expected to see some sort of creepy butler. What she wasn’t prepared for
was the whirlwind that raced out and attached herself to Jason with a squeal
that made her ears hurt.
Who the hell was this? She thought that he didn’t have a gorgeous, ex-
cheerleader girlfriend. Jealousy stabbed as he swung her around, hugging
her tight. Then the girl turned her face towards Jewel and she saw Jason’s
eyes staring back at her.
His sister.
The girl sized her up. She braced herself for her judgment. She was
wearing a long, pleated skirt in pink and black along with a black t-shirt
tucked in at the front. She was gorgeous with long, curly blonde hair. What
would she see when she looked at Jewel?
She would probably hate her at first sight. Jewel was used to that.
“Hello,” the girl said curiously. “Who are you?”
Jason sighed and extracted himself to grab hold of Jewel’s hand and pull
her towards him. He placed an arm around her waist.
“Jewel, this is Dusty, my obnoxious, annoying little sister.”
“Hey!” Dusty put her hands on her hips as she glared at him. “You
forgot gorgeous.”
“Sorry, D.”
“Don’t call me D.” She glared at her brother.
“Dusty, this is the woman I love and am going to marry, Jewel.”
Jewel gaped up at him. He didn’t just introduce her like that!
“Jason!” she said.
“Twenty-three.”
“Are you serious?” Dusty asked loudly.
“Totally.”
Jewel winced as Dusty turned her stare onto her. Here it came.
“How long have you known each other?” she fired out.
“Couple of years,” Jason replied.
“How’d you meet?”
“At a bar.”
“What’s her favorite color?”
“Teal.”
Dusty narrowed her gaze thoughtfully. “What do you do, Jewel?”
She raised her chin. “I work in the bar where we met.”
Dusty’s eyes widened. “Bartender or waitress?”
 “Uh, bartender.”
Dusty clapped her hands. “Excellent, you are my new favorite person.”
She grabbed her arm and tried to tug her inside. She was surprisingly strong
considering she was several inches shorter than Jewel.
Jewel shot Jason a shocked look. Reaching out, he grabbed her around
the waist, tugging her back against him. “Mine, Dusty.”
“But—”
“Mine.”
Dusty’s face fell. “But I’m totally outnumbered in this household. Three
brothers. Three. All older. All overprotective. I’m practically housebound
day-in, day-out. I haven’t left the property in close to three weeks, I’m
lucky if I see the sun. I might as well be in jail!”
“You’ve been stuck here for nearly three weeks because you’re
grounded,” a deep voice came from behind Dusty and Jewel looked up into
the solemn gaze of a hugely-built man. He was the same height as Jason,
although Jason was a bit wider. But it was clear to see they were brothers.
“I’m nineteen, Sting! You can’t ground me.”
“Seems I can, since I already did.”
Jewel turned to stare up at Jason. Was his brother for real? He couldn’t
ground his sister when she was nineteen. Jason just grinned. “What did she
do?”
“Snuck into Poison. Got drunk. Nearly caused a riot when she got up on
the bar to dance.”
“It was a really good song,” Dusty said to Jewel.
“I don’t care how good the song is,” Sting told her with a scowl.
“You’re underage, you should never have been there in the first.”
“That’s such a silly rule.” Dusty waved her hand.
“It’s the law,” Sting told her.
“You break the law all the time. All of you do. I mean, all I did was
have a few vodka and cranberries, and suddenly I’m public enemy number
one. Grounded for three weeks at my age! It’s ridiculous. Now that Jewel is
here, she’ll be on my side.”
She would be?
Well, she didn’t think what she’d done should result in being grounded.
And Dusty was right, she was nineteen.
“Where were her guards?” Jason asked as Dusty tried to tug her inside.
Jason kept his arm around her waist, moving with them. She risked looking
up at Sting. A shiver went through her at the darkness in his gaze.
“She drugged them,” Sting replied.
“Dusty!” Jason scolded.
His sister shrugged. “They’re such party poopers. They don’t let me do
anything. I’m young. I need to sow my oats. Didn’t you sow your oats at
my age, Jewel?”
“Umm.” She wanted to support Dusty, because, you know, girl code.
But still . . .
“She doesn’t have oats to sow,” Jason replied. “Girls don’t have the
necessary parts.”
“What a crock, just because I don’t have a dick and balls doesn’t mean I
can’t sow my wild oats?”
“You’re not sowing any wild oats,” Sting commanded. “Jesus, what am
I even saying?”
Dusty pouted. “I’m going to be the oldest virgin ever, is that what you
want?”
“Yes,” her brothers replied.
Dusty turned to her. “See what I’m up against?”
“You’re screwed,” Jewel told her dryly.
“Yep.”
“And so lucky.”
“Lucky? How do you figure that?” Dusty asked.
Jewel licked her lips. “Because you have a family who cares about you.
That’s not something everyone has.”
Fuck. Dusty and Sting were now staring at her with interest while
Jason’s arm tightened around her waist. Why did she say that? Now she’d
told them more about herself than she was comfortable with.
Were they going to pity her? She hated when people pitied her.
Dusty sighed dramatically. “I suppose you’re right. But after you’ve
been in the family for awhile, Jewel, then don’t come complaining to me
when all of my brothers attempt to treat you like a precious, fragile doll.
Actually, you can totally complain to me. Since I don’t intend to stop
complaining, it will make me feel less ungrateful if you complain too.”
“When she becomes family?” a feminine voice asked from the top of
the stairs.
Jewel glanced up as an elegant woman walked down the stairs. She
guessed this was Jason’s mom, even though she didn’t look old enough.
There wasn’t even a wrinkle on her face.
Feeling intimidated, Jewel had to force herself not to step into Jason for
shelter. Why she was feeling so out of sorts, she didn’t know.
She was tougher than this. Some of the foster homes she’d lived in had
been hell. She’d had to fight for everything.
But these people were important to Jason. And he was important to her.
“Hey, Ma.” Jason stepped forward. She expected him to give the cold-
looking woman a kiss on the cheek. Instead, he picked her up and twirled
her around, just as he had with Dusty. But Dusty was a firecracker. This
woman was cool ice. But instead of telling him off or pushing him away,
the woman held him close, almost clinging to him. Then she drew back to
look up at him.
“You don’t visit enough.”
“Sorry, been busy.”
“So I’ve heard.” The woman turned her gaze to Jewel. Okay, here it
came. Exactly what she’d been dreading. “Hello, dear.” The woman held
out her hand. Jewel stepped forward to shake her hand. “I’m Claudia.”
“Jewel,” she replied awkwardly.
“Are you visiting for awhile?” she asked them.
“A few days,” Jason replied.
“Stay as long as you want. Won’t you come into the parlor?”
Parlor? Seriously.
Dear Lord. Jewel was so far out of her comfort zone that it wasn’t
funny. Now she was wishing they’d gone to the hotel.
You can do this.
They all followed Claudia into a room filled with expensive furniture
and antiques. Sting leaned against the fireplace mantel. Funny, usually it
was Jason who stood leaning against something. But at the moment he was
pressed up against her, his arm around her shoulders. He was lending her
his support. Even though he was crazy, she also totally adored him for that.
“I’m sorry that Jagger isn’t here. He’s away on business. He should be
home in a week or so. Tell me, how long have you two known each other?”
Claudia asked.
Jason placed his hand over hers, making her realize she’d been picking
at her fingernail.
Crap.
“Awhile,” Jason said. “Ma, I’ve got things to do.”
 “You can sit with your mother,” she replied. “You haven’t mentioned
Jewel before so I’m curious.”
So. Uncomfortable.
“Figured I would once she was mine.”
“So she didn’t immediately fall at your feet and declare her love for
you?”
Had she really expected her to do that?
“Nope,” Jason said almost cheerfully.
“Well, good for you, Jewel.”
“Umm, what?”
“It doesn’t pay to give into my boys straight away. They know what
they want and they go after it full steam ahead. They don’t like the word
no.”
“I’ve learned that,” Jewel said with a pointed look at Jason. He
appeared unapologetic.
“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tell them no. It’s healthy for them.
Now, tell me, who is your family? What do you do? Where do you live?
How did you meet?”
“Ma, enough. There’s no time for this.”
“All right, do you want to explain who the man in the cottage is and
what’s going on?”
Jason and Sting shared a look. “I’d rather keep you all out of it, Ma.”
Claudia shot them both a look. “I may be semi-retired, but I still have a
right to know what is going on. Plus, he’s in my cottage. I’m involved. We
all are. I feel this conversation might require more than just tea.”
“Happy to make you a daiquiri, Ma,” Dusty said cheerfully. “Jewel
offered to show me how.”
Jewel’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe the other girl had
dropped her in it.
“Jewel isn’t here to mix drinks for you, Dusty.”
Dusty grimaced.
She leaned into Jason. “Was it really a good idea to bring him here?”
“I’m not worried that he’s here, dear,” Claudia said. “I’d just like to
know who he is and why he is here.”
“He’s from Jewel’s past,” Jason said carefully. “He calls himself Luc
Darrins, but he used to be Kenton Maxwell.”
Claudia’s eyes widened. “That’s interesting.”
 She wondered if this woman had known Maxwell years ago.
“He was supposed to be dead,” Claudia mused. “I’ve wondered how
Darrins came into business so quickly. There’s a silent partner from what I
understand, only no one knows who it is.”
“I’m really sorry to get you mixed up in my mess,” Jewel finally said.
Claudia waved a hand at that. “Do not worry about that.”
“He was threatening Jewel’s son to gain her co-operation,” Jason
explained.
“What an odious man,” Claudia said darkly.
“I think he’s been trafficking girls,” Sting said. “There were about eight
young, foreign girls at the compound. I’ve put them in a safe house.”
Dusty looked ill and Claudia was frowning.
“I don’t know if it means anything, but I heard him talking about
shipments coming in and about someone he called the Russian. Maybe that
was his partner?” she offered.
Sting looked thoughtful. “Darrins has been pretty secretive. Nobody
really sees him. He sits up in that VIP box, watching men box to the death.”
“He has an overinflated opinion of himself,” Jewel told them. “He really
does think he’s the best of the best. A narcissist.”
“Why did he want you, dear?” Claudia asked. “Not that you’re not
lovely and all, but I’m guessing there is a reason he would threaten your son
to get you to come to him?”
“In his mind, I belong to him.”
“What a twerp,” Dusty said.
Jewel blinked and Jason tightened his hold on her, as though worried
about her reaction. But strangely, she felt herself smiling. “Total twerp.”
Sting and Claudia watched her carefully though. They obviously had
read between the lines, they understood that twerp didn’t begin to cover it.
“I take it his people have been taken care of?” Claudia asked.
Wow, this woman was cool, calm, and collected.
“Sting took care of it with his team,” Jason replied.
“Your son is safe now?” Claudia asked.
“I sent Dax out there,” Sting told her.
“Good. How old is he?”
“Sixteen.” She licked her lips. This was the tricky part. They’d have to
judge her after finding this out, right? But as she glanced around, she saw
nothing but curiosity and understanding.
 “How old were you when you had him? You must have been a baby,”
Dusty asked.
“Dusty,” Claudia warned.
“I wanted to keep him, even though I was young. But I . . . I couldn’t.”
Shame flooded her and Jason lifted her into his lap.
“Jason!”
“Twenty-four.”
She could not believe he had her on his lap in front of his mother.
“Why do you keep counting?” Dusty asked.
“He’s counting every time she calls him Jason,” Sting said. “I’m
guessing it’s the number of times he plans on spanking her.”
“Sting!” Claudia scolded as Jewel felt herself going bright red. What the
hell was up with this family?
Jewel glared up at Sting, who gave her a surprised look. “You’ve got
fire.”
“Yep,” she replied. Even though she wasn’t entirely sure that was true.
“Good,” he replied. “You’ll need it.”
Well, that wasn’t ominous or anything.
“The partner could be a problem now that his operations have been
interrupted,” Claudia said. “Especially if he helped set Darrins up. Is there
any possibility that he knows about you, dear? Is there any way he would
suspect that you had something to do with this? I’m guessing none of this
can come back on us?”
Jewel felt terrible. What if she’d put his entire family in danger? What if
Maxwell’s partner found out that they were the ones who’d taken him and
his men out?
“We were careful when we raided his compound,” Sting said. “All my
guys wore masks. They didn’t talk. We were in vehicles without any
identification. But I think it would be best to up security around here for a
while. And keep Jewel hidden. If the partner knew about her and someone
sees her . . .”
She stiffened, wishing she could get off his lap. But Jason tightened his
hold on her
“Jewel, I don’t suppose you would give us a moment?” Claudia asked.
“Ma,” Jason said warningly.
But she took the chance to get off his lap. She was feeling
overwhelmed, ill. She didn’t want to be here anymore.
 “Just a few minutes.”
“I’ll be fine,” she told Jason woodenly. She walked into the foyer, but
she still couldn’t breathe.
She’d put them in danger.
Why did everything she touched turn into a disaster?
Walking to the door, she stepped outside. Suddenly, she found herself
running. She didn’t know why. She just knew she had to run. The urge was
too great to ignore.
“Jewel!”
She ignored her name being yelled.
She tried to push herself to run faster, needing to feel the burn, the pain,
to punish herself. But she was weak. Stumbling, she tripped and slammed
onto her hands and knees on the ground. She let out a pained cry then rolled
onto her bottom. That really fucking hurt. Tears flooded her eyes but she
didn’t let them free.
She heard him approach. Damn it. What had she been thinking? She had
to have known he would follow her. If there was one thing that Jason was, it
was persistent. Stubborn. Mule-headed.
“Mule-headed, really?” He crouched down in front of her, tilting up her
face. “Oh, baby.
What did I tell you about running?”
“I’m sorry. I panicked. But I feel like I’ve brought so much trouble to
your family. They don’t need any of this. What if this partner finds out that
you were involved in taking out Maxwell and all his people, in taking the
girls?”
“Doesn’t matter if he does.”
“What? Why?”
“Because we’re going to take him out too.”
“What? How?”
“We’re hardly a normal family. You know that. Plus, I don’t want to
brag, but I’m an okay sniper. I’ll always protect you. Which means
eliminating all threats. All of them.”

J ASON HATED SEEING her on the ground, looking so broken. So fragile.

Gently he grasped hold of her hands, turning them over. He let out a silent
whistle. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me that you hurt yourself? Did you hurt
anything else when you fell?”
“My knees and my pride. I barely made it twenty feet from the house.”
“You should be grateful, if you’d made it out the gate then you’d be
finding yourself in a whole lot of trouble.”
He picked her up carefully.
“I can walk. You don’t need to coddle me.”
“Far as I’m concerned, that’s exactly what you need.”
“I’ve brought trouble right to your family’s door.”
He frowned down at her. “Let’s get something straight. I did this. I
made the decision to involve them. I had Maxwell brought here. Me, not
you.”
“Yes, but if this partner knows about me, comes looking for me . . .”
“Which is why you’re going to stay here, on the estate where no one can
get to you,” he told her firmly. “Promise me. Promise you won’t run again.
I’m not leaving you until you promise.”
Asshole. “I promise.”
“You break that promise and I’ll put you over my knee.” He entered the
house. Luckily no one was around. She hoped no one had seen her fall.
She narrowed her gaze at him. “Are you a Dom?”
He started up the stairs. “Not exactly.”
“Oh. Sorry, I thought . . .” she trailed off, embarrassed. She really was
crap at reading him.
“I’m whatever you need, baby girl.”
“What? No, Jason, that’s not the way it works.”
“Twenty-five,” he told her.
“Will you please stay focused.”
“I’m always focused.”
“You can’t just become a dominant because you think it’s what I need.
How do you even know I need it?”
“Deep down, what you really want is someone who cares about you,
who puts you first, who makes some of the tough decisions. Am I wrong?”
Was he wrong? No, he wasn’t.
“I met Maxwell at a BDSM club. I thought he was everything I wanted.
Suave, sophisticated, handsome. He said all the right things, told me what I
wanted to hear. I thought he would be the perfect Dominant, strong but also
fair. In the beginning, he treated me like I was special. As though I
mattered.”
“You do fucking matter. You’re the center of my universe.”
“You’re so insane.”
Damn man wasn’t even winded. She ran for two minutes and she was a
heaving mess who couldn’t even stay on her feet. How was that fair?
“How often do you work out?” she asked as he reached the top of the
stairs.
“Every day.”
“Seriously? Why would you want to do that? That sounds like torture.”
“Maybe I should make you up a program, considering how quickly you
ran out of breath in your mad sprint for the gate.” He pushed open a door
and walked into a big room with a large bed against the opposite wall. It
had a dark blue cover on it. There was a huge entertainment center on the
wall next to the door, along with some beanbags around the floor.
He carried her into an attached bathroom and set her on the counter.
“You’re never getting me into a gym.”
“That so? What if I promise orgasms?”
“Orgasms? Sounds more like a reward for you than me.”
“Oh, it’s definitely a reward for me,” he murmured. “Getting my face
between your legs, licking that sweet pussy until you scream your release is
something I’ve been dreaming about for a long, long time.”
“Creepy stalker,” she said breathlessly.
He kissed her gently. “Your creepy stalker.”
Yeah. He was. And she was the luckiest person on the planet for it.
“We need to build you up a bit first, though. You’re rundown and
probably low in a number of vitamins. I’ll mix you up a shake after your
nap.”
“Um, I’m not taking a nap.”
“Yeah, you are. After I clean you up.” He rummaged around in the
cupboard, pulling out a First Aid kit.
“I don’t need cleaning up.”
“Unless you want an infection and to end up in the ER, you do.”
“That won’t happen.”
He put his hands on his hips and stared down at her. “Why not?”
“I’m allergic to doctors.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “When’s the last time you saw a doctor?”
 She shrugged. “Maxwell brought one in to run tests.” She shuddered at
that memory of him examining her without her consent. She hadn’t even
been able to fight back, she’d been so weak.
“I mean when was the last time you voluntarily went to a doctor?”
“I think I’ll plead the fifth on that.”
“I’ll write ‘doctor’s visit’ on the list.”
“List of what?” she asked.
“Things I need to do to keep you happy and healthy. It’s quite a list.”
She felt ashamed of herself for running off like she had. It really wasn’t
like her. In her defense, though, she’d been through a lot.
“I’m sorry for running. It just got on top of me.”
“I know,” he reassured her. “But you don’t need to worry. My family
will be fine. They’re used to danger.”
“They don’t . . . they’re not into what Maxwell was, right?”
His eyes widened. “Hell, no. Look, they might be criminals but they
don’t deal in human trafficking or prostitution. Never.”
She let out a relieved breath.
“I’m not sure I fit in here.” She winced. Why did she say that?
“If you don’t like it here, we can leave. Remember. You first. Everyone
else second. Got me?”
What the hell had she done to deserve such devotion?
Perhaps he was her reward for going through all that hell.
She didn’t know. All she knew was that she wanted desperately to
believe him. But she wasn’t certain that she could. Even though she acted
like she was tough, her self-worth was in the toilet.
“I’m going to take off your jeans now, all right?” His voice was so
gentle that it surprised her.
He lifted her off the counter then undid her jeans then pulled them down
over her ass before sitting her back on the counter. It was cool beneath her
ass. She was wearing some silky panties that he’d bought for her. Damn
stalker had already known her sizes. But she didn’t complain since they
were so much nicer than the plain cotton ones she usually wore.
“This isn’t the reason I thought I’d be getting you out of these jeans,” he
said as he knelt and gently tugged them off over her feet.
“You thought you’d be taking them down for sex?”
“Nah, figured it would be to spank your ass.”
“Jason!”
 “Twenty-six.”
“You can’t keep threatening to spank my ass.”
“Why not? I’m looking forward to it. You over my lap, bottom bare,
squirming around as I spank your ass then play with your pussy.”
“Oh Lord.”
Why did he have to say that? Because now she knew she wouldn’t get it
out of her mind.
He cleaned the scrapes on her hands and knees. She winced. Ouch.
Damn it.
“But I can understand why you’d be worried about the non-fun kind of
punishment. Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you the first time.”
“Thank you so much,” she told him sarcastically.
Crazy.
“You’re welcome.”
He dabbed antiseptic on her hand, holding it firmly with one of his as
she tried to shy back.
“Ouch!”
“Be a brave girl and you’ll get a reward.”
“What sort of reward?” she asked suspiciously. “Like my workout
reward?”
“I was thinking of gummi bears, but if you’d rather have an orgasm . . .”
Oh, she wanted the orgasm. But it just wasn’t that simple.
“Hey, look at me. Look at me,” he told her firmly.
She raised her gaze to his.
“We have forever. There’s no rush.”
His statement combined with the kind but firm look on his face helped
push away her panic.
“It’s not that I think you’re like him—”
“I know, baby girl. I know.” His look was gentle. It nearly undid her.
“Now, be a good girl and you’ll get your gummi bears.”
She did like gummi bears . . . so she did her best not to wince and
complain as he cleaned her up and then grabbed some bandages. Thick pads
went on the palms of her hands, then he started to wrap them up.
“Um, don’t you think this is overkill? It’s just some scratches. I’ve had
far worse.”
“You’re my precious baby. Nothing is overkill when it comes to taking
care of you. Now, which Band-Aids do you want?”
 She sighed, but decided she didn’t have the energy to fight him. She
stared down at the Band-Aids, about to just point at the plain ones when she
saw the cutest Powerpuff Girls ones.
She shouldn’t . . .
But she really wanted them.
Did he know? She glanced up at him. It seemed that Jason didn’t do
things without purpose.
“How did you know?” she asked as she pointed at the Powerpuff Girls
ones.
“I’ve been shopping with you and Sunny before, remember? Saw you
looking longingly at a T-shirt with them on it. By the way, that’s now
unpacked in the bedroom. Along with the rest of the stuff I bought for you.
Bought these as well. One of the maids unpacked them and put them in
here.”
“Jason . . .”
“Twenty-seven. I need to find my notebook. Keep track.” He leaned in
and kissed each of her bandaged knees then her hands.
“Did you just kiss them to make them all better?” she asked.
“You don’t think it will work? My kisses have magic powers.” He
grinned. “You’ll find out yourself when you let me kiss your pussy.”
She groaned and put her hands over her face. This guy. This crazy,
ridiculous, incredible guy. He was going to be the death of her.
He carefully picked her up. “I can walk.”
“I know.” That was all he said as he started carrying her out of the
bathroom. “Do you need to pee before your nap?”
She sighed. “No. I also don’t need a nap.”
“Yeah, you do. You’re exhausted. You’re just protesting because you
think you should do everything yourself.”
Was she? Yeah, likely. She wasn’t certain that she liked how well he
knew her. Meant she couldn’t get away with much.
He laid her down then tucked her in. Then he drew the curtains.
“I won’t sleep.”
“I’ll stay with you until you do.”
Sitting next to her, he gently massaged her head.
“You promised me gummi bears,” she reminded him with a yawn.
“When I return, I’ll bring them.”
She tensed, opened her eyes to look up at him. “Return from where?”
 “Gonna have a chat with Maxwell.”
“What are you going to talk to Maxwell about?” She wasn’t stupid, she
knew he wouldn’t be just talking.
“I want to know where the girls are coming from and who his partner is.
But you’re not to worry about any of that.”
“Telling me not to worry doesn’t work.”
“Hmm, you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“So as your Dom, I can’t just command you to not worry?”
He was teasing. At least she thought he was.
“You know it doesn’t work like that.”
“Would be nice if it did,” he muttered.
“For you, sure.”
“For you, since everything I do is for you.”
“You shouldn’t . . . you can’t make me your everything.” It was too
much. Right?
“Why not?” he asked seriously.
“Because what if I fail you? I’m not perfect, far from it. In fact, I’m
kind of messed up. I make mistakes all the time. I can be hard and cold
sometimes. I find it difficult to trust, to open up.”
“I don’t want someone perfect. That would be a boring life, don’t you
think? And I’ll make mistakes too.”
“You can’t become a Dom just for me. I don’t want you changing
yourself for me.”
“I’ve always been a dominant guy. Being dominant isn’t about being the
loudest, or the one in charge, or barking out orders all the time. When
something is important to me, then I’ve no problem with taking control.
Anyone could put on some leather pants and pick up a paddle and call
themselves a Dom, right?”
“Yeah, like Maxwell.”
“Right. What qualities would you like your Dom to have?”
“I don’t know if I want one anymore.”
“You’re scared. I get it. That bastard hurt you in ways no one should
ever have to endure. But I also know you’re brave enough to try again.”
“I’m so tired.”
“I know you are, baby girl. I know you are. That’s why I’m here. Lean
on me. Tell me what you were looking for in a dominant when you went to
that club and found Maxwell?”
“I’m not sure.” She thought it through. “Someone who was strong, but
who didn’t have to lord his power over people in order to make himself feel
big. Someone who could put my needs before theirs, but would also be able
to lean on me when they needed help. Someone who would listen, who
could own up when they were wrong and try to fix it. I guess I wanted
someone I could surrender to and trust that they had my best interests in
mind. Probably sounds stupid.”
“Doesn’t sound stupid at all. I want all of those things too.”
Maybe he could be all those things, maybe he was right. She hadn’t
seen him as dominant because he was quieter. But if something was
important, he spoke up. He didn’t need to posture or powerplay.
And that was refreshing in comparison to Maxwell’s in-your-face
personality.
She was starting to drift, nearly fully asleep when she thought she felt
him lean in, his lips brushing her forehead. Then a quiet whisper.
“I can be your protector, your confidante, your Dom, and your Daddy, if
that’s what you need.”
 12

J ason walked out of the secured cottage where Maxwell was being
held. He stared down at his swollen knuckles. He’d re-opened the
scrapes. Damn it, Jewel wouldn’t be happy.
Sting walked out behind him and lit a cigarette. He offered one
to Jason.
“Hell no, those things will kill you.”
“You never cared before.”
He grunted. “Before Jewel.”
“Never thought I’d see the day you let a woman change you.”
Jason shot him a look. “I’ll remind you that you said that when you find
your woman.”
“My woman is going to do everything I tell her. She won’t ever try to
tell me what to do.”
“A relationship is compromise.”
“Urgh, now you sound like that dumbass shrink, Perkins.”
Jason grimaced. “Sorry you guys had to go to him just because I lost it.”
Sting snorted. “Ma overreacted. Just because you lost it once didn’t
mean you would again.”
He shook his head. If only Sting knew how many times he’d come close
to losing control.
Turning, he looked back at the cabin. “You happy to keep your guys
here watching him?”
“They’ll complain. Not enough action but they’ll do it.”
“They can take turns having fun with him.”
 “That’ll cheer them up.” Sting grimaced. “Shocked you didn’t lose it in
there, things he was saying about your girl.” He eyed Jason curiously. He’d
been there for The Incident. He was the one to pull him out, and he’d told
Ma what happened.
Then she’d sent them all to Perkins to talk through their feelings and
other bullshit.
Jason pushed his anger deep. There was one thing he’d learned from
Perkins and that was how to control that rage that lived deep inside him. Of
course, Perkins had wanted him to purge it forever. That wasn’t happening.
That rage was what kept him alive. The only difference between eighteen-
year-old him and twenty-eight-year-old him was that now he could hide it.
Nobody knew what lived inside him. How he had to fight to keep it under
control.
How tempting it had been to let it free on the asshole in the cabin.
But he knew if he did, that he wouldn’t get the answers he needed.
“Surprised he’s still holding out. Doesn’t seem the type to withstand
much pain.”
“He still has hope,” Jason said.
“Dumbass. He’ll lose that soon.”
Jason nodded. When he realized he wouldn’t be rescued. When he
realized the only freedom he could hope for was death.
“Best you wash up before you see your girl.”
“Bit of blood won’t worry her. She’s tough.” He both loved and hated
how tough she was. Loved it because if anyone could handle his darkness, it
was her.
Hated it because she’d had to learn the hard way how to be strong. She
wasn’t born like that. It was taught to her over and over again.
She was vulnerable at the moment, though. Feeling things more than
she usually would. Normally, she wouldn’t have run the way she did today.
He wanted her to be happy. To be free of everything that weighed her
down.
“I need to get some red and green gummi bears.”
“Red and green ones?”
“Yeah, Jewel likes the red and green ones.”
“Do they sell just red and green ones?” Sting asked.
“No. You have to pick out the other colors.”
“Bro, you have it bad.”
 “I can’t wait until you find someone you want to spend the rest of your
life with.”
“Never going to happen.” They started walking towards Sting’s vehicle.
“Just remember who your favorite brother is when it comes to the
wedding.”
“You’re not going to be the best man,” Jason told him as they got in and
drove away.
“Why not?”
“Because we’re going to elope. Quick flight to Las Vegas and done.”
“I can still be the best man.”
“Yeah, right. The best man makes a speech, no way you’re making a
fucking speech at my wedding. No telling what shit you’d say.”
“Aww, I wouldn’t embarrass you, little brother. Much.”
Jason just shook his head. Yeah, right.
“What are you going to tell her about Maxwell?”
“Why would I tell her anything?” he asked.
“Don’t you think she’s going to ask about what’s going on? She doesn’t
strike me as the shy and retiring type. She’s not going to be happy sitting at
home and waiting for you to come home then greeting you with your
slippers and pipe.”
“Slippers and pipe?”
“You know what I mean. In our family, the women aren’t happy to take
a backseat.”
“Meaning Ma. You really see Dusty getting involved in the family
business?”
“Over my dead body,” Sting said harshly.
Exactly.
When it came to family and safety, Sting didn’t fuck around. Especially
with Dusty.
“But Dusty ain’t Jewel,” Sting said. “She’s sheltered. We’ve seen to
that.”
“And you don’t think Jewel deserves to be sheltered?” Jason snapped.
“That she doesn’t need someone to stand between her and all the shitty
things in the world the way you all do with Dusty?”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” Sting replied. “It’s obvious
she hasn’t had an easy life. But that might not mean she wants you to
shelter her from everything.”
 He shrugged. “Yeah, and maybe she doesn’t have a choice.”
“Good luck with that one, man.”

J EWEL WAS GOING to kill him.

Right after she hugged him. She moved around the walk-in-wardrobe
with delight. Okay, so she’d never thought of herself as girly exactly. But
she loved clothes, shoes, jewelry, make-up. You could be a tough-bitch and
still enjoy a mani-pedi. Not that she could always afford one.
Jason, it seemed, knew exactly what she liked. There were two black
leather jackets, endless denim skirts, longer pleated skirts, designer jeans.
Soft, warm tops. And boots. Oh Lord, the boots.
Then she moved over to pull out a drawer.
And the edges of her vision went slightly black. From pleasure, not
shock. Silver jewelry winked back at her. Bangles, rings, necklaces.
“Ooh, so pretty.”
She looked around, feeling a bit foolish for reacting so . . . so girlishly.
It was just stuff. But for someone who’d never had much this was
overwhelming.
Anyway, it wasn’t like anyone was watching her. So she could play with
everything. Although she should insist he take it all back.
She didn’t want him to think that she was only with him for what he
could give her. Far from it. She couldn’t care less about his money.
All she wanted was him.
Suddenly, she realized she was chewing her nail. Urgh, she’d tried so
hard to break herself of that habit. Her finger stung and she glanced down to
find that a small ball of blood had formed. Crap.
Dirty. Unworthy.
“Shut up. Get out of my head. I’m a fucking Queen.”
She threw her shoulders back and took a deep breath.
The things Maxwell had done and said, everything that her foster
families had called her. None of that mattered.
All that mattered was what she thought of herself. And yeah, she had
moments of feeling like she wasn’t worthy. Of feeling like she was lower
than dirt.
 But Jason’s words and actions had started to form a protective barrier
over her, deflecting the worst of it.
Putting on some of the bracelets and a necklace which actually looked
like a big knot, she grabbed some leggings and a big oversized sweater.
Then she opened another drawer. Her breath caught. It was filled with
Powerpuff Girls items. How the hell had he managed this? When had he
done it? It made her wonder if he’d been collecting this stuff for a while.
There were leggings, T-shirts, a sweater, PJs, as well as a stuffed doll of
each girl. She ran her hand longingly over each thing. She wished she could
try them all on. Instead, she made herself shut the drawer.
Seeing those things awakened something in her that she wasn’t certain
she was ready for.
With a sigh, she walked back into the bedroom. A nightmare had woken
her up from her nap. She’d gotten at least an hour in. Maybe longer. She’d
lost track of time. Afterward, she’d felt shaken. She’d gone into the
bathroom to splash some water on her face.
And hadn’t recognized the woman staring back at her.
That woman had looked raw, hungry. She was too thin, tired, and
stressed. Her hair was lank. She seemed as though the life had been sucked
out of her, leaving just flesh and bone.
That wasn’t who she wanted to be.
That’s when she’d decided to go exploring. Jason had told her that she
could have free rein of the house, but she wasn’t ready to interact with his
family. Not without him. They were nice, but she didn’t know them, she felt
like she didn’t fit in.
When had he become her support system? When she was with him, she
felt stronger, she felt more resilient.
She could breathe.
She really needed to call Reyes. It was a wonder he wasn’t ramming the
gate, demanding entrance. With Sunny riding shotgun.
She grinned. She could totally see that.
What had she done to deserve such good friends? Would they forgive
her for taking off like she had? Worry flooded her stomach and she decided
to put off calling them for a bit. Wasn’t like she had her phone anyway.
Deciding she needed a distraction, she walked over to the entertainment
center. A PlayStation. She hadn’t used one of those in years. After figuring
out how to work it, she plonked down in one of the beanbags
 Okay, this was surprisingly comfortable. She might need one of these
for at her place. She didn’t want to think about going home. Mainly because
she didn’t want to be anywhere that Jason wasn’t.
Move in with me.
Otherwise, I’ll spend all night in my truck, watching over you.
Blatant blackmail. But could she move in with him?
You can have your own bedroom.
Thing was, she didn’t want her own bedroom, did she?
I can be your protector, your confidante, your Dom and your Daddy, if
that’s what you need.
Was she a Little? She bit her lip. There were parts of it that appealed to
her. And she did have an unhealthy obsession with fluffy things, the
Powerpuff Girls and sequins.
The game started and she got ready to kill some bad guys.
Yeah, this was exactly the kind of therapy she needed.

“D IE YOU BASTARD , DIE !”

He froze outside his bedroom door. His first instinct was to race in
there. Only, she didn’t sound like she was having a nightmare.
In fact, she sounded like she was having fun? What was she doing?
“Whoop! I got you, you ugly-ass motherfucker.”
His eyebrows rose. His lips twitched. That was the most he’d heard her
sound like herself in . . . well, a while. Pushing open the door, he entered
quietly to find her . . .
Playing on his old PlayStation?
Now that wasn’t what he’d expected. He leaned in the doorway and
watched. She was so engaged in what she was doing that she hadn’t noticed
him.
“There you are, cocksucker! Take that!”
Hmm. Should he try to curb her swearing? Maybe. Then again, it made
him hot as hell listening to her talk like that.
“Are you going to stand there perving at me all day or are you going to
tell me how you got on with the underwear stain?” She quickly glanced up
at him.
 “Underwear stain?” He grimaced. “That’s disgusting. I prefer asshole,
mother-fucker, son of a bitch. You know, the classics.” Moving forward, he
closed the door and walked over to where she sat in the beanbag. He held
out his hand to her. She paused the game, looking at his hand.
“It’s swollen.”
“Yeah.”
She licked her lips nervously. “What did he tell you? Did he tell you
about the girls? Who his partner is? Did he say anything about me?”
He crouched down in front of her. “He’s nothing for you to worry
about.”
She stared at him. Then down at his knuckles. “You talked to him.”
“Yep.”
“Are you gonna tell me what he said?”
“Nope.”
“What about why you hit him?”
“Nope.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and he noticed that they weren’t
bandaged.
“Why aren’t your hands bandaged?”
“Umm, because it was overkill. It was a few scratches. They were
getting warm and itchy, plus I couldn’t play the game. Don’t change the
subject.”
“I’m not changing the subject. That topic is over. This one, on the other
hand, isn’t.” He gently took hold of her hand, turning it to look at the
scratches. Okay, they didn’t appear too bad. That still didn’t mean it was her
job to make that call.
“You should have waited for me to take off the bandages.”
She rolled her eyes. Brat. “You’re fussing.”
“Got a right to. And you like it.” He could tell, despite her arguments,
that she liked him coddling her. Of course, there was probably a limit to
how much she’d allow before she bit back. But he planned on pushing those
limits.
She huffed out a breath. “I could barely wipe my butt with those
bandages.”
“You could’ve asked for help.”
“Jason!”
“Twenty-eight.”
 She glared at him. “Stop joking around. I want to know what happened
with Maxwell.”
“Wasn’t joking.”
Her mouth opened. Closed. That got her. He barely hid his smile. Any
urge to smile disappeared as he saw her forefinger on her right hand. Shit.
“You’ve been biting your nail. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She tried to wrench her hand from his, but he wasn’t having
it. He held on gently.
“Talk to me.”
“Like you talk to me? You won’t tell me anything.”
“I’m protecting you.”
She stopped trying to tug her hand from his. “Protecting me?”
“It’s my job.”
“Your job?
“You just gonna repeat everything I say?”
“Maybe if you weren’t talking crazy,” she muttered.
He gently grasped hold of her chin. “My job is to protect you, shelter
you, look after you physically and mentally. That means I shelter you from
anything that might upset or hurt you. And baby blue, I take my job
seriously.”
She sucked in a breath. “You really mean that? You think that you have
to protect me from anything that might harm me?”
“Don’t think. I know.”
“But you can’t protect me from everything.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s impossible. You can’t be with me every second of every
day.”
“Why not?”
“Jason!” she cried with frustration.
“Twenty-nine.”
“Urgh. You’re very frustrating sometimes.”
He had to bite back another smile. If she was grouching at him, then she
wasn’t worrying about shit that she shouldn’t be concerned about.
“I’m not a child. I’ve taken care of myself my entire life. Whatever he’s
said or done I can handle it.”
“You shouldn’t have to handle everything. And now, you don’t.”
“It’s not that simple.”
 “Can be.”
She just stared at him. He knew it would take her a while to fully trust
him. But that didn’t mean he would back down. He was going to show her
what life with him on her side was like.
“You don’t think I can handle what’s happening.”
“I know you can. Know you’re strong enough to handle anything.”
Confusion filled her face. “Then why—”
“I just don’t want you to have to do it. I want those lines of stress to
leave your face. To not have you chew your nails to the quick. Or wake up
screaming in a nightmare. I want to see you happy, smiling, carefree.”
“Would I even be me? I don’t think I know how to do any of those
things.”
“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn. Maybe I can’t be with you all the
time. But my number one priority is you. So don’t tell me not to shelter you.
Because it’s not happening.”
She licked her lips.
“You haven’t put on any lipstick.”
“Umm, I, no.”
“You don’t like them?”
“Not like them?” Her eyebrows rose. “Dude, there’s over a hundred of
them.”
“I wanted you to have a selection. So why didn’t you choose one?”
“I didn’t want to go helping myself.”
What the hell? “They’re for you.”
“Well, I didn’t know that.”
“Who the hell did you think they were for? Me?”
She grinned. Then a giggle escaped. She slammed her hand over her
mouth. Despite the fact that he was kind of irritated, his insides danced at
that sound. See, that’s what he wanted to achieve by keeping all the shitty
stuff from her.
Leaning in, he lightly kissed her forehead then her cheeks then her nose.
She raised her face up slightly and he knew she wanted him to kiss her lips.
“Wait here.” He got to his feet, ignoring her shocked look.
When he returned, he held several lipsticks. He opened one after
another, looking at the color until he had the one he wanted. It was a deep
plum color.
“Pucker.”
 “Um, I can do it.”
“Pucker,” he growled.
A hint of worry entered her eyes. “Do you know how to put on
lipstick?”
“Think I’ve got it handled.”
She huffed out a sigh. “You’re not always going to get your way.”
He’d see about that. He coated her lips with the deep plum color. “Rub.”
She rolled her lips together then stared up at him. Satisfaction filled
him. “Open.”
“Why?”
“So suspicious. Open.” He made his voice sterner. He probably needed
to be a bit firmer with her. But it was difficult. She’d been through so much.
He just wanted to love on her.
“What do you think I’m going to do?” he asked.
“Uh, I don’t know.”
“Open.”
She opened her mouth and he pressed his thumb into her mouth then
drew it slowly out.
“You’ve done this before,” she accused.
“Nope. Like doing it for you, though. From now on, that’s my job.”
“Seems like you have a lot of jobs.”
“Just one.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. You.”
“Don’t think I want to be a job. A job is something you have to do so
you can pay the utilities and buy ramen noodles for the next week.”
“Ramen noodles? You best be eating more than that.”
A look crossed her face.
“Jewel,” he growled.
“I like ramen noodles and they’re cheap. And if I want to keep the
electricity on, then I need to eat cheap.”
He knew what she earned. She should be able to eat well and have the
electricity on. But then, she also liked to shop.
“You no longer have to worry about that.”
“You’re not treating me like a kept doll.”
“And you’re not a job that I don’t like. You’re my fucking passion.”
She stared at him in shock.
 “Your passion?”
“Yep.” He was done trying to hold himself back for the sake of what
was deemed right or sane.
He wasn’t sane.
He didn’t care.
“I’m your passion,” she muttered. “I feel like you’re going at a hundred
miles, and I’m back limping along trying to figure out where I lost my
mind.”
Shit. He wasn’t supposed to add to her stress. “I need to slow down.”
She held up her finger and thumb. “Just a bit.”
“Okay.”
“Just like that?”
“Yep. I’m here to give you what you need. You just have to ask.”
“Oh yeah?” she said weakly. “Because there are these really sexy teal
knee-high boots I’ve had my eye on . . .”
“Tell me where and they’re yours.”
“Time-out.” She held her hands up in a T shape. “You know I was only
joking.”
“Are there boots?”
“Yes, but you’re not buying them for me. Slowing down a bit means in
all ways. It’s too much. The clothes, the jewelry, the lipstick. I’m not used
to . . . to . . .”
“Someone wanting to take care of you.”
“Yeah. That. Kind of freaks me out a little.”
He got it. Although he didn’t much like it.
“Just let me catch up a bit. A few weeks ago, you were my friend Jason.
Now, I’m apparently your passion. I feel like we missed a few steps.”
“You disappearing and being in danger kind of sped things along.”
“Yeah. Only I’m not in danger anymore and we haven’t even gone on a
date.”
Hmm. She did have a point.
“We’ll have a date tonight.”
“Oh, umm, I . . .”
“You don’t want to?”
“No! It’s not that. I just don’t feel like going out.” There was a flash of
fear in her eyes that he didn’t like. He was glad she felt safe here in his
room. But eventually, she’d have to leave. And this wasn’t like her.
Normally, she was too brave for her own good.
Her confidence was knocked down but not out. Still, he’d give her some
time before he pushed.
“Nobody said we had to go anywhere. In fact, I’d rather you didn’t.” He
wanted her hidden for a while until they ensured that she was safe.
“Oh. Well. All right then. I’d like that.” She gave him a surprisingly shy
smile.
“Good. But fair warning, I kiss on the first date.”
Heat filled her eyes. “Think I can handle that.”
“Good. It’s a date then.” A date, he could do. Slowing down, he could
do.
Losing her? Never going to happen.
“I appreciate you protecting me. But sometimes not knowing is worse
than knowing. Things I’m imagining can be worse than the reality.”
Fuck. She had a point. And he hadn’t thought of that.
He drew her up then settled on the beanbag with her on his lap. He held
her tight, the way he knew made her feel safe.
“He’s not talking. Yet. But he will have to eventually.”
She glanced away. “I hate that you have to see him. I hate thinking
about what he says about me.” She shuddered, looking ashamed.
He didn’t like that. His hands drew into fists and he had to take some
calming breaths in order not to lose it. This was about her, not him.
“Do you know where my nickname came from?”
She stiffened. “Umm, not exactly. Reyes told me that when he met you
that Razor introduced you as Jason. Apparently, there was an incident that
got you the nickname Jason.”
Jason snorted. “It’s after Jason Voorhees.”
“From Friday the 13 th? Holy shit. What the hell was the incident?”
“The Incident was me completely losing my shit. Like I went into a
black hole and when I came out there were bodies on the ground and I had
no idea how they got there.”
“Oh my God. You went into a rage.”
“Psychotic rage, my brothers like to say. Scared my mother so much she
sent us all to therapy.”
“All of you?”
 He grunted. “Bastards will never let me live it down either. Even though
they’re as crazy as I am. Hated that therapist, but he did teach me to control
my temper.”
She shook her head. “Before all of this, I would have said you were the
most even-tempered, easygoing guy I’d ever met.”
“I work hard at controlling myself. Some days are easier than others.
Sometimes, I come close to the edge and go spend a few hours punching a
bag, or finding some poor sap to spar with.”
“Is that why you bought a gym?”
“Eh. Free gym membership. Sounded like something to do. My
therapist suggested I find several things to focus on. He says I get obsessive
easily. I needed multiple outlets for the rage. The gym is one. Boxing.
Weights. Sometimes I go to underground fights. Well, I used to. Not so
much anymore.”
“The Masked Fighter,” she murmured.
“Yeah, I always hid my face because someone would have ratted me out
to Ma. She’d have been pissed because of what happened with Jagger and
The Incident.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jagger had started acting weird. Aggressive. He’d been seeing this girl,
Emily. Later, we found out she’d been taking drugs for a while. She’d
gotten him involved with some bad people who she owed money to. He
couldn’t go to Ma, she hated Emily. And despite growing up like this, we
didn’t have instant access to wads of cash. Not back then. Our trust funds
didn’t come in until we were twenty-five. So he wanted some fast cash.”
“What did he do?”
“Started placing lots of risky bets on the fights. He lost more than he
won. And when he didn’t have the money to pay off her debts, the guy she
owed money to sent some of his fighters to beat him up. I’d followed him,
wanting to know what was going on. I was eighteen and thought I knew
everything. Anyway, I caught these guys beating on my big brother and I
went psycho.”
“You were protecting your brother.”
“I blacked out, baby girl. Fucked those guys up good. When I came to, I
was standing and they were all on the ground. Still have no fucking idea
how it happened. Ma freaked when she found out. Sent us all to therapy.
Including Sting and Jag.”
 “But weren’t they grown up?”
“Yeah. That part was freaking funny. Grown men scared of their own
mother.”
She gave him a look. He had to grin.
“Yeah, I’m scared of her too. Anyway, I decided to enter the
underground fights and beat every fighter that asshole backed. Made myself
some nice cash and got my revenge. I only did it for a while, though. I had
other plans.”
“And that’s how you got your nickname?”
“Yeah. When I joined the Iron Shadows, one of the members already
knew the story, well the embellished story. Seems I can’t get away from it.
But it serves a purpose. Keeps everyone from fucking with me.”
“Did you ever fight Reyes?” she asked.
“Nah, we never crossed paths. He came into the scene later, I think.”
She was silent for a long moment. “I think I should try therapy again. I
think it would help me.”
Relief flooded him. Thank fuck.
“I’ll help you find someone when this is all over. I’m so fucking proud
of you.”
She dropped her gaze. “I’ve done nothing to make you proud.”
He lifted her face gently. “You make me proud every day.
She shook her head. “I don’t know why. I’m not even a good person. I
can be cynical and anti-social. I have black days. There are times that I
don’t want to get out of bed. I don’t want to deal with people. I can be petty
and stubborn and argumentative.”
“And you are also loyal and kind and fun. You make me proud because,
despite the fact that you have dark days, you still get up and move forward.
Because you’re a fighter.”
“I wish I saw what you see.”
“You will.”
He drew her in close, running his hand up and down her back like he
knew she liked. “What have you been playing?”
He knew exactly what she was playing. But he wanted her to lose the
stiff tension. To relax back. Damn, he really wanted to nibble on her neck.
She was so fucking tasty.
“Did you just call me tasty?”
 “Uh-huh. Speaking of tasty.” He sat forward and pulled out a small
clear bag from his pocket. “Here you go.”
“Green and red gummi bears. They don’t sell them like this.”
“Nope.”
“You picked out all the other colors for me?”
“Yep.”
“Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before.”
“Get used to it, baby. With me, red and green gummi bears is just the
beginning.” He winked and she giggled at his silliness.
But the thing is, he meant every word.

J EWEL FLUNG her arms around his neck, squeezing tight. She didn’t know
why, with all the things that he’d done for her, that this one really got to her.
Wormed its way into her heart. But it did.
He noticed her. Things about her that no one else knew, he did.
And she didn’t even have to tell him.
She just grinned up at him before popping one in her mouth.
He gently grabbed one of her hands. “Taking your bandages off was
very naughty.”
“I’m never naughty.”
“Yes, you are.” He lay back against the beanbag, staring up at her
through half-lidded eyes that were heavy with need. It made her breath
catch.
“What you going to do? Spank me?”
“I should. I should take you over my knee.” He ran his thumbs up her
inner thighs. Okay, that felt good. Sooo good.
Why had she said that she wanted to take things slow? What was she
thinking?
She expected him to draw her in, to kiss her. Instead, he reached over to
grab the bag of gummi bears she’d abandoned. That told her how attracted
she was to him. Forgetting about gummi bears? Never happened before.
Sacrilege.
He drew out a red one.
“Open.”
She parted her lips and he placed it into her mouth. “Suck.”
 As she sucked, he drew her down to kiss her. When he pulled back, she
was panting hard.
“Yum. Think that’s my new favorite taste.”
“Red gummi bears?”
“No. My baby girl. Although I think I’ll need to keep you in a lifetime
supply of them if this is what I get every time. Course, I might need to
ration them or I’ll also be taking you to the dentist constantly.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“And why is that?” he asked suspiciously.
“I never go to the dentist.”
He shook his head. “You will be now.”
“Nuh-uh. Hate the dentist.” She shuddered.
“Jewel,” he said sternly. “You’re going to the dentist. End of discussion.
Just like you’ll be going to the doctor.”
“I don’t like your bossy side.”
“You like all my sides. This one.” He turned his head to one side. “And
this one.” His head went the other way while she just shook her head at his
foolishness. “Especially this one.” He looked at her full-on, the heat in his
gaze stealing her breath.
Then he waggled his eyebrows to break the tension.
“I have an idea for our first date.”
“What’s that?” Getting naked?
No, bad Jewel. You told him to slow down, remember?
She was such a dumbass sometimes.
“I have to go organize it.” He lifted her off him then stood.
“Wait here. Finish your game. I’ll be back soon.”
She wondered what he was going to do.
 13

S he hadn’t expected a picnic.

But that’s what he’d set up. A red and white checkered picnic
blanket. Finger food. Plastic cups filled with sparkling water.
It was incredibly sweet.
“You didn’t need to rebandage my hands.”
He shot her a look then held up a strawberry in front of her lips. Okay,
who was she to say no to a strawberry? She loved strawberries. In fact, she
loved anything ending in berry.
Blueberry. Raspberry. Halle Berry.
She was so hot.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Halle Berry.”
“Right. Didn’t expect that.”
She grinned. “I like to keep you on your toes.”
“You do that, baby girl. You definitely do that.”
He stared at her intently. Having him see everything, having all his
attention on her, it could be intimidating.
But it also made her feel safe. And heard. Something she hadn’t really
felt in her life.
And she wasn’t exactly normal anyway. Maybe in the future there might
be times where she needed a bit of space from him.
However, that day wasn’t today. The future wasn’t something she’d ever
allowed herself to think about much before. Because there had been times
where she hadn’t believed she would make it to tomorrow, let alone the
following week, month, year.
“Open.” He popped a raspberry into her mouth.
Yum. She hummed.
“Damn, baby blue. Who knew that eating could be so damn hot?”
She blushed as he rubbed at his hard dick.
“Whoops. Sorry.”
“Making sexy noises while eating is something you only do in private,
got me? Those sorts of noises are just for the two of us. No one else.”
“Possessive, much?”
“You have no idea. I’m on my best behavior right now. But once I’ve
got you locked down . . .”
“Jason!”
“Thirty.”
She shook her head.
This. Guy.
Fuck.
He held up a small finger sandwich. She took a bite. Egg salad. How
had he had time to make all this? When he’d said he’d go get them some
food for their date, she was expecting a bag of cookies and maybe some
cheese and crackers. Not this feast.
“Did you re-bandage my hands just so you got to feed me?”
“That was just a bonus. I think that whenever we’re alone, I should feed
you. And you can make all the sex noises you like.”
She groaned. “You can’t feed me all the time.”
“Why not?” he replied simply.
He’d do it too.
They continued to eat, with him feeding her. Which was way sexier than
she’d thought it would be. When she was full, she lay back on the picnic
blanket.
He moved to her side, leaning up on one elbow to look down at her.
“Okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good. So, is this the kissing part of the date?” she teased,
wanting to lighten the mood.
“Why, Miss Jewel, are you being forward with me?” he said in a terrible
southern drawl.
 She giggled at his silliness. But then he reached out and placed his hand
on the side of her neck. The warmth of his fingers filled her with heat. His
thumb tilted her chin in a dominant movement that somehow also came off
as tender. His lips touched hers.
Soft.
Then harder. Pressure on her chin had her opening her mouth under his
silent command. His tongue slipped between her lips, danced with hers. She
wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting more. Needing it.
When he drew back, she murmured in protest. “I want more.”
“No more.”
She pouted.
“Put that away.” He tapped her lip. “If I keep going, I won’t want to
stop.”
“So maybe you shouldn’t,” she told him. Screw slow.
His gaze narrowed then he clicked his tongue. “Miss Jewel, are you
implying that I’m easy? I don’t put out on the first date, naughty girl.”
She rolled her eyes as he started packing up all the leftover food. She
forced herself to breathe through the arousal. Sitting, she attempted to help
but he brushed her hands away. “I got this.” He kissed her lightly. “I’ll be
back soon. Don’t get changed. I’m going to choose what pajamas you wear.
And help you get ready for bed.”
“And brush my teeth?” she guessed.
“Uh-huh.”
“You gonna pee for me too?”
“You want some help with that?” he asked.
“No!” she squeaked.
He grinned at her. He was teasing. The rat.
“Not sure I like this side of you,” she grumbled.
“Sure you do. You like all sides of me.”
Damn him. He was right.
“Still doesn’t mean that we don’t need boundaries.”
“As long as those boundaries don’t include me staying away from you, I
can compromise.”
“Can you?”
He didn’t reply. Yeah, that’s what she’d thought. He was back quicker
than she thought he would be. Walking over to her, he helped her up.
“Come on, let’s get you ready for bed.”
 He ran her a bath, but he didn’t stay to bathe her. That made her feel sad
then she shook herself. She didn’t need him to bathe her. That was silly.
Right?
However, he did reappear to help her out. But again, he let her dry
herself. He’d chosen a pair of pajamas for her and left them in the
bathroom.
They weren’t the Powerpuff Girls ones.
She bit her lips. They were cute pajamas. Pink with white polka dots.
They had buttons down the top and a cute collar and were silky.
But for some reason, she wanted the Powerpuff Girls ones.
Stop being silly, Jewel.
When she walked out of the bathroom, he was sitting on the end of the
bed with a hairbrush and ties. He’d put her hair up in a bun for her bath.
“You look cute.” He ran his gaze over her, then frowned slightly. “You
all right?”
She forced herself to smile. “Yep. Of course.”
He threw a pillow on the floor between his feet. “Sit here, baby blue. I’ll
do your hair.”
She sat patiently while he put her hair into two braids. Standing, she
glanced in the full-length stand-alone mirror he had. She looked like a little
girl. Sweet and cherished.
He moved up behind her, putting his large arm around her. “Sure you’re
okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I feel cute. Softer. I’ve never thought of myself as soft.”
He kissed the side of her cheek. “Personally, I like your soft side. But
then, I like all your sides.”
“Even my tired, grouchy, will kick anyone’s ass who looks at me funny,
side?”
“Uh-huh. Because I have just what you need to put you in a better
mood.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” she asked breathlessly.
“A nap.”
What? No, that wasn’t what she was expecting him to say. She scowled.
“Or a time-out.”
“I do not need a time-out. I’m not a baby.”
“Babies don’t get time-outs. Naughty Little girls on the other hand . . .”
She sucked in a breath at his words.
 “Come on, let’s brush your teeth.”
She wasn’t so sure she liked this part, but she let him lead her into the
bathroom and lift her onto the counter. She parted her mouth so he could
brush her teeth.
“Spit.”
“I heard you earlier, when you said you could be my Daddy. Is that what
you want?” she blurted out.
He brushed her teeth again. “Spit.”
She spat and rinsed. “Well?”
He leaned his hands on the counter on either side of her, giving her a
serious look. “You know I’ll do whatever I think you need.”
“Yes, but . . . is it what you want?”
“It’s something I researched thinking that you might want it. But
truthfully, the more I looked into it, the more I felt like it fit me as well. So
yeah, I want to be a Daddy Dom, but only yours.”
She sucked in a breath. God, he’d been so honest she could only do the
same.
“I don’t know how . . . or even if I want . . . I just don’t know . . .”
He tucked some hair behind her ear. “I don’t need an answer right now.
You can think on it. Just know that whatever the answer, I’m not going
anywhere.”
She nodded, unable to say anything without just letting everything out.
And she just wasn’t ready for that yet.
“Come on, bedtime. You’re exhausted.”
“I napped for an hour today,” she grumbled as he lifted her down.
“Seems you could have used more. I want those dark marks under your
eyes to disappear, baby blue.”
“Why do you call me that?”
“Your eyes, and because you’re my baby.”
Damn, he was sweet.
He led her into the bedroom then drew back one side of the bed. She
moved around to the other side.
“Where are you going?”
“Getting into bed.” Wasn’t it obvious?
He patted the bed where he’d pulled down the sheets. “This is where
you’re sleeping.”
“That’s not my side of the bed, though. I like this side.”
 “You’re sleeping here.”
“Why? Do you like this side too? I’ll rock, paper, scissors you for it.”
“No, you’re sleeping on this side because I need to sleep between you
and the door.”
That was . . . odd. “Is that some weird feng shui thing?”
He turned, cocking an eyebrow at her. “No, it’s a me protecting you
thing.”
“Huh? How does what side of the bed you sleep on protect me?”
“Because on this side, I’m between you and the door. If someone breaks
in, then they have to get past me to get to you. And they ain’t getting past
me.”
That was . . . insane.
And she’d totally lost that argument. So she guessed she was sleeping
on this side of the bed tonight and for however long they were here.
She climbed into the bed and let him tuck her in. Surprisingly, she was
rather exhausted.
He kissed her forehead. “Just going to get ready for bed, I’ll be in
soon.”
She’d drifted off before he even came back.

J EWEL WASN ’ T sure what woke her up. But from the way her heart raced,
she guessed it was a nightmare. Although, when she rolled over, she saw
that she hadn’t woken Jason.
So at least she hadn’t been screaming or anything.
Lying there, she attempted to bring her heart rate down. Unfortunately,
she knew wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep. Moving again, she looked
at the clock on the bedside table. Damn it, she’d only had a couple of hours.
She was so tired of being tired.
She knew if she lay here she’d just toss and turn. Maybe she could get
up and have a shower or something without waking Jason. Carefully, she
climbed out of bed.
Moving into the bathroom, she peed and washed her hands. She didn’t
feel like a bath or shower, though. Would he wake up if she turned on the
TV? She chewed her lip. She didn’t want to go downstairs and risk
bumping into his family.
“You okay?”
She jumped with a squeal at his deep voice, turning to find him leaning
in the doorway.
“You gave me a fright.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, did I wake
you?”
“Yeah. Was waiting for you to come back to bed. But when you seemed
to be taking too long, thought I’d come check.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have turned the bathroom light on. Go back to
bed.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And what are you planning on doing?”
“Um. I don’t know. I was thinking about watching TV.”
He frowned. “You need your sleep, Jewel.”
“I know. I just know I won’t get back to sleep.” She hugged herself.
“Nightmare?”
“Think so,” she whispered.
“Come on.” He held out his hand to her. She stepped forward and took
it. He hugged her tight, massaging the back of her neck to get out the knots.
She sighed, slumping into him.
“You need to sleep, baby blue. Come on, come back to bed. Let’s see
what we can do.”
He lifted her up and carried her back. Once they were both in bed, he
drew her against his chest and massaged her head while singing quietly. She
relaxed into him, closing her eyes.
And as she drifted off to sleep, she knew one thing for certain.
There was no way she could ever let him go.
 14

“A nything changed?” Jason walked up to where Sting was

leaning against a tree, smoking.
“Asshole still hasn’t said anything. Claims he doesn’t
know his partner’s name. Said he’d only met him a few times. Reckons he
kept to the shadows so he didn’t get a good look at his face.”
“Dickshit. Time for me to have another go with him.” Jason cracked his
knuckles, the anticipation building inside him.
He’d managed to get Jewel back to sleep last night, which had been a
fucking miracle. But she’d had two more nightmares and after soothing her
out of the last one, he’d been unable to sleep. Fury had kept him awake.
He’d brought her breakfast in bed, feeding her before helping her get
ready for the day. Not that he’d been able to coax her out of his room. He’d
left her playing one of his PlayStation games.
What he really wanted was to get back to her. After he took out his
anger on Maxwell. A bit of stress relief was definitely needed.
Sting reached out and grabbed his arm as he went to walk past.
“What?”
“Need to talk to you first.”
“About?”
“Dax didn’t spot anyone watching her son.”
“Really? That asshole,” he nodded at the shed, “was sending her photos
of him as a threat.”
“Did you see them?”
“No, but what does that matter?”
 “Dax doesn’t miss much.”
“So the asshole has gone. Good. Although it means that he’s a loose end
we need to tie up.”
“Or Maxwell never had anyone watching him. Or that boy isn’t even
hers.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Sting?”
“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. Just trying to work out how much you
know about this girl. Because you seem to be all in really quick.”
“I know her.”
“Did you know she had a kid before now?”
“No. But that means nothing. She was keeping him hidden for her own
reasons.”
“What reasons?”
“None of your business. The kid is her son. Maxwell threatened him to
get her to co-operate. And you need to stop trying to make me doubt my
woman.”
“Whoa, okay. Someone had to ask the questions.” Sting backed up, his
hands in the air.
“No, someone didn’t. Someone needs to shut their mouth. I won’t let
anyone talk bad about her.”
“I wasn’t talking bad about her, just . . . fuck, fine. I’ll keep Dax on him.
So far all is good there.”
He nodded. Although he wasn’t really satisfied. Not at all.
“Anything going on with the girls?”
“No.” Sting grimaced. “It’s not helping that the only guys I have to
guard them are big and scary looking. Plus, they’re all wearing masks,
which makes them look more terrifying. The girls are refusing to talk. We
need an interpreter. Vincent could do it, but he’d scare them.”
He nodded.
“Be easier if they could talk to a woman,” Sting said.
“Ask for the world, why don’t you?” he grumbled before heading into
the cottage.
Half an hour later, he left the cabin, his knuckles re-opened and not
feeling nearly as satisfied as he’d thought he would.
“No luck then?” Sting asked as he joined him, walking towards the
truck.
“No. He still claims not to know the identity of his partner.”
 “Gotta say, I’m proud of you, brother. At one time, you’d have
completely lost it and killed the bastard already.”
If only Sting knew how closely he was riding the edge of his control.
Sting broke away and Jason climbed into his truck. He wanted to get
back to his girl. But something niggled at him.
He rubbed his forehead.
Trafficking ring. Russian leader. Fuck it. He needed to call Reyes.
“Is Jewel all right? What’s happening? Why hasn’t she called us?”
Reyes demanded as soon as he picked up.
“She’s fine.” Did he think he would allow her to be anything but all
right? “I don’t think she’s ready to talk to you guys.”
Reyes let out a breath. “Sunny’s stressed and worried. Barely eating.
Duke is about to explode. Just tell her that we’re her family and we’re here
for her. That we’re not upset with her.”
Jason frowned. He’d been in contact with Sunny a few times, he knew
she was worried but he didn’t realize it was that bad. And he knew that
Jewel wouldn’t want to cause Sunny stress.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“She’s really all right?”
“Of course she is.”
“Good. She deserves to be happy.”
“Got a few things to tell you.” He relayed the information that Luc
Darrins was actually Kenton Maxwell. As expected, Reyes exploded.
“I paid good money to have that bastard taken care of.”
“Jewel told me. Seems you covered your tracks at least. Maxwell had
no idea that were the one that hired that idiot to take him out.”
“Fuck! I can’t believe this! I can’t believe she went back to that bastard.
Why didn’t she tell me?”
“He threatened her son.”
He took a gamble that Reyes knew about Callen, and the sharp intake of
breath told him he was right.
“Fuck. No wonder she ran. This is all my fucking fault. I should have
made sure he was dead.”
“No way you could have known that he wasn’t dead. Listen, there’s
another reason I’m calling. Did Emme ever hear Senior mention Luc
Darrins?”
“Why?”
 Jason sighed.
“Fine. I’ll ask her.” There were some quiet murmurs. Then Reyes came
back on. “No, nothing. Why?”
“There were a number of young, foreign girls at his place. Jewel heard
some things that make us think he was involved in human trafficking.”
“And you think he had something to do with Senior? But you’re miles
away from Seattle.”
Jason grunted, thinking. “I know, but Maxwell had a partner. Jewel
overheard Maxwell talking about shipments and the Russian. It’s not much
to go on and Maxwell is claiming not to know the real identity of his
partner.”
“I’ll let Markovich know. ”
Markovich, Emme’s father, had hired the Fox to look into the Robins’
family. They’d learned that Senior was trafficking young girls. And that
he’d likely been working with someone called Mr. X.
But no one knew who he was.
“You know the Fox might want to do some investigating.”
Jason rubbed his hand over his face. “Fuck. Fine. But if he pisses me
off, I’m going to punch him.”
“Just don’t get yourself killed. Jewel needs you. And we might miss
you. Maybe.”
“Fuck you.” He ended the call, feeling like smiling despite the shitty
day.

H E WAS JUST PULLING AWAY from the shopping center when his phone rang.
Unknown number.
“Yeah?” he snapped.
“You know, they always say it’s the quiet ones you have to look out for.
Should have remembered that. I disregarded you and I shouldn’t have.”
“Who is this?”
“You know, I thought getting it regular was meant to put you in a good
mood. I’m starting to rethink my idea of getting my own Little. Or two. I
think two would be more fun. I even have one of them in mind. I just have
to get them to agree. Or not. Who am I kidding? If I want something I just
take it. Duke is just lucky that I decided not to snatch Sunny from him.”
Fuck.
“Fox?”
“Took you long enough. Is Jewel a Little? I’ve often wondered if there
is something in the water at Reaper’s. All these Littles and Daddies.
Perhaps I’ve been infected too and that’s why I’m on the search for my
own.”
“It’s none of your business what Jewel is.”
“Ahh you really do have that secretive, silent, and dangerous thing
going on, don’t you? Delicious. I bet Jewel likes it. Was she mad when she
found out who you really are?”
Jason stiffened. “What does that mean?”
“I meant when she found out who your family is. The Mathers. Your
mother is a formidable woman. Is she a Little? Is she into younger men?”
“Stay away from my family, Fox.”
“Now, it’s not like they’re not used to death and destruction, even with
their attempts to go legit. And death and destruction, those are my air and
water.”
Jason ground his teeth together. “What do you want?”
“You’re very grouchy. Why? Oh, is Jewel not meeting your needs? Are
you not slamming the ham? Sliming the banana? Playing hide the German
sausage? Or is it more of a breakfast sausage in your case? A chipolata. Is
that the problem? You know, I hear they’re doing great things with plastic
surgery and penis enlargements. They—”
“Fox!” he snarled.
“Yes?”
“Did you call for a reason?”
“A reason?”
“Yes, a reason. Or are you just trying to piss me off.”
“Well, I’ll admit that if I realized it was going to be such fun I might
have been doing it more often. But yes, there is a reason. I want some time
with Kenton Maxwell.”
Jason sucked in a breath. “You want to know who the partner is.”
“Yes. I think he could be the one we’re searching for. If he’s not, well,
I’ll still have fun with that asshole.”
 While he wanted to be the one to get Maxwell to break, he also couldn’t
turn down help.
“Fine. I can give you some time with him. But I want to be in there with
you.”
“No can do, chipolata boy. I work alone. But I will tell you what he
says.”
“All right. But don’t cross me on this, Fox. She’s my girl. I want her
safe.”
“And there are a whole lot of females who are right now being
kidnapped, terrorized, and sold. I need to find who is doing this and stop it.”
“So you’re the good guy now?”
“When it suits me. This is the job I’m hired for. Just so happens I get to
kill bad guys along the way.”
“You can’t kill Maxwell.”
A beat of silence.
“You’re going to let Jewel do it?” Fox asked.
“Hell no, I’m not letting Jewel near him. Or near you.”
“I think I was just insulted,” Fox said in a cold voice.
Jason closed his eyes. He needed to relax. He couldn’t afford to alienate
the Fox. Especially when he knew who his family was.
“I’m trying to shelter her from all of this.”
“Huh, interesting.”
Why was that interesting?
“Rather noble. I like that. Yes, shelter her. Right. Got to go. I’ll be in
touch when I’m close. Oh, and I hear you need someone who speaks
Russian?”
“Yeah.”
“I know someone. I’ll send her to you. She’ll keep quiet, she owes me a
favor.”
“Does that mean I owe you a favor?” He knew better than to owe
someone like the Fox.
“Giving me some time with Maxwell is payment enough. Just keep him
alive, it might take me a few days to get there. Honestly, having
responsibilities really cuts into my torturing time.”
 15

S he startled as the door opened, setting the controller to one side. Her
heart raced with excitement and trepidation.
She’d spent most of the morning thinking about what she really
wanted. And what she wanted was him. She wanted to see if she really
could submit to him. If she had a Little side. But it was going to take some
courage to admit that.
Jason walked in then turned to look at what she’d been playing.
“Grand Theft Auto, huh? Do I need to be worried about your driving?”
She scoffed. Although she did like to drive fast. So maybe, yeah.
“Don’t like that look on your face.”
“What look?” she asked.
“Like you’re contemplating doing something naughty.”
“Me? Never.” She gave him her most innocent look.
“Uh-huh. I believe that. I’ll have to give you a game later, although I
don’t want to make you cry when I beat you.”
“What makes you think you’d beat me?”
“Baby, I’ve had years of practice with that game. You’re a toddler in
comparison. You’ll lose. You’ll cry. Then I’ll have to comfort you. Actually,
do you want to play a game now?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Dream on, buddy.”
He grabbed the controller, pausing the game, then crouched in front of
her. “You been a good girl?”
She eyed him. She should object to that question. In theory. But the
voice he used was soft and cajoling. Folding her arms over her chest, she
raised her chest. “If I haven’t been?”
“I’ll add it to your tally.”
Drat.
“And if I have?”
“I’ve got something for you.”
“I’ve been good.”
He drew out some more gummi bears from his back pocket. Yes! She
reached for them eagerly. But he held them away from her.
Damn it.
Then he dug out a red one. “Open.”
Crap. Her nipples stiffened at the command. She had dreams of him
saying that to her while she knelt in front of him. Only it wasn’t a gummi
bears going in her mouth.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
She shook her head, eyes wide. Hell. No.
He narrowed his gaze. “Your secrets will one day be mine.”
“And will yours be mine?”
“Of course.”
Two simple words. That meant so much.
“Open.” A command wrapped in silk.
She parted her lips and in went the gummi bear.
“Love it when pleasure fills your face,” he said huskily. “It’s time for
date number two.”
She sucked in a breath as happiness filled her stomach.
“I need to set it up. Without you in here.”
She had to leave?
“You can go into the closet. ”
“And do what? Tidy up your boxers?” She screwed up her face.
“You can touch my boxers anytime you like.” His eyes danced with
amusement before growing serious. “But there’s something else you need to
do.”
There was a warning in his voice.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong? Is it Callen?”
“Whoa.” He sat and cupped her face. “No, nothing is wrong with your
son.”
“Promise?”
 “Baby, I would tell you immediately if there was. He’s your son. I might
hold some things back to protect you. But never about him. I promise. Dax
hasn’t seen anyone watching him. He’s safe.”
She nodded, the tension easing from her shoulders.
“I spoke to Reyes today.”
She stiffened. “Is he mad at me? Was he calling to tell you I’m fired?
That’s only fair. I’ll have to start searching for a new job as soon as we’re
back. Oh God, what about my rent? Now that I’m going back, I’ll need
somewhere to stay and what about my stuff. Shit.”
“Okay, first of all, no, Reyes isn’t mad at you. He’s worried about you,
so is Sunny. They both want to talk to you.”
“Oh. I need to call them.”
“I think that would be a good idea. Secondly, you don’t need to worry
about your rent and stuff, all of that has been taken care of.”
“What?”
“I’m dealing with it all. Trust me. Besides, you’re coming to live with
me.”
She hadn’t agreed to that yet. But she also didn’t want to go home to her
apartment.
“What if you change your mind?” she blurted out.
He frowned. “Change my mind about what?”
“About me. About wanting me. What if I give you all of me and you
change your mind?”
What if she fell for him completely and he broke her? Why was it so
hard to breathe?
“Hey, look at me.” He drew her up then sat on the beanbag with her
straddling his lap, facing him.
Grasping hold of her chin, he raised her face. “I don’t want anyone but
you. Understand me?”
She wanted to say something sarcastic. To hide her true feelings behind
the ice wall she’d built around herself. But it had been chipped away at,
until she felt like she was all jagged edges. Still, if anyone had the power to
warm her from the inside out, it was him.
Pike.
“Nobody has ever wanted me before. It’s hard to wrap my head
around.”
Wouldn’t he get sick of her? People always grew tired of her.
 Well, everyone except Maxwell.
Urgh, get him out of your head.
“What’re you thinking?” he demanded.
“You’ll get tired of me.”
Shit. Seemed she couldn’t hold anything in.
“I have wanted very little in my life. But the minute I saw you, I knew
you were mine. And I’m yours.”
She searched his gaze for any hint of doubt. For a sliver of uncertainty.
But he stared back at her calmly. There was only acceptance, hunger, and
maybe something else that she wasn’t ready to acknowledge just yet.
She drew herself up. “Promise you won’t break me. I could survive him.
I put myself back together after he broke me. But I won’t be able to do the
same if you break me.”
“I will never break you.”
The vow meant more to her than pretty much anything else. Her
stomach still bubbled with nerves and she knew this wasn’t an instant
happy-ever-after. But it was a step in the right direction.
“Say it,” he whispered to her, running his thumb over her lips. “Say
what I need to hear.”
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. Taking a deep breath, she let it
out slowly. “I’m yours. Pike.”
Satisfaction flooded his face. He gave her a smile that made her insides
melt.
“Damn fucking straight you are.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything. You could go find a
million girls who would be easier than me to be with . . .”
“Fuck easy. I don’t want anyone but you. And if I have to tell you that
every day for the rest of our lives, that’s what I’ll do.”
He took her lips hard. The kiss stole her breath and made her mind spin.
She put her arms around his neck, drawing him in closer.
When he drew back, she whimpered in protest. “Nooo.”
He grinned. “You like my kisses.”
Like wasn’t the word she would use.
“No talking. More kissing.”
“I feel like that should be my line,” he told her.
She had to grin at that.
“Speaking about feelings and shit has never been my strong suit—”
 “You seem pretty good at it to me,” she interrupted.
“That’s because you’re even worse at it than I am.”
She smacked the side of his arm. That was actually totally true.
“But we need to keep communicating, because I don’t ever want to do
something that makes you fear me.”
She opened her mouth to dispute that, but he placed a finger over her
lips.
“And before you say that I wouldn’t, I might do it by mistake. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered. “Can we go back to kissing?”
“Not yet.”
“More talking?”
“This is important. What about the rest of it? Do you want to be my
baby girl too?”
She bit at her lip until he gently released it from her hold. “I want to
try.”
Happiness lit his face and she relaxed, seeing that. This really was
something he wanted. Not something he was willing to do for her.
“But I’m not sure how to let go.”
“We’ll work it out.”
“I don’t think I’m like the others.”
“Who said you have to be? We can do it our way. Make our own rules.”
“Yeah?”
“I only follow the rules when they suit me.”
“You rebel,” she teased.
“I went shopping for you today.”
“Jason, you don’t have to keep buying me stuff.”
He scowled. “I thought we’d stopped that nonsense.”
What was he talking about?
“Thirty-one.”
She groaned. “I just forgot.”
“I’d work on your memory if you want to sit comfortably.”
“Are you really going to spank me for that?” She reached around to cup
her bottom.
“Sure will.”
“Mean Daddy.” Oh. She hadn’t meant that to slip out. But the
satisfaction in his face eased any nerves.
“Do the things I buy you make you happy?” he asked.
 “Will you think less of me if I say yes?” she whispered.
He gave her a fierce look. “Never. But I will be upset if you lie to me, if
you tell me stuff you think I want to hear rather than the truth, understand?”
“I understand.”
“That’s rule one. We tell each other the truth.”
“I can understand that.”
“Respect is rule two.”
“Yes.”
“Health and safety are my jurisdiction. If I say something is too
dangerous or I tell you to rest or whatever, then you’re expected to listen.”
Seemed to her that was a very open rule. “I think we should narrow that
down.”
“I don’t.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “If I want to go somewhere and
you think it’s too dangerous, then you just put your foot down and that’s
it?”
“No.”
Oh. All right. She must have misunderstood then, because she’d thought
...
“We can discuss it, but at the end, I have the final say.”
“Not sure that works for me.”
“I’m not an ogre. And I won’t say no unless I have a really good
reason.”
She sighed. “Fine. Not saying I’ll always agree or do it.”
“Someone will find herself in hot water then.”
“What sort of hot water?”
“I think you know the answer to that. You’ll likely end up over my
knee.”
Biting her lip, she stared at him with trepidation. “You’ll only use your
hand?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I don’t think I could do anything else, not straight away.”
“Hand only. And all you have to do is say stop and I will.”
“Just stop? Not a safeword? I mean, what if I . . . what if I wanted to
pretend to run from you? What if I wanted to yell stop, but I didn’t mean
it?”
He studied her. “Then you’ll need a safeword. Does red work for you?”
 She let out a breath. “Yeah, red is good. I know it might seem weird
considering . . . ”
“Don’t do that,” he growled.
“Do what?” she asked.
“Downplay your needs. It’s not weird if it’s what you want. We’ll figure
it out. Any other limits?”
“No humiliation, you can’t call me names.”
Maxwell had enjoyed belittling her. She couldn’t stand for someone to
call her names.
His eyes flared. “Never. Don’t think I could even do that if you wanted
it. You’re my Queen.”
She let out a deep breath, relief filling her. She didn’t think it would be
his thing, but she’d had to make sure.
“Nothing that draws blood or leaves bruises.”
“I would never go that far. I promise. We also need to work on getting
you to stop biting your nails so much that your fingertips bleed.”
“It’s habit. Lots of people bite their nails. And sometimes I do it in my
sleep.”
“I have an idea about helping with that. Doesn’t fix the underlying
issue.”
“Who says there’s an underlying issue?”
He just gave her a look.
“Okay, fine, I’m basically a bundle of underlying issues taped together
with paranoia, sarcasm, and anxiety.”
“What can I do to help?”
She puffed out her breath. “I do it without even noticing it sometimes.
Like when I’m sleeping. Or . . .”
“What?”
She bit her lip. “When I’m having dark thoughts.”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “I want to storm out of here, and
beat him until he’s a bloody mess then start all over again.”
She let out a small laugh. “Crazy psycho.”
“Thought I was a crazy stalker.”
“That too.”
“We’ll work on helping get rid of those thoughts.”
“I had them under control, but having him reappear just brought them
all up again.”
 He kissed her gently. “We’ll figure it out. Together. Right, what rules do
we have? Speaking the truth, respect, health and safety, which includes
going to the doctor and dentist.”
“I want to lodge a formal complaint about going to the doctor and
dentist.”
“Noted and dismissed.”
“How can it be dismissed without an argument?”
“Because I’m Daddy.”
Shoot. That was a good point. Sitting up, he drew her onto his lap. His
face grew serious. “I don’t want you running from me. And I want you to
tell me when your thoughts get dark.”
She sucked in a breath. This. This was more difficult. “I . . .” she licked
her lips, “what if it happens a lot?”
Nobody wanted to put up with that constantly, right?
“Then it happens a lot.”
“What if you can’t handle it?”
“I can handle it. Look at me.” She raised her gaze to his. He thought he
could, but how did he know? “Can you handle me? My intensity? My
single-minded focus? The fact that I can’t just let things go when it comes
to you. Like if you don’t agree to live with me, I’ll likely break into your
apartment to watch you sleep.”
“How did I never know what a creepy stalker you are?”
“Only for you.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“Doesn’t it?” he mused calmly.
“I thought you were just going to sit in the parking lot and watch my
apartment?”
“I was, but it seems I’m escalating.”
Totally. Insane.
“Can you handle that sometimes I’ll be very strict, like when it comes to
your health and safety? That the more time I spend with you, the harder I
find it to leave you. That I want to do things for you that will likely annoy
you. Things that you will consider your right to do but I won’t want to
allow it.”
“Like what?”
“Feed you. Do your hair. Brush your teeth. Bathe you. Drive you
everywhere. Go with you to work every time. Buy your clothes. Choose
your clothes. Give you massages. That’s all I can think of for a start.”
Right.
First. Close mouth.
Second. Think before speaking.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “First, you can’t do those things for me all the
time. You have a life of your own.”
“Yeah? What’s that? Hanging out at Reaper’s? Well, I can do that and
watch you work. Unless you don’t want to work. I can support you.”
“All right. Nope. That’s a hard limit. I like my job. I want to keep
working.”
He nodded. “Fine. No hardship to drink a beer and watch you work. So
long as you don’t get too tired and you promise to take regular breaks and
eat.”
He gave her a pointed look and she bit her lip. Shoot. He knew that she
rarely sat and ate while working.
“If I live with you, I want my own space. An area that’s my own. I can
live with how intense you are, but sometimes, I’ll need my own space.”
He frowned. “Like your own bedroom?”
“I don’t know. Just a place that’s mine.”
“Like a playroom.”
“Maybe,” she whispered.
“Consider it done.” He drew out his phone and started tapping on it.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Organizing your bedroom for you.”
“Now?” she squeaked.
“Some reason why I should wait?”
She shook her head. She guessed not. But Lord, he was like a tornado,
completely wrecking her life.
Then putting her back together. And making everything so much better.
 16

A fter lunch, Jewel found herself sitting in the walk-in-closet,

chewing on her fingernail. Jason had bought her a new phone and
put all the numbers she needed in it. Before she chickened out,
she hit Sunny’s name.
“Hello?” Sunny asked breathlessly.
“Sunny? Hey, it’s me.”
“Oh my God,” Sunny said through the phone then she burst into tears.
“Great. Now I really feel awful,” Jewel said dryly.
“I’ve been so worried about you,” Sunny wailed. “You just left. I didn’t
know what was wrong. I . . . I . . .”
“Sunny, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” Duke’s demand drifted
through the phone.
Jewel winced. Duke had to be furious with her.
“It’s Jewel,” Sunny explained.
“Is she all right? What’s happened?” he demanded.
“Nothing, we’re just having a moment.”
“A moment?”
“Yes, now, go away. Shoo.”
“Go away, shoo?” Duke asked incredulously.
Uh oh. That wasn’t going to go down well.
“This is a girls-only conversation,” Sunny told him.
“Did you really just tell me to ‘go away, shoo’?”
“Yes, but you’re not shooing.”
 “Little Rebel, I know you’ve been upset about your friend. We all
have,” he said in a louder voice as though Jewel couldn’t hear everything
anyway, “but you do not get to shoo me. I’m going out to work on my
bike.”
“Man, he’s such a grumpy bum lately,” Sunny muttered.
“Maybe because you’ve been upset,” Jewel pointed out. “I’m really
sorry, Sunny. If I could have told you I would have, but I was just trying to
—”
“Protect me,” Sunny said. “Like you always do. But being a friend isn’t
just you always taking care of me. I get to take care of you too. I know you
did what you thought was best, but you’re my best friend. Let me help.”
“You’re right. I know. I just panicked when I saw the photos of . . . of
my son.”
“Your son?”
“I had him when I was really young and I’m not in his life, but when
Maxwell threatened to hurt him, I had to do what I could to protect him.”
“Well, of course you did,” Sunny said, fiercely loyal as ever. “That rat
bastard! I hope Jason has torn his fucking balls off and fed them to him.”
Jewel let out a surprised laugh. “Don’t let Duke hear you talking like
that.” Duke didn’t like Sunny swearing.
“Eh, totally worth the spanking it would get me.”
“Sunny?”
“Yeah?”
“When you’re in Little space, how easy is it to let everything else go?
To stop thinking about all your issues and just, well, be?”
“I don’t know what it’s like for everyone, but some days are different
than others. Sometimes it’s easy and others it’s much harder. Why do you
ask? Wait, do you think that you’re a Little?”
“I don’t know, exactly. I can’t see myself playing dress-up or coloring
in.”
“No, I can’t see that either. But there’s no rule saying that you have to
do any of those things. You could be older, like a Middle. Is Jason a Daddy
Dom?”
“Yeah. Surprising huh?”
“I really didn’t see it. Can you let go with him?” Sunny asked.
“I always thought I had to be in control of everything. If I wasn’t it
meant I wasn’t capable or strong. But with Jason, everything’s different. I
know that if I miss something or mess it up that he’ll be there. He really
cares about me.”
“Oh, Jewel, I’m so happy for you.”
“It’s early days yet, let’s not plan the wedding or anything, huh?” she
said, needing to get off the mushy stuff.
“But when we do, I’m the head bridesmaid. You owe me.”
“Course you are. You’re my best friend.”
“This is so exciting! I’m going to add you to the Little chat group.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, there’s a Little chat group?” How hadn’t she
known about this? Well, maybe because you didn’t know you were a Little?
“Yeah, and I could use your help. Millie is determined that she’s going
to take Spike’s truck in for a custom paint job for his birthday.”
“She . . . she’s what?”
“She has this plan to get it painted to look like a Triceratops.”
“She wouldn’t.” Oh Lord, this was Millie so . . .
“I think she’s serious!” Sunny told her. “She’s not going to sit for a
week.”
“Are you kidding? She’d never sit again. Fine, put me on the group
chat. I need to talk her around.”
“Done, you’re on there now and I’m sending everyone your new
number.”
She ended the call with Sunny and immediately her phone started to
buzz.

S UNNY : Guys, Jewel is here now! You all should have her new number.
Betsy: Jewel, I’m so glad you’re all right.
Jewel: Sorry for worrying you guys. Things were really messed up.
Betsy: It’s okay, we understand. Uh, Sunny you know this is the Little
group chat?
Sunny: Yep. Get this, Jason is a DD.
Jewel: And I might be an older Little.
Millie: O.M.G!!
Millie: Jewel and Jason!
Millie: Jewel is a Little!
Millie: Freaking. Out.
 Jewel: I would never have guessed. Now, Millie we need to have a chat
about men and their trucks . . .

I T HAD TAKEN her a while to talk Millie out of her plan for Spike’s birthday.
But after some searching on the internet, she’d decided to get him these
boxers which had pictures of different dinosaurs over the crotch area.
Poor bastard had no idea what was coming his way. Jewel would pay to
see his face when he opened those gifts. Still, he should thank her for
averting a disaster.
After she said goodbye to the girls, she called Reyes. Her chat with him
went surprisingly well. Sure, he scolded her for a good five minutes. But
when she was finished, she felt surprisingly lighter.
Until she glanced down at her mangled fingernail and winced. What
was the bet that Jason wouldn’t notice?
Yeah, she didn’t like those odds.
She opened the wardrobe door slightly and called out through it. “Can I
come in now?”
“Yep,” he called back.
When she walked in, she froze. The drapes had been pulled, blocking
out the mid-afternoon sunshine. Candles were lit and spread out, lending a
soft light. It looked like a scene set for seduction.
Complete with a massage table and a big leather recliner that looked
like one of those massage chairs you could stick a quarter in at the mall and
you’d be in heaven for five minutes. There was also an array of nail
polishes set up on a small table next to the chair. More shopping bags lined
the front of the entertainment center.
“What is this? How did you even do this?”
“Had a bit of help with the big stuff. Wanted to do something to help
you relax. Spa days are something Ma and Dusty swear by. Only I don’t
want you leaving the house yet. I also don’t want anyone else touching you.
Sometimes they have male massagers. They aren’t touching you. Especially
when you’re naked.”
She shook her head at him. “First, you aren’t exactly naked when you
have a massage. Most of the time, you leave your panties on and they use a
towel to cover you. Second, it’s their job. It’s not like they’re doing this for
a hook-up or anything.”
 “No other man is touching your naked body. No, scrap that. No other
man is touching you.” He pointed a finger at her.
“What if I get sick?” she challenged.
“There are female doctors,” he replied.
“What if I’m really sick, like near-death, and need a specialist and the
only one is male?”
Instead of coming back at her with a reply, he moved swiftly towards
her. She stepped back, slightly alarmed at the intensity in his face. He
backed her up against a wall, trapping her, his hands on either side of her
face.
“You will not get that sick,” he whispered harshly.
That . . . that was not what she’d expected him to say.
She licked her lips. “I can’t just stop—”
“You will not die.”
“Nobody knows what will happen in the future.”
“This will not happen, because I couldn’t take it if you got seriously ill.
Fuck, I couldn’t take you getting a cold. Understand? You started as my
obsession. Then you became my desire. And now, you are my heart. Can’t
live without that, can I?”
“Jason.” Was he saying he loved her? He wasn’t, right?
“Thirty-two.”
Fuck.
“Would you be serious?” she snapped at him.
“Trust me, I’m being very serious.”
She tried to breathe normally, but it was impossible. Each quick breath
brought her nipples into contact with his chest. They brushed against him,
stiffening. Her insides were mush. Need for him grew until it was all she
could feel.
This was it. She was going to fuck him, wasn’t she?
And then he would learn how messed up she really was.
His mouth descended, took hers, conquered it. She kissed him back as
though her life depended on it. As though he was the only way she could
breathe.
Then suddenly, he stepped away.
“Get stripped off and lie on the massage table, face down. Put the
blanket at the end of the table over you. I’m going to use the bathroom.”
 He strode into the bathroom and shut the door. She stood there. Well,
she slumped back against the wall to try and keep herself up. Her fingers
trembled as she touched her hot lips.
What just happened?
He kissed her like that and then walked away? How could he?
Because he’s trying to take things slow. Like you asked him.
With a groan, she started stripping. She was her own worst enemy. She
was also starting to think that she was into self-torture. Because she was
about to have his hands all over her, without any respite in sight.
Lord. Help. Her.

IT WAS JUSTas awful as she’d suspected it would be.

And far more wonderful.
He turned her into goo. She hadn’t thought it possible to feel this
relaxed while his hands were on her. Hell, she didn’t think she’d ever been
this relaxed in her life. At one stage, she was pretty certain she’d fallen
asleep while he was working the knots out of her shoulders.
If he ever wanted a new career he could become a masseuse.
No, scrap that. She didn’t want him touching anyone else. Crap. Seemed
she was just as possessive of him as he was of her.
“I’m going to lift the towel then you roll over, okay? I won’t peek.”
“Really? You expect me to believe that?”
“Okay, I’m totally going to look. We might as we lose the towel, huh?”
“No,” she squeaked. Because that towel might be the only thing keeping
her from begging him to fuck her.
And she wasn’t ready for that, right?
She tensed. Worried at her lip. He tugged her lip free. “Roll over. I
won’t look and we’ll leave the towel in place.”
She slid over and he went to work on her front. Only, this time she
didn’t feel so relaxed. Did a masseuse go so low down a person’s chest?
Until they were massaging the tops of their client’s breasts?
Did they run their hands down their client’s sides, brushing against their
breasts with their thumbs?
 Did they massage their tummies? Getting closer and closer to their
mound?
Definitely not.
“Spread your legs,” he commanded.
She whimpered. All that covered her was a towel and a pair of wet
panties. If she spread her legs would he smell her pleasure? What if he
brushed his hand against her mound? He’d feel how wet she was for him.
Like he doesn’t know anyway.
“I can’t.”
“Jewel,” he whispered. It was cajoling and warning all at once. She
shivered. It spoke to something deep inside her.
To the part of her that craved dominance. But only his brand.
She found herself spreading her legs. She couldn’t move them far; the
table wasn’t that wide. But to her shock, he grabbed her left leg, holding her
calf against his hip while he ran his other hand up the inside of her thigh.
Right up to the crease where her pussy and thigh met.
Had she ever been this turned-on?
Not that she could remember. Her clit was throbbing, her pussy so wet it
was embarrassing. If only she could have a few moments to herself, she
could get rid of this need thrumming through her veins.
He was the only person in years to make her feel like this.
Scratch that. He was the only person ever. Even before Maxwell and the
hell he’d rained down on her.
“Stop thinking,” he commanded.
“It doesn’t work like that. You can’t command someone to stop
thinking. It’s impossible.”
“Either you stop thinking, or I do it for you.”
He took that moment to run his finger down her panty-covered slit. She
let out a cry and half-sat.
“You can’t!”
“Damn, you’re wet. You need to come.”
“I don’t.” Total lie. She absolutely needed to come. She just knew that
she wouldn’t be able to. Not with him.
Not with any man.
He moved to her other leg, massaging her inner thigh.
“I won’t go any further. Just some pleasure.”
She wanted to. Lord, she wanted to.
 “Just a touch. A taste.”
“I-I can’t! Please.” She shook. With need. With denial. With a stab of
fear.
“Okay, shh. It’s okay, baby. You’re in charge.”
He finished up his massage at her feet. And she felt like crying.
“Shit, baby. This was meant to relax you. I’m fucking sorry. I know I’m
pushy, but I promise to back off.”
She nodded, unable to say anything else.
“It’s time to do your nails.”
Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting in a massage chair, wrapped up in
the softest robe in the world while the craziest guy in the world knelt at her
feet, concentrating fiercely as he painted her toenails.
This was insane.
This was bliss.
She’d stripped out of her damp panties in the bathroom before slipping
on the robe he’d put in there for her. She probably should have gotten
dressed but once she’d touched the robe, she’d known that clothes would
never do.
Maybe she’d wear this robe forever.
“What was that sigh for?”
“I love this robe.”
He grinned up at her. “I’ll buy you a hundred.”
He probably would too.
“Those have to dry.”
She glanced down at the hot pink nails. He’d pulled the curtains back to
let in more light after her massage finished so he could see better.
“Hand.” He held out his hand patiently. She reached out then snatched it
back when she realized he’d see what she’d done.
“I’ll do my fingernails.”
His brow furrowed. “Nope. Hand.”
“But you might smudge them.” Doubtful, he’d painted her toenails like
he did everything else. Extremely well and with complete focus. No wonder
he made a good sniper.
“Why’d you go into the armed forces?” she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “I enlisted when I was twenty because I knew
that otherwise I’d get dragged into the family business. Plus, I thought the
discipline would be good for me. Now, give me your hand.”
 She really didn’t want to.
Damn. It.
“Fine.” With a sigh, she held out her hand.
He frowned down at her sore-looking finger. The nail was bitten down
past the tip.
“When did this happen?” he growled.
“I was nervous about calling Sunny and Reyes.”
“Jewel.”
“I know. I don’t know why I was so worried.”
“I got some of that stuff that tastes nasty when you bite your nails. I’ll
put that on after I paint them.”
She grimaced. That stuff tasted like shit. “How’d you know about that?”
“I asked the lady in the store.”
Good Lord.
“I don’t like it when you hurt yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
“Baby blue, you’re fucking perfect. But I do not like what goes on in
your head and what it leads you to think or do.”
Fuck. She knew he was right.
“You still want to talk to someone? Because I’ve been doing some
research into possible therapists.”
Of course he had. She nodded. “When this is over.”
“Good girl.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
“I know.”
“And tired. So fucking tired.”
“I know, baby.” He was putting the anti-bite stuff on.
“Not just physically.” She opened her eyes as he finished, staring down
at her nails. They were painted perfectly. Even the mangled ones.
“Accepting help doesn’t make you weak.”
“Logically, I know that.”
He moved between her open legs, and cupped her ass, pulling her
forward so her pussy was against his chest. She sucked in a breath. “I just
want to breathe for a while, without everything weighing me down.”
“Do you trust me to take over for a while?”
She knew what he was asking. “I want to try.”
“That’s my brave girl.”
 “I don’t know how,” she confessed. “Even when I . . . when I submitted
at the club I was never truly in the scene.”
“Because you need to trust someone fully to give all of yourself. And
letting out this side of you, it’s the biggest trust exercise of all. Falling and
hoping someone will catch you.”
He got it. He always got it.
And there was something she needed to say. It was so difficult. Painful.
But it needed to be said.
“Please, Daddy, I need your help.”
 17

S o she hadn’t expected to end up in a giant bubble bath.

On her own.
She wasn’t sure what exactly she’d thought would happen. It
wasn’t that she didn’t like having baths. But being on her own just gave her
time to think.
Not necessarily a good thing.
With a sigh, she leaned back against the edge of the bath. He’d left the
door slightly open. And while he peeked in occasionally to check on her, he
hadn’t said a word.
Hell, he’d barely even snuck a peek while helping her into the bath.
She wasn’t sure if she should feel grateful to him for respecting her
stupid boundaries.
Or disappointed.
“Right, baby blue, time to get out.”
She squeaked, sitting up and nearly sliding under the water.
“Whoa.” He leaped over to her side and helped her sit up with a frown.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have let you bathe by yourself.”
“I can take a bath by myself,” she snarked. “You just startled me.”
He gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her. And that he would be
doing what he liked anyway.
“Out you come.”
She went to pull herself out but he put his hand on her shoulder and
shook his head. “Daddy helps you out. You can’t do it on your own.”
 A flush filled her. Longing tinged with embarrassment. She couldn’t just
let go of her adult side that easily.
“I’m not sure I can do this.”
He tapped her nose. “Won’t know unless you try. Don’t like it, we don’t
have to keep going. But you have to try.”
That was all he was asking. And she wasn’t one to fall over at the first
obstacle.
Then he lifted her from the bath. She gasped. Okay, that was more
sudden than she’d expected. And she was completely on display.
He set her on the towel and dried her off. He did it efficiently, but she
still felt her nipples harden. He wrapped a dry towel around her and she was
grateful for the cover.
Then he turned to the counter to pick up something from the pile of
clothes he’d brought in with him. He held up a pair of cotton panties. Teal.
With gold crowns on them.
“Ooh, they’re cute.”
“Glad you like them.”
He crouched down in front of her. “Hands on my shoulders and foot
up.”
“I can put them on myself,” she told him.
“Is this you trying?”
Fuck. He was right.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“Sorry, Daddy.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” she forced herself to repeat. The words came easier
than she thought. And they felt right.
He drew the panties up her legs under her towel. Then he held up a
black skirt. It was ruffled and the edge of the ruffles was stitched with gold.
It was pretty but not too pretty. If that made sense.
He slid it up her legs before reaching for a soft T-shirt with the
Powerpuff Girls on the front.
He helped her put it on.
“I need a bra.” While her frame was small, especially at the moment,
her breasts were not.
“We’re all alone. No one else will see you. The door is locked. I’ve
texted them all to stay the fuck away. We won’t be disturbed.”
 “Do they know?” she asked. Oh Lord. Now she really wasn’t ever
walking out of this room.
“Of course they don’t. I would never do that to you.”
No, he wouldn’t. What was she thinking?
“But if you want to wear a bra, I’ll get one for you.”
She snorted. “No one ever wants to wear a bra. It’s just something you
do so your boobs don’t end up around your waist. They’re something a
sadist came up with, believe me.”
“All right, now that we’ve established that bras are the devil’s work, it’s
time to have your hair done. Pigtails or braids?”
Her cheeks heated. “I don’t know.”
“Daddy’s choice. I like it.” He grabbed the stool that lived beside the
bath and had her sit on it while he brushed her hair then set it high in an off-
center ponytail. She caught a glimpse of herself as he led her through the
bathroom.
She looked cute. Sweet. But a little edgy at the same time.
It was freaking perfect.
She came to a surprised stop in the bedroom.
Wow, he’d been busy.
“What is this?”
“Picnic dinner.” He gestured towards the same red and white checkered
blanket on the floor along with a hamper. “And play stations.” He waved a
hand at everything else.
“Play stations?”
“So you could sample several things. See what you like doing.”
“How could you have possibly done this in less than an hour?”
“With help.”
She froze.
“Not that sort of help,” he soothed. “Dusty had a playroom when she
was younger. It’s never been cleared out. I think Ma is hoping one of us will
give her a grandchild soon. I just gathered up most of the stuff I could find
while Edna made our picnic dinner.”
She breathed a bit easier.
He led her around each of the play stations. “A jewelry-making station.”
There was a box filled with beads, along with equipment to make jewelry.
Okay, that really looked like fun.
Another station. This one had a huge tub of Legos. “Legos.”
 Maybe.
The next station consisted of another plastic container filled with things
like pipe cleaners, bottles of glue and glitter, and popsicle sticks. “Crafting.”
Also another possibility.
Excitement started to fill her.
“That’s all I had time for. I chose things I thought might appeal to you.
But if you’d rather sit and watch a movie or play a video game than test out
the stations we can do that too.”
She rather liked the sound of that. “Can we do that another day?”
“Sure, baby blue. Whatever you need. What would you like to do first?”
“I want to make some jewelry.”

“T IME TO STOP NOW , BABY BLUE .”

“Nearly finished, Daddy.”
She was so involved in what she was doing that she didn’t seem to
notice that she’d called him Daddy.
He considered that a victory. It had taken her a while, but once she’d
gotten into her jewelry making, her shoulders had started to relax. She’d
stopped shooting him looks as though to check on his reaction.
While she’d created a necklace, he’d watched her. Well, he’d cleaned up
the massage table and bathroom. But in between, he’d simply watched her.
His favorite pastime.
Only now he didn’t have to pretend that he wasn’t staring at her.
“You have two minutes. Then it’s time to stop for dinner.”
“Not hungry.”
“That wasn’t a question, baby blue.”
“I need to finish this.”
“You need to eat. Your only choice is whether you do it with a hot ass or
not.”
She glared at him, eyes narrowed assessingly. He just gave her a calm
look back. “Time to finish up now. You can do the rest tomorrow.”
“Five more minutes,” she wheedled.
Brat.
 “I’m going to count. If your butt isn’t on this blanket by the time I get to
five, it’s over my knee you go.”
She didn’t even flinch, but he knew she was listening.
“One.”
He waited a beat. Did she intend to play chicken with him?
“Two.”
She needed to learn that he never bluffed.
“Three.”
She’d lasted longer than he thought.
“Four.”
With a huff, she jumped up and stomped over then sat. Her legs were
crossed, giving him a glimpse of panties. Her arms went over her breasts
and she sent him a glare.
“Daddy, I was busy.”
“I know you were. But when Daddy says it’s time to do something, then
you do it. Or you end up in trouble.”
“I shouldn’t get spanked just because I don’t want to eat.”
“You need to eat or you’ll get sick. And you’re hungry.”
“Am not.”
“Lying won’t be tolerated, baby blue. Remember the rules.”
She chewed at her lip and he reached over to slip it free. He knew she
was nervous. Losing herself in her jewelry making was easier than
interacting with him.
Her finger crept up to her mouth. He grasped hold of it, pulling it from
her mouth.
“No,” he said firmly.
She pouted slightly.
He slid her plate in front of her. It had a picture of a princess on it. Not
exactly his girl’s style. But Dusty had a thing for all things princesses when
she was young. He’d put finger food on it. Sandwiches with the crusts cut
off and filled with egg salad. The cook had made the sandwiches, but he’d
cut them up. Carrot sticks, strawberries, grapes, and raspberries. There was
ranch dressing for dipping as well.
Like he thought she would, she reached immediately for the fruit.
“You’re to eat some sandwiches too,” he warned.
She pouted. He grabbed a carrot stick and dipped it in the dressing.
Then held it up to her lips.
 “I’ve got a treat for you if you finish what’s on your plate.”
She looked down at her plate assessingly. He hadn’t piled it up, much as
he wanted to.
“What kind of treat?” she asked suspiciously.
“You’ll find out if you eat all your food.” He fed her one of her
sandwiches, before demolishing his own. They were more manly-sized.
“But isn’t it better if I know, Daddy? Then it will be more of an
incentive.”
“If you want to know then eat your dinner,” he said firmly.
She sighed but ate everything on her plate.
“Good girl,” he told her, reaching into the basket. She was practically
vibrating with excitement.
“Is it gummi bears, Daddy? I love gummi bears.”
“I know. But not this time.”
He drew out a bowl that was covered in Saran Wrap. When he drew it
off, he revealed a decadent brownie covered in whipped cream.
“Eek! Yummy!”
“It’s for sharing,” he warned.
“I can share, Daddy. I’m a good sharer.”
“Not too good, I hope,” he murmured, forking some up for her.
“Because I don’t share well and I never intend to share you.”
Leaning forward, she kissed his nose. “Silly Daddy. I’d never share
you.”

“W HAT ’ S in the shopping bags, Daddy?” she asked curiously after he’d
gotten her into her Powerpuff Girls pajamas.
Seriously. These were the coolest things ever. She never wanted to get
out of them.
“Got some things to help you sleep.”
She chewed at her lower lip. “I know I woke you up lots last night.
Maybe I should sleep somewhere else.”
Jason snorted. “Like that’s happening. My baby doesn’t sleep anywhere
but with me.”
“But I don’t need that much sleep.”
 “You’ve got big bags under your eyes, baby blue.”
“Daddy, are you saying I’m ugly?”
“Oh no, you don’t.” He waggled a finger at her. “Don’t put words in my
mouth. You’re sleeping with me. Every night. For the rest of our lives.”
She sucked in a breath.
“What if I keep you awake, Daddy?”
He shrugged. “Then you keep me awake.”
“Every night? Don’t you need your beauty sleep?”
“Look at me.” He pointed at his face. “Can’t get any more beautiful
than this.”
It took a moment for the words to register then she couldn’t help but
laugh. He winked at her. A slow wink that had her insides tightening.
Wow. Okay. He wasn’t wrong. He was beautiful. A very masculine sort
of beauty. But the kind you could stare at for hours without getting bored.
“You’re sleeping with me, baby blue. No more arguments.”
“Okay, Daddy. But it’s too early to go to sleep now. It’s not my bedtime,
so I might make another necklace.”
“What time do you think your bedtime is?” he asked curiously.
“Oh, around midnight.”
“Nice try, not happening.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means your bedtime is now ten.”
“Uhh, no it’s not!”
“Yes, it is.”
“Nuh-uh, Daddy. That’s a crazy bedtime. It’s way too early.”
“I can make it earlier,” he warned.
“But Daddy, it’s not even ten yet.” It was just after nine.
“Yes, but you didn’t have a nap today.”
“I don’t need a nap. I’m not a baby.”
“No, you’re not. But until those dark smudges have gone and you’re
sleeping better at night, you’re going to take naps.”
“What time is your bedtime, Daddy?” she asked.
“I don’t have a bedtime.”
“Well, I’m older than you so I think your bedtime should be eight.”
“Older than me, huh?”
“Yep. Older and wiser. Actually, since I’m older I should get to make
the rules.”
 He shook his head with a grin. “Nice try. Not happening.”
She pouted then kicked her toes against the baseboard of the bed.
“Stop that before you hurt yourself.”
“Daddy, I’m not going to hurt myself,” she said with exasperation.
Then she kicked too hard and pain shot up her foot. “Owie. Ow. Ow.
Ow.” She grabbed hold of her foot, hopping around until Jason picked her
up and set her on his lap.
“Aww, baby girl. Let me see.”
“It really hurts. I think I broke them.”
“That’s no good. You’ve got to let me look at them, though.”
“I don’t wanna,” she wailed.
“Why not? I’ve got magic kisses that can make them all better.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why don’t you let me try? Come on, move your hand.”
She shifted her hand. But as he lightly touched her toes, she flinched
away with a hiss.
“They must be sore.”
“Uh-huh, they really are, Daddy. They’re so bad.”
“Well, I think there’s only one thing we can do.”
“Gummi bears and an ice pack?” she said hopefully. “I mean, I guess
I’ll have to take the ice pack to bed with me since it’s my bedtime. Hope it
doesn’t make the sheets go damp or anything.”
“I think they’re beyond an ice pack.” He shook his head regretfully.
“I’m going to have to chop them off.”
“Chop them off?” she squeaked in alarm.
“Yep. Hope there’s bound to be an ax around here somewhere.”
He set her on the bed and climbed to his feet. Frantically, she grabbed
his hand. “No, Daddy! I don’t wants them chopped off!”
“But there’s nothing else that can be done. Other than go to the
emergency room, I guess. Except I know you hate doctors.”
She stuck out her lower lip. “I know that you’re teasing me.”
“Oh, really? Am I?”
“Uh-huh. You don’t chop toes off or go to the emergency room when
they’ve just been banged.”
“And do you get gummi bears when you stubbed them while doing
something that Daddy said to stop doing?”
She sighed. “No, Daddy.”
 He crouched down to look at her toes again, running his finger over
them. “They don’t look swollen, but maybe an ice pack isn’t a bad idea. I’ll
run downstairs and get one.”
“Daddy, no. All they need is magic kisses.”
“Sure?”
“Yep.”
“All right. Prepare yourself for brilliance. You might want to shield your
eyes.”
She rolled her eyes rather than shielding them as he lightly kissed her
toes. A giggle escaped her. “Daddy, that tickles!”
“Poor baby. There you are, all better.” He gave them a final kiss. “Now
that we’ve averted a disaster, we should get your bed ready.” He stood and
moved to the shopping bags. She watched him curiously.
To her surprise, he started pulling out pillows. Big pillows in teal, gold,
and black. Then he arranged them on her side of the bed.
“This is meant to help me sleep?”
They were down one side, then along the bottom by where her feet
would be and then halfway up the middle of the bed.
“It’s called nesting.”
“Nesting? Like what a bird does?” Was he out of his mind?
“You like soft things. You like to feel enclosed. I thought this might
help.”
“Enclosed?”
“Yeah. You enjoy when I hold you tight. It makes you feel safe.”
Hell. She couldn’t deny that. But the pillows weren’t the same as having
him hold her. Then she lay back in the middle of the comfiest pillows she’d
ever felt in her life. She let out a contented sigh.
“It’s like lying on clouds.”
He grinned. “Good.” He plumped them, settling her in.
“How come there’s none here.” She patted the middle of the bed.
“Because that’s where I lie. And I still want to hold you at night.”
Oh Lord, if he got any sweeter then she was going to get cavities. Once
she was settled, he turned back to the bags.
“There’s more?”
“Hmm. There’s this scented shit. Meant to help calm you.”
He plugged in a wooden diffuser then drew out a whole lot of small
bottles.
 “What scent would you like?” he asked. “Lavender? Valerian?
Bergamot?”
“Um, bergamot. I can’t believe you’ve bought all this to help me sleep.”
“It’s not healthy to only get a few hours here and there.”
She knew that. She’d just never been able to do anything about it. She
buried into the pillows as he turned off the lights. He left the bathroom light
on.
“Oh, nearly forgot.” He rustled in the bags and returned with something.
“Hold up your hands.”
“Why? What’s that?”
“Mittens.”
“Uh, mittens? My hands aren’t cold.”
“They aren’t to keep your hands warm. They’re to stop you from biting
your nails in your sleep.”
“I don’t need mittens.” That sounded uncomfortable.
“I want you to try them.” His voice had gone firm. He meant it. He
really wanted her to wear mittens to bed.
“I’ll get too hot.”
“Won’t know until you try.”
“Fine,” she muttered, letting him put her hands into the mittens. This
was a stupid idea, though. She’d just wait until he was asleep to pull them
off.
He climbed into bed and started to rub her shoulders.
“Shh,” he told her. “Just relax. Close your eyes. Think about me. Naked.
Ahh, no, that will keep you awake and horny. Sorry.”
She huffed out a laugh.
What was she going to do with him?
Hug him. Love him. Hold onto him and never let him go.
 18

“D addy, you need to sit still while I’m doing your hair.”
“You’re kind of pulling it, baby blue.” He winced as she
tugged some up into a ponytail. She’d set up a make-up and
hair station today, and Daddy was her first client.
“Daddy, you’re gonna look beautiful if you’d just stop wriggling.” He
was sitting on a beanbag while she moved around, working on his
appearance.
When she had his hair looking just right, she decided it was time to
move onto the make-up. She picked up the toy make-up kit, and he gave it a
suspicious look. It was his own fault. He’d been away all morning, and
when he’d returned, he had this make-up kit along with a hair kit which
included a pretend hair dryer, some rollers, hair ties and ribbons.
“Oh, Daddy. You look super cute. Now tilt your face up so I can do your
make-up.”
“I’m not sure about the make-up.”
“But Daddy, I need some practice if I’m gonna get better and you
brought me this pretty make-up, it would make me sad not to use it. You
don’t want me to be sad, do you, Daddy?”
“No, Daddy wouldn’t want that.”
She had to bite her lip to stop a smile from breaking free. Too easy.
“Now, I think I might need to shave you first.”
He glared at her. “No shaving.”
“But—”
“No,” he said firmly.
 She sighed. “Fine, Daddy. But don’t blame me if you’re not as beautiful
as you were hoping to be.”
“I think I’ll survive,” he said dryly.
“Close your eyes, Daddy. Just a bit of light eye shadow.” In bright
purple. But she didn’t need to tell him that. Next, she added some blusher.
She’d already chosen a neon pink lipstick from her collection. This one was
called Pretty Girl. He didn’t need to know that either.
“Pucker up, Daddy.”
“I have a feeling I am really going to regret this,” he muttered.
“Don’t be like that, Daddy.”
He puckered, and she put the lipstick on. Then she stepped back and
clapped her hands. “Daddy, you’re the prettiest man in this house.”
“Do I get to look now?”
“Of course.” She followed him as he got up and moved to the free-
standing mirror. He just stood there, looking shocked. “Well, Daddy? Don’t
you look beautiful?”
“Beautiful is one way to put it.” He pointed at his hair. “How many
pigtails did you give me?”
“Ten.” She was really proud of herself for that.
“And how much eye shadow did you put on me?”
“Nearly the whole thing. Now, don’t you want to go show it off to
everyone?”
“I think that I’ll have to pass on that.”
“Oh well, they can see it online. I took a photo and loaded it up.”
He stared at her, horrified. “You didn’t!”
She giggled. “No, I didn’t. But you should see your face!”
He lunged for her. Grabbing hold of her, he placed her gently on the
beanbag and tickled her until she cried for mercy.
Kneeling back, he pointed at his face. “I’m gonna go clean this up.”
“Okay, Daddy. I think I’ll do some crafting,” she called out to him as he
walked into the bathroom.
She couldn’t believe how freeing letting her Little side out was. In fact,
she almost wished she could be in Little space all the time. Her dark
thoughts didn’t seem to follow her there. Well, not very often anyway. She
was having fewer of those thoughts as a whole.
Thanks to him.
 “Actually, I thought you might play a game with Daddy,” he said as he
walked back in. He’d wiped his face clean, but he was still pulling the hair
ties from his hair. And wincing each time.
“A game? Like what, Daddy?”
“Hide and seek. If you manage to hide from me for more than three
minutes, you get a prize.”
Ooh. Could she do it, though? It would be hard. Especially when she
didn’t like leaving his room. Jason wasn’t happy about it, but she didn’t feel
comfortable here without him.
“But there’s a catch.”
“What sort of catch, Daddy?”
“If I find you before three minutes is up then you have to do what I
say.”
“What you say?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t know, Daddy. What if you ask me to run naked through the
house?” she asked.
He speared her with a firm gaze. “Like I’d allow anyone to see you
naked.”
Well, that was true.
“If you don’t want to do something, then you say your safeword.”
That sounded doable.
“All right, Daddy. You’re on.”
“I’ll count to ten.” He turned away and started counting loudly.
She let out a squeal. There were only so many places to hide.
Immediately, she dived into the closet and hid herself in the corner.
It took him two minutes to find her. She thought he might have dragged
it out to make her feel better.
“Got you, baby blue.”
“Darn it.”
He helped her out and she stomped her foot. “Okay, Daddy, what do I
have to do?”
“I’ll take a kiss. On the lips.”
Oh. That she could do. She grabbed hold of his arms to balance herself
then leaned up to lay a peck on his lips.
“You can do better than that,” he challenged.
 Well. She wasn’t one to back down from a dare. She leaned up into him
and kissed him harder. Deeper. She slid her tongue over his lips and he
parted them for her. Their kiss went on for a while until she was breathing
heavily.
“Delicious,” he told her. He ran a hand down her back then squeezed
her ass.
Oh. That sent a wave of pleasure straight to her clit.
“Hide again.”
He counted loudly. She dived into the bathroom this time. Then moved
behind the door. Surely it would take him three minutes to find her.
One minute thirty-two.
“Damn it. Am I ever going to win?” she sulked.
“We’ve only played two games.” He tapped her nose reprovingly.
“Another kiss?” she asked.
“Not this time. I want you to dance for me.”
“Dance for you?” That wasn’t what she’d expected.
“I’ve only seen you dance a few times. This time, though, it’s just for
me.” He led her into the bedroom and turned on some music. Then he sat
back on the armchair that was in the corner of the room.
“Dance for me.”
To begin with, she felt self-conscious. But the music started to seep into
her. She remembered how much she’d always loved dancing. How happy it
used to make her.
Why had she ever stopped?
Oh yeah. That bastard, Maxwell.
“You look beautiful, baby blue. Keep going.”
She threw her arms in the air, her hips swaying side to side, her long
hair flowing down her back. When she glanced at Jason, the lust and
appreciation on his face nearly floored her. Then he got up, moving towards
her. His hands went to her hips. He bent his knees so he could settle his
cock in against her ass. He was hard. For her.
She sucked in a breath as one arm went around her waist, the other went
to her throat. Her eyes closed as she put her head back on his chest.
Fuck. Why did this do it for her? Why did her knees go weak?
She wanted him so badly.
Tell him everything.
 The music ended and he let her go then turned her. She still swayed,
caught up in her lust for him. Her need.
“Go hide, baby blue. I’m coming for you.”
A threat and a promise.
Something that set her blood on fire. She sped off again. This time, she
didn’t feel like giggling. Her clit was throbbing too much, her pussy was
sopping wet. She needed to change her panties.
Where to hide now?
She slid behind the drapes. They were floor to ceiling. She figured he
might not find her in here. She slowed her breathing. What could he
possibly have for her?
“I’m coming for you.”
Don’t move. Don’t breathe.
It should have been scary. Hiding and waiting for the big, bad beast to
find her.
Only her big, bad beast was the man who would kill for her.
The man who she could call and tell him she’d killed someone and he’d
ask if she wanted him to bring acid or a shovel.
The man who gave to her unconditionally. Who stood between her and
anyone meaning to harm her.
“Two minutes, baby blue. Now, where could you be?”
Silence.
A buzzer sounded.
“Three minutes is up. Come out and get your reward.”
She slid out from the curtains to find him standing there with his hands
behind his back. She gave him a curious look and moved towards him. With
a flourish, he brought his hand out and held a necklace with a thick pendant
in the shape of a crown.
It was gold with small green-blue jewels interspersed with diamonds.
“Tell me this isn’t real.”
“Why wouldn’t it be real?”
“Because that would be a shit-ton of money.”
Leaning in, he kissed her gently. “I wanted to buy you an actual crown,
but then I saw this. Figured you can easily wear this all the time.”
“You can’t give me this.”
“I will give you whatever I wish to. And none of it will ever equal the
value of what you have given to me.”
 “Which is?” Her heart raced.
“You.”
Fuck.
He settled the necklace around her neck. “Promise not to take it off.
Ever.”
“But in the shower—”
“It will be fine. Don’t take it off.”
There was something about his voice . . . she gave him a suspicious
look. “Why is that so important?”
He huffed out a breath. “There’s a GPS tracker in it.”
“For real?”
“I wouldn’t lie about that.”
“But you would keep that information from me?” She put her hands on
her hips and tapped her foot. The ass.
He stepped forward, crowding her up against the wall. Damn him. Why
did she have to like it when he did that so much?
“Jewel?”
“Yes?” she asked, hating how breathless she sounded as he put his
hands on either side of her head and leaned into her.
“Wear the necklace. Don’t take it off. If you do, I’m going to spank you.
This is a safety rule, understand? Promise. Me.”
She saw something in his gaze. This wasn’t arrogance or a need to
dominate. This was . . . fear.
“I’ll wear it.”
A relieved sigh left his lips. After everything he had done for her, this
was something simple. Something that actually gave her a lot of relief as
well, if she was honest.
“Thank you, baby.” His kiss was gentle, in contrast to the dominant
stance he had over her. And it made her legs a bit weak. “Dance for me
again?”
“Yes,” she breathed, even as she turned to look in the mirror.
My God. The necklace was so beautiful.
He turned on the music.
She started dancing. This time, he let her dance the whole song by
herself and when it was finished, he reached up and brought her down onto
the beanbag with him. She straddled him.
“Fucking beautiful, my baby blue.”
 He drew her in for a kiss that melted her from the inside out.
Her clit was throbbing and she couldn’t help but rub herself against him.
She moved slowly, back and forth. Her arousal grew. Her breath came
faster. How long had it been since she’d had an orgasm? She had a love-
hate relationship with them. Sometimes her body craved it, and she brought
herself to pleasure. But then she kind of hated herself afterward.
Because he used to bring her to orgasm.
He caught her hips. Reaching around her, he gave her ass a small slap.
“Hey!” She was jolted out of her thoughts. She frowned at him, but
truth was, she was getting used to the way he liked to grab her ass and slap
it. Mostly, it turned her on.
Although she wouldn’t be telling him that. He was already arrogant
enough.
“What were you just thinking about?” he asked.
Crap. He was so in-tune with her. Sometimes it was a good thing, other
times it wasn’t.
“The truth,” he demanded.
“It’s difficult to tell you.”
“You can tell me anything. I won’t judge. I can’t swear that I won’t
punch another wall, but I’d never hurt you.”
“I think you’ve punched enough things today.” She took hold of his
swollen hand.
“I wanted to do more to him,” he growled darkly.
“He used to make me orgasm,” she whispered. Nausea bubbled in her
stomach. “He would give me something to relax. That’s what he’d say. It
would make me want to . . . it would make me want him.”
“Fucking bastard.”
She nodded. “I’d wake up and I’d feel sore between my legs and I’d
know what had happened. And he’d tell me how hard I orgasmed for him
and I’d feel such shame.”
He held her tight. “Fuck him. Fuck. Baby girl. Fuck.”
“I can make myself come, but then I feel yuck afterward. And when
other men have tried, I had to fake it.”
“What?”
“Something stops me when I’m with someone else. I’ve tried toys, my
fingers, other men . . . but I’ve never, not since . . . ”
“Aww, baby girl. I’m so fucking sorry.”
 “I’ve ruined it now, haven’t I?”
He frowned. “Ruined what?”
“The lust. The attraction. Now you feel sorry for me rather than desiring
me—”
“Stop right the fuck there. I might be a sick bastard for this, but nothing
would make me stop wanting you. Nothing.”
“I orgasmed for him—”
“You were drugged and abused by him.”
“And now I can’t orgasm with someone else. I can barely manage to
make myself come.”
“Because you were fucking drugged and raped. Jesus, baby. The fact
that you are willing to even be with me is a miracle I will never take for
granted.”
“Would you try? With me?”
“You want me to give you an orgasm?”
“I want to try. I think with you, I have the best chance.”
“I don’t want you to feel pressured to do anything you’re not ready to
do.”
“I don’t feel pressured. I want this. I want you.”
He studied her for a long moment.
“I . . . I feel things for you.”
“I thought it was men who were supposed to be emotionally stunted.”
“Jason!” She couldn’t believe he said that. The ass!
“That’s thirty-three.”
She groaned.
Then he reached up and wrapped a hand around her neck, drawing her
down to kiss him. “How do you want to do this? You want to make some
rules? You want me to follow your commands?”
She sucked in a breath. “You’d do that for me?”
“Baby girl, I’d let you tie me naked to the bed and torture me if that’s
what you needed.”
“Damn, I hadn’t thought of that.” Oh, the possibilities.
“Brat,” he growled at her.
She grinned then sucked in a sobering breath. What did she want? “I
want to try something like that.” If she was completely in charge then
maybe it would help her get past those barriers she threw up. “But I don’t
need to tie you up. I trust you to stay still if I ask you to.”
 “All right.”
Licking her lips, she wondered where to start. It was a heady feeling,
knowing she was in charge. “Do you want a safeword?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What exactly are you planning on doing to
me?”
“Nothing. Nothing. Just trying to be a good Domme.”
“How about either of us says red, it all stops, okay?”
“Yeah. Yes, okay.” She nodded then realized she was nodding way too
much. Like one of those bobble-head dolls. She froze.
“You freaking?” he asked.
“Little bit.”
“Want me to slap your ass? You can command me to do that. I’m happy
to make the sacrifice.”
She snorted. “Sacrifice? You love slapping my ass.”
“Hell, yes. I do. Any day I get to touch your ass is a good day.”
“Idiot.” But his silliness was exactly what she needed to ease her
nerves. “Take off your T-shirt.”
“Now we’re talking.”
He stripped off his shirt. Oh Lord, the man was a god. Seriously. It
should be illegal. He had a sculpted chest, abs that rippled down his chest.
His skin was tanned. There were no tattoos on his chest, which kind of
surprised her. Or on his arms. Leaning in, she licked his nipple.
He sucked in a breath.
“They’re sensitive?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“I used to love sex. Before he took that away from me.” She didn’t
know why she could tell him this stuff. Maybe because he’d opened up to
her. Or maybe because it was Jason.
She moved to his other nipple, lapping at it until he groaned. His hips
thrust up then he stopped, as though it had been an involuntary action.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I love having you touch me.”
“I do too. You’re so pretty.”
“Men are not pretty, wench.”
“You are.”
“That’s going in the notebook,” he warned. “It’s a punishable offense.”
“I think I need to see this notebook.”
“I think not. That’s private man stuff. Not for brats.”
 She grinned. How had she gone from being nervous and scared to
wanting to laugh?
Because of him. All him.
“Who knew you were so funny?” she teased as she ran her hands up and
down his chest.
“I’m not funny. I’m deadly serious. You’re a bratty wench.”
“You gonna make me walk the plank?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “I have a plank you can do something else
with.”
She groaned. “Oh Lord, that was bad.”
“Really? Thought that was some of my best work. What about a meaty
sword that you can impale yourself with? Hey, now that’s good. Why are
you laughing?”
She shook her head, giggling. He made her feel . . . light. She ran her
hands up his chest and leaned in to nibble at his bottom lip. “I can breathe
when I’m with you.”
Instead of coming back with some light remark, his eyes darkened.
“Good. Because I feel the same.”
“Guess we need each other then, huh?”
“Finally, she gets it. Now, it might pay to lock the door before you have
your wicked way with me.”
She glanced over her shoulder.
“Nosy siblings,” he explained.
“Good point.” She jumped to her feet, nearly tripping over them. Well,
hell, that was embarrassing. She was rarely clumsy, but her eagerness was
making her do silly things.
Idiot.
“Easy,” he warned. “We don’t need you to get more boo-boos.”
“Boo-boos? Seriously?”
“Mind you, if you hurt yourself then I get to kiss it better. So if you’re
gonna hurt anything, make it your ass.”
“You’re obsessed.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? That ass is a work of perfection.”
She shook her head as she moved to lock the door. And if there was a
bit more swing in her step, well, who was going to say anything?
“There’s a deadbolt at the bottom too.”
There was? That seemed excessive. And she couldn’t see it.
 “You need to bend right over.”
She turned to wag her finger at him. “You’re incorrigible.”
He just grinned. Lord, she was going to have to watch him. He crooked
a finger at her. “Come here.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I thought I was in charge?”
“Damn. Sorry. Habit. Plus, you’re so fucking sexy. You going to take
your top off?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. Thought I might get you naked first.”
He groaned. “Fuck, baby. You’re mean.”
“No, what would be mean is if I took it off, but wouldn’t let you touch.”
“That would be really mean.”
She grinned as she stripped off her top, leaving her in a black
undershirt. The look of hunger in his gaze made her own increase. She’d
never wanted someone this badly in her life.
Her nipples were hard. She reached for the bottom of the undershirt.
She wanted to be brave enough to do this. To take back control.
Suddenly, she whipped off her top, leaving her just in her skirt and
panties.
His gaze moved to her boobs. So intent. So hot.
“Hands behind your head.”
“Yes, bossy baby.”
“Bossy baby, huh?” Her courage was growing as he moved his hands
behind his head.
Sure, he wasn’t bound. He could move them at any time. But she knew
he wouldn’t. What next? She licked her lips. The last thing she wanted was
to do anything that might make him unhappy. She’d never realized how
much responsibility came with being in control.
“You promise to tell me if I do something you don’t like.”
“I doubt that will happen,” he said huskily. “But I promise.”
She ran her gaze over him. Christ, her panties were wet just from staring
at his gorgeous body.
Suddenly, she wanted to see all of him. Walking forward, she knelt
between his legs then licked her way down his taut stomach.
“Fuck,” he groaned. “Baby, your tongue is so hot.”
“Want to feel it other places?” she asked.
He raised his head to stare down his body at her. “That’s up to you.
You’re in charge.”
 That’s right. She was. She sighed with satisfaction. Reaching up, she
slowly undid the button on his jeans, then drew his zipper down. She moved
carefully. Underneath he was wearing a pair of cotton, black boxers.
“Lift your ass up.”
He raised his hips and she drew his jeans down off his legs, leaving him
just in his boxer. His dick was hard and easily visible, pressing against his
boxers.
“You’re enormous.”
“You trying to make me come in my boxers?”
“I wasn’t, but now I want to. That sounds hot.”
She reached out and grasped hold of him, running her hand over his
shaft, squeezing him tightly.
“Fuck, I should know better than to give you ideas. How did I think you
would be too shy to touch my dick?”
“Your cock is so pretty.”
“You cannot call my dick pretty.”
“Really? But it’s such a pretty penis.”
“Say that again and when I’m back in charge, you’ll get time in the
corner and a hundred lines.”
“I don’t think you can punish me for things that I do while in charge.”
He groaned as she drew his boxers down, just revealing the head. Her
breath grew faster. She wanted to please him. He was always doing so much
for her. Look at him right now. He was putting his need to take charge on
hold to give her what she needed. Finally, she slid them off, displaying his
thick shaft and balls. His pubic hair was light and neatly trimmed. She was
glad he wasn’t completely bare. She liked some hair.
Not too much. Maxwell had been a complete bear.
Don’t think of him. He doesn’t belong here.
“Jewel? You all right?”
She let out a deep breath. “Yep.”
“Really? Because you’re staring at my dick like it knows the secrets of
the universe. It doesn’t. My dick is dumb. Seriously, it’s stupid.”
She had to giggle.
“I’m not joking. It used to go off whenever it felt like it. Damn thing
had a mind of its own. I spent an entire year constantly jacking off. I leaned
to the side because my right arm was thicker than the left and I’d still wake
up in the morning with it smiling and raring to go. It’s a complete asshole.”
 She giggled. “Enough. Enough.” She buried her face into his thigh.
“It’s just a dick, baby girl.”
“It’s not just a dick. It’s a pretty dick.”
“No,” he growled at her.
“Oh, all right. What else could I call it?” She ran her hand along the
length. It was so silky. So smooth. She heard his breathing quicken. Would
he move? Would he be able to keep control of himself?
“He needs a manly name,” he told her.
“Manly, hmm. Oh, how about Mr. Jerky?”
“Mr. Jerky? Not happening.”
“All right. Throbmaster 2000.”
“Jesus,” he hissed as she ran her thumb over the tip. His head was
thrown back and she could see the tight muscles in his throat. Was she
torturing him? Poor baby.
All right, so she might be enjoying this a bit more than she should be.
“What about Diddly Doodle?” She leaned over and licked the head.
“Baby girl, keep doing that and you can call it whatever the hell you
want.”
“Really? Because I’m quite fond of Winky Willy.” She had to giggle.
She couldn’t hold it back.
“Fuck. Why the fuck do I think that’s hot?”
“Because you’re insane.” She took pity on him and took him into her
mouth. That felt so good. She moved her mouth slowly up and down his
cock. She loved the taste of him. The feel of him. Everything about this felt
good.
Seizing back control.
Being a Queen.
She cupped his balls, squeezing lightly, moving her mouth faster and
faster. Eventually, she drew back, looking up at him. He almost looked in
pain. What . . .
Oh fuck.
“Are you waiting for me to give you permission to come?”
“You’re in charge, baby.”
Fuck. Fuck. She was crap at this. “I’m . . . fuck, I’m so sorry. Come
whenever you like.” She drew her mouth back over him, jacking at him
with her hand then taking him deep as he groaned and came. She swallowed
him down, reveling in the fact that she’d made him come. When he was
finished and had slumped back, breathing heavily, she licked her way up his
semi-hard dick.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about telling you that you could come.”
She felt awful. Making all the calls . . . it wasn’t that easy. Being in charge,
being responsible for everything . . .
It was pretty much the opposite of what she enjoyed.
“Hey, baby. It’s all right. Nobody ever died from a delayed orgasm. One
day, you’ll find that out.”
Was he saying he would . . .
“That’s not happening.”
“Hmm, hard limit?”
“I . . . well . . . I don’t know.”
“Because you know the thing about delaying an orgasm?”
She shook her head. She’d never tried to delay an orgasm. It was hard
enough for her to orgasm, so why would she try?
“It feels fucking amazing when you finally get to come. Like the world
spins, your mind disintegrates and all you feel is pleasure. Wave after wave.
You come like you never have before. So hard it edges on pain, but that’s its
own sort of pleasure.”
“So that was good for you?”
“Baby, it was fucking fantastic.”
She moved up to straddle him, cuddling in. Then she realized this
wasn’t as much fun if he wasn’t hugging her back. Only she didn’t want to
order him to hug her.
In fact, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be in charge at all. Sitting up, she
stared down at him. This amazing, wonderful man who wanted her.
He raised his eyebrows as he studied her. “You’re staring at me like you
think I have all the answers.”
She shook her head. “No, I think you are the answer.”
“What’s the question?”
“Who makes me feel safe? Who makes me feel loved? Who is it that I
can’t live without?”
His eyes grew warm. A small smile filled his face. “That makes you the
answer too.”
“Thank you for letting me touch you. For letting me take control, but I .
. . I don’t want that right now.”
He raised an eyebrow.
 “I want you to touch me without me ordering you to. Will you do that?”
“Baby girl, touching you is my fucking addiction. You’re my obsession
remember?”
She grinned. “If anyone else said that, they’d sound like a psychopath.”
“Luckily, you like my crazy.”
“Yeah, I do.”
He moved his arms slowly. Shoot, she hoped he hadn’t been getting
sore. Damn, she was really crap at this. She reached up and massaged his
right bicep then his left. Wow, he was big, she couldn’t get her hands
around his upper arm.
Leaning in, she kissed each bicep.
“Like my guns?”
“I like all of you.”
“But if you had to choose a favorite part, it would be the Throbmaster
2000, right?”
She giggled. “Hmm. I don’t know. I quite like this.” She ran her finger
down his abs. “Then there’s your ass.”
“Yeah, it’s a pretty good ass.”
“Then there’s your mouth . . . your tongue . . .”
“You want to see what I can do with my tongue?”
She nodded.
“Words.”
“Yes, Daddy. I want to see what you can do with your tongue.”
“Fuck, baby girl.” Reaching down, he squeezed her ass with one hand.
“Come here and kiss me.”
She leaned forward and he moved his other hand to her other cheek.
Squeezing tight, he massaged her ass while kissing her. And yeah, that
tongue was damn talented.
“Sit up and show me those breasts.”
Her breasts felt full, so heavy. Her nipples were hard peaks, begging to
be touched.
“Bring your nipple to my mouth,” he ordered.
He didn’t touch her as she leaned over him, placing her nipple against
his lips.
Seriously. Beanbags had just become her favorite things.
He sucked on her nipple and she gasped, nearly losing her balance.
Then his hands came around her hips, holding her steady as he feasted on
her.
“Oh. Ohhh. Please. Please.”
“Give me the other one.”
She moved her other breast to his mouth. He sucked until she was
squirming. He moved his fingers down her stomach to the top of her skirt.
She stiffened slightly. Then he suddenly sat up. Before she knew it, he was
switching them around. With her on the bottom and him on top. Her
heartbeat raced as he loomed over her.
This was her man.
Then he leaned back, giving her space. She wasn’t sure if he’d seen her
panic or not but he didn’t mention it. His gaze was firmly fixed on her
breasts then he moved it lower down to her pussy.
“I want to see that pretty pussy.”
She took in a shuddering breath as he reached for the top of her skirt.
He paused, watching her. “You tell me to stop, I stop, remember?”
“I remember.”
“Good girl.” He kissed each nipple then moved his mouth towards her
pussy. He tugged off her skirt drawing it down her legs so she was dressed
just in her panties.
They were a light blue and mainly lace.
“Fuck. Me. Those are sexy as fuck. We need to buy you a pair in every
color. Bras to match.”
“I don’t think I need any more underwear. There’s already a lifetime
supply in those drawers.”
“But these are my favorite. You wouldn’t deny me my favorite things?
Would you?”
She shook her head. Never. She couldn’t think of ever denying him
anything. Especially as he ran his finger over her slit. Of course, then she
couldn’t think much at all. Her heart raced, her breathing grew faster.
“You’re all wet for me, aren’t you? Are you wet for me, baby girl?”
“Y-yes.”
He slid the panties down her legs.
“Spread your legs wide. That’s it, even wider. Let me see that plump,
pink pussy that’s all wet for me.”
Who knew he’d like talking during sex? But she couldn’t deny that it
was working at keeping her mind off darker things.
Like Maxwell.
 Her mind started to spiral, her arousal dampening.
Suddenly, a small smack landed on her pussy. She let out a yelp of
shock, trying to draw her legs together. “What was that?”
“Just bringing you back to the present.”
“By smacking my pussy? What kind of bullshit is that?”
“Bullshit that made your clit tingle and got you to stop thinking about
that asshole,” he replied in a low, hard voice.
Well, hell. He had a point.
Still . . .
“Pussy spanking so shouldn’t be a thing. It’s just not right.”
He just grinned. “How about I kiss it and make it all better?”
Now that she could get behind.
“Touch your nipples,” he commanded in between laying kisses along
her inner thigh.
“W-what?”
“Touch your nipples. Twist them lightly, play with them. I want to hear
you panting with need.”
Oh Lord help her.
She’d never touched herself while she was with someone else.
Another smack landed on her pussy.
“Hey! Stop doing that.”
“Who is in charge right now?”
Her breath caught at the firm look on his face. Now she was definitely
dealing with the Dom. And he was right, she did like this side of him.
“You are.”
“Who gets to make the orders?” he demanded.
“You do.”
“Put your hands behind your knees and draw your legs up to your
chest.”
Fuck. Fucking hell. That would put her completely on display. But she
reached down and did as he commanded.
“That’s my good baby girl. You like doing what Daddy tells you to,
don’t you?”
Oh hell, yes. She did.
“Yes, Pike.”
Satisfaction filled his face. Sometimes she forgot to call him that. She
was too used to calling him Jason. But she loved the look on his face when
she did.
He rewarded her by licking along her slit from the bottom to the top.
She groaned. More. She wanted more.
“My baby likes her pussy being licked. Just like she likes having her
bottom smacked, doesn’t she?”
“Nooo.” Did he know?
Smack. His hand landed on her lower ass cheek this time. Another
groan escaped.
“Naughty baby. Lying to me.”
Smack. Lick. Smack. Lick.
How did this feel so good? How did the pain in her bottom move to her
clit? How did it heat her insides? She didn’t know, but she wasn’t going to
question it. He kept going. Smack. Lick. Smack. Lick.
“Please, please,” she cried out when he drew away to stare up at her.
“How you doing, baby girl?”
“I’m dying. I need more.”
“Do you? What do you need? Tell me.”
“I need your tongue on my clit. I need you inside me. Please.”
He shook his head. “I’m not fucking you.”
She froze. “What? Why not? Don’t you want to?”
“Have you seen my dick?”
She rolled her eyes. Such a typical male response. “Yeah, it’s kind of
hard to miss.”
He grinned. “Thank you.”
“Your ego is out of control.”
“And yet you keep inflating it with your obvious admiration for my
dick.”
“Is there a reason why we’re talking about your dick?”
“Well, it’s obvious you can think of little else but my dick . . .”
She refrained from smacking the side of his arm. Just. “Jason . . .”
“Thirty-eight.”
“What? I thought we were at thirty-three?”
“Now that you’ve had my dick in your mouth and I have the taste of
you on my tongue, it’s going up in groups of five.”
This. Guy.
He would be the death of her. She was certain of it.
 “Where was I before you distracted me with your naughty behavior?
Hmm, yes. Your admiration for my dick.”
Death. Of. Her.
“I don’t admire your dick.”
“Well, why not? It’s pretty damn magnificent. You suggested calling it
The Wonder Stick.”
“I did not!”
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “You will.”
She shivered. How did he do that? How did two words make her whole
body go up in flames?
“Then why won’t you fuck me?”
“Because you’re not ready for that yet.”
Who was he to tell her she wasn’t ready?
“When we fuck, you’re going to fully trust me. We’ll fool around. I’ll
make you come as often as your little heart desires. But I want you to be
completely ready when we fuck.”
“You are like no guy I’ve ever met before.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
Good. Because it was.
But she wouldn’t tell him. Because someone had to control his ego.
He slipped his mouth down her stomach towards her pussy. “Take hold
of your legs again.”
Shoot. She hadn’t even realized that she’d let them go. Reaching down,
she lifted her legs up. Then he went back to his torture. Within a few
minutes, she was panting, sweat coated her body as she trembled against the
beanbag. At the end of each lick, he flicked her clit with his tongue.
“Please! Please!” she screamed.
She needed to come. So badly. She didn’t think she’d ever needed to
come so much in her life.
Then he took her up and over. She screamed as she came, not caring
who heard her. Not worried about where she was.
And Maxwell never once entered her mind.
She felt like she was floating. She was totally void of everything. Of
thoughts, feelings.
It was heaven.
She picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. She could hear the
sound of running water. Then her body was engulfed in warm water and
bubbles. Slowly, she started coming back into her body.
Blinking, she stared up at him. “Whatcha doing, Daddy?”
“Ahh, back with me, are you? Can’t say I’ve ever caused quite that
reaction after giving someone an orgasm.”
“That wasn’t just an orgasm. It was the orgasm.” She noted she was
lying back in the bath. He had one arm behind her, keeping her floating.
Just as you might do with a baby. In his other hand, he had a washcloth
which he was using to clean her. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
He let out a small laugh. “That so?”
“I’ll never look at beanbags the same way again.” She grinned up at him
goofily. “Thank you.”
“Baby girl, you never have to thank me for that. If I could, I’d give you
orgasms every hour of every day.”
“Yum, that sounds delicious.”
He set the cloth aside. “I’m going to go and get your pajamas for you.
How about we snuggle on the beanbags and watch a movie?”
She clapped her hands as he disappeared. She lay in the bath, feeling
completely and utterly satisfied. When he walked back in, he set her
pajamas down on the counter then turned to her.
She didn’t mean to do it.
She really didn’t.
But he just looked so delicious. It had been instinctive.
So as he went down, she scooped up the water and flung it at him. Then
froze when he did. She had to bite down on her lip, this time to hold in a
giggle as he stood there in shock.
His hair was loose and he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants. Drips
of water slid down his bare, sculpted chest.
Yum.
Then he moved, crossing his arms over his chest. “What was that, little
girl?”
“What was what, Daddy?” she asked innocently.
“Uh-uh, we’re not playing that game.” He pointed at her. “You just
splashed Daddy.”
“I don’t think I did, Daddy,” she told him earnestly.
“Excuse me? Then how did I get all wet?”
“Hmm, maybe you did it to yourself.”
 “I think I would remember doing this to myself,” he replied dryly as he
picked up a towel and dried himself.
“Would you? You seem very forgetful.”
“Baby blue,” he said in a low, warning voice.
Ooh, he meant business. So why was she excited rather than
intimidated?
“Then how did you get wet, Daddy? Were you out in the rain?”
“I was not out in the rain.”
“I know! Maybe you took a shower.”
“Nope. Try again.” He put the towel in the hamper, having dried
himself. Damn, that was a shame. She’d enjoyed following the dribbles of
water down his chest.
“I know. You’re aroused.”
Amusement filled his face before it went stern again. “Daddies don’t get
wet when they’re aroused.”
“Are you sure about that, Daddy?” she asked him.
“Yes, brat. I’m certain. Daddies get hard.”
“Sounds painful.” She started popping bubbles with her finger. That was
fun.
“Hmm, you know what else is painful?”
“Math.”
“What? No, that’s not what I meant.” He shook his head.
“But math is really painful. It hurts my head. Hmm, okay, oh, I know.
Cooking.”
“Cooking is painful?”
“It is when you burn yourself. I always seem to burn myself. Once I got
blisters.” She stuck her lip out, expecting immediate sympathy.
Instead, his face grew stern. “No more cooking for you.”
“I dunno. I saw this really yummy pasta recipe I might try—”
“No,” he said firmly. “At least, not without supervision.”
“Aww, thanks, Daddy.”
“Why are you thanking me?” he asked.
“Cause you’re gonna help me make it, silly. It has five layers.”
“What does?”
“Are you sure you’re not having memory issues, Daddy?” she said with
sympathy. “We just talked about this. The pasta dish. It’s complicated. All
these levels of different kinds of pastas one on top of the other then baked.”
 “That sounds terrible.”
“Hey, it could take off. I like pasta.”
He shook his head, muttering under his breath. She had to hold in a
giggle. He was seriously cute.
“I was talking about spanking your ass.”
She let out a gasp of horror. “Why would you do that, Daddy? That’s
just mean.”
“For splashing me.” He lifted her out of the bath and started drying her
off.
“Daddy, I think we established that I don’t know how that happened.
Poor Daddy.” She patted the top of his head in sympathy as he bent down to
help her put on her panties. “I think you’re having hallucinations.”
He shook his head. “I’m having something all right.” Turning he
grabbed pajamas.
She gasped. “Footie pajamas! I love them.”
Smiling up at her, he helped her put on footie pajamas, which were
basically a onesie but they covered her feet as well. They were pale blue
with tiaras over them. Then he stood and grabbed the top, putting it on her
before he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. He smacked her
ass several times.
“Daddy, what was that for?” she cried as he carried her into the
bedroom.
“For being a brat.”
“Daddy, you love when I’m a brat.”
“That I do, baby blue. That I do.”
 19

“T ime to get out of bed, baby.”

“But I’m comfy,” she grumbled.
He folded his arms over his chest. He’d put up with this
long enough. No more hiding.
“You can still be comfy downstairs, eating breakfast.”
“But why bother moving when I could have breakfast in bed?” she
countered.
“Someone has to make you that breakfast in bed.” And he wasn’t doing
it. He was putting his foot down. She was getting up and dressed and
coming downstairs.
And that was that.
“You’ll make me breakfast, won’t you, Daddy? You make the best
breakfasts. I mean, I suppose I could skip a meal or two. It’s not going to
hurt me.”
He narrowed his gaze.
Yes, he knew he was being manipulated.
Yes, he knew she was a complete brat.
Truth was, he liked spoiling her. He would happily make her breakfast
in bed for the rest of their lives.
As long as she wasn’t using it to avoid doing something. He’d already
been downstairs and gotten her coffee. One sugar and lots of cream.
“Baby blue, you have until the count of five to get out of bed.”
“Or what?”
“Or no gummi bears for a week.”
 She gasped, looking up at him in horror. “Not the gummi bears!”
He nodded solemnly. “Oh yes.”
“I’d rather have a spanking.”
“I’m sure you’ll get plenty of those too.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I think you’re full of hot air.”
“Brat.”
He lunged for her and she jumped out of bed, racing away with a cry.
He’d dressed her last night in a silky pair of teal short pajamas. It was hard
to keep his hands off her all night as she’d slept beside him, snoring
slightly.
Two nightmares had woken her last night. He hated that he couldn’t
stop her from having them. But she told him that she was sleeping much
better with all her pillows and him holding her. And the mittens stopped her
from tearing her fingernails to pieces.
He let her run. Wasn’t like she had many places she could hide. And her
playfulness filled him with happiness. Even though he was going to have to
be firmer with her. Yes, he liked spoiling her. But she couldn’t run from him
when she didn’t want to do something. If her life was at risk and her safety
depended on obeying him, he had to ensure that she did exactly as she was
told.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he said in a low, menacing
voice. He heard a stifled giggle.
“Come out, baby girl. Last chance.”
“Why would I do that, Daddy? Unless you’re giving up. Are you giving
up? Are you saying I win?”
“No, I’m not saying that. But I hope you’re well-hidden because when
Daddy finds you, you’re going to be in trouble.”
“What are you going to do, Daddy? I bet you won’t do anything!” She
raced past him, out of the closet door, heading towards the attached
bathroom.
He grabbed her, throwing her over his wide shoulder as she squealed
and tried to fight him.
“Put me down!”
“I don’t think so, brat.” He smacked her ass.
“Daddy, no!”
“This has been a long time coming.”
 She let out a scream. He saw the door to the bedroom move but before
he could say anything, she spoke again.
“Daddy! Let me go right now! I don’t want a spanking!”
The audible gasp coming from the person standing in his doorway had
Jewel freezing. She was so tense he thought she was going to hurt herself.
Gently, he set her down.
“Jewel, it’s okay,” he said urgently as she turned and looked at his little
sister. Jewel’s cheeks went bright red. They matched Dusty’s.
Shit.
“Dusty, you know better than to come in without knocking,” he said
sternly.
And he knew better than to leave his damn door unlocked. His little
sister was a known snoop.
Fuck.
Jewel was still tense beside him. Not moving, barely breathing. She
stared at Dusty in horror, her face now pale.
He slid his arm around her waist. She tried to step away, but he drew her
close. This wasn’t a disaster. And he wasn’t going to let her use it as a
reason to pull away from him.
There was no reason for her to be ashamed of her needs.
“I’m so sorry,” Dusty told him. “I heard someone scream. I just opened
the door. I was worried about her. I’m sorry. Um, carry on.”
As she ducked out the door, Jewel made a strangled noise in her throat.
“There’s no reason to be embarrassed,” he told her immediately.
“No reason? No reason?” she repeated, her voice sounded strangled.
“How is there no reason? I’m . . . she . . . she heard me call you Daddy!”
“Gonna lock the door.” He slid his arm away from her and strode to the
door to lock it. When he turned, she’d disappeared.
Fuck. That was his first mistake.
Well, second since he should have locked the door.
Sighing, he moved towards the lump in the bed. She’d buried herself
completely under the covers. He sat at the top of the bed, leaning against
the headboard.
“You’re not hiding anymore, Jewel.”
“Yes, I am. I’m hiding until we leave. You can say goodbye and we’ll
sneak out in the middle of the night and I won’t have to see anyone.”
“You’re ashamed of me then?” he asked mildly.
 The lump moved. She peeked out at him.
“What? No! Why would you say that?”
“Because you acting like this makes me think you are.”
“I could never be ashamed of you! Have you looked in the mirror,
you’re fucking perfect!”
“You’re not ashamed of my looks, but you are ashamed of my needs?”
“You don’t need this.”
What the fuck?
“You told me you decided to do this for me. Because you thought it’s
what I need.”
That wasn’t true. Sure, he’d started looking into this because of her. But
he’d found something he needed too.
And now that he had it, he wasn’t going to give it up.
Or be fucking ashamed of it.
Yanking off the bedcovers, he grabbed her before she could race off and
dragged her onto his lap. Placing his hand around the front of her throat, he
gently rubbed that spot beneath her ear he was becoming fond of.
“You know that’s not true. I told you that this is something I want too.
Maybe I started looking into how to be a good Daddy Dom for you, but we
both know it’s also what I need. I want this. I like being your Daddy. And
I’m not going to be ashamed of it or let you be either.”
“But she’s your sister. Do you really want your family knowing this?”
“I’ll text them all now and tell them.” He reached over to grab his phone
off the bedside table, determined to do it. He never threatened anything that
he didn’t follow through on.
“No, no, don’t! I get it, you’re not ashamed. I just . . . what do I say to
her? What if she thinks I’m a weirdo? What if she doesn’t want me to be
with you?”
He knew this was more than just being caught calling him Daddy. Knew
that she still didn’t feel like she was good enough for him.
That shit had to stop.
“Stop,” he said quietly.
She stared up at him, eyes wide. Probably due to the stern note in his
voice. He rarely got this stern with her.
“What are you?”
“Jas—”
He growled, interrupting her.
 “Pike, you seem to think I’m special or something. I’m not. I’m just
some undereducated bartender with a good rack. We both know you could
do better.”
“That’s it,” he growled.
He spun her so she was lying on her tummy over his lap.
“What are you doing?” she squeaked.
His hand landed on her ass with a sharp slap.
Okay, he’d actually meant to talk to her first.
Deep breath. In. Out.
She lay still on his lap, not fighting him, which was a shock.
“Fucking hate hearing you talk like that. Fucking hate that you think it.
Fucking hate everyone who ever reinforced those thoughts. You’re special.
Smart, courageous, and loyal. And yeah, you have a good rack. But do you
think I’m so shallow that all I care about are looks?”
“No,” she whispered. “I know you’re not.”
“Do you think I don’t know you, Jewel?”
“You know me better than anyone.”
“So why the fuck would you think you’re not good enough for me?”
“I don’t belong here. I don’t fit in.”
“You fit wherever the fuck you want to fit. You fit with me. Wherever I
am, you fucking fit. Got me? Never known you to care so much what
people think.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “This is your family.”
“So?”
“So they’re important to you.”
And so she thought she had to what? Change to fit in with them for
him?
“Fuck that shit, Jewel. You be you. That’s who I want. They don’t like it
then they can fuck off.”
“You don’t mean that.”
He just gave her a look. He absolutely fucking meant that.

OH HELL .
He meant that. He would choose her over his family? That wasn’t what
she wanted . . . but it did feel damn nice to hear him say it.
 He really didn’t care that she’d grown up dirt poor. That she had little
education. That she’d made bad choice after bad choice, did he?
“I told you, baby blue. It’s all about you.”
Slowly, he drew her pajama bottoms down her legs. “You need to get it
into your head. You’re fucking amazing. And the entire world needs to fall
at your feet and worship you.”
“You’re so crazy,” she told him. How could he look at her and see that?
Smack!
“Ouch! What are you doing?”
“Words don’t seem to be working on getting those negative thoughts out
of your brain.”
“And smacking my ass will?”
“It might.”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Hey!” She tried to reach back to cover her ass with her hands but he
gently grasped hold of her hands with one of his, pinning them to the small
of her back. “Are you fucking insane?”
“I think that’s already been established.”
“You can’t spank me for my thoughts.”
“Why not?”
Slap! Slap!
Shit. Those stung. What the hell? This wasn’t quite what she’d been
expecting from a spanking.
These spanks damn well hurt.
“Because they’re thoughts.”
“They’re bad thoughts.” Smack! Smack! “About you. They harm you.
I’m not sitting by and letting anyone harm you. Including yourself.”
Well, fuck.
That was kind of sweet.
This guy. He just kept surprising her. She didn’t know why she couldn’t
get used to the stuff that came out of his mouth. He could be rough.
Definitely bossy. But he also made her heart melt.
Then his hand landed over and over on her poor ass.
“Daddy! Stop!”
He stilled. “You really need me to stop? You think this is wrong? Not
justified?”
 Was she wanting him to stop? Actually stop? Or was she just saying
stop because she thought she should protest? Her ass was stinging but it
wasn’t over-the-top.
What if this spanking helped quiet the voice in her head?
“You need to respect yourself. I fucking hate hearing what you think
about yourself. When I know none of it’s true. You’re self-sabotaging.”
Fuck.
“I don’t really want to be spanked.” Maybe. “But I suppose I get what
you’re saying.”
“Do you know what I think?”
“When have you ever hesitated to tell me what you’re thinking? Swear,
I never knew you were capable of talking so much,” she grumbled.
“I hesitated to tell you how I felt. That was a mistake.”
Okay, yeah. She’d give him that. Even if she wasn’t certain if she’d
have listened back then.
“What do you think?”
“That you need a release. You hold everything tight. Just let it go.
You’re safe. I’m here.”
“I can’t.”
“This will help you.”
A spanking? For real?
He slid her panties over her bottom. She tensed then relaxed as he
massaged her ass. “You should be punished for thinking badly about my
baby blue. And you need the release.”
She let out a breath as he ran his finger down between her ass cheeks.
“If I’m wrong, I’ll eat you out every night for a week.”
“You’ll do that anyway.”
“Fine. Twice a day for a week. You drive a hard fucking bargain.”
She thought it over. What did she have to lose? And if it eased the
darkness for a while . . .
“All right.”
He slid her panties down further. “Grab a pillow. In case you want to
scream into it. Not that I care . . . far as I’m concerned you can yell all you
like.”
Scream? He thought she would scream? What was he planning on doing
exactly? But he let her wrists go so she could grab a pillow. She placed it
under her head, holding it tight.
 “Don’t tense, baby blue. It will make it worse.”
Fuck!
His hand landed several times, stealing her breath. Oh fuck. Shit. He
meant business. He didn’t stop. Didn’t hesitate. Each smack felt worse than
the next. To the point where she let out a few yelps, muffling them in the
pillow.
Say your safeword.
No.
You can’t take any more.
No.
Stubborn fucking bitch.
She hated admitting she couldn’t handle something. But she also wasn’t
sure she liked the burn building in her ass. It was throbbing.
She tried to fling herself off his lap, but he held her firmly. Okay, he
meant business. She moved her head, prepared to cry out red when a sob
left her.
Oh, fuck.
Another sob. Then the tears started. And before she knew it, she was
crying. Her body relaxed. The smacks grew softer or maybe they didn’t.
Maybe she had just gotten past the point of feeling the pain anymore. She
continued to cry.
And each tear that dripped down her cheeks, left her feeling lighter.
Freer.
“That’s it, baby blue. Let it all out.” He rubbed her back and she
realized that he was no longer spanking her. But she was still crying.
Maybe it was a temporary reprieve. Maybe it would all come flooding
back as soon as she stopped crying.
But for the moment she felt empty.
Deliciously empty.
Was this what it was like? Not to live with that darkness inside? To not
hear voices whispering at you constantly? To not have to hold your secrets
tight, deep down in a box where they weren’t at risk of coming out?
The only time she’d ever felt this . . . this light was after he’d given her
an orgasm.
She was turned then he shuffled down and pulled her up so she was
lying on top of him. He held her tight, the way she liked. He didn’t say
anything, didn’t offer platitudes. Just held her and let her settle. When she
finally came back into awareness she took a deep breath and let it out
slowly. His hold eased and he ran his hand up and down her back,
massaging out her tight spots. Not that there were many, not with his
constant attention.
“You hurt my butt.” Idiot. She rolled her eyes at herself as soon as she
said that. “I think I have third-degree burns.”
“Do you need to go to the doctor?”
“No!” What was with him and wanting her to go to the doctor? Sheesh.
“Poor baby. Want me to kiss the boo-boo?”
“No!”
Yes. Definitely yes.
His chest moved as he huffed out a laugh. “Oh, you definitely want me
to kiss it and make it better.” He cupped it, squeezing lightly and making
her suck in a breath.
“Ouch!”
“How you feeling?”
She opened her mouth to say something glib then she forced herself to
stop.
Be real, Jewel.
“Free. Lighter.”
She tensed, waiting for him to scoff at her. But this was Pike. Of course
he wouldn’t make fun of her.
Maybe you should start acting like the bad-ass bitch you try to pretend
to be.
“Good,” was all he said.
“You knew that would happen.”
“I hoped it would. You take on too much. You’ve got to let it out. And
you needed to cry.”
“Nobody needs to cry,” she countered.
“Sure they do. I cried over what happened to you.”
That’s right. He had.
“And I cried when my old man died.”
Sympathy filled her. “How did it happen?”
“Officially it was a car accident.”
“Unofficially?” she asked.
“He was taken out by a rival family.”
“A rival family?” she whispered.
 He nodded. “His death was part of the reason that I don’t want to be
involved in all this. Ma took up running everything when Dad died. She
didn’t want Sting taking it on until he was older.”
“Wow.” She couldn’t see the poised and polished Claudia running a
criminal enterprise.
“You’re shocked?”
“A little bit.”
“I promise they’re nothing like Maxwell. Nobody that works for our
family would harm a woman. Ma would have their balls. Literally.”
It was a bloodthirsty thought, but she did smile a little at that.
She settled back into his chest. “It’s so quiet in my head. It’s amazing.”
“I get it. I had my own demons torment me for a long time. My dad’s
death, The Incident, the black-out rage. It took me a while to find some
control, some calm.”
She sat up so she was straddling his hips. She kept her weight off her
sore bottom. “Well, if you ever need help, then I’m here. I’m happy to
spank you. It really helps. Promise.”
“You aren’t spanking me, brat.” He slid her over onto her tummy. He
pushed up her nightgown to lay kisses along her back.
“Why not?”
“I do the spanking. Not the other way around.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, a smile teasing her lips. Had she
ever felt like this? So happy?
“Caveman, much?”
“Totally caveman,” he agreed. “And old-fashioned.” He moved down
her spine. “I’m the protector. I’m the Daddy. And I’m the spanker.” He’d
reached the top of her ass by now. She shivered as he ran his tongue along
her lower back. “Get up on your knees and spread those legs.”
She whimpered. She could feel her clit throbbing. Her pussy was wet.
Was he going to fuck her?
She moved into position. She was completely on display since her
panties disappeared during her spanking, and she knew he was no doubt
staring at her wet lower lips.
“You need me, don’t you?” He knelt behind her, laying kisses on her hot
bottom cheeks.
“Yes,” she groaned.
 He ran a finger over her folds then pushed it into her passage. “Fuck,
baby. Fuck. So wet. So hot. Sucking me in.”
She whimpered as he began thrusting that single digit in and out of her
pussy. It felt so good. And yet it wasn’t nearly enough.
“More. Please.”
“More?” He added another finger. “Like this?”
“It’s not enough. I want you.”
“Aww, poor baby. But I’m not fucking you. Not yet. When the time is
right, though, it will be my dick inside you, claiming you, fucking you.”
She let out a cry at that. She didn’t want to wait. She wasn’t a patient
person by nature.
“But since you took your spanking so well, you do deserve a reward.”
From what she’d read, she thought the sub didn’t get to come after a
punishment. But she wasn’t going to say anything.
Because she really needed to come.
He moved behind her, rolling onto his back with his head directly
beneath her pussy. She gasped as he grabbed hold of her hips and brought
her pussy down to his lips.
“Pike!”
This was insane. She’d never be able to come in this position, right?
Hell, what if her legs gave way and she landed on top of him?
She could suffocate the poor guy.
All right, Jewel. Now you’re being ridiculous. No one ever died by
pussy suffocation.
Well, if it was going to happen, it would happen to her.
He gave her sore ass a sharp smack.
“Hey! Ouch! What was that for?”
“You’re tense and in your head. Just relax. Me tongue-fucking you isn’t
supposed to make you anxious.”
“I’m not anxious.”
He took a long lick of her juices and she let out a groan. “Can’t I lie on
my back?”
“Nope.” He circled her clit with his tongue.
“I can’t concentrate like this.”
He drove his tongue inside her then. Deep. Once. Twice. She
whimpered, her entire body shaking with need. It wasn’t enough. “Tough.”
“What if I can’t come like this?”
 Two fingers were pressed deep inside her as his tongue flicked at her
clit.
Oh hell. Oh God.
He ate her. Feasted on her. Drove her higher and higher then he drew
back.
“You can. You will.”
Yeah, she could. And yeah, she would. Because he had some sort of
secret hold over her. Higher and higher he pushed her until her body shook
and she was craving that release. As she was near that peak, a barrier came
up, attempting to block her.
A hand smacked her ass, smashing the barrier, then his tongue lapped at
her clit until she came with a scream that was probably heard throughout
the entire house.
And did she give a fuck?
Hell. No.

A N HOUR LATER , they’d both showered and he’d helped her dress in a pair
of skintight black jeans and a slouchy teal sweater that felt like freaking
heaven.
“You’re coming downstairs to eat,” he commanded.
“Not hungry.”
“You’re not allowed to skip meals. I’m not arguing with you about this.
Holing up in here has got to stop.”
“I’ve got things to do.”
What if Dusty had told them about what she’d called him? She was
mortified.
He sighed then picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder.
“What are you doing? Put me down.”
“No, we could have done this the easy way.” He moved to the door.
“You have no one but yourself to blame for this.”
“Don’t you dare walk through that door with me over your shoulder!
You put me down. Right. Now.”
She smacked her palms down on his back in frustration. Damn him.
“Nope.”
 “Please,” she begged shamelessly.
He came to a stop outside a door. That surprised her since she’d
expected him to walk with her down the stairs like this. But she now
realized he’d turned the wrong way when they’d left his room. Where were
they?
He opened the door and walked in. Someone screeched. Someone
female.
Oh. Fuck.
“What the hell are you doing?” Dusty demanded. “This is my room.”
He grunted. “Now you know what it feels like.”
“I heard screaming coming from in the room. I was worried,” Dusty
argued.
Another grunt.
“What are you doing? Why is Jewel over your shoulder? Are you
playing a game?”
Jewel groaned, burying her face in her hands. Suddenly, she felt herself
being shifted and she landed on a soft bed. Jason stared down at her. Over
his shoulder, Dusty was giving her a look filled with nervousness and
curiosity.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this.” She glared at him.
He simply straightened and pointed at Dusty. “Jewel is embarrassed. Fix
it.”
Then he turned and started striding towards the door, leaving both
women gaping after him.
“And make sure she eats something.”
“What the hell! Jason!” she yelled.
“Forty-three!” he yelled back before leaving, shutting the door firmly.
“Um.”
Holy. Fuck.
She was going to kill him. Murder him. She’d wait until he was asleep
then bam! She’d stuff a pillow over his face.
“You’re dreaming of ways to murder him, aren’t you?” Dusty asked.
“What? No.”
“Yeah, you are. I know that face. I see that face in the mirror most days
when my brothers are being jerks.”
“He’s not a jerk,” she muttered. Yeah, he was. But she didn’t want
anyone else calling him names. Not even his sister.
 Dusty snorted. “I’ll admit that out of the three of them, he’s the best of
the lot. But he’s still a jerk sometimes. He just carried you into my room
and dumped you on my bed.”
“Sorry.” Jewel scrambled to her feet. “I’ll get out of your way.”
“That’s not what I meant. Wait!” Dusty got between her and the door.
Jewel side-stepped her but Dusty moved with her.
“Uh, can you let me past?” She made her request as civil as possible.
This was Jason’s sister, after all. She couldn’t tell her to fuck off.
“Not without me telling you something first.”
Jewel braced herself. “Fuck. Fine.”
“You’re beautiful,” Dusty blurted out.
Jewel stared at her in surprise. That was not what she’d been expecting
her to say.
“Um, right. Thanks. You too.” She started towards the door.
“No, wait, that’s not what I meant to say. That just came out. Fuck,
Dusty, stop being weird.”
She stilled at that last part and turned towards the younger girl. “What
did you want to say?”
Dusty sighed. “I wanted to apologize. For barging in like I did.”
Don’t fucking blush.
“Apology accepted.”
“I just . . . I wanted to see you. I should have knocked, though.”
“You wanted to see me?”
“I wanted to ask you for some help. I’d like to look more like you.”
She glanced down at herself. Then over to Dusty, who was dressed in a
pleated skirt with tights underneath and a tucked-in shirt.
“You want to look like me?”
“Uh, yeah. I have a date tonight.”
“A date?”
“Yeah, an actual date. Like a guy actually wants to take me out.”
“Why wouldn’t a guy want to take you out?” Dusty was beautiful.
“Uh, maybe because I’m a Mathers. Oh, and I have three older brothers
who aren’t afraid to shoot anyone who touches me.”
“Good point.”
“Thing is. I’ve never been on a real date. And I don’t want to go on my
first date looking like this.”
“Like what?”
 “Like I’m a prep school princess.”
Jewel almost choked on a laugh. “Um, if that’s your look then . . .”
“But it’s not. On the inside, I’m a total rebel.”
She looked so serious that Jewel had to hold back a smile. She didn’t
want to hurt her feelings.
“Okay, so change your look.”
“How?” Dusty wailed. “I have no idea. That’s where you come in.”
Jewel raised her eyebrows.
“You’re gorgeous. You’ve got this whole don’t-fuck-with-me thing
going on. Help me. My brothers go ape-shit when I try to wear anything
they think is risqué. They want me to be the good girl.”
“Good girl? You snuck into a bar underage. Aren’t you still grounded
for that?”
She snorted. “Like they have the power to ground me. I’m nineteen. I
just don’t usually have anywhere to go other than to college. I don’t really
have any friends. Sneaking into that bar was the most exciting thing I’ve
ever done. I did try to take up smoking once. But that shit really tastes
awful. And I don’t think I’ve got a stomach for drinking.”
Jewel ran her hand over her face. She didn’t know what to say to this
girl . . . they were so different. . . yet, when she looked at Dusty she looked
so hopeful.
Aww shit. Was she really doing this?
Guessed she was.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“All right.”
“You don’t tell anyone or ever mention what you saw happening with
me and Jason and I will help you figure out a new look.”
When the hell had she become a fucking fashion expert? Then again,
she did love clothes and shopping and jewelry. So there were worse ways to
spend her time.
Dusty looked confused for a moment. “What? Do you mean calling him
Daddy?”
“Ah, yeah.”
Dusty waved a hand. “Hell, Daddy kink is the latest thing, right? Half
the girls at college seem to be looking for a Daddy. Whatever you and my
brother get up to in the privacy of your rooms is up to you. Just as long as I
don’t have to see or hear it. Because you know, gross, that’s my brother.”
 “You walked in on us.”
“I won’t be doing that again. Should really know better. I mean, the
amount of times I walked in on my brothers with their dicks out . . . I
should really get therapy.”
Jewel barked out a laugh. All right, so maybe this wouldn’t be so bad
after all.
Dusty bounced on her feet. “So, shall we start?”

T WO HOURS LATER , they were both staring in the mirror at Dusty’s new
look.
“What do you think? Do you like it?”
“Fuck, yeah.”
Even though Jewel was taller and thicker in the hips than the slight girl,
with a bit of altering they’d made one of her denim skirts fit her. Then
added some sparkly tights. A pair of kick-ass black boots that Dusty had
owned and paired with a cropped sweater with long sleeves.
“I look fucking hot.”
“You sure do. Your date is going to lose his mind over you.” She looked
sassy and sexy. “When is your date?”
“He’s not picking me up for a few hours. We’re going to an early movie
then out for dinner.”
“Well, you’re ready and I have stuff to do . . .”
Nothing. She had nothing to do.
Dusty turned with a pout. “No, stay. Please. Keep me company. I’ll lose
my nerve otherwise.”
“Um.” What the hell could they have in common?
“What do you like to do? I have video games. Do you like video
games?” Dusty asked.
“Yeah. Sure, I’ve been playing some of Pike’s.” Glancing around the
very girly room, her gaze lit on something in the corner of the room she’d
seen before. “You skate?”
She pointed at the skateboard.
Dusty grimaced. “I try. But I kept falling off and Jag started making me
wear all this safety gear and I looked like a dork so I gave up. Why? Do you
skate?”
“I used to.” A long time ago.
“Ooh, teach me?”
“I don’t know.” That would involve going downstairs and risking
running into Dusty’s mother. Even though she’d been perfectly nice to
Jewel, she couldn’t help but feel awful for bringing trouble to their family.
Jason had told her how they had upped security to keep her safe.
“Please. Pretty please.”
“Do you always get your way?” Jewel complained.
Dusty grinned. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
She had a feeling that this girl . . . one day she was going to conquer the
world. Look out anyone who ever wronged her.

“A LL RIGHT , HERE GOES .”

“You can do it,” Dusty cheered.
They were outside in the paved driveway. Dusty had told her that they
were the only ones home besides the guards who wouldn’t bother them.
That was the only way she’d agreed to do this.
Who are you kidding? You can’t wait to get on the skateboard. This is
how she’d transported herself around as a teenager and before she’d met
Maxwell.
Don’t think about him.
Jason was doing a good job of keeping her mind off him. But she knew
that she needed to question him more about what was going on. She wasn’t
the sort of person who could just give him all her issues to worry about.
Especially one this big.
But it was nice to slip into Little space and let everything go. Something
she’d never have had the luxury of doing if it wasn’t for him.
She pushed off. For a bit, she felt unsteady. She wobbled. Oh shit.
Maybe she should have taken Dusty up on her offer of safety gear.
Or eaten some breakfast since she was feeling kind of hungry. She’d eat
once they went back inside. She soon had her former confidence back. She
pushed herself faster then turned back as Dusty let out a whoop! She raised
a fist in the air with a laugh.
 “Jewel! Look out!” Dusty cried.
She turned and too late, saw the dark car turning the corner of the drive.
Fuck! She tried to turn as the car swung quickly to the left, driving on the
lawn before screeching to a halt. Jewel dove off the skateboard, landing
hard on the ground, the air swooshing out of her. She lay on her back,
staring dizzily up at the sky.
Holy. Shit.
She’d nearly been hit. By a car.
Thank God that Jason wasn’t here. It was important that he never found
out about this. She’d have to swear Dusty to secrecy.
Something niggled at her but she ignored it as she groaned. Then the
sun above her disappeared. A dark cloud of doom entered her vision.
“Who the fuck are you?”
Oh, right.
That’s what she’d forgotten. The driver of that fancy car.
Fuck.
 20

“P ut me down!” She slammed her hands down on his back. “Put

me down right now, you asshole!”
How could this be the third time today that she’d been
over someone’s shoulder? What the hell? And shouldn’t this asshole be
checking that she was all right rather than just tossing her over his
shoulder?
He’d nearly hit her!
The jerk had no right to snarl at her then throw her over his shoulder.
All right, so he’d asked her if anything was broken first and he hadn’t
actually hit her. She’d just fallen from her skateboard. And at the time she’d
came off, she hadn’t been going that fast.
But still!
“Oh God, Jewel, are you all right?” Dusty asked, sound out of breath.
“Fuck! Jagger, what are you doing here?”
Jagger? This was Jason’s other brother?
“Language!” he snarled back but didn’t stop moving towards the house.
Jewel tried to wiggle her way off his shoulder.
“Stop moving!” he snapped.
“Put me down!”
“Are you hurt, Jewel?” Dusty asked worriedly. “Jagger, maybe you
should put her down. She could be injured.”
“If she is, it’s her own fault.”
“My fault? You nearly hit me!”
 “You were skateboarding down the driveway!” he roared as he strode
into the house. “Who is she? Is she a friend of yours?”
“Well, yes,” Dusty replied, still running after them. “But she’s also—”
“What the fuck are you wearing? What is that fucking junk on your
face?”
Who the hell did this guy think he was? They’d entered a living room
and she twisted to watch as Dusty narrowed her gaze.
Oh boy, he was about to get it.
Good.
Suddenly, she flew through the air and landed on the sofa. Ouch. All
right, so he wasn’t rough about it. Actually, he was surprisingly gentle. But,
she still had a sore butt from where Jason had spanked her earlier.
He gave her a curious look and she had to look down so he couldn’t see
her blush. Please don’t guess the reason for that wince.
“Go change,” he barked.
She looked up with a frown. How dare he! She wasn’t changing . . . oh,
he wasn’t speaking to her. He was scowling down at Dusty, his hands on his
hips.
All right, he was somewhat intimidating, dressed in a charcoal suit with
his forehead creased in a scowl. But she dealt with bikers on a daily basis.
She’d lived through hell. And she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her
friend.
Ah, fuck. She’d let Dusty get to her. This is why she should have stayed
in Jason’s room. Really. It was all his fault.
Right now, the other girl was starting to wilt under Jagger’s anger.
Nope. Not happening. She stood.
“You stay there!” he barked, pointing at her without bothering to turn
and look at her.
Grr. Asshole.
“Dusty. Change. Now. And wash your face.”
“No!”
He reared back. Looking like he’d been slapped. Wasn’t used to hearing
no, huh? Jewel smirked.
“Why are you smiling?” he snarled at her. “Is this funny to you?”
“Why are you snapping at her?” Dusty asked, pulling his attention back
to her.
 “Is this because of her?” he snapped, waving his hand through the air.
“Has she got you dressing like a slut?”
Dusty gasped and ire filled Jewel.
“How fucking dare you! Get out!” Jewel yelled.
“Excuse me?” he asked in a cold voice.
She slid between him and Dusty. “Are you proud of yourself? What
kind of a brother calls his younger sister a slut?”
Jagger’s eyes narrowed. “My sister is a good girl. And she’s going to go
get changed and forget that this makeover ever happened. While you and I
are going to have a chat.”
“Oh yeah, about what?”
“Skateboarding for a start. Your smart mouth second.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “My mouth is none of your
business. Just like nothing I do is your business.”
“You’re in my house. With my sister. You want to be friends with her,
you have to be vetted by me. So far, you’re failing.”
Boy, this guy was a real winner.
“I think it’s time for you to leave. Don’t come back without an
invitation.” He pointed at the door.
Dusty gasped. “Oh fuck, Jagger. You can’t.”
Unworthy.
The darkness filled her, making her feel ill.
She let him pull her towards the door. This was his house. She didn’t
belong.
No.
No, what was she thinking?
She wasn’t unworthy. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She wouldn’t
allow him to make her feel less, to bully her.
She straightened her shoulders. Jason told her that she came first, before
everyone else. She had to start believing that.
“Stop swearing,” Jagger barked at Dusty.
“Stop yelling at her,” Jewel told him calmly. “You’re not her fucking
boss, you’re her brother and you’re a fucking crappy one at that.”
“What did you say to me?”
She swore he was breathing ice all over her. Holy. Hell.
“What’s going on in here?”
 She glanced over as Sting walked in. Oh crap. She thought he wasn’t
here. She glared at Dusty but she had her phone out, texting someone.
Awesome. Seemed she’d been abandoned.
“Dusty’s new friend is leaving,” Jagger said coldly.
Sting blanched. “Uh, dude. That’s not Dusty’s friend.”
“Even better. Then Dusty won’t mind when I have her kicked off the
property.” Jagger drew out his phone. “Gareth, get up here. I need someone
escorted out.” He gave her a smug look.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dumbass.”
“Excuse me?” he rumbled.
“Jagger, I don’t know why you’re this upset,” Sting said placatingly.
“But you need to calm the fuck down and stop talking to her like that before
Pike loses his shit.”
Jagger frowned. “Why would Pike lose his shit over a friend of
Dusty’s?”
“She’s not a friend of Dusty’s.”
“She is so my friend,” Dusty told them, putting her phone away. “And
she helped me with my outfit and make-up because I asked her to. Because
I have a date.”
“What?” both men snapped.
“Like fuck you do,” Jagger roared.
“I’m nineteen. I’ll date if I want to.”
“With who?” Sting demanded. “Has anyone vetted him? Where are you
going? Who is he? What security has been arranged?”
Damn. She’d never seen two men about to lose it over their sister going
on a date. All of them were insane.
“Did you arrange this?” Jagger snarled at her.
Who the fuck did this dick think he was?
“Why would Jewel have arranged my date for me?” Dusty asked,
sounding bewildered.
“Because you’ve never wanted to date before.”
“And what? I couldn’t possibly arrange a date myself? Because no one
could want me?” Dusty folded her arms across her chest and tapped her
foot.
Jagger’s face softened, making him look almost human. Well, as human
as the devil could look. “That’s not what I mean, little sis. It’s just that
you’re not ready to date. You’re our baby. We only want the best for you.”
 Damn, that was kind of sweet. She found herself softening a bit.
Then a big dude all in black walked in the door. “Who’d you want me to
escort out, boss?”
Jagger turned and pointed at her.
Oh fuck. Jason was going to lose his shit.
 21

J ason walked out of the building where he’d been meeting with the
guy he’d had looking into Maxwell’s partner. So far, he’d come up
with nothing. Fuck. He hoped the Fox had better luck getting
something out of Maxwell because he was fucking over these dead
ends. He wanted life to go back to normal. Well, normal as it could. He
wanted to take Jewel back to his place and get her settled in.
His phone buzzed with a message and he frowned as he saw it was from
Dusty. He hoped Jewel was all right. And that she’d damn well eaten like
he’d told her to.

D USTY : Get home now. Jagger’s here. And he nearly hit Jewel with his car.

H IS HEART RACED , nearly threatening to burst out of his chest as he took off
running.
What the ever-loving fuck?

J EWEL TOOK a step back as the security guard’s gaze moved to hers. At least
that’s what she guessed he was. Although he was like no security guard
she’d ever encountered. In her experience, they were all overweight and
unfit.
Not this guy.
He looked like he bench-pressed small cars for fun.
And threw out trash like her.
Nope. Not doing that. She was starting to understand where Jason was
coming from. Self-sabotaging. Instead of taking Jagger’s shit, she needed to
tell him exactly who she was.
“You want me to escort her off the property?” the guard asked, staring
at her. There was a strange expression on his face.
“Yes. But ensure she doesn’t take that skateboard. She’s a menace on
that thing.”
“Hey!” Even though it wasn’t her skateboard, so she had no intention of
taking it with her, she resented being called a menace. How did Jason and
Dusty come from the same parents as Jagger?
She was reserving judgment on Sting. He seemed okay, but she didn’t
know what went on underneath the exterior.
At least Jagger wore his assholeness on the outside. She could
appreciate that while wanting to knee him in the balls.
“It’s for your own good,” Jagger told her condescendingly.
The ass.
“Call her a taxi and give her some cash to pay for it.”
What was she? A fucking charity case? She put her hands on her hips as
she glared at him.
Sting groaned. “I hope you like sipping food through a straw.”
“What are you going on about? Gareth, why aren’t you moving?”
Gareth took a step back, his hands in the air. He actually looked . . .
scared?
“What are you doing?” Jagger gaped at the big guy.
“If I end up in the hospital then my wife will be pissed.”
“What? Why would that happen? Are you scared of this little girl?”
“That’s not just any girl,” Sting said. “She’s—”
“My girl,” a deep voice rumbled. They all turned to see Jason stepping
into the room.
Lightness filled her. Relief. And a bit of satisfaction as she saw Jagger’s
eyes widen. He looked from her to Jason.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Jagger asked.
 “Jewel’s my fucking girl. And I want to know why the fuck I got a text
saying you were trying to kill her!”
Oh. Hell.
 22

H ow had this happened?

Just a few minutes ago she’d been wanting someone to put
Jagger on his ass.
In fact, she’d been fantasizing about doing just that herself. And now
she was standing between him and Jason, trying to keep her man from
killing his brother.
“Pike, man. I didn’t fucking try to kill her. And I didn’t know who she
was.”
She noticed that Gareth had disappeared. What a wimp. And Sting was
standing in front of Dusty, protecting her. Okay, that made her warm to him
a bit more. There was no doubt these guys loved their sister.
They were also just completely fucking crazy.
“Stop,” she commanded. She held out her hands towards him as she
moved in front of Jagger. The asshole didn’t really deserve her defense. She
should probably let Jason go to town on him. But then, she didn’t want to
be the reason they fought. She didn’t want to mess up his relationship with
his family.
They might all be nuts. But it was clear they loved each other. They just
had a strange way of showing it. Not that she’d ever really been around a
functioning family. Well, not unless you counted her friends at Iron
Shadows.
“Jewel, get out of the way. Now.”
“Can’t do that.” She wanted to, but she couldn’t. Because he wasn’t
looking like her man right now. He looked like the guy who had laid waste
to several guys threatening his brother.
Only this time he was looking at his brother like that.
“Jewel, I’m not joking around. Get. Out. Of. The. Way.”
“No.”
His gaze narrowed at her. “Little girl . . . you move or you’re in all sorts
of trouble once I deal with my brother.”
“How was I meant to know she was yours?” Jagger asked. “I thought
she was some crazy friend of Dusty’s. She didn’t tell me who she was. And
it’s not like she’s been harmed.”
“You nearly killed her.”
“I did not.”
“He really didn’t. Why would you think that?” She glanced over at
Dusty, remembering she’d had her phone out. Dusty gave her a shrug.
“I had to text him. Jagger was being an ass and trying to kick you out.”
“What?” Jason asked, deathly quiet.
Uh-oh. Everyone gave him wary looks. And Jagger took several
deliberate steps back. Jason stepped forward.
Oh, right. So Jason came in all psycho-scary and everyone took note.
Typical.
“Maybe if I was six-foot-four with muscles bigger than my thighs
people would listen to me,” she muttered.
“But you’re not,” Jason rumbled. “You’re five-foot-six and tiny and I
want to know what the fuck my brother was thinking trying to touch you.”
“He did touch her, he carried her in here. Over his shoulder. After she
fell off her skateboard,” Dusty said.
“Dusty!” she yelled.
Dusty barely looked guilty. She gave Jagger a look filled with ire. “He
deserves a punch to the face. He wouldn’t listen to either of us, manhandled
you, then told me I looked like a whore.”
“What?” Sting roared, joining Jason in glaring at Jagger.
Oh great. Now she had to defend the asshole from both of his brothers.
“What did you call her?” Sting snapped.
“I didn’t call her a whore. She’s exaggerating.”
She turned back to find Jagger glaring at Dusty. “Look at what she’s
wearing and the gunk on her face. She thinks she’s going on a date.”
“Yes, a date. I’m nineteen. I get to date. And yeah, I asked Jewel to help
me with an outfit and my hair and make-up. Then we went outside so she
could teach me to ride a skateboard. There’s no crime in that. Then along
comes this Neanderthal asshole. He nearly runs Jewel over, picks her up,
insults me then tries to have her escorted off the property.”
“You touched her,” Jason growled.
Everyone’s attention went back to him. Sting stepped closer to him.
“Listen, brother. Jagger didn’t know who she was. He was probably just
trying to help her. After she, um, fell off the skateboard.”
Help her? Sure he was. But as Jason’s face grew even colder, she found
herself stepping closer to Jagger.
“What are you doing? Get away from me,” Jagger commanded.
“I’m trying to help save your sorry butt, asshole,” she hissed back. How
ungrateful could this asshole be?”
“Go stand by Dusty, if I needed your help, I would ask for it.”
“Fucking stupid idiot. How do I find myself in these positions? Why the
hell am I trying to defend you? You’re a complete jerk.”
“Get somewhere safe,” Jagger bit out at her. “You do not get between
two angry men.”
She swirled to face him. “You’re not getting it, dickhead.
“Getting what?”
“I’m not the one in any danger. Pike would break all his fingers before
he hurt me. That’s why I’m standing in front of you. Because I’m the only
one capable of defending your sorry ass.”
“You’re defending me?” He gave her a shocked look.
“What did you think I was doing? Standing here for the fun of it?” She
threw her hands up in the air.
“Jagger has issues,” Sting said dryly.
“Lots of issues,” Dusty added.
“Dusty, go to your room,” Jagger commanded. “This has nothing to do
with you. And take Pike’s, uh, friend with you.”
“I’m not his friend. I’m his girlfriend.” Okay, that sounded a bit weird.
She sent Jason a look.
“Not my girlfriend,” Jason managed to say.
She stiffened.
“My whole fucking world. And you touched her.”
Oh great, he was back to this. Why her?
“She came racing down the driveway on that skateboard. No helmet. No
safety gear. I thought she was some crazy friend of Dusty’s. I nearly hit her
because I wasn’t expecting someone to come out of nowhere. Afterward, I
was upset. Thinking of what could have happened if I hadn’t swerved.
Maybe I reacted a bit badly.”
“And . . .” she said, drawing it out. Perhaps it was petty of her. Did she
care? Not really.
“And I’m sorry,” he bit out.
“Good boy.”
She could practically feel his temper ready to explode.
“And what do you have to say to Dusty,” she prompted.
Now he crossed his arms over his chest, giving them both an arrogant
look. “I’m not going to apologize. Dusty isn’t dating and she certainly
wouldn’t be allowed out of the house wearing that.”
“Wearing what?” a cool voice asked from the doorway.
They all turned, except Jason, as their mother walked in the door. Oh
great. Just what she needed. To be embarrassed in front of Jason’s mom.
“Jagger has a problem with what I’m wearing and my make-up. Oh, and
he nearly ran over Jewel then tried to have her thrown off the property
because he thought she was turning me into a whore,” Dusty explained
cheerfully.
“Jagger!”
Jagger let out a low growl.
“I’m taking care of him,” Jason promised, stepping towards him.
“Pike, no!” Jewel decided she had to be more proactive. Just standing
there wasn’t enough to protect Jagger.
She still thought it was ironic she was protecting the big jerk.
She threw herself at Jason, forcing him to catch her. Then she climbed
him like a tree until she was wrapped around him. She was grateful she was
wearing jeans rather than a skirt.
“Jewel, maybe you should step away from him,” Claudia said
cautiously. She noticed everyone was watching them tensely. “When Pike is
like this, he isn’t himself.”
Like she’d known he would, he placed his hands under her ass to
support her. Something had shifted inside her, she realized. She hadn’t once
thought he would take his brother’s side. Or question her. Or do anything
other than look out for her.
Of course, his idea of watching out for her seemed to be beating his
brother to a bloody pulp for touching her. But, that was kind of sweet.
 Yeah, there might be something wrong with her.
“Pike won’t hurt me. He’d never hurt me.”
She heard his mother suck in a breath, but didn’t look at her. She needed
all her attention on the amazing man holding her so gently while his body
vibrated with anger.
For her.
He grunted in response, proving he was listening. But he still wasn’t
looking at her. Reaching up, she grasped hold of his cheeks.
“Look at me.”
Nothing.
“Look at me. Please.”
Okay, seemed it was going to take more than that.
“Jason,” she drawled deliberately.
“Forty-eight.”
Good, he was still following her. Listening to her.
“I need you to take me upstairs.”
He shook his head. “He touched you.”
“He didn’t know who I was.”
“No excuse.”
“He’s your brother.”
“So?”
Okay, so nothing she said so far was working.
“He nearly hit you.”
Damn it, she couldn’t let Jagger take the fall for that part. That was kind
of all on her. There were other places that they could have practiced.
“It was my fault. I was skateboarding on the driveway. He couldn’t have
known I would come racing down. And he didn’t hit me. I only fell off
because I lost control. You can’t blame him for any of that.”
“He didn’t take any care with you.”
Well, that was true.
“He touched you without permission. Scared you.”
“I wasn’t scared.”
This time he did make eye contact with her.
She shrugged. “I knew that even if he did throw me out, you’d find me.”
“Damn fucking straight.” He looked back at Jagger. “Still going to kill
him.”
 Jagger let out a breath. “I didn’t know she was yours. How was I meant
to?”
“We were trying to tell you,” Dusty snapped. “What were you
expecting? For her to have Property of Pike tattooed on her forehead?”
Jason let out a low rumble that was less temper and more approval?
Shit.
“Not happening, bud.”
“Not your bud.”
She reached up so she could whisper into his ear. “No, you’re my man.
My Daddy. Please, Daddy. I’m tired and a bit sore. I need you to take me up
to bed and take care of me.”
Manipulative? Yes. Necessary? Also yes.
Jason finally looked her straight in the eyes. “You’re bruised?”
She had no idea but likely. She nodded.
“Did you even have a helmet on?”
She shook her head.
“Damn it, baby, what were you thinking?”
She bit her lower lip. Drat. Now, his focus was off Jagger. But that
meant it was totally and utterly on her. And she had a feeling she was in
trouble.
“I used to skateboard when I was younger. Never wore safety gear
then.” It would have gotten her beaten up with the people she hung out
with.
“She’s really good,” Dusty told him.
“She was going far too fast. If I hadn’t been paying attention, things
could have been a lot worse,” Jagger said.
“You know, I’m starting to regret saving you,” she snarled at Jagger
now that he’d turned all of Jason’s attention on her.
Her ass could still feel the spanking he’d given her earlier. But she had a
feeling she wasn’t going to be sitting comfortably tomorrow.
Jason turned around with her still in his arms.
“You’re leaving?” Jagger asked with surprise.
When would he learn to stay quiet?
“Got to take care of my woman. She comes first.”
Damn, her heart just melted.
He leaned his head down to brush his lips against her ear. “And the
things I’m about to do to her aren’t for my family’s eyes.”
Oh. Shit.
 23

J ason carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed.
Then without a word, he stripped off every inch of her clothing.
“Are you going to say anything?” she asked as he ran his hands
gently over her, prodding in some spots. When she winced as he
moved over her hip, he stopped to gently kiss the developing bruise.
Each one made him furious.
Although not as murderous as thinking about the way his brother had
treated her. He’d pay for that. He’d just do it when his woman wasn’t
around. Or his sister or mother. Mind you, Dusty had looked like she
wanted to join in.
He didn’t blame her. Jagger had no right to comment on her clothes or
make-up. She wasn’t a kid. And while Jason didn’t like the idea of her
dating either, he also knew that acting like a Neanderthal wouldn’t help. All
that would do was make her go behind their backs. Which meant she
wouldn’t have anyone watching over her.
“Pike?” she whispered worriedly as he rolled her over to kiss a scrape
on her back.
Fuck.
It could have been so much worse.
“He could have hit you.”
“That wasn’t his fault.”
No. That part he didn’t blame on Jagger. He gently rolled her then
crouched over her. “You put yourself in danger.”
 She opened her mouth, closed it. Her lipstick was almost completely
gone. She must have been licking her lips. A sign of nerves. Then she
brought her finger up to her mouth.
Nope.
He gently grasped hold of her hand, pulling it away. “No.”
She gave him a guilty look.
“Hands under your head,” he ordered.
She complied.
“You put yourself in danger, baby blue,” he said seriously. “That’s
earned you a punishment.”
“I was just skateboarding.”
“On a driveway. With no safety gear.”
She made a scoffing noise.
He frowned down at her. “From now on, there is no skateboarding
without me. And you will wear all the safety gear that I give you.
Understand me?”
“Safety gear is for wusses.”
“No safety gear, no skateboarding.”
“That’s not fair, Daddy.” She pouted. “No one else wears all that except
for little kids.”
“Well, you’re my Little girl. And I care about your safety. So you’re
going to obey me on this or you won’t sit for a week.”
“You’re going to spank me?”
“Not this time.”
She narrowed her gaze at him suspiciously. “Why do I get the feeling
there’s a but coming, Daddy?”
“What, other than your butt?” He reached under her to squeeze it. She
hissed.
“Yes. Other than my butt.”
“Because you’re a smart woman. I’m not spanking you because you just
had your first proper spanking this morning and because you’re bruised
from falling off the skateboard.”
“Butttt,” she drawled.
“But you’re still getting punished for being so reckless with your
safety.” He’d been working on getting her to leave his room and the first
time she left by herself, she ran into the shittiest member of his family.
Jagger wasn’t a bad person. Just quick to judge and cold as fuck.
 “It was just some fun, Daddy.”
“It wouldn’t be fun if you had gotten hurt and ended up in the hospital.”
Or worse.
Damn, she was gorgeous when she pouted. His cock hardened at the
thought of her mouth around his dick, swallowing him down.
Not now.
“Did you eat?” he demanded.
Guilt filled her face.
“Oh, baby blue, you’re in such trouble.”
“I got busy,” she defended. “Dusty wanted help with her clothes and
make-up. Besides, it’s not long since you left.”
“That was five hours ago.”
“Oh.”
Oh? That was all she had to say? He climbed off her then reached out
for her hand. She gave him a wary look as he led her to an empty corner of
the room.
“What are you doing?” she squeaked.
“You’re spending ten minutes in the corner.”
“No. I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. Then while I’m getting you something to eat, you’ll be
writing a hundred times that you will always remember to wear safety
gear.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring up at him. “No.”
Oh, the stubborn brat.
Reaching out, he gently grasped hold of her chin. “While I usually
enjoy your attitude, it’s not acceptable right now. So unless you want to
wear a plug while standing in the corner, I expect you to get into position.”
She gaped up at him, her mouth open. So cute.
He pushed her chin up then turned her towards the corner. “Nose against
the wall. Legs spread. Bottom out.”
“I’d like to lodge a complaint that I think corner time is silly.”
“Noted and dismissed.”
She made a growling noise that had him smiling. He sent a text to the
housekeeper, knowing that she’d prepare some food for him quickly.
He drew the chair from his desk and got a piece of paper and a pen,
setting her up. He also grabbed one of his T-shirts for her to wear.
“All right, come here, baby blue.”
 She turned with a huff. Yeah, she really didn’t like corner time.
Well, tough. He didn’t like seeing bruises on her body. And he knew he
would have nightmares imagining Jagger’s car hitting her.
He crooked a finger at her. She glared back at him, arms crossed. He
mimicked her position. “What do you think would have happened if Jagger
hit you?”
“I’d have gotten hurt.”
“More than hurt. You’d likely have broken bones. Maybe a concussion.
If he’d been going fast, it could’ve been worse. You could be dead.”
“That’s an exaggeration, don’t you think?”
“I don’t,” he said firmly. “And the fact that you don’t realize that could
have happened tells me you don’t take your safety seriously enough.”
“But I’m fine.”
“Thank God!” he snapped, making her jump.
Rein it in. Don’t scare her.
“Do you know how hard it was for me, having to leave you with
Maxwell for those few days? Do you know the entire time until I got you
out of there that I barely slept, barely ate? I forced myself to, because I had
to be strong in order to protect you. What do you think would have
happened if I’d come home to find you broken or worse?”
Guilt flooded her face. “Okay, I get it.”
“I’m not trying to be an asshole or controlling, but you know that you’re
my entire world.”
She gave him a knowing look.
“All right, I’m controlling. If I have to wrap you up in bubble wrap to
keep you safe, I will.”
“You can’t.”
“Watch me.”
“I have to be an adult as well. I can’t always be Little.”
“That’s got nothing to do with this. This is all about keeping you safe.
Whole. Mine. I’d destroy anyone who hurt you. You might think I can’t
keep you safe from everything, but I’ll damn well try.”
He expected her to bite back so he was shocked when she nodded then
walked towards him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. So
tight.
“Try not to give me a fucking heart attack or ulcer, huh?”
“I’ll try. No guarantees.”
 “Sit, write your lines. I’ll be back with a snack soon.”
“Just a snack?” she asked.
“It’s nearly time for our dinner date. Don’t want to ruin your appetite.”
He winked at her and she blushed.
As he strode downstairs, he could hear them all arguing in Ma’s study.
He crept forward.
“Jagger, Dusty is going on that date,” his mother said calmly.
“She’s too young to date.”
“Got to say I agree with Jagger, Ma,” Sting added.
“Well, luckily, I don’t need any of your agreement. She’s my daughter.
And the two of you are going to stop being overprotective cavemen.”
They were both silent, but he knew that they wouldn’t like that edict. He
stepped into the doorway.
Ma turned to him. “Pike, are you all right? Jewel?”
He grunted then stared at Jagger. He took a few steps forward.
“Fuck,” Jagger said with acceptance, taking the punch to the face
without fighting back.
“You’re lucky it’s not more. Touch her or upset her again and you’re in
a fucking world of trouble, got me?”
He didn’t bother sticking around for his brother’s agreement.
 24

“D o you have to go?” Jewel asked.

He turned to her in surprise. She’d never asked him not
to go somewhere and they’d been here close to a week now.
After her encounter with Jagger two days ago, he’d expected her to still
stick to their bedroom. But something had changed. She was more
confident in her place. Last night, they’d even had dinner with Ma and
Dusty. The three women had bonded over tormenting him. Then afterward,
Ma had brought about the baby pictures and they’d tormented him some
more.
Far as he was concerned, they could do that every night for the rest of
his life if it made his woman smile like that.
Jagger had been keeping himself scarce, which was for the best. In the
end, Dusty had gone on her date. But Jagger had insisted on four
bodyguards, which Dusty had a fit over. Jason totally agreed with his
brother about that, though. She was their baby sister.
Today the Fox’s interpreter was going to question the girls. He hated
that they’d basically been kept prisoner all this time while he waited. But he
hadn’t had much choice. And he knew they were at least being treated a lot
better than they would have been if they were still being held by Maxwell.
Still, the sooner he got this done, the better.
“I have to go, baby. I’ve got an interpreter coming today to interview
the girls.”
She sat up straighter. “Do you think they’ll be able to identify
Maxwell’s partner?”
 “I hope so. We also need to find out what we can about where they
came from and how to get them safely back home.”
She bit her lower lip. Today she was wearing a shade of lipstick called
Bratty Girl. It was one of his favorites. It was neon pink. And looked
perfect against her pale skin and dark hair.
“Can I come with you?”
Okay. That was new. She hadn’t asked to leave the house. She knew that
he wanted her to stay hidden and safe in case this asshole was searching for
her.
Her shoulders slumped. As though she had already figured out he was
going to say no. “It’s okay. I understand. I don’t want to make things harder
on you.”
Crap. Damn, she had him wrapped around her little finger.
“We’re not going to where the girls are being held,” he warned.
She looked puzzled. “Aren’t you going to sit in?”
“I don’t want any of them seeing my face. And I don’t have to sit in to
watch. We have cameras and audio set up in all our safe houses which back
to our security office.” Which was an extremely secure building. So she
would be just as safe there as she was here. Plus, it wasn’t far away.
“If you come with me, then you do exactly what I say when I say it,
understand?”
Her face brightened as she nodded. “I will. I promise.”
“It’s there and back, okay? No other stops.”
“I understand. I promise, I’ll do exactly what you say.”
“You better,” was all he said to her.

T WENTY MINUTES LATER , they pulled into a secured garage. They were in an
SUV that had tinted windows and he’d told her was also bulletproof. It
worried her that his family needed a bulletproof vehicle.
There was a driver and guard sitting up in the front. The guard, Sam,
had given her a strange look when she’d turned up with Jason, she guessed
he hadn’t known she was coming.
Once they’d pulled into a spot, her door opened and Sam stood there.
She glanced over at Jason, who nodded at her. The driver had already
opened his door.
All right then.
She was surprised when they were joined by two other men. They must
have come in a car behind them.
Jason wasn’t taking any risks with her, which filled her with happiness.
He placed his hand on the small of her back as they moved to an elevator,
traveling up to the third floor.
“We own this whole building, but the security hub is on this floor,” he
told her. There were a few people working at desks around the large, open
area. It looked like most offices, which kind of surprised her.
But then they walked into a small office that had lots of TV screens on
the wall, each one with a different black and white image.
Jason turned to Sam as he walked in after them. “You can all wait out
here.”
Something entered Sam’s gaze. Like he was going to argue but then he
nodded. The door shut behind them.
There were two men in the room. One was skinny with glasses and
barely looked up from the laptop he was on.
The other man was enormous. Like bigger than Jason. With a craggy
face. He was terrifying and she had to stop herself from shrinking into
Jason.
“Vinnie.” Jason held out his hand, shaking it with the man.
“Mathers,” Vinnie grunted back, his voice heavily accented.
Jason didn’t introduce her, just led her to a chair. He sat next to her.
Leaning in, he spoke to her quietly. “Vinnie is Russian, but we thought he
would scare the girls if he tried to question them. So he’s here to interpret
anything important that comes up.”
She nodded. She agreed that Vinnie wouldn’t have been a good choice.
She stared up at the screen in front of them. It looked like a posh living
room.
“She’s arriving,” the skinny guy, who Jason hadn’t greeted, said.
The screen flashed to a driveway, where a woman was exiting a car. She
had a huge man with her. A bodyguard?
The screenshot back to the living room as the interpreter walked in.
She was dressed down in jeans and a sweater. Curvy and short. But
sweet looking.
 She was the right choice. Jewel’s tension faded as the first few girls
were brought in. The interpreter managed to put them at ease. She didn’t
recognize the first few girls. And of course, didn’t know what they were
saying.
“Anything of interest?” Jason asked Vinnie.
“Just talk of where they came from. How they came to be with that
asshole. Seems like they were all kidnapped, held against their will. But
they’re claiming not to know anyone he was working with.”
Claiming not to?
Then Karina was led in. Jewel sucked in a breath.
“You know her?” Jason asked, taking hold of her hand.
“Yeah, she was one of the girls who I spoke to.”
He just nodded, but he slid his hand around hers. She clung to him. The
interpreter asked a few questions. By the time the last girl came in, she felt
exhausted. Tense and strung out.
“Well?” Jason asked Vinnie.
“All of them say they were kidnapped. Brought over in containers on a
ship. There were other girls. Some of them spoke of an auction house.
Darrins’ men acted as guards, escorting the girls to their new owners. Some
of them were with him, they said, to be trained for the people who bought
them.”
Oh God. She was going to be sick.
“Anyone see the partner? Know who he was?” Jason snapped.
“One of them overheard two of Darrins’ guards talk about a Mr. X.
Something about how he wasn’t happy about shipments being delayed.”
Jason stiffened next to her, but when she looked up at him he didn’t
appear to be affected.
Mr. X.
Who was that?
Jason said goodbye to Vinnie and took her hand, leading her quickly
back to the car. He leaned in to say something to their driver then he helped
her in and did up her seatbelt before climbing in himself.
When the car started, she looked to the privacy panel between them and
the front. “Can they hear us?”
“No. Not unless I allow it.” He tapped something out on his phone.
“What did you say to the driver?”
 “Told him to take a different route home. Will take us a bit longer, but I
don’t want to be predictable with you in the car. Precious cargo.”
God. He killed her.
“You’ve heard of Mr. X, haven’t you?”
He gave her a surprised look then shook his head. “I forgot that you
wouldn’t know. Mr. X is the person who hired mercenaries to kill Senior
and take Emme. We also think it’s possible he kidnapped Emme from
Russia when she was a child and gave her to Senior.”
Oh shit.
“Sounds like this Mr. X had Senior transport the girls on his ships. They
came into the port in Seattle, although for all we know there were other
ports too. And Maxwell’s thugs escorted them to their new owners. But that
there’s also an auction house.”
“God, those poor girls. What will you do with them?”
“Try to get them home,” he told her. “I still don’t know that we can trust
them all, but if we get them straight onto a private plane they’ll have no
chance to talk. And they haven’t seen anyone but the staff at the house and
Sting’s guys who rescued them, but they all wore masks. If they talk, there’s
not much they can say about any of us. I was hoping one of them would
have seen this Mr. X, though.”
“Do you really think I’m in danger from him?”
“It’s possible that he knows nothing about you. But there’s an equal
possibility that he does know that Maxwell was involved with you and he’s
curious about where you’ve gone. The fact you went missing makes it look
like you had something to do with Maxwell’s compound being infiltrated
and the girls and Maxwell disappearing.”
She drew her finger up to her mouth. She was putting his entire family
in danger.
“No,” he said firmly, removing her hand. “Stop those thoughts,
understand me?”
“How do you know what I’m thinking?” she challenged.
“Because I know you. You try to protect everyone else, no matter the
risk to you. Not happening this time, baby girl.”
“But—”
“Say ‘yes, Pike’.”
“But—”
“Say it,” he growled.
 “Yes, Pike.”
“Good,” he grunted.
“You’re a good man.”
He shot her a look. “Never had someone accuse me of being that.”
“I wouldn’t call it an accusation. An observation.”
He shook his head, looking like he was about to deny it. But she
reached over and took his hand in hers.
“You are. Not everyone would help those girls. But you are doing
whatever you can to get them home. You’re a good man. And if we weren’t
in a car with two other men, I’d show you how much you turn me on.”
Heat filled his gaze. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Prove it.”
She gulped. Not feeling so brave now, are you? “Um, don’t you have
calls to make?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Show me how much you want me.”
She glanced up at the front of the car.
“They can’t see or hear unless I allow it and you know I won’t do that.
Because you’re mine. Only mine.”
“All right,” she whispered, reaching for her seatbelt to unbuckle it.
“Uh-uh,” he warned. “No undoing your belt.”
“Then how am I meant to show you?”
“Undo your jeans.”
Oh. Hell.
Well, she had started this. Time to follow through. She undid her jeans.
“Now slide two fingers under your panties and through your folds.”
She raised her ass slightly to give herself more room. Luckily her jeans
weren’t too tight.
“Now raise your fingers up so I can see them.”
With red cheeks, she pulled her fingers out and showed him how wet
they were. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of her wrist and brought her
fingers to his mouth. He sucked on them until she was squirming.
“Delicious. Damn, I want to taste you.”
“I want that too. I want more than that, though. I want you to fuck me.”
He studied her for a long moment. What was he seeing? She wasn’t
sure. But she hoped he saw how much she meant what she said.
“All right, then. Let’s do that.”
 Her mouth dropped open at his casual reply but then she saw the way
his heated gaze took her in. “Finger yourself until we get to the house.”
“I . . . I can’t do that.”
“Sure you can. Put your hand back down to your pussy and flick your
clit with your finger. I want you nice and wet by the time we get home.”
“I’m already wet.”
“I want those panties saturated. Now.”
Fuck. Oh fuck.
She was in so much trouble.
 25

W “Now?”
hen they got inside the bedroom, he immediately pushed her
against the wall. He kissed her. Hot and hard.
“Want to play hide and seek?” he whispered.

“Hmm. Every time I find you, I get a piece of clothing.”

“But, Daddy, I don’t have that many items of clothing on.”
“Oh, don’t worry, once you’re naked I’ll start claiming a piece of you.”
Her heart raced. “All right.”
He turned away. Covered his eyes. “One, two, three . . .”
She sped off, her heart racing. She hid herself behind the drapes. It
didn’t take him long to find her. And she lost her sweater. Next went her
jeans. Then her T-shirt, bra and panties. Until she was naked.
Maybe she should have felt self-conscious, running around his room
naked. But instead, she felt free. And excited. Having him chasing her just
did something for her.
He found her lying under the bed and tugged her gently out. She sat
there, staring up at him. “What now?”
What part of her would he claim?
“Now you stand.” He helped her up, like the gentleman he was. Then he
sat on the bed and spread his legs. He crooked a finger at her and she
moved between his legs. “Offer me your breast.”
She cupped her right breast and held it up. Keeping his eyes on her, he
lowered his mouth to her nipple and suckled. She let out a strangled cry.
Her pussy felt so empty. She wanted him to take her. To fuck her.
 God.
Please.
“Good girl,” he said in a low, rough voice. “Hide again.”
“Again?” she asked, unable to conceal her disappointment.
“Go.” He started a countdown. Where could she hide? There was barely
anywhere left. Well, who said it had to be anywhere new? She hid behind
the bathroom door once more. She tried to keep her breathing even, but it
was hard. Her legs were weak and she had to lean against the wall to keep
herself upright.
It wasn’t long until he found her. He drew her out from behind the door
with a wolfish sort of grin.
Grasping her around the hips, he lifted her onto the counter.
“Push your legs apart.”
She widened her legs.
“Show me your pussy.”
She gaped at him. “I . . . I . . .”
“I won, didn’t I?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Three choices.
Do as I told you to. Safeword out. Or accept a punishment.”
The last two were tempting. But instead, she found herself reaching
down to push the lips of her pussy apart, revealing the plump, pink lips. She
knew that he could see how wet she was. How much she needed him.
“Lean back against the mirror behind you,” he commanded. “Then put
your feet up on the edge of the counter.”
She did as ordered, aware of how vulnerable she was. How open to his
look, his touch.
“Fucking beautiful.” He knelt on the floor, putting his face very close to
her lower lips. She gasped as she felt the tiniest touch of his tongue on her
clit. He flicked it back and forth so slowly. Her entire body shook as he
continued to lightly torture her.
Flick. Flick.
More. She needed more.
“Please, Pike,” she begged.
“Fucking love when you use my name,” he told her.
She made a mental note to use it more often. Especially if it meant that
he would give her what she wanted.
Him. Touching her. Tasting her. Taking her.
 He slid his tongue lower, slowly entering her pussy. She cried out,
attempting to thrust her hips up to gain more of him. Greedy, so greedy.
Moving one hand away from her pussy, she ran her fingers through his hair,
attempting to tug him closer.
“Uh-uh, did I say you could move your hand?” he crooned in that
deliciously dark voice.
Oh crap.
She snatched her hand back, but she could see it was too late. He was
already standing, his eyes growing darker.
“That was naughty. And just when I was getting a good drink of you.”
Lord. Help. Her.
“Off you get.” He held out his hand, helping her off the counter.
“Turn and put your hands on the counter then bend, ass in the air.
Present to me.”
That shouldn’t be such a turn-on, right? He sounded like a king
commanding a subject, expecting absolute obedience.
And that was exactly what she gave him. So maybe she liked his
commands more than she was willing to admit.
“Fuck, that’s the finest ass I’ve ever seen.” He ran his hand over one
cheek and she shivered. “Spread your legs further. That’s it. My naughty
girl. Trying to take more than I had decided to give her. Who is in charge?”
“You are.”
Slap!
“What do you call me?”
“You are, Pike.”
“That’s right,” he replied, rubbing his hand over the slight sting.
“And were you given permission to move your hand?”
“No.”
Slap! Slap! Slap!
“No, what?”
“No, Pike.”
“I’m starting to think you wanted a spanking.”
Nope. No way.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
She groaned, her head dropping forward as he laid smack after smack
on her defenseless ass. This wasn’t a quick spanking. She lost track of
counting how many smacks landed on her ass. She didn’t think he was
spanking her as hard as he had before, but by the time he stopped, her ass
was hot and throbbing. Then he ran his hand down one cheek and squeezed
it before drifting lower to thrust his fingers deep into her pussy. She arched
her back with a cry.
“Poor baby. So wet. So needy. What do you need?” he asked.
“You.”
“My fingers? My tongue? My cock?”
“All of it.”
“Greedy.” He moved his fingers faster, slamming them inside her. It
wasn’t enough. More. More.
He slid his fingers from her pussy and she let out a protest. But then he
parted her ass cheeks. She stared into the mirror and saw him looking down
at her asshole. There was heat in his gaze. Clear intention.
Oh, holy hell.
“Where else do you want me to touch you?”
“My pussy.”
“What about your ass? Would you like me to play with your ass?”
They’d spoken about anal play and she’d been open to it. But in the far,
far future. She wasn’t sure about right now. She thought she’d have time to
think about it, prepare.
He placed a finger over her asshole. She tensed.
“Shh. All I want to do is explore.” He simply ran his finger over her
back entrance. Back and forth until she relaxed.
“Good girl. Stand up.”
What? Oh, stand. Right.
“Turn to me.”
She turned and he laid a soft kiss on her lips then he moved back,
staring at her intently.
“Hide.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “W-what?”
Turning on the tap, he washed his hands. “Hide. You have until I finish
washing my hands.”
Crap! She’d thought they’d finished playing that game. With a squeal,
she took off, racing into the bedroom. Where to go this time? Maybe
somewhere more obvious. She dived for the bed and slid under the covers,
placing her hand over her mouth. Her heart raced as she lay there, barely
breathing.
 “Look out, look out, wherever you are,” he called out. “Here I come.”
There was silence. Had he spotted her? What was he doing?
Anticipation had her practically trembling. Shoot. There was no way he
couldn’t spot her.
Suddenly, the covers were ripped off her and despite knowing it was
coming, she still screamed.
He stilled, stared down at her, studying her as though worried she was
actually frightened.
But he didn’t have to be worried. She sent him a cheeky grin then rolled
off the bed. “Can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man.”
“The gingerbread man?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Yep!”
“I love gingerbread. Sweet and spicy.” He jumped on the bed and raced
across it as she squealed and ran to the other side. She found herself
laughing hysterically as he reached for her, nearly grabbing her. She knew
he could easily capture her if he wanted.
But he let her dart around the room, he raced after her until she nearly
tripped over her own feet. Then he grabbed her, swinging her up into his
arms. Like some hero in a romantic movie. She was still giggling as he
tossed her on the bed.
Standing at the end, he slowly started to strip and her laughter left her in
a whoosh.
He bared his chest. God, he was gorgeous. Big and cut. She’d always
thought that if she ever fell for anyone that she’d choose someone soft.
Someone who couldn’t hurt her.
There was nothing soft about Jason.
But all of those muscles, that strength didn’t scare her because he’d only
ever use them to protect her. Never to harm her.
“What are you thinking?”
“That you’d never harm me.”
He paused as he was drawing down his jeans. “Damn straight I
wouldn’t.” He pulled off his jeans. He was left just in his boxers. She knelt
up, watching as he climbed onto the bed. He knelt in front of her. Reaching
out, he cupped her face gently and kissed her like she was the sweetest
thing he’d ever tasted her.
Like he cherished her.
Adored her.
 Loved her.
When he drew back, she leaned up, wanting more. He shook his head,
running his thumb over her lower lip.
“I want to fuck you. You ready for that?”
Seriously? She was so ready for that. “I’m ready.”
“Sure?”
“I want you to fuck me. Please, Pike.”
He grinned. “That’s my girl. Sit back on your heels and spread your
legs, then offer me your breasts.”
She pushed her legs as far apart as they would go then cupped her
breasts. Without touching her anywhere else, he lowered his mouth to her
nipple, sucking strongly.
She groaned. Oh hell. She felt that in her clit. It was like a direct line.
With one hand, he toyed with her other nipple, tugging on it until it was
sore then lightly rubbing his thumb over it. Then he switched. He played
with her nipples until she was close to screaming. Or coming. She wasn’t
certain which.
Then he drew back.
The asshole.
She thought she might have growled. Someone definitely growled and
she felt like it was her.
“Put your hands behind your back.”
It took her a moment to catch up to the command he’d uttered. He sat
back, watching her, his eyebrows raised.
She moved her hands behind her back.
“Comfortable?”
“I guess.”
“You get uncomfortable then use your safeword. But otherwise, I expect
you to stay in position. Understand?”
“Yes, Pike.”
“Good girl.”
What was he planning on doing? Anticipation filled her, and then her
breath left her on a whoosh as he lay down on his stomach between her
spread legs. He used his arms to prop himself up as he parted her lips.
Wide. Then he flicked at her clit. Once. Twice. She let out a low whimper.
But he just kept up the steady space.
Lick. Lick.
 Flick. Flick.
So hard to stay in place. Her arms strained, her need to touch him
almost too hard to resist.
“Please. Please. Oh, please.”
She was so wet. She felt so empty. But she needed more.
Her orgasm was building low in her stomach, so close she could almost
taste it. It was nearly too painful.
Then his tongue moved faster, driving her higher and higher.
He drew back.
“Noooo,” she groaned. “Please.”
He sat up, his lips wet with her juices. “I like when you beg.”
He would.
Sadist. She was certain of it.
“Want to taste yourself?” He didn’t give her a chance to reply as he
drew her face close and kissed her. For some reason, her taste drove her
desire higher. She swore he was doing something to her. Something that
made her more wanton. More needy.
Pulling back, he studied her. She wondered what he saw. Desire.
Arousal. Frustration.
He grinned then ran his thumb over her lips. “Open.”
She opened her mouth and he slid his thumb inside, pulling it back out
then pushing it in. She whimpered. That’s what she wanted.
But with his cock.
In. Her. Pussy.
How much longer was he going to torture her?
“Such an angry look,” he whispered. “Someone is very needy, aren’t
they? Someone needs to come. Someone needs a cock in her pussy to
satisfy her. Doesn’t she?”
Okay, now she was thankful for the thumb in her mouth because it
meant she couldn’t reply. But she guessed her answer was written all over
her face because satisfaction filled his face.
He drew his thumb free then he lowered his hand to her pussy and
pushed two fingers deep inside her. When he drew them out, they were
glistening with her dew.
“I love how fucking wet you get for me. Do you know how much that
turns me on?”
 She didn’t know how to answer. But the evidence was pressed against
his black boxers. Always black. She thought she might buy him something
different.
He’d look hot in red or blue or bright pink.
“Now that was an evil grin.” He ran his fingers over her lips, painting
them with the evidence of her desire. “This is mine.” He pressed his fingers
into her mouth.
Yes, yes it was.
“Clean them off.”
She licked at his fingers, wondering why his orders turned her on.
“Good girl. So obedient. Fuck, that turns me on.”
He slid his fingers free.
“I’m starting to think ice cream would turn you on,” she told him dryly.
It wouldn’t do for him to think she was too obedient.
“If I was licking it off your skin then it would.”
Her breath hitched at the thought. Not that she wanted that. Nope.
Sounded sticky and ick. Maybe. It could also be hot as hell.
Oh hell, if he suggested it then she knew she wouldn’t say no.
He pushed his fingers inside her again, thrusting them back and forth.
This time, when he drew them out, he painted her nipples with her
slickness.
“These are mine.”
Lord. Her breath heaved in and out as he stared in satisfaction before
lowering his mouth to her nipple to lick it. Left nipple then right before
pressing his fingers into her mouth for her to clean them again.
She sucked on them. Please let him do something more than tease me.
She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
He slid off the bed and removed his boxers. Okay, now they were
getting somewhere.
Grabbing hold of his dick, he ran his hand up and down it slowly. Her
eyes were riveted, watching him play with his huge, smooth shaft.
Then he moved back to kneeling in front of her. He cupped her mound,
holding it possessively. “This is mine.”
She nodded, beyond words at this stage. Those same two fingers slid
inside her. Pumping back and forth as he held her eyes with his.
He might own her.
But this was her choice. And that changed everything.
 Because she owned him as well.
Drawing his fingers free, he coated the head of his cock with her dew.
She licked her lips.
“Who owns this dick, baby?”
“I do,” she whispered.
“What was that?”
“I do.”
“Damn straight you do. Lean over and take my cock into your mouth.
Lick it clean.”
Hell. What about her hands? Did she have enough balance for that?
“You can rest your hands on the mattress but you don’t touch me
anywhere except with your mouth on my dick.”
“Fuck. Okay.” She moved her hands, placing them on the bed then she
moved her face down to his dick. She breathed in the scent of him, mingled
with her own scent.
Her head spun.
She needed him. So badly. She licked the head. He hissed out a breath.
“Don’t tease,” he warned. “I don’t have the patience.”
He didn’t have the patience? He’d just spent the last hour driving her
wild with his sexy game of hide-and-seek and he was out of patience?
He wrapped her hair around his fist and guided her mouth over the tip.
“That’s it. Clean me off. Good girl.”
Guiding her head, he moved her up and down his dick. She took him
further into her mouth, loved the sounds of pleasure he made as she
swallowed. When he drew her back, she let out a protest. She wanted to
suck him until he came. Until she made him lose control.
“More,” she begged.
“No more,” he countered sternly. “I’m coming inside you.”
Her heart skipped.
“Lie back on the bed,” he ordered, rolling over to the bedside tables and
grabbing a condom.
“I have an IUD and that creepy doctor tested me. I’m clean.” She
shuddered at the memory. “I wonder if he works as an actual doctor
somewhere.”
“The creepy doctor has been taken care of,” he informed her. “Maxwell
spilled his name almost immediately. You don’t need to worry about him
touching anyone else.”
 Relief filled her even if she wondered if that meant that the doctor had
been killed.
Do you care?
Not really. He could have helped her, but he hadn’t. And for all she
knew, he was in on everything. He had to have seen the young girls, had to
have known that Maxwell drugged her.
Yeah, she didn’t care.
“Are you sure?” he asked, condom in hand. “I’m clean, but I’ll use a
condom if that’s what you want.
But it wasn’t. “I’m sure.”
He set the condom down then moved to lie next to her. Grasping hold of
her chin, he turned her face and kissed her gently.
“Fucking beautiful.”
“Please fuck me. Please.” He ran his hand down over her breast along
her stomach to her pussy where he toyed with her clit.
“I want to wake up with my mouth around your tit. I want to wake you
up by licking you into orgasm. I want to wrap myself around you and never
let you go.”
“Please. Please.”
“You want that too?”
“All of it.”
“My girl. So fucking perfect for me.” He rolled over her then slid into
her without any preamble. She was ready for him. So ready. Yet her breath
still caught at the fullness. At his thick dick sliding into her.
It had been so long. And never had she wanted someone to fuck her as
she did him.
“Baby, fuck. So tight. Christ.” He paused when he was fully seated then
took her mouth. Hard. Hot. She wrapped her arms around his neck and
drew her lips back.
“Pike?”
“Yeah?”
“Fucking move or I’ll kill you.”
He stared down at her for a long moment then drew his head back and
let out a loud laugh.
“I’m not just fucking you. I’m claiming you. You get that, right? All.
Of. You.”
“Like I’m claiming you.”
 “Exactly.” He drew back, drove slowly forward.
“Oh God, don’t start treating me like I’m breakable now.”
That’s something she never wanted. To be pitied. To be treated like a
victim. She might have been a victim at one stage.
But no longer.
She was a fucking Queen.
Wrapping her legs around his hips, she tried to spur him on, to get him
to move faster, harder.
He reached around and gave her ass a smack. “Don’t misbehave.”
Well. That was no fun.
“And you are breakable and fragile and strong and resilient. You’re all
of those things. You don’t have to be just one.”
“Please, for the love of everything you hold dear, no more talking.”
He simply grinned. “Don’t think anyone has ever said that to me.”
God, she loved him so much. But this wasn’t the time to tell him. He
might think it was the heat of the moment when it was anything but. The
words lingered on her lips, though, burned in her veins. They wanted out.
Then he drove into her with a huge thrust and she cried out, arching her
back. “Pike!”
“That’s it. Scream my name. Let everyone know who is fucking you.
Who you belong to.”
“Pike! Pike!” She forgot that they weren’t the only ones in the house.
That his family might hear her. All she wanted was him.
Hard. Fast. Her heart raced until she felt it wash over her. It started
small then grew and grew until she was lost. Floating. Her orgasm sent her
mind spiraling.
She vaguely heard him shout his own release as he stilled above her,
coming inside her. She was still floating as he cleaned her up. Then he
arranged the pillows around her and lay beside her, gathering her close.
“You good, baby blue?” he asked quietly.
“Better than that,” she replied. “Definitely better than that.”
 26

“F ox,” he greeted the man standing in the shadows.

“You’ve got good night vision,” the other man greeted
him. His voice was low and had no discernible accent. Jason
wondered about his background. But he knew the Fox would only let him
know what he wanted him to know. And searching for anything more would
be dangerous. And not just for him.
“Been expecting your call. Didn’t realize it was going to come in the
middle of the night.”
“Aww, I’m sorry, did I pull you from Jewel’s arms? I thought I heard
her talking in the background. Have you finally baked the potato?”
“What does that even mean?”
“You still sound rather grumpy, so I’d say that’s a no.”
Jason huffed out a breath. Patience. You can’t kill him.
“Your interpreter spoke with the girls today.”
“I know. She told me everything. You shouldn’t trust them.”
“I’m not. But I also can’t keep them at the safe house indefinitely.”
“No. That is a problem. I’m getting close to him. He has more worries
than a bunch of girls at the moment. Are you sending them home?”
“I’ve made certain that they can’t identify anyone that helped them. I’m
going to organize a private plane and guards to take them home.”
“Some won’t want to go. Even though they were ripped from their lives,
for some of them there is nothing to go home to, but you can’t let any of
them stay.”
Because Mr. X could find them. And use them. He wasn’t stupid.
 “I know.”
“Good.” Fox’s gaze turned to the cottage. “He hasn’t said anything that
could identify Mr. X?”
“Not yet.”
“If he knows anything then he’ll tell me. Go back to your girl.”
Jason hesitated. That didn’t feel right to him.
“I promise not to kill him. But everything else is fair game.”
“That’s fair. I want to know what he says.”
“Of course. Would I ever keep anything from you all?” He whistled as
he walked towards the cabin. There was little light out here and his face was
hidden by the shadows and the baseball cap he wore low on his head. Not
that he was likely wearing his real face. He was the master of disguise. And
manipulation.
Jason knew he shouldn’t trust him. But what was to be gained by
hanging out here? If he killed Maxwell, well, it was no great loss. And
Sting’s guys were still hidden around, guarding the cabin.
Finally, he sighed. He had better places to be than standing in the woods
in the middle of the night.
When he got home, he quickly stripped then climbed into bed with his
girl. He hated being far from her at the best of times, but especially at night
when the nightmares took hold. She rolled over and snuggled into him.
“Everything okay?”
“Everything is fine, baby blue. Go back to sleep. Daddy loves you.” He
couldn’t hold the words back, even knowing she likely wouldn’t hear them.
“Love you too, Daddy.”
He stiffened. But he knew she was half-asleep. Still, that’s when the
truth often came out, right?
A smile crossed his face as he drifted off to sleep.

H E GOT the call in the early hours. With a groan, he rolled over and picked
it up.
“What?”
“Well, is that any way to greet someone with good news?”
“Fox?”
 “Were you expecting it to be someone else?”
“What happened? What did you find out?” he asked quietly as he rose
from the bed. He moved to the bathroom as he spoke so he didn’t wake
Jewel. “Did he say anything?”
“Of course. Sang like a canary. Most of what he said wasn’t very
interesting. Seems he really doesn’t know who Mr. X is. He met with him
but he kept his face hidden. He called him the Russian because of his
accent.”
“So he didn’t tell you anything that we didn’t already know.” Then what
the fuck was the point to this phone call?
“Would I call if I didn’t have something?” the Fox’s voice grew cold.
Serious. Jason took it for the warning it was. “He told me that he had a
second base of operation, closer to Seattle. And that his guys mostly
escorted the girls who already had buyers, but that a number of girls were
also sent to an auction house. He gave me the location of his second base
and the auction house. I need to go check out both places.”
Okay, that was better.
“He also gave me a way of gaining entry to the auction. It’s invite-only
and very well guarded.”
“Jewel could still be in danger until we take down this Mr. X.”
“Hmm, yes. Although I’m going to give him more important things to
worry about. I would still keep her under watch until I make my move.”
Oh, he had no intentions of letting her get far from him. But he would
like to go home. It was starting to get stifling here. He could hire some
security. That could work. Once he had everything tied up here.
“And he’s still alive?”
“Just. If you want any more words, I wouldn’t wait too long.”
Jason grunted at that.
“Now, I’ve got to go get some beauty sleep. You should too. Lord
knows, your ugly mug needs it.”
A low growl escaped him before he could stop it. “You’re the one who
insists on meeting in the middle of the night.”
“You really should thank me for waking you up,” the Fox said.
“Why is that?”
“Because now you get to slip into bed with your girl and wake her up.”
That was actually the best idea the Fox had ever had.
 Jason hung up and climbed into bed. He gently rolled her onto her back
and then settled himself between her legs, and woke her up with an orgasm.
Yeah. That was a damn good way to start the day.
 27

“S o the Fox interrogated him?”

Jason watched Jewel carefully. She was still in bed. He’d
woken her up with an orgasm then he’d fucked her until they
were both sated before bringing her breakfast in bed. Which had become
their normal.
“Yeah, baby. He got all the information he could out of him. Including
the location of the auction house and Maxwell’s second base. Although we
have to be aware that Mr. X is likely to clean house and the auctions won’t
be held there anymore. However, he gave the Fox a way into the auction.”
“But he doesn’t know who this Mr. X is or even what he looks like?”
He shook his head.
“You think that he told him everything?”
“I think the Fox knows how to get someone to talk,” he said carefully.
She blanched. He hated having to talk to her about this. Had wanted to
shelter her from it. But would she have closure without seeing him?
He didn’t want it playing on her mind. If he could, he would erase all
memory of Maxwell from her brain.
But he didn’t have those powers. So he had to offer her this.
“Baby, listen to me for a moment.”
She raised her gaze to his. “What is it?”
“Maxwell is still alive, but I think you know that isn’t going to last.”
“You’re going to kill him?” she whispered.
For the first time, he felt doubt over his decision. What if she couldn’t
look at him if he stained his hands with Maxwell’s blood?
 “Are you okay with that?”
She swallowed heavily. “I didn’t really think about what was going to
happen to him . . . I just wanted this all to be over.”
“We can’t let him go, Jewel.”
“I know. And it’s not like I can send him to jail. I’m not . . . I couldn’t
handle a trial, telling people . . . besides he could get a really good lawyer
and get off.”
No, there wouldn’t be any jail time for Maxwell. He wouldn’t risk that.
“So there’s only one way of getting rid of him,” she whispered. “You
have to do it?”
“I don’t have to.” But he wanted to. He wanted to end that bastard’s life.
“I don’t want to know who did it or how it happened. I just want to
know when it’s done.”
“So you don’t want to be there?” he asked.
Her eyes widened. “No.”
“Do you want to see him before it happens?”
“No.” She shook her head frantically.
“Take a moment to think about it, baby. This is your last chance for
anything you want to say, to tell him. I don’t want you to have regrets.”
She licked her lips and closed her eyes for a long moment. He hated
this. Hated making her feel anything other than happiness. All he wanted
was to shelter her from anything that might hurt her. But he had to at least
give her this opportunity.
“No, I don’t. I don’t need to see him again. I don’t want to see him
again. I just want him to disappear. But this time for real. Just make sure he
really isn’t coming back. Please.”
He drew her into his lap, rocking her back and forth. “I promise, baby
girl. He is never going to be a problem for you again.”
She nodded her head, pushing her face into his chest as he just held her.

T WO HOURS LATER , he paid a visit to the cabin and the job was done.
Maxwell was gone. Never to threaten her again.
 28

“H ere you go, Daddy. I made this just for you.”

Jason put aside the laptop he was working on to focus on
his baby. He was busy making arrangements to get the girls
back home. He’d decided on a private jet that would fly them to Russia then
he was going to hire a security firm to transport each girl home. But he had
to make sure to cover all his tracks so none of that could be traced back to
him or his family.
Over the past few days, Jewel had started relaxing even more. His
family adored her. Well, Jagger was keeping his distance ,which was for the
best since Jason would likely lose it again if he did anything to upset his
girl.
He studied the weirdly shaped item she held up to him, wondering what
the fuck it was. It was made mostly of popsicle sticks, glue, glitter then a
fuckload more of glue.
“Thank you, baby blue,” he told her sincerely, carefully taking hold of
the item since it looked like it was moments from falling apart.
“Aren’t you going to use it, Daddy?” she asked.
“Umm.”
What the fuck was it?
He stared down at it then over at her. She gave him an innocent look.
Only she ducked her head just a shade too slowly and he caught a sassy grin
adorning her face.
Having him on, was she?
That brat.
 Amusement filled him.
“I definitely want to use it. I have just the thing to keep in it as well. I
bought something for you, but haven’t had a chance to show you.” He set
the popsicle stick monstrosity down and rose to his feet.
She gave him a curious look as he walked into the bathroom. Earlier,
he’d changed the color on her nails. Now she had bright yellow nails and a
lipstick that was called, Devil in Disguise.
He’d also tied a bright yellow ribbon around her ponytail and dressed
her in tights with a ruffly yellow skirt and white top. She was freaking
adorable.
His little ray of sunshine.
Yeah. Right. She was more like a storm. And he fucking loved that.
When he returned with the object in hand, he saw her eyes widen.
“What’s that?”
“This is your beginner butt plug,” he explained. “We’re going to use it
to stretch your bottom.”
“Nuh-uh, Daddy.”
“Yes, baby blue. And when we’re not using it, we can store it in your
popsicle stick box.” Provided the box didn’t fall apart.
“No way, Daddy! I didn’t build this to hold a butt plug.” She tried to
grab her creation but he’d already picked it up. He walked over and set it
down on the bedside table, then he placed the butt plug on top of it. Since it
didn’t really have a lid. It was more like a butt plug bed.
“That is not happening, Daddy!”
“Oh, it is.”
“You are not sticking that thing up my butt!”
“Oh, I am.” They’d already spoken at length about anal play so he knew
she was more than a bit curious. She was also nervous and obviously felt
the need to argue about it.
“No! Give me my . . . my creation back!”
“Your creation?”
“Yes! I want it back.”
“Careful, baby blue. Sounds like you’re awfully close to a tantrum
there.” He’d kept her up most of the night making love to her, so it wouldn’t
surprise him that she was a bit tired today.
Didn’t mean he was letting her get away with too much sass. Especially
over something she’d agreed to.
 Perhaps it would be a good idea to get this over with, so she didn’t have
to worry anymore.
“I’m not having a tantrum. I want my thingee back.”
“You gave it to me, I can do what I like with it.”
“You can’t put a butt plug in it, Daddy. That’s not cool.”
“Daddy never claimed to be cool. Now, I still have work to do. Go
finish playing.” He made his voice firm as he pointed over to her creative
corner. He’d set it up with the jewelry-making kit and crafts. Sometimes she
liked doing activities while in Little headspace. Other times, she wanted to
play on his PlayStation. He’d taken all of this into consideration when he’d
set her up with her own space at his house.
He’d enlisted Sting’s help to set up a security team for them when they
got home. Until he was certain she was safe, she was going to have security.
Even if she didn’t know that yet.
Thankfully, Dax hadn’t seen anyone else watching Callen. So it seemed
like Maxwell had likely sent someone there temporarily to capture photos
of her son, but had pulled him back out. No doubt he’d seen it as a waste of
resources once he had what he wanted.
Her.
Still, he’d asked Sting to leave Dax there for a bit longer. He had no
way of knowing if Mr. X knew of the boy, although there was no reason for
Maxwell to tell him. Still, better safe than sorry. Jewel hadn’t spoken to him
yet about her son, but he knew she would.
There would be no secrets between them.
He wouldn’t allow it.
But he wasn’t ready to push. Not yet. Not until all of this was over.
Then they’d sit down for a chat.
The Fox had gone straight from here to the location of the auction house
but as he’d thought, it had all been cleared out. No trace of anything. Same
with Maxwell’s second base of operations. Seemed Mr. X had done some
clean-up. But the Fox thought they would set up a new auction house in a
different location, so he was still working on getting an invitation. It was
one step closer to getting to Mr. X.
Jason pretended to be engrossed in his laptop as he watched her sneak
over to the popsicle monstrosity. She probably thought she was being
stealthy.
Fuck, she amused him.
 Then she reached out and grasped hold of the butt plug. What was she
planning on doing with it?
“What are you doing?” he asked mildly.
She swung around, her hands going behind her back to hide the
evidence. “Me? What? Nothing. What are you doing?”
“Nothing, huh? What’s behind your back?”
“What’s behind your back?” she countered.
“The back of the chair,” he replied. “Show me your hands.”
She showed him one then the other one.
“Both at the same time.”
“Why do you want to see my hands?” she demanded.
“Because I want to see what’s in them.”
“There’s nothing in them.” She shuffled around, looking like a toddler
needing to pee.
“Do you need to pee?”
“No.” She gave him an affronted look. “Do you need to pee?”
“Stop turning my questions back on me and show me your hands.”
Somehow, she managed to show him both hands at the same time. And
there was nothing in them. Which meant she’d stashed the butt plug
somewhere.
“Turn around.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Daddy, I don’t have time for your silly
games. I got things to do. And so do you. Go back to work. I got to pee.”
“You just said that you didn’t need to pee.”
“A girl can change her mind! Sheesh.” She started to back away,
towards the bathroom. What did the brat think she was doing?
“Why are you walking backward? That’s dangerous.”
He set his laptop aside.
She pointed at him. “You stay right where you are, Daddy! I gots to do
private things that you’re not invited to attend.”
“Private things?” he queried. “Like what?”
“Poop,” she said in a high voice. “I have to poop. Are you happy now?”
“Am I happy that you have to poop?”
“Um, yeah?”
“Well, I’m happy that you’re not all blocked up,” he told her, barely
able to hold back a smile.
“Daddy! Don’t talk about my pooping!”
 “You brought it up first.”
“Yes . . . yes . . . but, it’s not a nice thing to talk about so we shouldn’t
talk about it. Okay, Daddy?”
“Okay, but there is something we should talk about.”
“What’s that, Daddy?” She gave him an innocent look.
“Well, how about the fact that you’re lying to me.”
She gave a fake, shocked gasp, putting her hand on her chest. “Daddy, I
have no idea what you are talking about.”
“You stole the butt plug and are now attempting to sneak into the
bathroom with the butt plug, probably so you can throw it away. How close
am I?”
“Daddy, I don’t want it kept in my popsicle house.”
“All right, I know somewhere else we can keep it.”
“The trash can?”
He slowly stood. “Oh no, I know somewhere far warmer. Somewhere
nice and snug. In fact, it’s like the plug was designed to be kept there.”
Alarm filled her face. “No, Daddy!”
“Oh yes. We’ll put it away nice and safe in your little bottom. Right
after I give your bottom a warm-up for being naughty. You know that lying
and trying to keep things from Daddy is not allowed.”
She let out a squeal and dashed into the bathroom, shutting and locking
the door behind her.
The brat was definitely in for it now.
He heard the toilet flush and paused. She wouldn’t, would she?
Little did she know that the lock on this door hadn’t worked properly in
years and all it took was him yanking the door handle hard. Yep, there it
went. He opened the door and walked in.
Jewel was standing next to the toilet, frantically flushing it. “Go down,
you little bastard. Go down. No going in my ass for you today.”
He raised his eyebrows. He half-expected her to come out with a
maniacal laugh.
“You want to explain what you’re doing, brat?”
She let out a screech loud enough that the whole house probably heard.
He winced. Not because of the noise, but because he’d clearly given her
more of a fright than he’d meant to.
She was leaning back against the bathroom wall, panting for air, her
hand on her heart.
 “Sorry, baby blue. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Shit. Shit. I didn’t even hear you. How did you get in? Wait, you broke
in while I was in the bathroom? Do you know how many privacy laws that
breaks!”
All right, so she’d recovered quickly. She was now glaring at him, her
hands on her hips.
Oh, she was in so much trouble.
“Hmm, I’m going to go with none.”
“I’m sure it breaks some.”
He gave her a pointed look. “Who is the Daddy in this relationship?”
“You are.” She pouted.
“Who is the Little?”
She sighed. A long, drawn-out affair. “Me.”
“You shouldn’t lock yourself away from Daddy.”
“I needed privacy.”
“If you actually needed privacy then all you had to do is ask. But we
both know that the only reason you needed privacy is to be naughty.”
He walked over to the toilet. “Where’s the plug, baby blue?”
She slammed shut the toilet lid. “I don’t know what you mean!”
“Then why can’t I look in the toilet?”
“Umm, because, I, umm, shit.”
“Because of shit?” he asked with amusement.
Her face went bright red. It was rare to see Jewel blush and it nearly had
him bursting into laughter. But she’d been naughty and he didn’t want her
to think he condoned that sort of behavior.
“No! Jeez. Fine, I put the plug in the toilet.”
He flicked up the toilet lid, looking down at the butt plug that was
resting at the bottom. He sighed.
“Guess it can’t go up my butt now, huh, Daddy?” she said in a cheerful
voice. “Too bad. I was really looking forward to that.”
He gave her a stern look.
Do. Not. Laugh.
He pointed to the bedroom. “Corner now. Pants and panties off. Ass
pointing out.”
“But, Daddy, it was an accident.”
“Little girl, sneaking your butt plug into the bathroom and trying to
flush it down the toilet is very naughty behavior. But lying to Daddy is even
worse.”
She dropped her gaze, staring down at the floor. “Sorry, Daddy. I was
just having some fun.”
He tilted up her chin. “I know you were. But lying still isn’t allowed.”
“Sorry, Daddy.”
“Corner now. No arguing.”
While she raced off, he turned to look at the butt plug with a sigh.
Awesome. Well, he was sure this wasn’t the first time a butt plug had ended
up in a toilet.

J EWEL WAS STARTING to feel a bit bad.

After all, she had told Jason she was interested in anal sex. Maybe. But
she hadn’t expected butt plugs. Nobody told her about that.
How else do you expect him to prepare you?
She’d kind of thought he’d just stick it in. It was one thing that Maxwell
had never done. He was a bit of a germaphobe and the thought of anal sex
had grossed him out.
Too bad, he hadn’t felt that way about drugging her and forcing her to
have sex.
Shit. Stop thinking about that.
She bit at her fingernail. Ouch. Then the sour taste of the stuff that Jason
had put on her nails hit her taste buds and she drew her finger away from
her mouth. “Gross.”
“Jewel? You all right?”
Suddenly he was there, behind her. Turning, she fell into him.
“Hey, what is it?” He ran his hand up and down her back as he held her
gently. “If you don’t want to experiment with the plug then all you have to
do is tell me.”
“It’s not that. I don’t know why I stuck it in the toilet. I just hadn’t
thought about you, um, preparing me.”
“You thought I’d just take you without preparing you?” he asked,
sounding shocked.
“Guess I just didn’t think about a butt plug. Kind of gross, Daddy.”
 “Well, they are when you stick it down the toilet then Daddy has to fish
it out.”
“Sorry.” She bit her lip to hide her smile.
“You will be,” he growled.
Drat. She buried her face in his chest.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?”
“That shit you put on my nails tastes disgusting.”
He drew back and grabbed her hand, looking down at her fingers with a
frown. “Baby.”
“I stopped,” she said quickly. “Once I tasted that crap.”
Gently, he raised her fingers and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I hate
seeing you hurt.”
“Guess that means I won’t be getting a spanking then, huh?” she
snarked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Nice try. A spanking to correct behavior is a lot different than you
being hurt in another way.”
“Daddy, that makes no sense.”
“What were you thinking about when you did this?”
Her gaze danced away. He turned her head, bringing her gaze back to
his.
“About him. I felt small.”
“Fuck.” He drew her close once more, rocking back and forth. “I hate
that.”
“I’m getting better. It doesn’t pull me under, doesn’t weigh me down
like it did before. I’m fighting against those thoughts.”
“I know. Because you’re a fucking warrior.”
She wasn’t sure about that. But if she was, she knew that it was largely
due to him. Because of his support. “Don’t ever let me go.”
“I wouldn’t. I fucking love you, Jewel.”
She sucked in a breath, aware it was the first time he’d said it like this.
Straight out said it. Not a murmur as she was falling asleep, or talking
around it.
“I’ve never been loved,” she whispered. “I’ve been coveted. I’ve been
possessed and abused. Never loved.”
“I love you, Jewel. I have for a long time. You’re my entire world. My
everything.”
 “You’re my everything too,” she whispered. “I love you so much. If
anything ever happened to you . . .”
“It won’t. My sole purpose in life is to make sure you’re safe and happy.
Can’t do that if I’m not around.”
Then he leaned down and kissed her. His hand cupped the side of her
face, his thumb lightly caressing her cheek. She slid her arms around his
neck, clinging to him. He moved his hands to her ass and hoisted her up so
she could wrap her legs around his waist.
Turning, he leaned her against the wall and kissed her until everything
around her melted away. When he drew back, his eyes were filled with heat.
“When you kiss me everything else disappears.”
“Then every time you have a bad thought you should tell me so I can
kiss you.”
Oh. She liked the idea of that.
“What if you’re not here?”
“Then send me a kissing emoji and I’ll get to you as quick as possible.”
She had to grin. “What if we’re in public?”
“You don’t want to kiss me in public?”
“Well, this sort of kiss probably isn’t appropriate for public
consumption.”
“Then I’ll pick you up and take you somewhere else. I’d kiss you
anywhere, anytime. I want you to come to me rather than deal with those
dark thoughts on your own. Got me?”
“I got you,” she whispered. “How can you be so perfect for me?”
“Told you, baby blue. I was made just for you.”
“Maybe you should take me to bed and I’ll reward you for being mine,”
she said huskily.
That heat grew in his gaze then he narrowed his eyes at her. “Nice try.”
Huh?
“I haven’t forgotten about your naughtiness. We have a spanking to take
care of first. Then you’re getting plugged. And then you can reward me.”
“Ahh, pretty sure I’m not rewarding you after you spank and plug me.
You should just skip that part. Wait, you can’t plug me!”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s been in the toilet. It’s a toilet plug now. It’s got toilet
cooties.”
Umm, did she really just say that?
 He narrowed his gaze. “Like I’d use that plug on you. I have another
one.”
What? Fuck! She hadn’t thought about that, had she?
“Damn Boy Scout.”
“I was never a Boy Scout, but when it comes to you I’m always
prepared.”
“Dude, that was cheesy.” But she found herself giggling as he carried
her to the bed. Where she saw he’d laid out another butt plug and a tube of
lube.
Oh hell.
He set her down on her feet by the bed.
Gently, he stripped her off until she was naked. Sitting, he drew her
between his legs and ran a finger down her stomach to her mound then he
ran it lightly through her bare lips. She let out a small gasp as he touched
her clit. She spread her legs, giving him more room to work with. He
pushed his finger deeper between her lips, finding the moisture there. Then
he slid a single finger into her pussy.
“I think someone is turned on by the idea of being plugged.”
She shook her head, even though she was totally lying. The idea kind of
horrified and aroused her on all at once. He drove his finger in and out of
her slick passage, making a liar of her.
He pulled his fingers from her pussy then held them up to her, shiny
with her pleasure. “Open.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She opened her lips and he slid his fingers into her mouth. “Suck.”
He didn’t have to prompt her twice. Her subtle flavor filled her mouth
as she cleaned his fingers. When he drew them out, she was breathing
faster.
“Good girl. We’re taking care of the spanking first.”
She pouted. He tapped her lower lip.
“Then I’m going to plug you. I was going to put you back in the corner,
but the last thing you really need is time to think.”
Yeah, she agreed with that.
He slid back on the bed and then helped her climb over his lap. Her
torso and legs were now resting on the bed as he massaged her ass.
“Why’re you being spanked, baby blue?”
She groaned. She just wanted it over with. She didn’t want to talk. Gah!
 He gave her a sharp slap but she knew it wasn’t the start of the
spanking. He wanted an answer.
“Because you think I need one?”
Slap! “Nope. Try again.”
“Because you’re mean?”
Slap! Slap! “Try again.”
All right, this plan was stupid. All it was getting her was extra smacks.
She sighed. She made sure her sigh was very long to let him know how
disgruntled she was.
“Because I stole the butt plug and tried to flush it down the toilet,” she
muttered.
“And?”
“Umm, and because I lied about it.”
“It’s a count of twenty.”
“Twenty!” she protested, trying to wriggle off his lap.
“We can make it twenty-five, baby blue,” he warned.
Well. Hell.
She slumped down on his lap, muttering to herself. To think this had all
started with a badly built popsicle stick house.
“I’ll never look at popsicle sticks the same way again,” she muttered.
“Me neither.”

J ASON PEPPERED her ass with stinging blows.

She started off still. But as he’d known she would, about seven spanks
in, she started wriggling. Then her legs began kicking. About halfway
through, she attempted to throw herself off his lap.
He was ready for her, though. He wouldn’t allow her to fall and hurt
herself. He grabbed her hands, which had tried to sneak back to protect
herself, and continued to spank those plump ass cheeks until they turned
pink then red.
At sixteen smacks, she started to relax. A small sob escaped. That’s
when he moved his hand to her thighs.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
By now, she was completely limp, accepting. He rubbed her lower back
while she sniffled and sobbed. It hadn’t been a particularly hard spanking,
but she’d obviously needed to release some tension and emotion.
 He longed to cuddle her, soothe her. He’d never been the cuddling type
until her. She changed everything. Unfortunately, they had something to
take care of first.
Reaching over, he picked up the lube. She tensed as he parted her butt
cheeks.
“Can we talk about this?” she asked in a high-pitched voice.
Normally, he would stop whatever he was doing to talk to her. But with
this, it seemed the more time she had to think the more nervous she got.
“Trust me?”
She gave a frustrated groan. “You know I do.”
“Then just do what I say. Daddy would never harm you.”
Instead of using the lube on her right away, he decided to try something
else first. Using the palm of his hand, he placed it down over her hole,
putting pressure around it.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh. Just see if you like the feel of this. You are so fucking beautiful
with your pink ass. Lying on my lap. My cock is so damn hard.”
“I could take care of that,” she said to him as she started to relax.
“Soon,” he promised her. He slowly lightened the pressure. “How does
that feel?”
“Oddly, it feels kind of nice.”
He dabbed some lube on her puckered hole. So pretty. He circled her
hole, using light touches, just getting her used to his touch there.
“What if you don’t like it? What if I don’t like it?”
“Then we stop and we don’t have to do this again,” he told her.
She turned her head to stare at him over her shoulder. “Really? You
won’t be upset?”
He gave her a partly exasperated look. When would she learn? “The
only thing that would upset me is something happening to you. But I want
you to try this, okay? Pretty sure you’ll love it, you’re just working it up in
your head to be something scary.”
“Okay, fine, you’re right.”
“Course I am,” he replied, putting some lube on two fingers. “I’m
always right.”
She made a scoffing noise. “And so modest.”
He had to grin. Then he pressed a finger to her ass. “Relax, baby blue.”
“Right. Relax. Sure thing.”
 He slowly slid his finger into her. Fuck, that was so damn tight. “Good
girl. Breathe out. Good. My finger is inside you and it is so fucking hot.”
“You’re so weird.”
“You like my weird.”
“That’s because I’m weird too.”
He moved his finger. In and out in slow movements. Her legs spread
slightly and he knew she was getting turned on. Well, more turned on.
“Going to add another finger,” he told her. “Deep breath then out. Good
girl. That’s right. Damn, baby I cannot wait to get my cock in your ass.”
She let out a small whimper and he paused. “Sore?”
“No, I’m turned on.”
She wasn’t the only one. His dick felt like it was going to explode in his
pants. Fuck, this was hot. Finally, when she was relaxed and accepting his
two fingers, he slid them free so he could lube up the plug.
“This isn’t much bigger than my two fingers,” he told her as he parted
her cheeks again and pressed the tip against her hole. “Here it goes. You
know what to do.”
He heard her take in a breath then as she let it out, he slid the plug
inside her. It nestled between her cheeks, just the heart-shaped jewel
showing.
“Fuck me, baby. I want you wearing this all the time. I want to bend you
over whenever I feel like it, lift your skirt or pull down your pants and see a
jewel peeking back at me. Wonder if we can get one made that says mine.”
“Daddy!”
“We could see if there’s one that says Daddy. Good idea.”
“That is not what I meant!”
“Ahh but you like that idea, too, don’t you?” he asked. He could tell.
Her breathing was faster, her pulse racing and if he touched her pussy right
now he knew she’d be wet as hell.
But she didn’t get to come just yet. No, his naughty girl had to wait.
He lifted her off his lap and had her stand in front of him.
“You can’t do that!” she protested. “I couldn’t wear this out in public.”
She stared at him, aghast.
Standing, he leaned down and kissed her. “You will if I say. Try to flush
your plug down the toilet again and that’s exactly what will happen.”
Her eyes went wide.
Yeah, they were definitely trying that one day.
 He grabbed a pillow and put it on the floor. “Kneel here.”
Her mouth dropped open then hunger filled her gaze. She knelt eagerly.
Well, eagerly and kind of awkwardly since she wasn’t used to the plug in
her ass.
“Don’t lose that plug,” he warned as he walked into the bathroom to
wash his hands. Then he grabbed the free-standing mirror and moved it so it
was behind her. Perfect.
Turning, she stared at him. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Giving myself a good view.” He quickly stripped and grabbed his
cock, giving it a few tugs. Not that that was necessary, since he was hard as
fuck. But still, he liked the way she watched him, licking her lips.
Yeah, his baby loved sucking his cock. There was no denying it. That
made him feel like a fucking king.
Of course, he made sure to reciprocate by eating her out as often as he
could.
Moving around her, he sat back on the bed.
“Open.”
She opened her mouth and he guided his dick between those plump lips.
Today she had a light pink lipstick on called Twinkle Toes. He preferred the
brighter colors but this was pretty too.
Any color was pretty when her lips were wrapped around his dick. She
waited for his commands.
“Such a good girl,” he murmured. “Suck.”
She started to take him further into her mouth, sucking on his dick.
Fuck, she was good at that. He started closing his eyes before he
remembered the mirror.
He trained his eyes on the mirror, watching as she bobbed her head up
and down. He wrapped her hair around his hand.
“Spread your legs and stick your ass out.”
She did as ordered, her pink ass poking out, giving him glimpses of the
plug between her cheeks.
Damn. He wasn’t going to last long.
“You’re going to suck me all down, aren’t you, baby blue? You’re not
going to let anything escape.”
She made a low, moaning noise.
“Reach down to your pussy, stick two fingers inside yourself.”
Her murmur was more of pleasure than protest.
 “That’s my good girl. Get this nice and wet for me. I want to taste.”
Fuck, the things this girl did with her mouth . . . she was killing him.
“Damn, I’m so fucking close. Remember what I said,” he warned.
“Now give me those fingers.”
She slowly held up her wet digits and he took them into his mouth,
sucking on them the way she was doing to his dick. He stared into the
mirror as he felt his orgasm build in the small of his back. Then he groaned.
“Coming, baby blue.”
He groaned as he found his release in her mouth. Shit. Fuck. His eyes
practically rolled back in his head at the pleasure. His orgasm raced through
him, and she drank him all down.
Then she licked her way up his dick and over the head. Fucked if she
wasn’t going to get him hard again. He couldn’t recover that quickly.
“Come here, baby blue.” He helped her stand then lifted her so she was
straddling his lap. Leaning in, he kissed her, uncaring that he could taste his
release.
Cupping her breasts, he toyed with her nipples, running his thumbs over
the tips.
“Please, please,” she begged, shifting around on his lap.
“What do you need?”
“I need you. I need to come. Please.”
He lifted her to the bed, placing her down so she was sitting on the
edge.
“Ouch!” she complained. “Can’t I lie down?”
“Nope,” he told her. “You were punished for being naughty. You’re just
lucky you get to come. Many Tops won’t let their bottoms come after a
punishment.”
“Fine. Fine, I’ll sit,” she said hastily.
Yeah. He thought she’d see it that way.
Then it was his turn to kneel between her legs. “What do you want me
to do?”
“Lick me. Eat me. Taste me. Make me come.”
“Good girl for telling me. Part your pussy lips. Show me how wet you
are.”
She reached down and parted the lips of her pussy. Fuck yes.
“Touch your clit.”
She froze. Tension came off her in spades. “I . . . I . . . what?”
 “Touch your clit, baby. I won’t ask again.” He kept his voice firm.
She reached down and started fingering her clit.
“Good girl,” he murmured to her. “Your pussy is so fucking beautiful.
Doesn’t that feel good?”
“Not as good as when you do it,” she murmured.
Satisfaction flooded him. “Circle your clit. Show me what you like.”
“But you know what I like.”
“I’m going to help you,” he whispered as she hesitated. “I’m going to
finger fuck you while you play with your clit. Can you do that for me?”
“I think so. It feels a bit weird, having you watch me.”
“Close your eyes. Imagine it’s me touching your mound, running my
finger around your clit. That’s it. Nice slow circles. Now start to flick it.”
As he spoke, he slid two fingers into her pussy. Christ, she was sucking
him in, her warmth surrounding him. Yep, his cock was getting hard again.
That dick didn’t understand that there was supposed to be a recovery
time. Apparently, when it came to her, his dick threw all rules out the
window.
He moved his fingers faster.
“I’m close to coming,” she moaned, her thighs shaking, her pussy
clenching down on his fingers.
“Then come, baby. Come hard. Let me hear you scream.”
Her frantic gasps filled the room as she moved her finger faster. He
matched her pace, delighting in her scream of pleasure as it filled the room.
She collapsed back on the bed and he drew his fingers out, sucking on them
before placing a light kiss on her clit. Then he licked her pussy clean,
humming at her delicious taste.
“I can’t believe I did that,” she whispered.
“And it was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen in my life,” he told
her. Leaning over her, he kissed her. “I’m proud of you.”
“First time anyone has ever been proud of me for making myself come.”
He had to grin. Then slid lower to her nipple, sucking on it. “I want you
to turn so you’re facing the end of the bed, then roll over onto your hands
and knees, understand?”
She got into position. Her head was towards the end of the bed, her feet
towards the head. Moving in behind her, he grabbed her hips and ran his
dick along her slick lips.
“Look into the mirror, Jewel,” he commanded.
 “Oh hell.” She raised her head, looking into the mirror just as he slid
inside her. Her lips parted, her eyes going sort of dreamy. Fuck. Yes.
“I can’t look.”
“You can,” he told her.
“Do you have some voyeurism kink?”
“Not interested in watching other people fuck,” he replied, penetrating
her with long, slow thrusts that were actually torture. But he wanted this to
last, unlike when he’d had his dick buried in her mouth. He’d never shot his
load so quickly in his life. Well, not since he was a teenager, anyway.
“Do you want other people watching us?” she asked.
“Nobody gets to see you naked, but me,” he growled. Just the thought
of someone seeing her like this made him murderous.
Her eyebrows rose. He remembered when he’d told her about how he’d
like to finger her until she came while they were in public.
“But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t make you come without anyone
around us knowing. We could be at a party and I’d sneak us into a closet,
press you against the wall and take you from behind.”
Not that he was ever likely to go to a party. But this was all just a
fantasy.
“Or if we were at a restaurant, I’d choose a dark, corner booth. I would
have you wear a long skirt and no panties. I’d lift your leg on top of my
thigh then reach down the front of your skirt and finger you until you
came.”
“God.” She clenched around him and he knew she was close to coming.
Good, because he was finding it hard to concentrate. Even if they never did
any of this, the idea of it seemed to turn them both on.
“Then after you’d come, I’d make you lick my fingers clean. You
always do that, don’t you, my girl?”
She groaned as she came, pulsating around his dick. He groaned as he
slammed into her once. Twice. Then he followed her over.
Fuck. So much for lasting longer.
 29

J ewel lay in Jason’s arms, her head resting on his chest.

He’d cleaned them both up, but neither of them had bothered to
get dressed again. She had her thigh over his, and was running her
finger across his nipple absentmindedly.
She was still kind of shocked that this big, protective, kind-of crazy-in-
a-hot-way guy loved her.
Her.
But hey, if he was insane enough to love her then who was she to deny
him?
Gently, he grabbed her hand, pulling her fingers away from his nipple.
He interlaced their fingers. “What you thinking?”
She didn’t ask how he knew she was thinking. It seemed she was always
thinking. Well, she didn’t think that much during Little headspace.
“I’m still shocked that you loved me.”
“Yeah, well, ditto. But I’m fucking glad that you do.” He rolled them so
she was on her back and he was on his side, staring down at her. “So
fucking glad.”
She cupped his cheek, his whiskers lightly tickling her. “I want to tell
you about my son.”
His eyes flared. “You sure?”
“I trust you. I love you. It’s time I talked about him.”
He took hold of her hand and kissed the palm. “Thank you, baby.” He
sat and leaned back against the headboard. Then he parted his legs and
patted the mattress between them. She scooted her way between his legs,
resting her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
Keeping her grounded and safe.
“I was fifteen when I got pregnant. I thought this guy at school really
liked me, but he was just being nice to me to get into my pants. ”
“That asshole.”
“Gets worse,” she warned. “At that stage, I was actually in one of the
nicer foster homes. Or I thought it was. I was sent to live with them when I
was fourteen. It was actually the family that came after the home where I
met Reyes. The husband wasn’t a creep and the wife made sure I was fed
and clothed. They were pretty well off. I was the only foster kid so I
actually had my own bedroom and bathroom. It was a really nice gig for
me.”
“What happened?”
She sucked in a breath. This wasn’t something she liked to talk about.
“Jewel?” He tucked her hair back out of the way so he could lay a kiss
on the skin behind her ear. “You can tell me anything.”
“I don’t want you to think badly of me.”
“I could never do that.”
“You don’t know what I did. How stupid I was.”
“Baby, you were fifteen and pregnant. I did so many stupid things when
I was younger. Teenagers don’t make the best decisions.”
No, they didn’t. “I figured my foster parents would be mad when I told
them I was pregnant, that they’d try to get rid of me. My social worker
came around occasionally, but mostly she’d just call. I was small but you
couldn’t tell that I was pregnant if I wore a baggy shirt. I don’t know what I
was thinking would happen when I eventually gave birth to a baby.
Anyway, I was about six months pregnant when they found out.”
“Six months? What about doctors’ visits? Pre-natal vitamins? Scans?”
“I didn’t have any of that. I was scared. Even though the school I went
to was filled with over-privileged bullies, I was living in a good place and I
didn’t want to leave. At least I thought it was a good place.” She’d been so
stupid. “Anyway, one day, my foster mom came into my room while I was
getting changed. I always locked the door. I just forgot that day.”
“She just walked in?”
“She probably thought I wasn’t in. She’d come in to put my laundry
away. She saw my baby belly and freaked. Made me tell her everything and
freaked again. Then she told me to stay in my room until dinner.”
 She was grateful for his arms around her, holding her still.
“I thought that they’d tell me to leave at dinner. Call my social worker.
So I spent the time packing and freaking out. But when I came down to
dinner, they were really nice. Asking me how I was. How I felt. Questions
about the pregnancy, and about the boy who’d gotten me pregnant.
Afterward they sat me down in the living room, told me that they were
worried about me.”
“About your health?”
“About my future. They said that if social services found out that I’d
gotten pregnant with them, that they’d make me leave. That they wouldn’t
be considered fit foster parents. And that they cared about me and didn’t
want me to go. I was so shocked. I thought I was pretty cynical by then. But
I fell for it. I wanted to believe it. Idiot.”
“Baby, you were fifteen.”
“Nearly sixteen. They gave me a plan. I’d keep hiding my pregnancy
and they’d tell my social worker that June, my foster mom, was pregnant.
They’d tell her that she was four months on. Then when the baby came,
they’d claim it was early or something. If they told the social worker that
the baby was June’s then I could stay with them and so could the baby.
Otherwise, they said social services would take the baby from me. I had
seen that happen so often, I believed them. And I agreed to the plan. During
the last few months, it would have been harder to hide my pregnancy except
it was the summer holidays. I basically hid inside the house.”
“What about doctor’s check-ups?”
“They hired a private doctor to come to the house for check-ups and for
when I went into labor.”
“What if you’d had complications? What about drugs and shit?” His
arms tightened around her.
“I couldn’t have an epidural or anything. There was gas but it made me
vomit. In fact, I was really sick and exhausted once I’d given birth. I was so
happy to see the baby, but also happy when June took him away. Because I
wanted to rest. How selfish is that?”
“Jesus, baby girl. It’s not selfish at all. You were a kid who’d just given
birth. Of course you were exhausted.”
“Another man appeared as the doctor was getting me cleaned up. Said
he was a lawyer. That June and Ben wanted to provide for the baby and had
drawn up some documents to get a trust fund set up.”
 “What the fuck? Why approach you then?”
“I didn’t think anything of it until later, but at the time I thought they
were being so nice. I signed it without reading what it said. After I gave
birth, things were weird. June basically did everything for the baby. I
thought it was because she was trying to help. But soon, the only time I got
to see Callen was when I was breastfeeding. I should have done something,
snatched him up, and run. I don’t know. Something.”
“You were young. They were in a position of authority. Of course you
listened to them. You thought they were helping you.”
“I had to go back to school when Callen was just a month old. I thought
I was lucky that June could stay at home and look after him. Like we were
all co-parents or some such shit. Going back to school was hard. The kids
were assholes and I was tired and emotional. I’d fall asleep in class. I had a
short temper. One girl was particularly nasty. One day I had enough and
lashed out at her, nearly starting a fight.”
“Poor baby.”
“I played right into their plans. When Callen was six weeks old, I was
called into the principal’s office. My social worker was there. I was so
scared she’d found out that Callen wasn’t June and Ben’s. That he was
mine. Instead, she told me that June and Ben couldn’t take care of me now
that they had a new baby. That they were concerned I was jealous and
angry, and that they were worried I might . . . I might hurt the baby. I was in
such shock I didn’t say anything for a while. My social worker said we
were leaving, that she had my stuff already. June had kindly packed
everything up and let me take what they’d bought for me.”
“That fucking bitch. Did you tell your social worker the truth?”
“Yeah. She didn’t believe me. Basically laughed at me. They were
upstanding citizens and did I really expect her to believe they’d hidden this?
That they’d stolen my baby? She’d seen June when she was wearing the
fake baby bump. She called me a selfish little liar.” She sobbed and he
turned her, holding her as she shook in his arms. “They must have waited
until all visible signs that I’d given birth disappeared. I looked normal. But
on the inside, I was devastated.”
“Baby girl.” He rocked her back and forth. “I’m so sorry.”
“I was sent to a family across the country. Not a good family. There
were four foster kids and we were treated like a money ticket. But I
managed to get a job, I worked hard for three months, saved up enough for
a bus ticket. I went back to that town to get him. I was going to take him.
But . . . they were gone. They fucking disappeared with him.”
“Oh, baby.”
“The cops found me a few hours later. The social worker had a good
idea of where I’d gone. I was sent to a group home next. When I left social
services care, I was really lost. I made lots of bad decisions. Then I was
reading this book about BDSM from the library, it clicked with me. I
thought if I just had a Dom, someone who cared about me I’d be all right.
That’s when I met Maxwell.”
Jason swore long and loud. They were silent for a long time. “Have you
seen him since? Your son?”
“Ah, yeah. After Reyes helped me escape from Maxwell, he asked me
what I wanted to do. I just completely broke down. I was a mess. I spilled
everything. I wasn’t in a good headspace. I was talking about harming
myself. He got me admitted to a place that could help me with my
destructive thoughts and the fact that I was having to come off a concoction
of drugs.”
She curled in on herself, completely ashamed.
“Hey, look at me. Look at me.” He raised her face. He looked fierce.
Furious. But for her, not at her. “None of that was your fault. You think it’s
weak to ask for help? It’s not. It’s fucking brave and I’m so proud of you.”
She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. He held her without saying
a word, held her until she calmed down. When she drew back, she was
sniffling and wiping at her cheeks with her hands. Reaching over, he
grabbed a tissue.
“Blow.”
Dear Lord. She couldn’t believe he expected her to let him help her
blow her nose. But he simply raised an eyebrow. She blew and he cleaned
her up.
“Everyone needs help now and then,” he told her.
“Yeah? Even you?”
“Even me. I had my issues when I returned from deployment. You think
I didn’t need help then?”
Okay, now she felt like a selfish cow. Here she was, sharing all her shit
and she hadn’t offered to help or listen to him at all.
“Do you still have problems? Where were you on deployment? What
happened?”
 “No, baby.” He placed a finger on her lips. “We’re not talking about me
right now.”
She moved her face away. “But we should.”
“I got help, baby blue. I’m all right.”
“I got help too. Problem is, I’m still screwed up.”
He frowned down at her. “You’d think having just got your butt roasted
that you would be more careful not to talk badly about yourself.”
“It’s the truth!” she said in defense.
“You’re not helping yourself.”
Drat.
“I need to continue with my story,” she said hastily. When he didn’t
swing her over his lap, she relaxed and kept going. “Reyes helped me get a
new name and ID. When I left that place, he was there waiting. He had all
the information on where to find my son. He’d hired a private investigator
for me using the last of his money. I went to the city where he was living
with June and Ben. God, I hate them so much. I’ve dreamed of getting
revenge on them. Sometimes I think it’s all that’s kept me going.”
“Say the word and they’re gone,” he told her.
“Uh, what?”
“Have you forgotten that your man is a sniper? With access to a clean-
up crew? I can make them disappear, baby blue.”
She turned and swung her arms around his neck, peppering kisses along
his jaw.
“Okay, not the reaction I expected.”
“I love you so fucking much.” She leaned back to look at him. She was
now straddling his lap. “I would love to get rid of them, make them pay.
Only problem is, that would hurt him. Callen. He loves them. He has a good
life. That’s what I saw as I watched him. He’s really good at football. Star
quarterback. Gets good grades. Has a pretty girlfriend.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“I tried,” she whispered. “I wish I hadn’t. I wish I’d left him to his
happy life. They gave him more than I ever could.”
He grasped hold of her chin. “Do not speak like that. They stole him
from you. You are his mother. They aren’t good people. They’re terrible
people.”
Tears dripped down her face and he gently wiped them away.
“I want them to pay.”
 “Then they will.”
She shook her head. “But I can’t. I’m so conflicted. If I make them pay,
if I take the only parents he knows, aren’t I just the same as them?”
He clenched his jaw. “Fuck.”
“I watched him for a long time. I didn’t have much money. I was living
in this flea-ridden motel. I managed to get a job, saved up some money for a
deposit on this little apartment. I was getting better. But in my spare time, I
watched him. I thought so many times about going up to him, telling him
who I was. Then I thought of how that would harm this perfect life he had.
And then one day . . . one day . . .”
“What happened?”
“He saw me. I don’t think that was the first time he spotted me as he
stormed over to where I sat on a park bench and told me to go away or he’d
call the cops. I just sat there, shocked. He has my eyes. And my hair. I just
blurted it out, like an idiot. Told him I was his birth mom and that his
parents stole him from me.
“For a moment I thought he was going to believe me. Then he gave me
this cold, scathing look and told me to get off the drugs. Then he walked
away.”
“Aww, baby. Fuck.”
“I can’t blame him. I was some stranger, spurting off all this crazy stuff.
But it hurt. I couldn’t stay. I left. I was lost for a while and there was only
one person I could think to go to. The only person in the world who gave
two shits about me.”
“Reyes.”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I asked him not to tell anyone about me. About
our past. I was too ashamed. He gave me a job, helped me find an
apartment and get on my feet and that was enough. I didn’t want to be more
of a burden on him.”
“Baby, I hate that all of that happened to you.” He ran his hand up and
down her back in soft strokes.
“When he threatened Callen, I knew I had to do what he wanted. He’d
already tortured me for so long, making certain I knew I was being
watched. He wanted to weaken me and he did a good job, cutting me off
from everyone.”
He cradled her face in his hands. “Baby blue, I’m so sorry all that shit
happened. That’s more than one person should have to go through in their
life. But none of that could ever make me think any differently of you.
Understand me?”
She sniffled. “You’re a good man.”
“Nope. Just your man. Always your man. And remember, all you ever
have to do is say the word and those assholes are gone.”
“I wish I could. I really do. But while they don’t deserve their happy
life, he does. And I have to put him first.”
He gathered her close and just held her as she cried.
 30

T he cramp took her by surprise.

She curled up with a groan, dropping her phone on the floor.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She breathed through it then, still slumped over, she made her way into
the bathroom.
Why now? What kind of crappy timing was this? She hissed out a
breath as she managed to get her skirt up and sat on the toilet. She wiped
herself.
Blood.
Awesome. Just awesome. This timing couldn’t have been worse. Jason
was hours away. He was helping escort the girls to a private plane that the
Fox had organized. She hadn’t expected him to go personally, but he’d said
he had a bad feeling and wanted to make sure those girls got on the plane.
He and all his men would be masked, no one would be able to recognize
them. She hoped it all went smoothly. But he was also no help to her right
now. Not only could he not grab the stuff she needed, but she didn’t want to
distract him by calling him either.
What he was doing was way more important than her getting her period.
Although considering this was the first period she’d had in months, it
wasn’t just a period.
It was The Period.
You know, extremely heavy, extremely painful. The period of all
periods.
 Grabbing some toilet paper, she folded it over and put it in her panties.
Not pretty and as anyone who has done this before knows, toilet paper isn’t
nearly as effective as a pad. Plus, it’s likely to slip out of your panties at the
worst possible time.
Been there, done that.
She needed to find Dusty. Hopefully, she’d have something. Or be able
to get her some stuff.
She was out of the bedroom door before she remembered that Dusty and
Claudia had gone to the movies.
Shit. Fuck.
Oh well, surely Dusty wouldn’t mind her just sneaking into her
bathroom to grab some stuff. This was an emergency. Her only other option
was asking one of the guards to go get her stuff.
Not happening.
She was moving slowly; each step was agonizing. But she managed to
get to Dusty’s door. Only to try and turn it and find it locked.
Fuck. Shit.
Jewel slumped to the floor and curled up, trying to breathe through the
pain.
Get up, Jewel.
You cannot just sit here and bleed all over the carpet. What she needed
was some help. But the only two women who could help probably had their
phones off for the next few hours.
Maybe she could text them then hop in the bath while she waited. That’s
what she’d do.
“Are you all right?”
She yelped then stared up in shock as Jagger frowned down at her.
Awesome. Her favorite person.
“Just hunky-dory,” she said, gritting her teeth to attempt to hold in her
groan of pain.
He raised his eyebrows. “You’re just sitting outside my sister’s door for
fun?”
“Yep.”
“Whatever. I don’t have time for this.”
Stay quiet. Don’t say anything. Only as he was walking away, a
whimper left her as a particularly bad cramp caught her by surprise. “Ouch.
Ouch. Ouch.”
 He froze.
Fuck it, body, you couldn’t wait one more minute?
Turning slowly, he glared down at her. “I don’t like liars.”
“That’s nice. I don’t like assholes. Guess we’re even.” She tried to smile
through another grimace.
Oh, hell. Who was she kidding?
She put her arm over her tummy and took shallow breaths.
“You’re ill?” He didn’t move. Didn’t come closer. Didn’t offer
sympathy. What was wrong with this guy? He'd given her an insincere
apology, then every time he'd seen her, he’d basically ignored her.
Now he was seeing her at her worst. Which was freaking awesome.
Not.
“Nope. I’m fine. You can leave now. I know you have things to do. Like
lure children from their home with sweets, put them in a cage and lock them
away.”
He sighed, giving her an impatient look. “Did you just compare me to
the child-snatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?”
Damn. He got that reference, huh?
“Maybe.”
“I’m not a bad guy.”
“Could have fooled me. Oww, fuck.”
“Do you need a doctor? An ambulance?” He drew out his phone.
“No!” She threw out her hand to stop him. Not that she really could. But
still, she had to try. “I just need to be left alone.”
“I can’t do that when you’re obviously in pain,” he huffed, as though
she was a huge inconvenience.
“So now you’re going to be the good guy?”
He sighed and crouched down. “Look, we got off to a rocky start, but
I’m very protective of my family.”
“And you thought I was a threat?” She gave him an incredulous look.
He shrugged. “My sister was suddenly wearing make-up and revealing
clothes and talking about dates.”
“Your sister is nineteen not five.”
“Life was easier when she was five.”
“Dude. You aren’t doing yourself any favors with the caveman routine.
It will just push her away. Wouldn’t you rather she be able to come to you if
she has any problems than keep quiet because she’s worried about your
reaction?”
He turned his head away, his jaw working. “You’re right.”
“There, that wasn’t so painful was it?”
“Actually, it was extremely painful. No one wants to think of their little
sister . . . doing things . . .”
“Doing things? I’m a big girl. You can say fuck.”
His eyes narrowed. “Pike allows you to speak like this?”
“Pike doesn’t allow or disallow anything.” Small lie, but he didn’t need
to know anything about their dynamic.
He gave her a skeptical look. But just then another cramp rolled its way
through her.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
To her surprise, instead of berating her over her language, he reached
out and placed the back of his hand over her forehead.
“You’ve got a fever.”
“I don’t.” She shook her head.
“We need to get you to the hospital.”
“No, we don’t.”
He huffed out a sigh. “Are you always this argumentative?”
“Nope. This is special just for you.”
“Lucky me.” He drew out his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling Pike.”
She slapped the phone from his hand. Cringing, she glanced up at him.
His face was shocked. Then thunder filled it. “Would you like to explain
what you just did?”
“You can’t call Pike. He’s busy.”
“You’re ill. That trumps everything else.”
That was kind of sweet and unexpected.
“In most cases, maybe. But he’s doing something really important. And
I’m not ill.”
“You’re in pain, sweaty, clutching your stomach, and running a fever. If
you’re not ill then what’s wrong?”
“Why can’t you just take my word that I’m fine?”
He just glowered at her.
“Fine, it’s just cramps, okay?” Severe, awful, horrid cramps.
 Understanding filled his face. “Are they always this bad? Have you
taken anything? Why are you lying in front of my sister’s door? Were you
looking for her?”
“I was going to borrow some stuff from her. No, they’re not usually this
bad but I haven’t had my period in months and it seems it’s decided to be
extra nasty in retaliation.”
“You didn’t have your period for months? Is that healthy?”
“I really don’t think we need to talk about my period, do we?” Hello,
humiliation.
“We do when it’s causing you this much pain,” he said severely. “You
haven’t taken anything?”
“I haven’t got anything. Like, nothing at all,” she said pointedly.
“Ahh.” He looked at his sister’s door. “And Dusty locked her door.”
Now he was getting it.
“I was thinking I’d text Dusty to get me some stuff then go lie in a bath
for an hour.”
“They’ve gone to a double feature. They’ll be gone for hours.”
She groaned. Fuck.
There was silence then he sighed. “I’ll go get them for you.”
“You? You’ll go buy tampons and maxi-pads?”
“Maxi?”
“Yes, maxi. That a problem?” she snarked.
His gaze narrowed at her tone, but he didn’t say anything. “Write down
what you need and I will get it.”
She shook her head. “I’ll go with you.”
He sighed. “Jewel, you can barely move. You’re not coming with me.”
“I’ll be all right. There’s some other stuff I need to get.” She knew that
as soon as this period ended she’d likely get a yeast infection. It didn’t
happen all the time, but often enough. And she wanted to get the medication
just in case.
No way she was asking him for that.
“You’re not supposed to leave the house.”
“I left the other day with Pike. We’ll just go to the pharmacy and back.
Besides, I’m probably in no danger anyway.”
The Fox and Jason thought that it was likely that Maxwell’s partner was
too busy scrambling to cover his ass to worry about her. Jason wouldn’t let
up on her security, but he wasn’t as stressed. She was hoping they could
even go home soon.
Jagger sighed and ran his hand over his face. “You’re a pain in the ass,
you know that, right?”
“I’ve been told that once or twice.”
“Fine. But, we’re taking guards with us. They’ll come into the
pharmacy with us and you will do exactly what I say the entire time we’re
out, understand?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” She saluted him.
“Pike needs to spank your ass more often.”
Before she could snarl a reply, he picked her up in his arms and carried
her down the hall.
“What are you doing?”
“Carrying you to your room. You can get ready while I grab some
painkillers and organize this trip.”
“You didn’t have to carry me.”
He just shot her a look. Yeah, she got it. She looked like she was on
death’s door.
In her bedroom, he let her down and disappeared. Moving as quickly as
she could, she changed the wad of toilet paper. She put on three pairs of
panties and dark tights. She was going to ruin her new panties, but she
didn’t have much choice. Finally, she shuffled to the door as a knock came.
Jagger stood on the other side with some painkillers and a bottle of
water. She took them cautiously. She hated taking even something mild like
painkillers, but she was in a lot of pain. He slid past her, moving into the
room.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked as he walked into the closet. He
came out with one of her new coats.
“You need to put this on. It’s cold out.”
“I can’t decide if you’re a bossy jerk or a caring one.”
“But either way I’m a jerk?”
She just grunted but put the coat on. Then he was picking her up once
more. “I can walk.”
“But you won’t.”
Damn. What was with this guy? She breathed her way through another
cramp as he helped her into the car. To her surprise, there was a heating pad
sitting on the seat. He nodded at it. “For you.”
 Then he climbed into the front passenger seat.
She shook her head. Damn. She might almost have to change her
opinion of him. Which was a shock. As they headed out, with a car in front
and behind them, she realized she’d left her phone in her room.
Crap.
Never mind. It wasn’t like Jason would be calling her anytime soon. She
would just get into the pharmacy then back home. And into bed with some
chocolate and this heating pad.
Lying back, she closed her eyes and tried to relax.

F IFTEEN MINUTES LATER , she was trying to talk quietly to the pharmacist.
She had to tell both Jagger and one of his goons to back off so she could get
some privacy. She’d already gathered up everything else she needed and a
kind woman behind the counter was ringing it up in between staring at the
two guards in the pharmacy with her and Jagger. Another stood outside.
Overkill but she didn’t care. All she wanted was her stuff.
The pharmacist got her the medicine she needed and she reached for her
purse. Only to realize she didn’t have it. A black credit card appeared on the
counter and she gave Jagger a grateful smile. “I’ll pay you back.”
He snorted. “Or not.”
She glanced around. “Do you have a toilet I can use? Please?”
“Sure, hon. Through here. It’s a staff one,” the woman gestured towards
the back, taking pity on her.
Jagger grabbed her arm lightly. “Let Sam check it out first.”
“This is starting to grow into an emergency situation here, Jagger.”
“Let Sam check.”
Sam moved back behind the counter at Jagger’s direction. He appeared
moments later with a nod.
Jagger waved her forward. She shuffled towards the toilet, heading in
with a sigh of relief. As she washed her hands, the door opened. She turned.
“I’m nearly done.”
But it wasn’t Sam standing there. Instead, there was a man with a black
mask on. She opened her mouth to scream. But he quickly reached out and
grabbed her, putting his hand over her mouth.
 Fuck. Fuck.
She tried to fight back, he couldn’t let him take her. But then she felt a
prick on her neck.
No, no, no.
Everything went dark.
 31

D amn, he was exhausted.

But the girls had all gotten safely onto the plane. Some of
Sting’s men were going with them. And he’d arranged for people
to escort them home once the plane touched down.
He hoped like fuck this was the right thing to do.
He tried to call Jewel to let her know he was on his way. But it went
through to voicemail. Maybe she was in the bathroom or sleeping.
As the call ended another one came through from Jagger.
“Hey man,” he said coolly. His oldest brother wasn’t his favorite right
now.
“Pike, someone took her.”
Jason’s heart sped up at how frantic Jagger sounded.
“Took who?” he demanded, thinking it had to be their sister or mother.
They were the only women that Jagger would concern himself with. “What
happened?”
“It’s Jewel. They took Jewel.”
What the fuck?
His heart stopped beating. He was certain of it.
“What do you mean, they took Jewel? Who the fuck took Jewel? She’s
safe at home.”
“No. No, she’s not. She got her period.”
He said that like it meant something.
“So?”
 “So she didn’t have anything. And she was in a fuckload of pain. I
offered to go get her some stuff, but she said she needed to talk to the
pharmacist. I took four guys with me. It was a quick in and out. But when
she used the bathroom, someone shot Sam and stole her. Fuck, man, I
should never have let her out of the house, I shouldn’t have let her go back
there with just Sam. Fuck.”
This was the most upset he’d ever heard Jagger.
“How long ago?” He forced his emotions to go deep otherwise he knew
he would lose it.
“We just found Sam a few minutes ago. I have the guys looking for her
and the pharmacy has a camera out the back door. They’re pulling the
footage.”
Screw that.
“Don’t worry. I have a way of tracking her. Get everyone gathered.
We’re going in strong to get her back.”
Nobody touched his baby and got away with it.
No. One.

S HE WOKE up and immediately started gagging. Her stomach rolled

nauseously. Then seized in a cramp.
Fucking period.
Something jostled her. What the hell? Why was she moving? She
realized then that she had something over her mouth and that her arms were
tied behind her back.
Oh God. Oh God.
Panic filled her as opened her eyes. She was somewhere dark, was lying
on something hard. She was moving. There was the sound of an engine.
She was in the back of some sort of vehicle. A van, she thought as she
glanced around. But the windows looked to be covered up because there
wasn’t much light coming in.
What happened?
Another cramp. Period. Jagger. Pharmacy. Toilet.
Man in black mask.
Someone had kidnapped her. Drugged her.
 Oh God. Maxwell.
No, he was dead. Jason had taken care of it. Which left . . .
The mysterious partner. The Russian. Mr. X.
Fuck. Fuck.
Jason was going to lose his mind when he discovered she was missing.
She was never going to be able to leave the house again.
Be brave. You can get out of this.
She hadn’t survived Maxwell to let someone else harm her.
Wait. The necklace. Jason would find her. Relief flooded her.
Then the van stopped.
Oh. Fuck. She was out of time.
The doors opened and someone stepped into the back. She tried to talk
behind the tape over her mouth, but he just ignored her as he picked her up
and carried her out. He was huge.
She glanced around, they’d left the city and were in a heavily wooded
area.
This wasn’t good. Really, really not good.
Unceremoniously, she was dumped on the ground. She groaned and
rolled onto her back, trying to push herself up so she was sitting. Another
man appeared on her other side. Both of them had masks over their faces
and were enormous.
And they were both speaking Russian. Well, she thought it was Russian.
Fuckity fuck fuck.
Her gag remained in place so she couldn’t even try to talk them out of
harming her. Not that they were paying her the slightest attention.
Thump-thump-thump.
Why? Why when her life was finally in a good place did this have to
happen? Someone up there definitely hated her.
She didn’t know what they were waiting for. Were they going to kill
her? Or just stand around talking all day. Then the sound of a vehicle
approaching hit her ears.
Oh fuck.
A black car, windows tinted, pulled up next to the run-down van.
A masked driver got out and opened the back door of the car. Another
impeccably dressed, masked man got out. Was it good that they were all
hiding their faces? She had no idea, but she hoped that meant they weren’t
going to kill her.
 The suited man walked towards her. Was this Mr. X?
He then spoke to one of the goons in Russian. They turned and went
back to the van, driving off. Oh God, what was going on? Her breath came
in sharp pants. She had to calm down before she hyperventilated.
Then the man in the suit moved closer to her, looming over her. She
could feel his stare dissecting her.
“Jewel Thomas.”
It wasn’t a question. He knew who she was. And she was pretty certain
of who he was.
“You are not quite what I expected but I see why that idiot, Maxwell,
was infatuated. A face that could inspire wars. Or turn a man into a fool.
You’ve caused me a number of issues.”
She tried to reply but it was stifled by the gag.
“I’m not here for a conversation, but a warning. The last one any of you
get. You only live because I want a message sent. Listen carefully. I need
you to tell Markovich not to search for me. Not to try to come for me. I will
not accept any more interruptions to my business. And if it continues, then
I’m going to have to retaliate, understand?”
The threat had her stomach turning over nauseously.
“Understand?” he said in a more dangerous voice.
She nodded, since it seemed he wanted a response.
“Good girl. Now, I have to go. I’m sure it won’t be long until your man
finds you.” Reaching down, he flicked her necklace, as though he knew it
contained a GPS chip. “Give them my message, Jewel. Make sure that
Markovich knows how serious I am.”
Then he climbed back into his car and he was gone.
Leaving her alone in the middle of the woods. Bound and terrified.
Awesome. Just awesome.

“F UCK , this is the last place I had a GPS signal,” Jason said. He’d picked up
Jagger along the way, letting his brother drive so he could navigate. He
looked around. “All these trees are interfering.”
“We could keep following this dirt road,” Jagger said.
“Fuck. Yeah. Okay.”
 They moved down the rutted driveway, on alert. Two cars filled with
their men followed them. Sting had headed to the movie theatre to cover
their mother and sister. Jason didn’t like this. They had no element of
surprise, were completely in the dark. What if whoever had Jewel was
hurting her? It had to be this Mr. X. Was he going to take her out in
retaliation for them killing Maxwell?
Fuck.
“I’m so fucking sorry, I should have stuck to her like glue.”
He looked at his brother curiously. Then he sighed. “It’s not your fault.
You were trying to help her. You took precautions. I can’t believe someone
managed to grab her. They had to be watching the house.”
“I’ve thought about that,” Jagger said grimly. “I think whoever took her
had someone on the inside. Someone who let them in the back door of the
pharmacy since it only opened with a key code from the outside.”
Fuck.
“Sam?”
“Yeah.”
“But he’s been with our family for years. And why not make a move on
Jewel earlier? He came with us to the security offices the other day.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“They killed him,” Jason pointed out. He’d taken a bullet to the head.
They had to have used a silencer as no one heard anything. Clean and tidy.
“Yeah, fucking ruthless,” Jagger agreed. “Use him then get rid of him.
Fuck, what’s that?” He pointed at a clearing off to their right. Where
someone sat on the ground.
Someone with dark, wavy hair and pale skin. Someone who was bound
and gagged and staring at them with terrified eyes.
His girl. Thank. Fuck.
Before Jagger even stopped the car, he’d jumped out and was racing
towards her.
“Jewel, baby. Oh fuck, baby.” His hands were shaking as he attempted
to pull the tape off her mouth. She was making noises, tears running down
her face. It was fucking killing him seeing her like this.
“It’s going to hurt, baby. But I’ll do it quickly.”
He ripped off the tape, feeling like his heart was tearing into pieces at
her scream of pain.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she muttered. “Ouch, that hurt.”
 “Baby. Christ.” He gathered her into his arms, rocking her. “I was so
scared.” He shuddered, holding her as tight as he could, barely aware of
Jagger giving orders around him. Then Jagger crouched on the other side
with a knife in hand to slice through the ropes around her wrists and ankles.
“I’m all right. I’m okay. Hey, look at me. Daddy, look at me.” That last
part was said in a quiet whisper that he was certain only the two of them
and Jagger could hear.
Jagger just raised his eyebrows.
He stared down at her.
“I’m all right. I wasn’t harmed.”
Wasn’t harmed? Harm didn’t have to be visible to have an impact. He
knew that.
Jagger released her arms. She cried out, the blood going back into the
limbs obviously paining her. Jason laid her down and massaged one arm.
Jagger did the same to the other arm until she stopped whimpering. He
didn’t want his brother touching her right then, but he knew that Jagger was
just trying to help so he bit down on his possessiveness.
“I’m okay. I’m okay.”
“Stop saying that. Please. Fuck.” He could feel the tears welling in his
own eyes. He knew he was going to have nightmares about this for the rest
of his life.
“We need to get out of here in case whoever dumped her comes back,”
Jagger said as he released her feet.
“Let him,” Jason said coldly. Just let him get his hands on the bastards
that harmed his girl. “I’ll fucking tear them to pieces.”
“He won’t be back,” Jewel said quietly. Even with her face blotchy with
tears, her hair a mess, and clothes disheveled she was gorgeous. “This was a
warning.”
“To who? Us?” Jagger asked.
“No, to Markovich,” she whispered. “To pull back. He said if he doesn’t
then he’s going to start retaliating.”
Jason frowned.
“I don’t understand what’s going on, but why warn him?” Jagger asked.
“I don’t know,” Jewel answered. “He spoke with a Russian accent. I
think it was Maxwell’s partner.”
“Come on,” Jagger said. “We can talk more when Jewel is safely at
home.”
 “Jagger?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“Please tell me you grabbed the stuff from the pharmacy.”
To his surprise, his brother winked down at Jewel. “Course I did,
princess.”
“Princess? Really? You ass,” she said without heat.
Jagger chuckled. Actually chuckled.
“Much as I want to know what’s going on with the two of you, we need
to go.” He had to get his girl back home. Where he was never letting her out
of his sight again.

J EWEL SNUGGLED INTO THE PILLOWS . She was lying on the bed of pillows on
her side with a heating pad against her tummy and mound.
She was feeling half-human again. When they’d finally got back home,
Claudia and Dusty had been waiting. They’d all wanted to hug her. Which
she’d suffered through. Okay, she’d kind of liked the fussing.
Then Jason had told them all that she needed to rest and carried her
upstairs. He’d run her a bath, staying with her the whole time, even
cleaning her himself. Although she thought that was because he wanted to
inspect her for bruises. After drying her off, he’d dressed her in her
Powerpuff girl pajamas. Which was exactly what she’d needed.
Now, she was lying here while he made a phone call to Reyes. She’d
listened in as he explained about what happened, but then she’d started to
tune things out. The drugs were stronger than she would normally like to
take but they were doing a fine job of getting rid of the cramps.
A knock sounded on the door as he finished up and he walked to the
door. To her surprise, Jagger was there.
He held a tray and one of the pharmacy bags. “Hey.” He sounded
awkward and unsure. It didn’t help that Jason was just standing there.
“Hey,” she replied, attempting to get up.
“Stay there,” Jason commanded, moving quickly to her side and gently
pressing her into the cushions.
She let out a breath. He was being a bit over-the-top protective. She got
it, though. She’d feel the same if he was in danger.
 “I’m not sick or injured,” she pointed out.
He just gave her a look in return that told her he wasn’t going to budge.
Jagger cleared his throat. She turned to look at him. He passed the
pharmacy bag to Jason. “Rest of her stuff.”
Jason took it and looked inside. Oh great. So much for privacy.
Then Jagger set the tray down he was also carrying. On it was a hot
chocolate smothered in whipped cream and a plate of chocolate chip
cookies.
Oh Lord. Bless him.
“What’s this?” Jason asked.
“I hear chocolate is good when you have your period.”
“It is,” she said quickly. “Thank you. For everything today. I know I
wasn’t always that, umm, nice.”
Jagger frowned. “You don’t have to apologize. I was an asshole when
we first met. I find it hard to let anyone but family close. And it’s my fault
you were kidnapped and harmed today.”
“I wasn’t harmed and it wasn’t your fault.”
“She’s right, brother,” Jason told him. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Jagger didn’t look convinced but he nodded. “If you need any help
tracking this asshole, I’m here. And willing to help.”
“Wow,” she said once he was gone. “Who knew that Jagger Mathers
would bring me hot chocolate and cookies?”
Jason just shook his head. “He does the same for Dusty when she’s got
her period. It’s his way of saying you’re one of the family.”
She had to grin at that. “You people are so crazy.”
“What? Why?”
“Giving me hot chocolate and cookies when I’ve got my period is his
way of welcoming me to the family? Are you listening to yourself?”
He seemed to think about that then he grinned. “Hey, we don’t like to do
things the normal way.” Then he sat on the bed beside her and drew out the
item she’d gone to talk to the pharmacist about. “You have a yeast
infection?”
She groaned. “There’s no such thing as privacy with you, is there?”
“Why would you need privacy for this?”
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
“Nothing about your health is embarrassing.”
 Realizing he wasn’t going to let this go, she sighed. “I sometimes get
one during or after my period. Something about hormone changes and I
don’t think the tampons help much. Okay?”
“And this is why you needed to go to the pharmacy rather than letting
Jagger go?”
“Well, having your brother pick up menstrual supplies for me isn’t in
my top five things to do, but yes.”
“Because you were embarrassed?”
“Yes.”
“That’s just ridiculous.”
Her mouth dropped open then she closed it.
“Why use tampons if they make things worse?”
“We’re really having this conversation?”
“Yep.”
“Because wearing a pad twenty-four-seven feels weird. Kind of like
wearing a diaper. It feels messy and odd. I usually just wear them at night
and tampons during the day. Okay?”
“I want you to try not wearing tampons this time and see if it helps.”
“Pike, please! Can we stop talking about this?” she begged.
He leaned over her and kissed her. Soft and gentle. “No. I’m going to
take an interest in everything there is about you. So get used to it.”
“Get used to it, seriously?”
“Yep.”
“Stubborn goat,” she muttered.
“I heard that.”
She attempted to roll off the bed but he grabbed her.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom.”
“I’ll take you.”
“I can go to the bathroom on my own.”
“No.”
“I get that you were scared. Me too. But you can’t watch me all the
time.”
“Just watch me.” The look in his eyes told her that he was deadly
serious.
“I’m all right,” she whispered. “I promise.”
 “And you’re going to stay that way. Because now I have nothing else to
do but dedicate myself to you.”
Oh Lord, she was in such trouble.
But she let him help her to the bathroom. And she even agreed to keep
the door slightly ajar. When she’d cleaned up, he carried her back to the bed
and settled her on her side, removing some of the pillows so he could curl
around her.
He massaged her tummy lightly, which was actually stirring her arousal.
That was insane, though. She never got turned on while she was on her
period.
But then, this was Pike touching her.
“How did Reyes take the warning?” she asked.
“About as good as you’d expect,” he replied dryly.
“Will Markovich back off?”
“Hell no. And none of us would expect that. But there are going to have
to be some changes. Our women will all need to be more closely watched.”
“What does that mean?”
“Bodyguards. Markovich will set it up. Although I don’t need his help.
I’m borrowing some of Sting’s guys. A few are already at my place, getting
more cameras and alarms set up.”
She let out a breath. Damn it. A cramp caught her by surprise. “So I’m
going to be constantly watched?”
“You were always going to be constantly watched,” he told her in a
casual voice. As though they were talking about what to have on their pizza.
“It’s just now it will be by more people than just me.”
“That makes me feel so much better,” she told him dryly.
She groaned at a cramp. Shoot. The drugs were wearing off already. He
kissed her shoulder. “You okay, baby blue? You need something?”
“More drugs, but I’m not sure I should take them. I hate taking any kind
of painkillers.”
“I know, baby. Hmm, you aren’t due for more for another hour either.”
“I know, but it’s getting sore again.” She panted slightly.
“Is there something else I can do? More chocolate? I could warm up
your heating pad?”
“I’ll be all right.”
“I don’t like that you’re hurting and I can’t help you. Let me see if
there’s anything else that can help.” He moved away from behind her and
she heard him tapping on his phone. Was he Googling how to relieve period
pain?
“Medication, warm bath, exercise, rest, huh that seems contradictory,”
he commented. “Heat, acupuncture, orgasm. Hmm, well, I’m not good with
needles and I’m pretty sure you don’t feel like hitting the gym.”
“I will kill you if you try to get me on a treadmill,” she warned.
“How do you feel about an orgasm?”
How’d she feel? Like she wanted one immediately. “How do you feel?”
She turned over to look at him.
“I’m always down for an orgasm,” he winked at her, “but we were
talking about you.”
“I . . . I guess if you don’t mind. I could go put a tampon in so there’s
less chance of mess.”
“Who gives a shit about the mess?” he told her.
“I . . . the sheets . . . everything . . .”
“Jewel, we can put down a towel.”
Put down a towel. Why didn’t she think of that? He disappeared into the
bathroom and came back with a towel.
Okay, they were really doing this.
“There’s no reason to be embarrassed,” he told her, laying the towel out
then patting it. “Like I said, nothing is embarrassing about your body or
health.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Just I feel like I’m about to be serviced.
Would you want this if you weren’t trying to relieve the pain?”
Shock filled his face. “Fuck, baby. Don’t you know I always want you?
If I thought you’d let me, I’d fuck you right now.”
“You would? On my period?”
“Yes. But I don’t want to cause you more discomfort.”
“You could take my ass.”
Oh hell. Did she just say that? They’d worked her up to taking bigger
plugs but he hadn’t taken her ass yet.
Interest shone in his gaze before he shook his head. Disappointment
flared. He didn’t want to?
“Not your first time,” he told her. “But soon. I promise.”
“Then I’m sucking you off,” she declared.
He grinned. “You say that like you’re expecting me to argue. You can
suck me off anytime you want.”
 “Good. This is a silly argument, isn’t it?”
“Wasn’t even aware it was an argument, but you’re about to get into
trouble if you don’t get over here.”
Yeah, right. Like he’d punish her while she was in pain. She knew him
too well to believe that.
She moved onto the towel and let him slowly strip her. He kissed her
skin as he bared it, making her feel ridiculously cherished and loved.
Taking her nipple into his mouth, he sucked. She let out a deep groan.
God, that sent sensations straight to her clit. Then he moved to her other
nipple, his fingers moving down her stomach towards her pants.
Sitting up, he grabbed a pillow, placing it next to her. “Roll on your side
and hold onto that.”
She did as ordered, grasping hold of the pillow. Her stiff nipples
brushed against it. God, they were so much more sensitive when she was on
her period. But he’d treated them so gently.
He kissed his way down her back. “I’m going to pull your pajamas
down but you can keep your panties on. Okay?”
She found herself relaxing.
“Okay,” she whispered as he drew her pants down off her legs. Then he
was behind her, his fingers sliding under the band of her panties. She
stiffened for a moment then he flicked his finger against her clit. She
worried briefly about him getting blood on him.
Then she didn’t care. Because she was caught up in the sensation. Oh
man, it felt so good. She was so freaking horny. She tightened her hold on
the pillow, rocking her hips as he drove her up and over into a spectacular
orgasm. She cried out as he bit down on her shoulder.
“We’re getting you a tattoo,” he told her out of the blue as he lapped at
the spot where he’d bitten her.
She was panting, drifting down from her high. Her pussy pulsated, her
cramps forgotten.
“We are?”
“Yes. Something that claims you as mine.”
“I don’t think I want your name on me,” she told him.
He stiffened.
“Because that’s like the kiss of death on a relationship, right?”
“Hmm. I’ll think of something else.” She yawned, feeling sleepy.
“Can you come over here so I can suck on your cock?”
 “You’re not sucking on my cock. You’re tired. You’re going to sleep.”
“But I want it,” she whined.
“Well, you don’t get everything you want.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Is that so?” he drawled.
“Everything I ever wanted is you.”
“Fuck, baby. What happened today, it can’t happen again. Understand
me?” His tone was stern but she heard the note of fear. Understood it.
“Believe me, I don’t want it to, either. I’m surprised he didn’t kill me to
retaliate for us killing Maxwell and messing up his business.”
Jason moved his hand from her pussy. “Don’t talk about that. I couldn’t
live without you, you’re my whole world, Jewel.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Because you’re my whole world too.”
 32

O h, she was in so much trouble when they got home.

Jason narrowed his gaze as he watched her smile at some of
his fellow Iron Shadows members. There was a group of them
drinking in the corner. And while none of them would dare to touch her,
that didn’t mean that their gazes weren’t roaming all over her.
One asshole, in particular, was practically drooling as he took in her
short skirt and the too-small T-shirt that showed off more than a sliver of
her stomach. If he’d seen that top before they’d left the house he’d have
changed her himself, but she’d been wearing a hoodie.
He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
As that idiot continued to drool over her, Jason stood and got directly in
the asshole’s eyesight. Then he crossed his arms over his chest. The jerk
went pale.
Good.
His woman.
“Possessive, much?” Razor teased him from where he sat at the bar.
“Next you’ll be thumping your chest and roaring out ‘mine’.”
Oh, he didn’t have to do that. He had another way of making sure his
claim was known. As she walked past him with their orders, he reached out
an arm and snagged her around her waist, pulling her to him. She squeaked
but came willingly. Squeezing her ass, he took her mouth in a deep kiss that
had his cock pressing uncomfortably against his jeans.
Generally, she was behind the bar, but Reyes had to hire another
bartender while she was gone so she was doing some waitressing now as
well.
He didn’t like it.
In fact, he’d rather she didn’t work at all. However, she’d told him in no
uncertain terms that wasn’t happening. That it was one thing she wasn’t
giving in on.
He thought there was plenty she wouldn’t give in on. This last month
since they’d been back home had been an adjustment for them both. She’d
been shocked at the size of his house which, yeah, was kind of big.
Although he was glad it was, since he now employed six security guards.
He wasn’t taking any risks when it came to her. He was with her pretty
much all the time, but when he wasn’t, she had two guards nearby at all
times. Even in the house.
He knew there would be a time she would balk, but right now the
kidnapping was fresh enough to make her obedient over the security
measures.
But quitting her job was something she wouldn’t obey him on. He
wasn’t happy, but at least he was able to be with her every shift, as well as
having two men in the bar, one at each entrance.
Yeah, all this security cost money but his family had deep pockets. And
if it protected his girl, he wasn’t afraid to dip into those pockets.
The team he’d hired to see all the girls home had reported that they’d all
arrived safely, which was one thing off his plate. Jagger had done some
digging around into Sam’s background and discovered that he had an ill
mother. He’d also paid off a huge chunk of her medical bills in one go,
which seemed to point to him getting a pay-off for helping the men who
kidnapped Jewel.
Finally, he let her go. She gave him an exasperated look but he saw the
heat in her gaze.
“Laying your claim, again? You know you don’t have to do that
anymore. Everyone here knows I’m yours.”
“Amen to that,” Razor replied.
Jason scowled at him then ran his hand over her ass before moving in to
speak quietly in her ear. “Maybe I just enjoy laying my claim.”
“Oh, I know that.” She gave him a cheeky grin.
“You’re in trouble for sneaking that top by me,” he told her.
She shivered and glanced up at him. He gave her a smack on the ass.
“Go fill those drinks then you’re taking a break.”
 “I can’t take a break, it’s busy in here.”
“You’ve been working for five hours straight. Either you take a break or
you’re done for the night.”
She muttered something he couldn’t hear under her breath but went and
filled the drink orders. When she was finished, he grabbed her hand and led
her out the back.
“Where are we going?”
He opened the storage cupboard. Not a lot was stored in it which made
it perfect. Shutting the door, he spun her, pressing her up against it. He
moved in behind her.
“Pike, we can’t. Not here.”
“I’m not fucking you, naughty girl.”
She gave him a look over her shoulder. “Then what is this?”
“The start of your punishment. For sneaking that top past me. And I’ve
decided to start the punishment I’ve owed you for a while for calling me
Jason.”
She groaned. “You wouldn’t.”
“Baby blue, you should know better. I totally would.”
Reaching down, he drew her skirt up over her ass, revealing her silky
panties. He slid them down off her ass.
“Spread your legs.”
“We can’t do this here,” she told him. But he could hear how fast her
breath was coming and he knew she was turned on.
He slapped her ass. “Spread. Keep your hands pressed to the door. And
no crying out. We don’t want anyone coming to check what’s wrong.”
She’d be even more turned on now. She didn’t want anyone to catch
them, but the idea of it increased her arousal.
She widened her legs and he started smacking her ass. He kept them
fairly light. After all, she was owed quite a few. He counted out ten in his
head then paused to massage her ass. Reaching his hand between her legs,
he cupped her mound. Running his finger over her clit, he reveled in her
whimpers. Her pussy was so wet. She fucking loved this.
Another flurry of smacks to her ass. She moaned. “I have to get back to
work.”
“You’ll go when I say you can,” he replied, kissing her back, between
her shoulder blades. It was where he intended to put his mark on her. He’d
decided on a pike, which was a medieval weapon consisting of a blade on
the end of a long spear. Jewels would be encrusted along the handle.
He played with her clit, teasing her to the point of release then drawing
back to smack her ass. He did this several times until he knew she’d been
given enough spanks to rethink sneaking anything this revealing past him
again. But she was also so turned on that she was soaking his hand. So at
the moment the pain was probably barely registering.
“Please, please,” she begged.
“Please what?” he asked.
“Make me come.”
“I would have, if you weren’t such a naughty girl.” He drew up her
panties as she let out a groan of frustration. “Now you have to wait.”
“You’re so mean.”
“Uh-huh, I’m a very mean Daddy,” he agreed as he lowered her skirt
then turned her. “That’s why I’m taking you to the zoo this weekend.”
“You are?”
He’d learned that she hadn’t done things that most children had growing
up and it broke his fucking heart. So every weekend they were now going to
do something she’d missed out on. This week it was the zoo. Next
weekend, they were going to play mini-golf.
She clapped her hands and he smiled indulgently. Fuck, he loved
making her smile.
“Now get back to work, brat. And don’t tire yourself out. We’re playing
when we get home.”

B Y THE TIME they made it back to their house, she was abuzz with energy.
Often, she fell asleep on the way home. Something Jason wasn’t pleased
about as he thought she was working too hard. In fact, he was making
noises about her cutting down her hours.
And she was actually thinking about it. Not that she intended to sit
home and do nothing. But she’d always just survived. She’d never had a
chance to live.
Now that she wasn’t under pressure to work in order to feed herself, it
was time to think about what she really wanted to do. Of course, she hadn’t
entirely come to this by herself. The therapist she’d been seeing since they
got home had helped. Her therapist’s name was Molly, and she lived in
Haven, Texas. From what Molly had told her it sounded like it could be a
cool place to visit.
Soon after they’d arrived home, he’d had also forced her to go to the
doctor and dentist for a check-up. She hadn’t been impressed about that. In
fact, she might have gotten a couple of spankings for running off and hiding
when it had been time to go to her appointments.
But tonight, she wasn’t tired. Because they were playing.
After he pulled into the garage, Jason turned to her. “The guards are
either outside or in their wing of the house. Nobody to come to your
rescue.”
She shivered.
“I’m going to come around and open your door and undo your belt.
You’re to do none of that yourself. I’ll lead you to the door. But once we
step inside, the game is on. I’m going to count to twenty. You hide. I find
you in five minutes, you strip. If I don’t find you, then I’ll make you come.
The next time I find you, you’re to get on your knees and suck my cock.
And the third time I find you, I’m taking your ass.”
Oh. Holy fuck.

H E STRODE THROUGH THE HOUSE . He’d found her twice. The first time, he’d
watched while she stripped for him. Slowly. The second time, he’d had her
on her knees, sucking his cock until he came. Her red lips around his dick
was something he didn’t think he’d ever get used to. Tonight she’d been
wearing a shade called Sassy Princess.
Then she’d managed to hide herself away for six minutes, which meant
that she got rewarded. He’d eaten her out until she’d come so hard that
she’d screamed. Luckily this wing of his house was far removed from the
guards.
Now he had one minute left to find her. And he had an idea where she
might be. He walked into their bedroom and towards the attached bathroom.
Stepping through, he grabbed the door and shut it to reveal her hiding there,
barely holding back a cheeky grin.
 “Found you.”
She was naked, gorgeous, and all his.
“Yeah? Whatcha gonna do with me, Daddy?”
He pulled her close, wrapping his hand around her hair so he could tug
her head back. “I’m going to fuck your ass.”
“Maybe we could renegotiate.”
If he couldn’t see the lust in her eyes, he might have paused. But she
had a safeword and he knew she wanted this. He cupped her breast, running
his thumb over her nipple. “No.”
Sometimes she liked having the choice taken from her. Even though she
had the ultimate control because he’d always honor her safeword.
He moved his hand lower to run his finger through her slit. Just as he’d
thought.
So wet.
So delicious.
All his.
“Go get on the bed, ass at the edge, legs spread wide. I want another
taste first before I take your ass.”
He grinned as she practically raced into the bedroom. Then he stripped
and grabbed the lube.
This was going to be fun.

O H G OD .
She wasn’t sure that there was anything more wonderful than having
him eat her out. She had her feet resting on the edge of the bed as he lapped
at her clit. Two of his fingers were buried in her ass, thrusting back and
forth as she reached closer and closer to that peak.
It was going to be so amazing . . . so spectacular . . .
Then he pulled away.
“No!” she cried. “You bastard!”
He laughed. Actually laughed. She was going to kill him.
“You can’t kill me. You love me.” He got up and put two pillows one on
top of the other. “Lie over this, legs bent and spread.”
 She climbed into position so her stomach was resting on the pillows.
There was a squirt of more lube. Then he was pushing his fingers back into
her asshole. She let out a deep groan. God, it felt so good. She wasn’t sure
why she loved her ass being played with so much.
But it freaking turned her on.
His fingers slid free and she looked back to watch him running lube
over his thick long cock. Then he grabbed it around the base.
“Remember what to do, baby blue,” he told her. “Deep breath in.” The
tip entered her. As he pushed forward, she let her breath out. He pushed the
head inside her. It burned and was kind of uncomfortable. But then he
reached around with the hand that hadn’t been in her ass and played with
her clit until she was back on that edge. Slowly, he slid further inside her. It
was easier now and she moaned at the sensation.
“More. I need more,” she demanded as he filled her, then paused.
“Just give it a moment.”
“No,” she groaned.
He slapped her ass as she wiggled. “Do as you’re told.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “What’s the fun in that?”
“Brat.”
She clenched around him and he groaned.
“You’re going to be in trouble for that. Later. Much later.” As he said
that, he finally started moving. His finger toyed with her clit, playing with
her. The feel of him stretching her was almost too much. She couldn’t take
it.
“Please! Please!” she cried as he moved harder. Faster.
“It’s okay, baby. You can come.”
“I . . . it’s too much.”
“Shh, just let it happen. Come for me.”
She reached that peak with a rush, so hard it stole her breath. She
couldn’t think, couldn’t see. She was floating, her mind spinning. Dimly,
she heard his own roar of pleasure, felt him slump over her for a few
seconds. Then he slid free of her ass and she whimpered, missing the
fullness but also knowing that she couldn’t go for round two.
She’d barely survived round one.
But, oh hell, what a round.
 33

“T
making.
ime for a nap, baby blue.”
“Just a bit longer, Daddy,” she said, sticking her tongue
out in concentration as she finished off the earring she was

With his encouragement and help, she’d had a website made for her
jewelry and had started using social media to advertise her pieces. But what
really helped was her friends wearing her creations. That had spread word
of mouth around and suddenly, she had more orders than she had time.
“No,” he said sternly. “Now. You have a shift tonight.”
This was her last week of working at Reaper’s and as much as she
would miss it, she was also glad. She was getting tired trying to keep up
with everything.
And it was making her just a tiny bit grumpy.
“One.”
She ignored him. If she could just get this piece done then she would be
happy.
“Two.”
There, she had it. Maybe she should do a matching necklace. That could
look cute.
“Three.”
Suddenly, she found herself in the air. “Daddy, what are you doing? I’m
working.”
She’d commandeered a spare bedroom for her jewelry making. She still
did some in her playroom but that was play. She liked the separation.
 Jason swung her over his shoulder and carried her out of her workspace
and into the playroom. She loved it in here. Fairy lights had been strung
across the ceiling. When it was nighttime, he often brought her in here and
turned them on. Then they sat and watched them twinkling. Half the room
was her hangout space. It had a huge entertainment center with a big TV
and the latest PlayStation. They’d left his one at his family home for when
they visited. They’d bought just about every game they could find, and she
was working her way through them.
On that side of the room, vintage movie posters had been framed and
hung over plain cream walls. Storage cupboards lined half of the back wall.
They were all painted white and were vintage-looking to fit the theme.
There was a white desk where she did some crafting.
The other half of the room was a bit different. This was decorated for
when she was feeling younger. There were decals of the Powerpuff Girls on
the walls. The corner next to the storage cupboard was piled high with
pillows and fluffy blankets. When Daddy thought she needed a nap, he
usually put her to sleep there. Of course, she felt obliged to grumble about
needing a nap.
Surprisingly, she’d found this giant stuffed panda and fallen in love with
it. So, of course, he bought it for her.
“Daddy, I was working.”
“I told you that it’s time for a nap.”
“And I said I don’t need a nap,” she replied grouchily. When he set her
down, she immediately darted around him, prepared to race back to the
other room. But he grabbed her around the waist.
“That’s it, little girl. You are in so much trouble.”
Uh-oh.
He carried her over to her naughty girl chair. It was the only thing in
this room she didn’t like. It even had ‘naughty girl’ written along the back
of it. Sitting down on it, he drew her over his lap.
“Daddy, can we talk about this?”
“Sure, we can talk while I spank your bottom.” He pulled off her
sweatpants and panties. She kicked her legs, trying to get away.
“I don’t want a spanking!”
“Tough. You ignored my warnings and then you tried to run from me.
Now you’re going to have trouble sitting tonight.”
 Well, the bonus was that she never usually sat much while working at
the bar. But still, she didn’t want a spanking.
Smack! Smack!
“Daddy, no! Shouldn’t I be napping?”
“You can nap after your spanking.”
Smack! Smack!
“You’ve been burning yourself out trying to keep up with everything.
And that stops today. Tonight is your last shift at the bar.”
“What? I have two more.”
Smack! Smack! Ouch, fuck. He wasn’t playing around. Those spanks
hurt.
“I’ve told Reyes and he’s covering it.”
“You had no right!” she protested.
“I had every right. I won’t see you work yourself to the bone. You’re
going to get ill and then you won’t be able to work at all. I won’t have it. It
stops tonight. And if you weren’t so tired, you could figure that all out for
yourself.”
Smack! Smack!
Damn it. Part of her knew he was right. And she wasn’t upset to miss
those shifts. She’d still spend plenty of time at Reaper’s when Pike was
there. They did pretty much everything together.
Still, she thought it was high-handed of him. And she figured she had a
right to complain about it.
Smack! Smack!
She started sobbing, tears leaking down her cheeks as she relaxed and
gave in.
Exhaustion didn’t even cover how she felt. She was emotionally and
physically raw.
Damn. He was right.
Didn’t mean she’d tell him that, though.
When he finished, her ass was hot and her mind empty. Pulling her up
so she was straddling his lap, he just held her until the tears dried up. Then
he cleaned her face with a tissue and carried her to the pillows that made up
her daytime bed. He helped her get into her Powerpuff Girls pajamas before
settling her on her side, covering her and placing a kiss on her forehead as
she drifted off.
“Love you, baby blue.”
"J EWEL , I can’t believe this is your last shift! Are you sad?” Sunny swung
her arms around Jewel’s waist, squeezing her tight.
Jewel managed to put down the empty glasses she was holding then
grabbed hold of Sunny. Damn, she’d missed the other woman.
“Not really. I’ll still spend plenty of time here, only now I’ll be able to
hang out with you rather than serving these smelly bastards.”
“Hey!” Razor said. “I resent that.”
“Not you,” she told him teasingly. “You always smell fantastic.”
“Hey,” Jason protested. She winked at him then sent him a kiss.
He just gave her a heated look back.
Sunny sighed happily. “I love it that you two found each other. I love
how much you smile now. I love that he makes you happy.”
“Whoa, that’s a lot of things to love,” Jewel teased her.
“I’m just full of love.”
“Full of love, huh?” Duke asked, moving up behind Sunny to wrap his
arm around her waist. “I like the sound of that.”
Sunny giggled.
Jewel rolled her eyes, but then Jason grabbed her, putting her on his lap.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. He nuzzled her. “I love you.”
She grinned at him. “I love you too.”
“Right, Little Rebel, time to go home. Say goodbye to everyone.”
“Goodbye to everyone!” Sunny sang.
Everyone called out goodbye to Sunny while Jewel just grinned,
shaking her head.
Two hours later, she couldn’t wait for this shift to be over.
She wanted to go home, snuggle into her man, and sleep. She filled
another drink order, almost swaying on her feet despite her nap this
afternoon. She’d worn a loose skirt tonight, not wanting anything rubbing
on her sore ass.
Someone moved up behind her in the bar and she turned to see Reyes.
She glanced at Jason who was watching them. But he didn’t rise.
Reyes gave her a concerned look. “You look dead on your feet,
sweetheart. Why don’t you go home now?”
“I can make it. It’s my last night. I want to see it through.” She stared at
him for a long moment. “Did I ever tell you how grateful I am? For
everything you did.”
He gave her an uncomfortable look. Gruff bastard was never good at
accepting compliments.
“You did. And I don’t want to hear you say it again. You’re family,
Jewel.”
She nodded. She knew that now.
“And if he ever hurts you, come tell me.” He nodded to Jason.
She grinned at the idea. “Oh, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Reyes just grunted. “I’m not talking about him spanking your ass when
you’re a brat.”
“Reyes!” she squealed, looking around. Luckily no one was paying
them attention except Jason.
He winked at her.
Jesus.
“Reyes, there’s a problem out the front.”
She glanced over to see Butch had stepped up to the bar, a serious look
on his face.
“What’s up?” Reyes asked.
“There’s a kid out there wanting inside.”
“On his own?” Reyes frowned. “How old?”
“Looks about sixteen. Built big, though. Nicely dressed.”
Reyes grumbled. “So tell him to call his parents for a ride, that we don’t
let minors in.”
“Did that. Thing is . . .” Butch looked at her. “He says his mom is
already in here.”
Something filled her. A foreboding. She looked to Jason who was
already standing.
“What’s his name?” Jason asked.
“Callen.”

H OW HAD THIS HAPPENED ?

How was she standing in Reyes’ office, waiting for her son to be
brought to her?
Her son.
 “I’m going to throw up.”
Jason moved in beside her, wrapping his arm around her. “Just take a
breath, baby. It’s going to be all right.”
“It’s not. Why would he come here now? To yell at me?”
He’d called her his mom, but she didn’t read too much into that. He’d
likely said it to get past Butch at the door. Reyes had only recently started
putting security on the door since they’d had a few problems with gangs.
“We’ll find all that out soon.”
The door opened and Reyes appeared. Then behind him was her son.
Her son.
He had her eyes. And her coloring. But the rest of him was his father.
Wide shoulders. His nose and chin. But she didn’t care. He was hers.
He held himself so confidently. He was so much more settled than she’d
been at his age. She supposed that was due to his asshole parents.
“Callen,” she whispered.
Reyes shut the door, leaving the three of them alone and she knew they
wouldn’t be disturbed.
Callen’s eyes went from her to Jason, who still had his arm around her.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He looked around him slowly. He was
dressed in jeans, a shirt, and jacket. But all of his clothes screamed money.
Her breathing grew faster.
“Calm, baby,” Jason soothed.
Callen’s eyes shot to him again then to her. “You’re nervous.”
“Um, yeah,” she said. “I . . . I’m . . . why are you here?”
He flinched and she felt terrible.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that I’m not happy to see you. It’s just
that last time . . . you didn’t seem to believe me. I didn’t think I’d ever see
you again.”
He stared at Jason again. “Can we talk in private?”
“Oh, sorry. Umm. This is Pike. My boyfriend.”
“I’m staying,” Jason told him.
Callen’s gaze narrowed. But then he let out a breath. “Fine.”
“How did you find me?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“You told me your name that day. I have a friend who is good with
computers, it didn’t take him long to find an address for you. But when I
went to your apartment, the new tenant told me you’d moved out. I told him
why I was looking for you and he rang the landlord who said you worked
here.”
He’d really been searching for her. But why?
“Can I sit?” he asked.
“Sure.” She watched him sit then let Jason guide her to the other chair
so they were half-facing each other.
His hands were clenched together. Nervous.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“I didn’t want to believe you,” he blurted out. “What you told me back
then. It sounded so far-fetched.”
“I shouldn’t have laid that all on you. You were too young. Settled and
happy. I should have left it alone.”
He shook his head. “I think I was so angry and dismissive because there
was a part of me that knew it was the truth. My parents have always been
good to me, but I’ve never felt like I belong. I don’t look like them. I have
always wondered about being adopted but they would get angry when I
asked. Then when you told me what they did . . . did they really do that?
Did they take me from you?”
“Yes, they did.”
“God, that’s messed up.”
“I’m sorry. You love them. I get it. I shouldn’t have told you. I wasn’t
going to until you came over and spoke to me.”
“They stole me from you,” he gritted out.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I thought they were going to help me raise you.
Support me. I was young and stupid. Naïve.”
“You were fifteen, baby,” Jason said to her quietly.
She nodded.
“Why do you believe her now?” Jason asked.
“My dad’s sick.”
“He is?” She couldn’t say she was sorry, not after everything he’d done.
“He’s got cancer. He’s been in and out of the hospital, having chemo
and being operated on to remove tumors. While we were there once, my
mom and I were asked if we wanted to donate blood. We both said yes. The
nurse asked what both of our blood types were.” He stared at her. She knew
where this was going. She sucked in a breath.
“Turns out I have a rare blood type. One that doesn’t match with theirs.
The next day, I searched my dad’s office. I found an adoption agreement,
signed by you and my parents.”
She shook her head. “I never signed that. I didn’t.”
“Baby, calm down,” Jason said quietly. “Remember the lawyer? The
document he had you sign?”
“Oh God.” She put her hands over her eyes. “That was what that was.”
She only half-listened as Jason explained about the lawyer and the
supposed trust. When she removed her hands from her eyes, her son was
staring at her, his jaw clenched.
“They must have had me sign it in case I got anyone to believe me,” she
murmured.
“It likely wouldn’t have held in court,” Jason said. “They pressured you
into signing it soon after giving birth. And you were underage.”
“When I found that document, I knew they’d lied. I confronted them.
Asked them if I was adopted. I didn’t tell them that I’d seen you or what
you’d told me. They said they adopted me when you gave me up. But I
could tell they were lying. I just knew it. My mother couldn’t meet my gaze
and my dad got all self-defensive.”
“And so you decided to track me down?”
He nodded. “I needed to see you. To apologize and let you know that I
know the truth.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He stood.
Wait. That was it?
“What are you going to do now?” she asked, standing too.
He gave her a careful look. He was closed-off. Scared of getting hurt,
she guessed. She knew what that was like. “I mean, are you going back
home tonight?”
“Yeah. I’ve got my car.” He looked away. “I know they’re not my
parents. I know what they did was wrong, really wrong. But it’s just . . .
they also love me. It’s so hard to think that the people who did that to you to
are the same the people who gave me a good life. Even if it was a lie.”
Oh God, she hated that he was hurting so much. It was killing her. And
she knew she had to do whatever she could to ease his pain.
“I understand.”
“Do you?” His gaze met hers. “You should want them punished for
what they did. I kind of do. But then I love them as well.”
 “I want them punished,” she admitted. “They stole my baby. I want
them to pay the way I have paid all these years.”
He flinched. “If you go to the cops, I’ll back you up.”
She sucked in a breath. Maybe it was time to let this go. Could she do
that? She wasn’t sure.
“I don’t want to hurt you, though.”
He nodded, his gaze down.
“I’d never do anything to hurt you, Callen,” she told him firmly. “So if
you need me to not go to the cops, I won’t.”
“Really?” he whispered.
“Yes. Really.” Because that’s what a parent did, right? Sacrificed
themselves for their child. She hated June and Ben. But she loved this
amazing young man.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “My dad, he hasn’t got long to live.”
She hurt for him.
“And she’ll need me. I know she’s not my real mom—”
“But she raised you.” It made her sick to think it. She wanted to make
them both pay. But she had to let it go.
“If you want to stay with us the night, you can. Or just take my number
in case you need it.” She hoped she didn’t sound too desperate.
“I won’t stay tonight. But I’d like to keep in touch.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t thank me,” he said almost fiercely. “They stole me from
you. You’re the wronged party. Even more than me. But I just can’t leave
them. Not like this.”
“I know. I get it.”
She gave him her number and he entered it into his phone. Her phone
buzzed in her pocket and she realized he’d sent her a text.
“Thanks,” he muttered before opening the door.
Reyes stood on the other side. “Leaving, kid?”
Callen nodded.
Reyes looked at Jason who nodded. “I’ll see you out.”
When he was gone, she burst into tears. Big, slobbery tears. Jason lifted
her onto his lap and held her, letting her cry.
“I’m so proud of you, baby girl.”
“I want them to suffer. But I don’t want him to.”
“I know, baby. I know.”
 “Did I do the right thing?” She looked up at him and he smiled down at
her gently.
“You did the only thing you could. And I’m so fucking proud of you.
But if you ever want those assholes taken out, I know where you can find a
sniper. And he’ll work out a payment plan.”
“Oh yeah?” Ridiculously she felt herself grinning. Despite the fact she
knew she’d likely never have her revenge, she felt lighter. “I love you,
Pike.”
“Love you too, baby blue. Always.”
 EPILOGUE

J ason woke up and stretched. He realized he was on his own almost

immediately and frowned. She knew she wasn’t to get up without
waking him. He knew where he’d find her, though.
He got up and grabbed some sweatpants, then walked quietly
along to her playroom. Peeking through the door, he was surprised to find
her sitting on one of her fluffy beanbags, playing with her Powerpuff Girls
dolls.
He pushed open the door, feeling worried about her. It wasn’t usual for
her to sneak out of bed or to come in to play with her dolls.
“Hey, baby blue.”
“Daddy!” She looked up with a smile.
“What are you doing? Playing with your dolls?”
“I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d come play.”
He crouched in front of her, and reaching out, took hold of her chin.
“Why couldn’t you sleep? You worried about something?”
She shrugged.
“That’s not an answer,” he said sternly.
“Just thinking about stuff.”
He had an idea what stuff that was. Callen. Her son. Seeing him had
been hard for her. On the one hand, there was some closure in knowing that
he knew the truth and believed her. But it hurt her that he was still with his
parents. And that they weren’t paying for what they did to her.
It was hurting him too. He hated that. He wanted to fix everything for
her. He knew she would have good days and bad days, but he was
determined that today would be a good day.
“I have something for you,” he told her.
“You do? What is it?” Excitement chased away the sadness. Leaning in,
he kissed her gently.
“Stay here and I’ll get it for you.” He made his way down to the kitchen
and grabbed the cupcake he’d hidden in the pantry yesterday. Picking up the
candle and lighter, he moved upstairs. Before he entered her playroom, he
lit the candle.
Opening the door, he walked in, singing.
“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. You make life
complete. I’m so lucky to have met you.”
“You remembered my birthday?” she asked, awe in her voice.
He hated that. She shouldn’t be amazed that someone had remembered.
She should expect it. She should expect everything.
“Of course I did, now make a wish and blow out your candle.”
She scrunched up her eyes and then blew out the candle, clapping her
hands with excitement.
“Are you going to share it with me, Daddy?”
“Thank you, baby blue. Such a good sharer.” He carefully split the
cupcake in two, getting crumbs everywhere. Then he handed her half before
grabbing another beanbag and moving it over.
“Yum, this is sooo good. My favorite. Thank you, Daddy.”
She finished up the cupcake, smearing chocolate and icing all over her
face. Damn, that was adorable. Then she climbed over him until she was
straddling his lap.
“You’re welcome, baby blue.”
Leaning in, she peppered his face with kisses until he was laughing.
When she drew back, she giggled and wiped his mouth. “You got a bit of
icing here.”
“Wonder how that happened,” he said dryly. Then he lifted her back
onto her beanbag.
She pouted, and he tapped her mouth with his finger. “None of that. Just
because it’s your birthday doesn’t mean you get a get-out-of-spanking free
card.”
“What? That’s a thing? And I totally should. That’s what I want for my
birthday.”
“Actually, now that I think about it, you already did.”
 “What do you mean?”
“Did you leave the bed without waking me?”
She bit her lip, and he reached down to free it. She was doing much
better at not destroying her nail or lip now that she was in therapy, but she
still had relapses.
“But you were sleeping so peacefully, Daddy. It was cute. You were
making this little snoring sound. I took a video of it.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “You better not have, brat.”
She just grinned. She’d be the death of him.
He stood, shaking his head. “Anyway, I do have some other gifts for
you.”
“You do?” Amazement filled her face. “What? Where are they?”
“I’ll go get them. Stay here.”

S HE WAS PRACTICALLY BOUNCING in excitement as he came in carrying a

huge amount of presents.
“Daddy! You got me too many.” She’d never seen so many gifts. It was
too much. Especially considering everything he’d bought her for this room.
“My girl deserves to be spoilt.”
“This is more than I think I’ve gotten in a lifetime.”
He grunted. “Well, you best get used to it. Besides, some of these are
from my family.”
“They are? That’s so kind of them.” She clapped her hands.
“Here, open this one first. It’s from Dusty.”
She started ripping at the paper, squealing with delight as she revealed a
pink skateboard with a skull and crossbones on it.
“This is from me.” His gift was a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads.
She rolled her eyes. Silly Daddy.
“This is from Ma.”
She opened it to find a gorgeous teal jacket made of suede. It was
gorgeous.
“Sting sent this. God knows what it is.”
She tore open his gift, squealing as she revealed a waffle maker. “Yes!”
“Okay, he didn’t do too bad. This last one is from Jagger.”
 Her breath caught as she opened it to find a framed and signed Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang movie poster. “Oh my God.” It had been signed by six of
the cast members. “This is amazing.”
“Asshole,” Jason muttered.
She just gave him a look. He seemed to think Jagger had a crush on her.
Which was just ridiculous.
“The rest are from me.”
She ripped into them. A new laptop. A very expensive one. A gift card
for the mall which held way too much money. Three new lipsticks. A pair
of teal boots, the same pair that she’d told him about ages ago. The last gift,
he produced from his pocket. Her breath caught as he went onto one knee.
He wasn’t, was he?
It was too soon, right?
Then he opened the top of the box to show her a beautiful ring. It had a
huge green-blue sapphire in the middle, surrounded by small diamonds that
went part-way down the band.
It was stunning.
“Jewel, you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. Smart and
strong, yet sweet and vulnerable. Loyal and funny and so totally mine. I
can’t imagine my life without you. Maybe we haven’t been together long,
but I know we have the rest of our life together. Will you marry me?”
She just stared down at him. Then, with a squeal, she flung herself at
him. “Yes. Yes. God, yes.”
How was this her life? It was unbelievable. Nothing good ever
happened to her.
Until everything good happened to her. And she couldn’t believe how
lucky she was.

“B ABY BLUE , TIME TO WAKE UP .”

She wiped at her eyes, staring around the playroom in confusion.
“Daddy? What’s going on?” She hadn’t been too impressed when he’d
made her take a nap. She thought that her birthday was the one day when
she shouldn’t have to take a nap. But she’d actually fallen asleep pretty
quickly, and now she wasn’t ready to get up.
 “Come on, baby. We need to get you dressed. I have a surprise for you.”
“Another one, Daddy?” She wasn’t sure how many more she could take.
The presents this morning, the cupcake, and her ring. She glanced down at
it, unable to believe that she was engaged.
She pestered him with questions as he helped her get dressed in a cute
dress. It was hot pink and tight at the top, but loose with several ruffles at
the bottom. It was the perfect twirling dress.
If she felt like twirling. Which she might. It was her birthday. He did her
hair up in a high ponytail with a hot pink ribbon around it. He even chose
some hot pink lipstick, which was aptly called Birthday Girl.
Some cute black shoes finished off her outfit. She checked herself out in
the mirror. “I look pretty!”
“You do.” He pulled her in close. “You look gorgeous. Now, come on.”
He led her out of the room.
“What’s going on, Daddy? You didn’t buy me something else, did you?
Is it a pony?”
“No pony.”
“A unicorn?”
“Definitely not a unicorn.”
“A dolphin!”
“Um, no. I’m afraid you’re not ever getting any of those.”
She pouted as he led her down the stairs. “Darn it. I really wanted a
dolphin.”
When they got to the bottom of the stairs, he pulled her to a stop then
drew a blindfold out of his back pocket.
“Ready? I’m going to put this on, then lead you out.”
“Okay, Daddy. I trust you, but you best not let me walk into a wall.”
“I promise.”
He put on the blindfold, then led her carefully along. She wondered
where they were going. Definitely not outside. He brought her to a stop
somewhere in the house, then he moved behind her. She heard some
rustling, and it sounded like someone stifled a giggle.
Then suddenly the blindfold was removed. Her jaw dropped open. The
living room had been transformed into a party fit for a princess. There was a
huge banner above the large bay window that read, Happy Birthday Jewel.
A long table rested against one wall and was filled with party food and a big
cake with a tiara on top of it.
 The room was filled with teal, black and gold balloons and there was a
disco ball hanging from the ceiling, which didn’t quite seem to go with the
theme, but what the heck. Another table held a pile of presents. Where had
those come from?
Suddenly people jumped out from behind the furniture, making her
scream then laugh as she saw all her friends and their men smiling back at
her.
“Happy Birthday, Jewel!” Confetti bombs erupted and colorful pieces of
paper filled the room, making her laugh, even if her heart was racing from
the shock of seeing them all.
And then she was being passed from person to person, everyone
hugging her. It was overwhelming, crazy and amazing.
She glanced back at the man responsible, smiling at him. He sent her a
wink as he spoke quietly to Reyes and Emme, who’d she’d already met a
few times. She was pretty awesome and perfect for Reyes who could take
life too seriously sometimes.
“Do you like it?” Sunny asked, wrapping her arm around her waist.
“Like it? No way. I freaking love it.”
“There’s pin the tail on the unicorn, a panda piñata and a disco ball
because Millie insists it’s not a party without a disco ball.”
“Party!” Millie cried, gathering up some confetti in her hands, then
flinging it all over Spike, who just stared at her. Millie giggled, and Jewel
grinned.
Now that looked like fun.
Hack walked up to them, carrying a bag. He opened it, showing them
what was inside. She stared in confusion at the tubes.
“Glitter bombs,” he told them. Then he winked. “I was never here.”
He walked away with a whistle, leaving the bag at their feet. She and
Sunny grinned at each other.
“Well, if there was ever a day to do it, today is it,” Sunny whispered.
“Gather the troops,” she whispered back. “It’s time for a glitter war.”
The other girls all quickly armed themselves with the glitter bombs.
Then Emme let out a battle cry, worthy of any general and they open fired
on their men.
She didn’t think she’d ever laughed so much. Or ever felt so free.
Or ever been so loved.