“Fuck. Shit. Christ. Where are you now?”
“At Hayes’ cabin.”
Kent had been here many times. He knew the place well.
“Okay. Good. But you can’t stay there indefinitely. She’ll be safe at the ranch. No one will get her there.”
Zeke knew the security was good, especially around the big house. But it didn’t feel right taking her back there.
“They’ll be watching the ranch. She’d need to be on lockdown, it’s easier for her to sneak out there and we both know what she’s like. If she gets the urge to take off. . .”
“Fuck. Which is likely. She’ll need to have a twenty-four seven guard.” Kent’s voice sounded resigned and aggravated. “Which she’ll fucking hate.”
“I’m all for keeping her safe no matter what. But we can safely stay here for a bit longer. She has no way of leaving. The security here is damn good and Bartolli’s goons shouldn’t find us here.”
Few beats of silence as Kent thought that through. “Okay. A few days there as long as there’s no risk of anyone finding you. But then I want her home. Corbin has got contacts in Seattle. We’ll see if he can find anything out.”
“Yeah. We need to stop Bartolli from going after Eden thinking she can lead him to Keira.”
“This is fucked up. What the hell was she thinking? Going to a fucking MC bar by herself? What if you didn’t know the leader of the club?”
“I don’t want to think about that.”
“You going to do something about this thing between the two of you?” Kent suddenly asked.
“Yeah. I am,” he said shortly. Then remembering that this was Eden’s older brother and his boss, he added, “she’s mine.”
Kent let out a small bark of laughter. “Jesus. Stop with all the details.”
“You don’t need details.”
More silence.
“Careful, she’s my baby sister.”
Patience. Patience. Zeke didn’t have family, but if he did have a sister, he was certain that he’d be just as protective of her. If not more so. And considering that Clint and Kent had raised her from the age of ten, he knew they felt a lot of responsibility for her.
But as far as he was concerned, he figured they had let her get away with far too much reckless behavior for too long.
“I know I have to work on building her trust in me, but she’s already let down a number of her guards around me. Given time and opportunity, I know I can get her to open up to me.”
“She’s had her guard up for years.”
“She’s shown me her Little.” There that ought to shut him up.
There was a sharply indrawn breath. “Really?”
He’d never thought that Kent was blind to Eden’s desires. Even though she seemed to think she’d kept that side of herself closely hidden. There were moments when Zeke had seen her undisguised interest and more than a hint of longing when she’d been around the other Littles on the ranch.
And if he’d seen it, his very observant boss would have.
“Twice,” Zeke told him, unable to keep the satisfaction out of his voice.
“Shit. Maybe you really will get through to her then.”
“I can’t have you guys interfering, though.”
“What?” Kent snapped. “We’re her brothers.”
“And I’m going to be her man. Her everything. I need her to rely on me. To come to me. She can’t do that if you guys run interference.”
And he knew they would. They wouldn’t be able to help themselves. Kent had been running interference for her for years.
“Fuck. That the real reason you want to stay at the cabin?”
Anger bit at him. He forced himself to calm. He’d had anger issues as a teenager. Done shit he shouldn’t have. It seemed this situation had him walking that tightrope of control.
“I want what’s best for Eden. Right now, I think that’s staying here. It also minimizes risk to everyone on Sanctuary. Although I would keep all the women on the ranch for the time being.”
“I’ve already sent out the order,” Kent said.
Zeke figured he would have.
“Okay. I’ll let you take lead on this for now. We’ll see what we can find out about Keira. I’ll set Zander on her path. Just keep your heads down there and don’t take any risks. Zeke?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m trusting you with one of the most precious people in my life. Don’t let me down.” Kent ended the call before Zeke could say anything.
What the other man seemed to fail to realize was that while Eden was one of Kent’s most precious people, she was Zeke’s everything.
He would die to protect her.
12
She came awake with a sudden fright, staring around in confusion. There was a soft light on somewhere and she blinked, her heart racing.
Where was she? Whose bed was this? And who the hell was behind her?
She was beginning to freak out until the scent of mint hit her. The cabin. Zeke. Okay. She breathed out a small sigh of relief. She glanced around for a clock but didn’t see one. Still, it was pretty dark so she guessed there was a few hours until dawn.
She knew she wouldn’t fall asleep again. That wasn’t the way her body worked. She rolled onto her back and glanced over at Zeke who was sleeping beside her. She hadn’t even felt him come into bed. Her chair was next to the bed. Zeke had told her to wake him. But he needed rest as much as she did. There was no point in them both being tired.
Now, getting up without waking him was going to be trickier. She slowly pushed herself up, gently pulling back the covers, surprised to find a pillow between her legs. When had he put that there? She didn’t think he would remember that she slept with a body pillow.
But he had. And it was just another way that Zeke Jonas did his best to take care of her. She reached over to lower the side of her wheelchair and then slid herself along the mattress and into the chair.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a rough voice asked.
“Oh shit!” she swore, placing her hand on her chest as her heart raced in reaction. “Damn it, Zeke. You gave me a fright.”
“Where are you going? Do you need the toilet?”
She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the casual way he asked her that. At least he hadn’t asked if she needed to go potty.
“I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.” Not that she’d really tried. But she knew her body well. “I thought I’d go watch TV or something.”
By now he was sitting. He yawned before directing his glare at her. “Watch TV? At four in the morning?” He turned his wrist around to show her the time on his wristwatch.
She shrugged. “I often watch TV when I can’t sleep.”
“Not anymore, you don’t. If you can’t sleep, you wake me.”
She chewed her lip. “There’s no point in both of us being awake.”
“We won’t be. Because I’m going to help you get back to sleep.”
He reached over and lifted her back into the bed. But instead of lying her on her side as she expected, he gently rolled her onto her stomach. The pillow that had been between her legs, was stuffed under her hips.
“Zeke? What are you doing?” she squeaked as he pulled up her nightgown, exposing her ass.
“What did I tell you to do if you woke up?” he rumbled. His voice was still husky with sleep and it was so sexy she felt her clit throb in response.
“I was supposed to wake you.”
“And is that what you did?”
“N-no, but—”
“No buts. You were disobedient. Naughtiness like that gets you punished.”
“P-punished?”
“Yes. I’m going to give you a spanking.”
Holy. Shit.
His hand rubbed her ass and she tensed, expecting him to start.
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t spank you?” he asked suddenly, surprising her.
“Because I’m a grown woman who doesn’t need to be
punished?”
He snorted. “No. We both know that you’re in dire need of discipline. You’re going to start obeying the rules, little girl. Or you’ll spend a lot of time with a red bottom.”
She didn’t know how to feel about that. Horrified and intrigued? Except they were only here for the night and then they’d go back to the ranch.
“Rules? What rules?”
“My rules for my Little girl and my big girl. They’re actually the same.”
“But I’m. . .I’m not yours.” It hurt her to say those words. And his hand stilled. Shit. She’d ruined things. Why couldn’t she have just kept quiet and taken what he was offering?
He leaned in, his mouth brushing her ear. “You think you’re not mine.”
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
“But you’re wrong.”
She shook her head. “I’m not.”
“Oh, baby. I’m going to have so much fun proving you wrong. You’re a challenge. But I always win.”
“You’re so arrogant.”
“I’m just a man who knows what he wants. I want you. Growing up in foster homes, you learn fast to defend what’s yours. To hold onto it. That’s what I’m going to do. You belong to me, Eden.”
“I can’t be yours, Zeke.”
“You can,” he said fiercely.
“You don’t understand. You deserve so much better than me.”
“So much better than someone who is loyal, smart, kind, and sweet? So much better than someone who trusts me enough to show me parts of herself that she has never shown anyone?”
“There’s so much more that’s hidden,” she warned him.
“And I’ll reveal each layer as slowly and as patiently as you need me to. But you will show me those parts.”
“You’re starting to sound like a stalker,” she snapped at him.
“You can snap and snarl all you like, princess. I’m not going anywhere,” he said calmly. Damn him. Why wouldn’t he bite back? That would make this so much easier. “I know something pure and good and sweet when I see it.”
God, those words. They were killing her.
“There’s no way I’ll ever be yours.”
“Challenge accepted.”
She groaned. Was he for real?
He ran his hand down her ass. “Is there any physical reason you can’t be spanked?”
“N-no,” she told him, unsure she should admit that.
She blushed as a wave of heat flooded her. Having him touch her was enough to have her nipples hardening. Shit. What was wrong with her? She didn’t want a spanking. That would be humiliating. She was a grown woman.
Except. . .she felt this strange longing. Like she wanted him to set boundaries for her. That wasn’t what she wanted was it? Urgh. She didn’t know.
She still didn’t get why he desired her. She was a screw up.
And a virgin.
She rubbed her hand over her face. He didn’t know that, of course. Or did he? Hard to imagine anyone wanting sex with her. At least that’s what her friends had thought, which is why they’d paid someone to act interested in her. . .
Bitches. She’d never liked them that much. She hung out with them for the distraction. To do something. To feel something other than loneliness and self-hate. But they’d always used her. First, they’d wanted to get close to her brothers and the other men on Sanctuary. When they’d realized she wasn’t giving them a free-for-all pass to come to the ranch whenever they liked, they’d used her for other reasons.
But at least she’d never been at risk of getting close to them. Of losing them.
“Eden? Baby? You okay?”
She startled, looking over at Zeke in surprise. “What? Yeah, I’m fine.”
She knew she shouldn’t feel lonely. Not living on a huge ranch filled with people who would spend time with her at the drop of a hat. But she deliberately separated herself from her brothers’ girlfriends and their friends.
“Good. You’re getting ten with my hand. I’m going easy on you because this is new. And also, because we’ve got a lot to address. Don’t think I’ve forgotten you saying you were more effort than you’re worth. Or the fact that you put yourself in danger.”
He smacked his hand down on her ass without another word. She gasped in a breath and pain fired through her bottom. “We’ve never talked about your injury exactly.” Spank! Spank! He wanted to talk about it now? “It’s an incomplete spinal cord injury, right? And your paralysis is from the knees down?”
“Mainly yes.” She groaned as he landed another two spanks to her ass. “Feeling can come and go in my legs. Some days I have better control than others.”
Several more spanks. “You’ll need to teach me about what I need to know to take care of you properly.”
The last spanks felt harder and she groaned. Her ass was hot, but not too painful. In fact, the pain seemed to be affecting her in other ways, her clit throbbed and her folds grew slick with her desire. But he stopped and rubbed her ass once more. She widened her legs slightly, hoping he’d dip his hand lower. But he didn’t.
“Good girl,” he said when he stopped. He leaned in and kissed her. You took your spanking well.”
Grr, she’d like to wipe that smile from his face.
She tried to roll onto her side, but he held his hand over her bottom, keeping her still. “Uh-uh, stay in position.”
“Zeke!”
“It’s part of your punishment,” he explained matter-of-factly.
She ground her teeth together. “I was trying to do something nice by not waking you!”
“No, you were trying to do everything yourself, as usual. But you don’t have to do it all on your own anymore. I’m here.”
God those words spoke to her. How often did it feel like she was burdened down by trying to do it all herself? But she’d always felt so weak asking others for help.
Except Zeke wasn’t making her ask, he was demanding that she lean on him. Which was both annoying and so very tempting.
“And you were told what I expected. You disobeyed. You get punished. Simple.”
“It’s not that simple and you know it.” She glared at him.
“It can be. We have to stay here at the cabin for a while, Eden.”
“What? Why? I thought we’d be going home in the morning.”
“I had a chat with Reyes after you went to sleep,” he explained. “It’s worse than we thought. Keira didn’t just take money from these guys the Iron Shadows are messed up with. She took an envelope that contained photos that were being used for blackmail.”
“Holy crap. Who are these people?”
“That’s where it gets even messier. It’s Fergus Bartolli.”
“Oh fuck. The guy who Abby’s brother got messed up with?” The ones who killed him? She didn’t need to voice the question. They were certain that Bartolli had killed Max for what he’d stolen from them.
“They’re going to kill Keira,” she said in a panic. “We have to find her.”
“I’m more worried about you than her.”
“Me? It has nothing to do with me.”
“Reyes thinks he has a mole. Which means Bartolli probably already knows about you turning up at Reaper’s looking for her.”
“But that doesn’t mean he’ll come after me. I don’t know where she is!”
“He doesn’t know that. You’re quite possibly his only lead to finding her. Taking you, torturing you for information and discarding you when you’re no use to him is nothing to this guy.”
Fuck. Fuck. She trembled.
“Shit. Fuck.” Suddenly she was rolled onto her side so she faced him. “I’m sorry, baby. I wasn’t thinking. Jesus, I can be an asshole sometimes. I’m so used to talking to the guys I didn’t even think. You know I’m going to protect you, right? That’s why we’ll stay here. Where it’s safer. JSI and the Iron Shadows will search for Keira. Once she’s found, along with the envelope and money, you’ll be safe.”
“Isn’t it s
afer at Sanctuary?”
“We have the best security systems at Sanctuary, but that’s also the first place he’d think you would be. You have no ties to this cabin. Hayes has damn good security too. I should know, I helped put it in. It would be harder for him to find you here.”
“I don’t want you in danger because of me.”
“If you think I’m leaving you, then you’re delusional.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. Didn’t know how she could convince him that she was no good for him. Didn’t even know that she wanted to. Because what if he believed her?
“I don’t have anything I need,” she pointed out. “No clothes. No crutches. I don’t even know if I can get my chair into the bathroom.”
“Then I’ll help you. Like I did tonight.”
He made it sound so simple. She wished it could be.
“Eden? You okay?”
“Sometimes I just wish I could be normal.”
Zeke snorted. “Normal? What the fuck is normal?”
“Oh, I don’t know… like getting to spend the night in a gorgeous cabin with a hot guy without having to worry about whether I can get myself to the toilet on my own!”
He cupped her face in his hands.
“Eden, none of us are normal. Do you know how much of society would deem my desires and needs as wrong? Fuck normal. So, we’re not normal, who says that would ever make us happy? Who said that’s something we should strive to be? We should be who we are. What makes us content. Do what fulfils us. When I look at you, I see strength and beauty. You are not weak. You don’t let anything hold you back. Everything you are, it’s all a part of you. It’s made you who you are today. Do I wish you could have everything you desire? Yes. But I can’t give you all of that and it hurts. What I can do is show you that all of you is beautiful. If we have to take a minute to fucking work out the logistics of things, so what? All I want is to take care of you. In every way.”
“You say that now, but after a while you’ll think differently. When it all becomes too much. When you get sick of how much I need you.”
“How much you need me? I could only dream you’d lean on me more, let me take care of you in every way. We’re not there yet, but I hope to hell we’ll get there. And then you’ll see that’s everything I need. I desire. You are all I could ever want. Eden. All of you. I just hope I can show you how much you mean to me. That I can help you see the real you.”
Daring Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 5) Page 12
