by Webster, K
Leave.
He wants me to leave.
My father blurs before me as tears well in my eyes. I don’t understand why he wants me to go in the first place. I’m safest with him. With our security team. My guys.
And yet here he is demanding I flee.
“Dad,” I beg. “Don’t do this. We can find a safe house for both of us. No one will ever find us.” It’s been hours since the incident and I’ve been shaking ever since.
My father’s brows furl together. Normally, he’s smiling and jovial around me, but this has spooked him. Not just him. Tonight, he’s anything but playful. “Someone tried to kill you, Clove,” Dad growls. “They will try again. We need you safe until I can figure out who’s behind this. If I’m too busy worrying over your safety, I won’t be able to do that. I need to focus.”
Marjorie materializes from the corner, her blond curls bouncing, and walks over to my dad. She grips his bicep and gives him a sad smile. It’s embarrassing how completely and obviously into him she is. Dad is still not over Mom after six years. Poor Marjorie is chasing a lost cause.
“Your team is capable,” Marjorie assures him. “Sending her away can’t possibly be the answer.”
I nod rapidly in agreement. We may not always see eye to eye on our clothing choices and how I hold myself in front of the public, but she’s definitely on my team.
Dad pats her arm and shakes his head. “No, she needs to go. We’ll keep it out of the media. You can do this for me.”
Her lips purse together and I can tell she wants to argue, but in the end, she flutters her fingers over his in an affectionate, comfortable way before nodding and sentencing me to this new destiny.
“Sir,” Sebastian growls. “Time is of the essence.”
Dad frowns and pulls me to him. “I love you, baby girl. Give me time. I’ll sort all of this out in no time at all. Then, I’ll come back for you. In the meantime, go with my team. They’ll keep you safe.” He’s sending me with his team?
“But who will keep you safe?” I demand through my tears. I’m worried someone will come and take him away from me. I’ve already lost my mom. I can’t lose him too.
“Advanced Security,” Sebastian grunts. “They’re more than capable.”
I turn and frown at him.
“Clove,” my father urges because I’m stuck staring at Sebastian inventing a make-believe world where we’re not in imminent danger and he didn’t just suggest we leave my dad without his protection.
“More than capable isn’t good enough,” I snap, unfairly taking out my emotions on Sebastian. My body is at war with my head. I just want to run to him and make him hold me. But I can’t do that. He’s not really mine, no matter how much I pretend each one of them are.
“He needs the best. He needs you.” I swallow past the pebble in my throat.
Sebastian’s eyes flare and I get a flicker in my mind of him rushing toward me and taking a bite out of my neck. I rub my hand there without thought.
“No,” Dad corrects. “You need the best. That’s why I’m sending IDS.”
“I won’t go,” I argue, crossing my arms over my chest. I know I’m being a brat, acting like a child and not the woman I am, but he is all the family I have left.
Dad kisses the top of my head before whispering, “I’m sorry.” He pushes me toward Sebastian. “Go.”
“Wait!” I cry out, but it’s too late. Sebastian is on me, his powerful arms pulling me against him. I start to protest more, but his hand slaps over my mouth, silencing me. Bastard.
My legs kick out on instinct and try to make purchase, to no avail.
“Shhh,” Sebastian murmurs, his hot breath at my ear sending a wave of emotions through me I refuse to admit to. “Try not to make a scene in case anyone is watching.”
Who would be watching when we’re in our home?
Silent tears stream down my face, but I stop fighting him. It’s done. The decision has been made by my father and there’s no changing it. Sebastian easily totes me through our massive kitchen, and into the garage. My other three guys all turn to regard us as we come through the door.
The four of them are everything to me after my father, and I just want to evaporate into them and allow them to absorb me. They’ve been here with us since I was seventeen. Absolutely trusted by my father, by me. And I love them all dearly. I sniffle against Sebastian’s hand still wrapped over my mouth as I come to terms with my fate. It’s me and them now. I relax back against Sebastian, the leader and the fiercest of all of us, enjoying the hard planes of his body. His right-hand man is Leo, who regards me with a deep frown. Where Sebastian is tall, dark, and handsome, Leo is younger and built like some Roman god who normally seems to glow. Not tonight, though. Tonight, Leo is scowling and seems agitated at my distress. It makes me want to squeal and beg him to help me stay, help me keep Dad safe. Instead, I plead with my eyes before dropping them to his injury. His leg took some damage from the car that tried to run me down like roadkill. It’s bandaged from knee to ankle and a fresh tear slips from my eye. He could have been killed saving me.
Following my gaze, his frown lines smooth out and he shrugs. “I haven’t had time to change. It doesn’t hurt, Clove,” he says, with a quirk of his lips. “I’m a tough cookie.”
I mumble against Sebastian’s palm, but it’s too muffled to make sense.
“You don’t have to hold her so tight,” Leo snaps, prowling our way. “Right, Clo?”
I blink and more tears slide down my cheeks, soaking Sebastian’s palm.
“That’s what I thought,” he coos. “Come here. I’ll take care of her in the car. Seb, you navigate us where we need to go.”
“We driving the Tahoe?” Zac asks, his dark brown eyes sharp and alert. Where the other two men are solid and bulked with muscle, Zac is tall and lean like a runner. He never smiles at me like the others do. Zac is always tense and agitated, as though he’s a rubber band ready to snap at any moment. He recently just celebrated his thirty-second birthday. Hiking or something. When I noticed his absence, Ford informed me he took a week off to celebrate alone in the wilderness. I can’t even imagine what being alone in the wilderness would entail.
“Tahoe is all gassed up,” Leo says as he pulls me to his warm chest, safely away from Sebastian. He strokes my hair and it makes the guilt burrow deeper. I should be taking care of him.
Why is this happening? I’m harmless. Killing me would be pointless. It makes no sense.
“I don’t want to leave my dad,” I whisper against his suit jacket.
“I know, sweetness. But we have to. It’s not permanent. Just a temporary safe place,” he assures me as he guides me over to the Tahoe.
Zac stands beside the vehicle and opens the door. His dark eyes flare with an emotion that I might equate to anger. I think he’s mad because he’s stuck babysitting me. But before I can worry myself over it, he winks at me, which serves to soothe my guilt of dragging them away to God knows where.
“Everything will be just fine, Clove,” Zac says. “Just let us take care of you. It’s our job.”
I want to argue and tell him his job is taking care of my dad, and to have save lives, specifically my father’s considering where his career is headed. But Leo is already gripping my hips and hoisting me into the Tahoe. His touch, so tender yet protective, warms me, making my stomach dip and body relax. Now is not the time to acknowledge the feelings I harbor toward Leo or any of the others.
“Come here, Lucky,” Ford says, already seated inside the vehicle.
I scramble across the seat to bury my face against his chest. Ford is never without a panty-melting smile. His hazel eyes are warm and inviting. And he always acknowledges me. Whereas Sebastian and Zac tend to respect my father, and not chat it up with his daughter, Ford and Leo choose to ignore the unspoken rules. Leo tends to be my security blanket. But Ford? Ford is my entertainment. He always has time for me. To make me laugh or to take me shopping or to ask me about my day. At thirty-one a
nd the youngest at IDS, he’s closer to my age than my dad’s, and for some reason that makes me feel closest to him than anyone.
“I’m scared,” I admit to him, tilting my head up to look at his beautiful face. His mess of dark, chocolate-colored hair that’s always styled in that sexy just-fucked way is extra tempting tonight. Often, I’ve wanted to touch his hair, but I’ve never had the courage. If he or any of them rejected me, I’d lose them and they’re my family.
He cups my cheek with his massive palm, and I sigh into it, allowing myself his affection. “You never have to be frightened when you’re with us. We’ll always take care of you, Lucky. You know that.”
I smile at the nickname he gave me when he first met me six years ago. My entire world is tipping on its axis. The future feels uncertain. It makes me want to pounce on opportunities I’ve let slip by in the past. Which is why I don’t stop myself from reaching up and touching his soft brown hair.
His smile falls and his hazel eyes harden, making my chest constrict. I’m stunned by his sudden expression change. He drops his gaze to my lips before looking away so abruptly it makes me startle. His jaw clenches as though he’s angry with me. The butterflies in my stomach turn into mosquitoes draining the blood from me.
“Seat belt,” Sebastian barks as he leans in inside the vehicle, making me tense from the sudden intrusion of sound. He snags the belt and crosses it over my chest like I’m a child. His arm brushes against my breasts, however, causing me to gasp involuntarily in surprise. Our eyes meet and I’m set alight by the blaze in his bright blue orbs. I can’t look away. I’m caught in his intense gaze and my nipples ache from the small accidental touch. I’m not going to survive being alone with them. I just know it. My desperate need to be touched must show all over my face based on the way my skin burns with heat, creeping up my neck and over my cheeks for him to see and dissect.
He grips my jaw with his powerful hand and stares at me. “It’s okay, Clo,” he promises.
As soon as he pulls away, I miss the intense moment, the small touch, and his eyes on me. Something in his words tells me he means more than just the predicament. It’s okay, Clo. It’s okay to get turned on when I touch you.
He shuts the door and Ford leans closer to me. I’d been so engrossed in Sebastian’s gaze I’d almost forgotten we weren’t alone. Ford’s body nudges up next to mine. The heat coming off him scorches a trail up my thigh. My adrenaline must be causing this sudden bout of hormones because everything feels too hot, too intense, too much. Ford watches me curiously as Sebastian climbs into the passenger’s seat and Zac gets in the driver’s seat. Leo climbs in on Ford’s side and settles in the last row behind us.
I catch my father staring at us from the doorway. Powerful and fierce. He’s in his element when he’s leading people and making deals happen. I can tell he’s confident in his decision by the way he watches us reverse out of the garage. Dad is right. He’s scrappy. Advanced Security is just as good as IDS and Dad doesn’t always need protecting.
Not like me.
I’ve never left home. Not for long anyway. I grew up with the finest in-home tutors. All the friends I had were children of his influential business associates chosen for me by Marjorie. Even my college courses were taken online from home. Dad didn’t want me going off to college because of bad decisions that could happen there. He meant the party life that some socialites pick over their courses.
I’ve never made bad decisions that may affect my father’s career. I’ve always been obedient and given him anything he’s asked. So, to have this threat against my life, I’ll do as I’m told once again because the truth is, I’m terrified.
A warm hand clutches my shoulder from behind and Leo peeks over the back of the seat. My nerves have me taking his hand and gripping it with my left one.
“Sleep now, sweetness,” he rumbles, his words making my blood hum in my veins.
“Sleep,” Ford agrees, reaching out to grab my right hand. “Let us take care of you.”
As if their words hold magic powers a yawn forces its way out of me.
I close my eyes to attempt to rest, but I’m hyper aware of the way both Leo and Ford hold my hands. Without looking at them I know their eyes are on me. I will sleep to come, but it’s impossible with Ford’s hand clutching my own resting on my thigh close to my heat. It makes me shiver and naughty thoughts race through my mind. Ford starts to pull away and it’s like my leg enjoys the attention because I move my knee over, so that my leg is pressed against his. My legs are parted, but my skirt still covers me.
Peeking my eyes open, I chance a look at Ford. His gaze is now forward and the oncoming headlights light up his features in the dark vehicle, making him seem like some sort of wicked entity. It makes me shiver. He confuses my action with being cold because he releases my hand to palm my thigh just below the hem of my skirt. Back and forth, he rubs my flesh to warm me up. Slowly and softly. It maddens me. Heat floods through me and I grow dizzy.
Just like all the silly romance movies I indulge in over the weekends.
But unlike those stories, he doesn’t slide his hands up and explore me further. Eventually, I give up hope that he’ll touch me and let sleep steal me away.
I can tell the moment she falls asleep. I’m that in tune with the girl. I always have been. My connection goes back to the day she cried out after a nightmare. We’d recently received a threat against her father, Jack, and I’d panicked thinking they’d gotten into the house. I stormed into her bedroom. She sat on her knees in the middle of her bed, her nightgown pushed up her thighs, and her big brown eyes wide with fear. At eighteen, she was too damn beautiful for her own good. If she were my daughter, I would’ve locked her away in the goddamn wine cellar and thrown away the key.
But she’s not my daughter. Fucking far from it.
That night, I went to her and cupped her pretty face in my palm. The moment I touched her skin, I could almost smell her sweet scent. Hell, I could practically taste it. And the allure it had on me was far too dark and depraved. She was so out of my reach, yet I craved to touch her anyway. It was then that I began to notice every detail about her.
I became obsessed. Craving her like nothing before. The fucking forbidden apple, juicy sweet…illicit.
Now, after actually smelling her precious cunt on the toy she used to pleasure herself with earlier today, I’ll never get her free from my mind. She imprinted herself there. I’m her prisoner.
“Where to?” Zac asks, stealing my attention from the sleeping angel in the backseat.
“Upstate. The woods,” I grunt out. My men and I speak in code. Even though we were meticulous in our inspection of the Tahoe, you can never be too sure. There could be bugs and I’d rather not inform the enemy of our destination if they happen to be listening.
“Settle in,” Zac says. “Get some sleep because I don’t feel like we’ll be doing much of that once we get there.”
I know he means because we’ll be on constant watch over sweet little Clove Sterling, but my mind goes there. The same place it goes whenever I jerk off to release tension. Her. Always her. So many times, since that night I touched her soft cheek, I’ve watched her. No longer as a protective paternal figure. Instead, I watch her with lust. An intense craving I’ll never be able to sate. I notice the way her dresses curve over her perky tits and the way the hem falls above her knees, showing off her creamy skin that was meant to be tasted and adored.
I steal a look at her in the backseat. She’s turned some in her seat and her leg is hooked over Ford’s knee. His hand grips her thigh in a possessive way that makes me want to take her other knee and spread her sweet thighs open for us. Her skirt has ridden up and in the dark of the vehicle, I can make out the white flash of her lace panties beneath her skirt. It’s not a pencil skirt like earlier since that one got dirtied up after the incident. Instead, she’s changed into one with a loose fabric that rides up her legs with every movement she makes. My cock thickens, causing me to re-adjust myself
.
“Don’t,” Zac mutters only for me to hear.
He means stop fucking obsessing. But I can’t. I’ve gotten drunk a few times over the past four years and spilled my woes to him. How if life were different, I’d make a girl like her mine. Once, I went as far as to detail out every single thing I’d do to her tight cunt. All with my tongue. He left with a hard-on and told me to get in line. If she couldn’t be his—theirs—then she couldn’t be mine, so to let it go.
But I can’t.
I fucking can’t.
“I wish one of us from IDS could have stayed,” Zac grumbles. “I don’t trust those bastards from Advanced Security.”
“Those Advanced guys are every bit as trained and capable as the four of us. They will do their job just as you would. Quit your bitching,” I grumble.
None of us would have wanted to stay knowing the others got to disappear with Clo.
I steal another look at her. Her soft, dark brown hair hangs in silky waves in front of her shoulders and her plump lips are parted as she sleeps. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to suck on her bottom lip.
“She’s fine.” Ford rolls his eyes.
I twist further in my seat to get a good look at him. I don’t like the smug look on his stupid face as he caresses her thigh. He’s leaned back, his legs parted, in an easy way that suggests cuddling with Clo is a common situation. And for as often as he takes her out to do errands and stuff, I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to sneak in some closeness with her. With his narrowed hazel eyes on me, he delicately inches his fingers up along her bare thigh.
My hands fist and my nostrils flare. “Watch it,” I warn.
He smirks. “She likes it.”
“I will fucking kill you,” I whisper through gritted teeth. If I don’t get to touch her neither should he.
Ford lifts a brow and continues his lazy teasing on her skin. Even in the dark, I can tell his erection is about to burst from his slacks. There’s no fucking way I can drive five hours with this prick pushing my buttons when it comes to her. He’s letting me know things have changed. No more dancing around the fact things are different, she’s different. She’s not a job, she’s our girl. One we all protect, take care of, and someone we want to be with. Some prick tried to take her from us. It changes a person—the situation. Feelings, when you nearly lose the one thing you realize you’ve been living for, become more. They become real, present, and need to be explored.
