It had been a few days since Bain had been kidnapped and she’d been suffering from regular panic attacks. She’d also been having nightmares.
This morning, Caleb and the others had left to go back to Escana. She already missed them like crazy. She’d spent yesterday watching movies and playing board games with Tavi and Aric. Kassim and Matek had holed up in her office with the others, discussing guy stuff. Aric and Tavi had told her some interesting things about life in Escana. How most relationships there were a single woman with many husbands. How women were cherished, worshipped and closely guarded.
She’d made plans to visit them later in the year. With Bain, of course. She still needed to give Tavi that concert.
Bain sat beside her on the bed then drew her onto his lap. He rocked her back and forth. “Wish I could help with these, angel.”
“You do help,” she told him fiercely. “They’ll stop eventually. It’s just. . .I keep imagining you getting hurt. Killed.”
“I’m fine. You’re fine. Nothing is going to happen to either of us.”
She nodded her head. Logically, she knew they were both all right. But that didn’t mean that her body still didn’t go into panic mode. That her brain didn’t go over everything that could have gone wrong.
“At least they both confessed.”
Rob had been taken to the hospital but had woken several hours later. He had immediately confessed. That had enabled the detectives to put pressure on Jerome. He’d caved. He still refused to talk about any crimes in the past. But he had admitted to sending her those letters and kidnapping Bain.
“Don’t forget about Larry,” Bain rumbled. “He’s finally getting what he deserves.”
Turns out, Jerome hadn’t left the letter in her dressing room. The police had done some digging into Larry and they’d found he’d made a series of large withdrawals in the days leading up to the charity concert. It hadn’t taken him long to confess to writing the letter he’d ‘found’ in her dressing room and paying someone to set the fire and take the fall. He’d done it for publicity, to raise her profile and increase sales. He’d also thought it would make Bain and Dominic look incompetent, that she’d get rid of them and turn back to him. Someone could have been hurt and all he’d cared about was himself. Asshole.
There were also some questions around his financials and whether he’d been embezzling money from her. She felt so stupid for trusting him so much.
She hadn’t heard from her family. That was one positive. It still hurt, their betrayal, their lies. But she knew she was better off without them.
“I still think you should talk to someone about all of this.”
She shuddered. Apparently, the doctor who lived at Sanctuary had a brother who was a psychiatrist. And she had to admit, she was thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“I’ll think about it. After our RV trip.”
“Still can’t believe I agreed to that.”
Dominic was due to fly back to Montana tomorrow. After she got her apartment on the market, and packed up what she wanted, she and Bain were going to drive back. In an RV.
She was so excited. It wasn’t quite camping, but it was still exciting.
Bain ran his fingers through her hair. “What you want to do now, angel? How would you like to play a board game? We might be able to rope Dominic in.”
“Candyland! Candyland!”
Bain shook his head. “All right, Candyland.”
“Yay!” She climbed off his lap and did a victory dance as Bain grinned at her. They walked out of her bedroom and down towards the living room.
Dominic stepped out of the kitchen, a sandwich in his hand. Like normal. How did the man eat so much and not gain weight?
“Dom-Dom, we’re playing Candyland. And I’m going to whip your ass.”
Dominic groaned. “Dom-Dom, really?”
“Yep.”
He looked over at Bain. “I think I preferred it when she was closed off and overly polite.”
“No, you don’t,” Bain commented.
Dominic winked at her to let her know he’d just been joking.
“Candyland again?” Dominic asked.
She nodded excitedly.
“I’ll go get it ready,” Dominic moaned.
Bain grabbed hold of her hand as she went to follow him. He tugged her in against him. “I know these past few days, hell, weeks have been hard on you. Your family’s betrayal. The stalker. Just want you to know. I’ll always take care of you. Always protect you. Always believe in you.”
“My family didn’t suddenly change. I was just blind to their faults. Or maybe it was more that I was in denial. Now that they’re gone. That the threat of the stalker is gone, I feel free. Sure, I’m still having panic attacks and nightmares, but they’ll go eventually. Now, I have everything. I have you.”
“You do. Always.”
Epilogue
“Arianna? Arianna! Where are you? You better not be hiding from me!”
Well, she hadn’t been. But now that she’d heard the scolding note in his voice, she thought it might not be a bad idea.
There was just one problem. . .
She kind of needed him to rescue her. Seemed that while she might be a champion tree climber, she was not a champion at getting down from said tree. And it also seemed that she might have developed a slight problem with heights since she was a child.
This had been so much easier when she was eight.
“Arianna!” The worry in his voice decided things for her.
“Up here, Daddy!” she called out.
“Where?”
“Here! In the tree.” Okay, she realized how silly that sounded once she said it. They were surrounded by trees. “The really big one.”
“This really big one?”
His voice sounded closer and she glanced down to find him staring up at her, his hands on his hips, a scowl on his face.
“Yep.”
“What did I tell you about climbing trees, Arianna?” he rumbled at her.
She bit her lip. “Not to do it without you.”
He folded his arms across his chest.
“I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”
“Oh yes,” he drawled. “Big trouble.”
Yeah. Damn it. That’s what she’d thought. She’d been dying to climb this tree ever since she’d seen it, but every time she’d asked, he’d refused to let her, claiming it was too high.
Turns out, he was right.
But she wouldn’t tell him that.
She knew she’d be in trouble if she got caught trying to climb it, but she’d figured she could get up and down before he got home.
Turns out, she was wrong.
She also wouldn’t tell him that.
She’d lived here at Sanctuary Ranch for three weeks now and she loved it. The press was still hounding her for her story, but it was much easier to ignore them from here. Before they’d left Manhattan, her parents had turned up at her apartment. A last-ditch effort to get at her. But after Bain had a word with them, they’d left. Bain had refused to tell her what he’d said. Which might be for the best.
Before embarking on their RV adventure, she’d called Estelle. Just because Joe hurt her, didn’t mean she had to cut herself off completely from the older woman. Estelle told her that she believed Larry had discovered Joe’s gambling issue and had played him. Apparently, Larry would often give Joe inside tips he’d heard about different horses and races. In the beginning the tips had paid off, then things had started to go downhill.
Just another way Larry had been trying to control her life. By pulling Joe’s loyalty away from her.
Larry’s lawyer had contacted her, asking her to meet with him, since her ex-agent wasn’t legally allowed to be in contact with her. She’d refused. Bain had wanted to call the lawyer and tell him where he could shove his request, but she’d managed to calm him down.
The lawyer had then sent her an email from Larry. He’d tried to explain his actions. He’d pleaded
with her to forgive him. Told her he had nothing to do with Jerry or Rob. He’d just been blinded by opportunity and greed. He’d even tried to convince her that he’d done it all for her.
He was a fucking asshole.
Although, both Jerry and Rob had told the police that they hadn’t been working with Larry.
His career was over. He would now have a record. He would be blackballed from the industry; she’d heard from her record label that no one wanted anything to do with him.
He deserved it all. He’d known those letters were real, yet he’d been willing to risk her safety by trying to convince Bain and Dominic that she’d made them up. He’d paid someone to set a fire. People could have gotten hurt, including her. He’d put pressure on Joe to gamble then used him to keep tabs on her. He hadn’t cared about her safety that night at the concert. Hell, he’d made Joe drive him home rather than wait for her.
Scum.
Bain had also paid Doctor Jones a visit and he’d admitted to taking money from her parents to give her medication she didn’t really need. Both he and her parents were under investigation. She could have tried to protect her parents. But she was done with them. They’d made their bed. They could lie in it.
Once they’d gotten out of the city and on the road, she’d been able to put most of it behind her. The worry. The stress. When they’d arrived here, she’d immediately felt a sense of home. This place was so beautiful. The mountains. The trees. And the people here had been so kind and accepting.
Most mornings, she got up, had breakfast and went off into her music room for a few hours. She didn’t know how Bain had managed to have the soundproof room built onto the cabin before they’d gotten here. But it was amazing. Not only did she have her own music room, but he’d had the second bedroom turned into a playroom for her.
The record label had been really supportive of her creating her own music. She’d have to go back to New York at some time to record it. And there would be some publicity events she’d have to attend, but Bain had promised he would do what he had to in order to be there with her. She hadn’t yet convinced him to sing with her, but she knew he would eventually cave.
After a few hours of feeding her soul with music, she’d emerge feeling refreshed and amazing. Then she’d spend time with Bain, if he was home. He’d been working from the ranch while she settled in. He didn’t want to go away until he was certain her panic attacks and nightmares were under control. And that she wouldn’t sleepwalk.
A lot of her time spent with Bain was as Little Ari. Honestly, that had done more to help her with her nightmares and panic attacks than anything else could have. But she’d still started Skype sessions with Doc’s brother, who thankfully had a much nicer manner than his brother
She’d been worried that her presence here might be disruptive or not welcome. The last thing she wanted was to cause any problems. But everyone here had been so welcoming. Especially the other Littles. They’d planned a board game night this weekend.
She was going to kick all their asses at Candyland.
She’d never felt more secure or happy in her life.
Bain had even arranged for a porch swing to be installed on the back porch. She loved spending most of her time out there. Even if she got into trouble for letting herself get too cold or not wearing enough clothes.
For someone who had always tried her best to please people, she seemed to manage to get in an awful lot of trouble.
“Get down from there, Arianna.”
“I would if I could.”
“You can’t get back down?”
She shook her head, squeaking as she felt the branch beneath her shift. “No! Help me, Daddy. Please!”
“It’s all right,” he reassured her. “Daddy’s coming. Hope this tree can hold my weight.”
She did too.
She clung on for dear life as he made his way up the tree. When he reached her, he stood on the branch below and wrapped his arm around her. His heat surrounded her.
“It’s okay, baby. I got you. Gonna guide you down. That’s it. Let go now. Move your foot here. Good girl. I won’t let you fall.”
She followed his calm instructions, feeling much braver with him there. She knew he’d never let her fall. Bain could do anything. Even rescue a naughty Little from up a tree.
When they were both on the ground, she threw herself at him. “Thank you, Daddy! I was scared!”
He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her as he walked through their cabin and into the living room. He sat on the sofa with her straddling him and held her close until they both stopped shaking.
“You’re okay,” he muttered to her. “You’re okay.”
She wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. Finally, she pulled back to look at him. She knew that as soon as he got over his fright, she was going to be in big trouble.
“I sorry, Daddy. I thought I could get back down on my own.”
He narrowed her gaze at her. “You’re not supposed to climb trees without me.”
“I know.” She hunched her shoulders miserably.
“And especially not that tree. What did I say about that tree?”
“That it was too tall, and I’d get stuck.”
“And that’s just what happened, isn’t it? What were you going to do if Daddy hadn’t come home?”
“Wait until you did.”
“It’s growing cold and you didn’t have a jacket on. What if you’d slipped and fallen? Little girl, don’t you know how much you mean to me? What if you’d been hurt?”
She sniffled, feeling miserable. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. Is you gonna punish me now?”
“I sure am.”
She wiggled off his lap and stood with her head lowered. “Do I gots to get my naughty girl paddle?”
Bain had bought the naughty girl paddle after she’d gone to the park to meet with Jerome. During their trip here, she’d thought about throwing it out the window several times. But he’d warned her that he’d just buy another one and use it every night on her ass for a week if she did that.
“Yes. Off you go.”
Her naughty girl paddle wasn’t that big. It was black leather with heart shapes cut out on one side. The inside of the hearts was red. It hung from a hook in her playroom. Next to it sat her time-out chair. Something else she wasn’t fond of.
Her feet dragged as she walked back towards him and held the paddle out. “Here it is, Daddy.”
“What do you say?”
“Please, Daddy, will you paddle me?”
“I will.” He stood. “All right, angel. Take off your pants and panties pull them right off. Then bend over, hands on the seat cushions.”
She pulled her clothes off her bottom half then leaned over.
“Spread your legs wide.”
Already, she could feel tears welling. She knew she’d frightened him and that he really was serious about her safety.
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“Me too, baby. It’s a count of ten.”
Without any further warning, the paddle landed on her ass several times. She rolled up onto her toes. Holy fuck! That hurt!
There was a pause and he struck again. She shuffled from foot to foot. “Ow. Owie.”
“I know, baby. Gonna need you to stay still.”
She took in a shuddering breath. The next two were no less painful. The heat built. Her poor ass throbbed. She wasn’t going to be sitting comfortably for a while.
Another two. Ouch. Ouch.
“Two more.” The next one landed and she started to cry. Sobs racked her body. She hated that she’d scared him. She’d been frightened too. She’d been worried he wouldn’t be home for hours and that she’d be stuck there, cold and afraid.
The last one landed and she collapsed against the sofa. He immediately pulled her up into his arms, carrying her to their bedroom where he lay on his back with her sprawled on his chest. He ran his hand up and down her back, talking to her in
a low, soothing voice.
“Love you, baby. I don’t handle it well when you scare me. Not when you go to meet your crazy stalker. Not when you climb high trees. Need you to stop giving me gray hairs.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I try not to scare you again.”
“Appreciate that. Love you, angel.”
“Love you too.”
“Daddy! Where are we going?” she squealed.
After having her butt paddled, Bain had put her down for a nap. When he’d come to get her, because she wasn’t allowed to get up on her own, he’d told her he had a surprise. Then he’d slipped a bandana over her eyes to blindfold her. Now he was leading her through their cabin. Towards the back door? Were they going out? But no, he would have told her to get dressed warm if they were doing that.
He was nothing if not ultra-careful with her health and protection.
“Gonna sit you down so I can put some thick socks on your feet, all right?”
So they were going outside?
“Okay, Daddy.”
“Good girl.”
He helped her sit then put some socks on her, as well as a hat, gloves and a scarf. She thought it would have been easier to do this before she’d been blindfolded. But, oh well. . .
“Right, come here, little bit.” He picked her up in his arms.
“Good thing you’re so strong, Daddy. Since you like carrying me around.”
“Seems like I was made just for you, doesn’t it, angel?”
Oh yes. It certainly did.
He had to shuffle her weight around to open the door then a rush of cold air hit her. She didn’t care. Montana was magical. Even the chill in the air as it grew closer to winter. She just wanted to hole up in her little cabin with the fire going and snuggle into her big, cuddly ogre.
“What was that thought that put a smile on your face?” he asked as he walked. Where was he taking her?
“Just thinking about what a snuggle bunny you are.”
He made a dark, rumbling noise and her smile grew wider. “Snuggle bunny? I ought to spank you for that.”
Such an ogre.
“All right. Gonna set you down now.”
Daddy's Angel (Montana Daddies Book 7) Page 26
