I can’t stop thinking of the way my skin felt like it was ignited in a blissful fire under his touch. My cheek still tingles whenever I think about it.
“You should leave,” my father says when we’re finished eating and I’m doing the dishes. “Get on a bus and get as far away from here as possible.”
I laugh it off as I fill up the sink with water even though he’s serious. “Who’s going to waitress for the restaurant?”
“For the non-existent customers?” my father asks. He looks so pathetic with both of his arms in casts. “I mean it, Bree. You should leave tonight. It’s not safe for you here. Every time I look at your black eye it makes me sick. I’m afraid that the people who did that will come back and do worse.”
I shake my head as I drop the dirty plates into the mound of bubbles. I just can’t believe that Mr. Connolly would hurt me. He seemed so agitated when he saw my black eye. It took everything that I had not to smirk at that goon who did it to me.
I smile as I wash the plate, hoping that Mr. Connolly paid him back with interest.
“I’m not leaving, Dad.”
“This is not a time for you to be stubborn,” he says, getting agitated. “Your safety is my prima-”
A knock on the door shuts him up. His face goes white as he turns to it.
“Don’t answer it,” he whispers.
I wave my wet hand at him as I walk over to the door. “There could be a problem in the restaurant,” I say, wiping my hands on the back of my jeans. We live in a tiny one bedroom apartment over the restaurant. Dad gave me the room. He sleeps on the couch. It’s cramped and sometimes I dream about living in a mansion with a closet that’s bigger than this whole apartment, but it’s still my home so I don’t complain. Besides, Dad is trying the best that he can.
My breath catches in my throat as I look through the peephole and see Mr. Connolly standing there in a suit.
“Who is it?” my dad whispers.
If I told him he would forbid me to open the door so I just open it.
The gorgeous sight of Cormac Connolly in a fitted suit, staring down at me with the most intense eyes that I’ve ever seen makes me breathless. It cements me to the spot, making me forget my manners and I don’t invite him in.
“Mr. Connolly,” my father says, standing up behind me.
Mr. Connolly doesn’t take his heated eyes off of me, even when my father nudges me out of the way so that he can invite him in.
“Come in,” he says, struggling to get the door with his broken arms. “Please, come in.”
Mr. Connolly finally pries his eyes off of me and looks at my father. He cringes when he sees the casts on his arms before walking in.
“Go to your room and close the door,” my father whispers in my ear as he closes the front door.
I just pretend not to hear. Something tells me that Mr. Connolly is here for me anyway.
“We just ate dinner,” my father says nervously, as he guides him to the table. “But we have some leftovers if you’re hungry.”
Mr. Connolly looks so confident and sure of himself next to my bumbling dad. He walks through the apartment like he owns the place. Maybe he does own this place.
I feel my cheeks go red as he sits at the table and watches me as I return to the dishes in the sink.
“I’m not here for food,” he says in a deep gritty voice. “I’m here for something else.”
My father swallows hard as he sits in his chair. “I’m going to get you the money,” he says, starting to fidget nervously.
Mr. Connolly ignores him and turns his attention to me. “Stop doing the dishes,” he commands. His voice is so firm and powerful. I can see how he rose to be the head of one of the biggest criminal organizations in the state. I’m ready to follow every command that he gives me.
I drop the glass in the sink and slowly turn around.
“You’ll never do another dish again,” he says staring me in the eyes.
“Bree,” my father says quickly. “Why don’t you go check on the restaurant downstairs?”
I see Mr. Connolly mouth my name and then his lips curl up in the faintest of smiles. He’s a hard man with a hard face and a hard body, but there’s softness in him when it comes to me.
He’s handsome in a dangerous kind of way with brown wavy hair that’s perfectly styled to the side and a masculine jaw with a strong nose that looks like it was broken a few times. His body is big and muscular and looks amazing in his fitted suit that probably costs a fortune.
“Bree,” my father says again, with more force this time.
But I can’t take my eyes off of Mr. Connolly.
“It’s okay,” Mr. Connolly says, placing a hand on the table. “It’s actually Bree who I came to see.”
My father leans back in his chair, his eyes widening. That was the last thing that he wanted to hear.
Mr. Connolly looks right at me. “I will let you pay me back.”
“No!” my father shouts out. He looks at me in a panic as he shakes his head wildly. “Bree, you can’t.”
Mr. Connolly just ignores him. “But I don’t want your money. I want you.”
I stroke my throat as I listen to his words, the words that I spent all afternoon dreaming that he would say. I wanted him to come back for me. I want to leave this place where I always have to be a responsible adult and let him take care of me. I don’t want to have to steal underwear from the store or wait until cans expire at the grocery store before I can buy them with money that we don’t have.
I want him to take me away from all of this and just be there for me.
“No,” my dad shouts. “You can’t have her.”
But Mr. Connolly doesn’t need my father’s permission. He only needs my permission.
And I want to give it to him.
“Mr. Connolly,” my father says desperately. “I’m going to get you your money!”
“I don’t want money,” he answers, staring right at me. “Your debt will be forgotten if she comes with me.”
My dad just shakes his head, listening in disbelief.
I on the other hand, am listening with interest.
The thought of it intrigues me. This powerful man has some kind of hold on me already and I want to walk down the dangerous path for once to see where it leads me. I want to see where he can take me.
I know what he’s asking for. I’m not a child anymore.
I’m still a virgin and I’ve never even had a kiss before. While other kids my age were out partying and hooking up at night and on the weekends, I was busying working in the restaurant, trying to help my father make ends meet.
I finally find my voice. “What’s going to happen if I come with you?”
“You’ll come live with me.” He says it simply like he’s not flipping my world inside out. “I’ll take care of you. You’ll have anything that you desire and want for nothing. You’ll never have to work a day in your life and you’ll have servants to fulfill your every need.”
His eyes are so soft when he talks to me. I know that he’s telling the truth.
“But I’m going to be honest with you, Buttercup,” he says, rubbing his chin as he goes on. “We must always be honest with each other.”
I don’t know why but I nod.
“If you come with me,” he says, the darkness back in his eyes. “There’s no going back. You won’t be allowed to leave me.”
“No way,” my dad says, shaking his head. “I’m not going to let my daughter be your prisoner!”
Mr. Connolly turns to him with a hardness on his face. “She won’t be my prisoner. She’ll be my wife.”
The word sends warm shivers rushing through me. I like the sound of that word on his lips.
My father is staring at him in disbelief.
“I understand your concern,” Mr. Connolly says to my dad. “But I want you to know that no one will ever love her the way that I do. She will be my world. My everything. No one will care for her more or make her as happy as I wil
l. She won’t know the meaning of suffering if she comes with me. She won’t know the meaning of pain or sadness. She’ll be the light in my dark world and I will treasure her forever.”
My dad doesn’t look so sure, but I do. I want to go.
“But,” my dad says, stuttering. “She won’t be able to leave? Ever?”
Mr. Connolly shakes his head. “Never. She’ll be my light and I’ll want to keep the light in my life. I won’t let the best part of my life leave.”
“What about my father?” I ask nervously. “He needs me to help take care of him.”
Mr. Connolly raises a finger as he pulls out his phone. He makes a call, asks for a Michael and tells him that he needs a live-in nurse for a month. After a few seconds and a couple of nods, Mr. Connolly shuts off his phone and slides it back into his pocket.
“Your father will be taken care of by a professionally trained nurse,” he says. “And as for the bills…” He pulls out a thick envelope and drops it on the table. One hundred dollar bills spill out and my father’s eyes widen. “Ten thousand dollars. For you. For her.”
My dad stares at it for a second before closing his eyes and shaking his head. “No. No. That’s not going to happen.”
Mr. Connolly doesn’t look happy at that answer so I step forward and give him my own. “I’ll go.”
My father turns to me in shock. “Bree!”
“It’s okay,” I say softly as I walk over to him. “It’s okay, Dad. I want to go.”
And it’s true. I do want to go.
I take his hand and pet it softly as he looks at me with sadness in his eyes.
“This is going to be a good thing for me,” I say, nodding my head.
After several minutes of arguing, I have my bag packed and we’re ready to leave. My father is still reluctant but I give him a hug and try to reassure him that I’ll be okay. I’ll tell him that I’ll call him when I arrive at my new home and I’ll come visit him next week.
And then I leave with Mr. Connolly.
My new owner.
Chapter Four
Cormac
I can feel it already.
I’m starting to lose control. This girl is making me crazy.
My dick is rock hard in my pants as I watch her, looking out the window of the limo on the way to her new home. To our new home. It won’t be the same with her there. It will be infinitely better.
She looks nervous and has barely said a word since she got into the limousine but it doesn’t matter. She came with me and that’s the most important thing. Everything else will work out in the end.
I slide the window down behind the driver and lean over the seat. “Hurry up.”
The faster we get back to the headquarters, the better. I want her locked in a place on my turf where I can keep my eyes on her luscious body at all times. I want to know where she is and what’s she’s doing every second of the day.
I want her in a place where she’ll be mine and where no one could ever take her from me.
Her sweet scent is filling the backseat up, making me dizzy, making my dick ache. Tonight I’m going to bed with with my hard cock planted deep in her tight young pussy, and by morning she’ll be mine forever.
Not only will every want and desire of hers be fulfilled, making her want to stay, but my seed will be growing in her ripe womb and she’ll be bound to me for the rest of our days.
She turns to me with the most gorgeous blue eyes in the history of blue eyes. “Thank you,” she whispers to me. “I love my father but it’s been so hard always being the responsible adult growing up with him. My mother died when I was ten and he just expected me to take her place. I often dreamed that someone would come and take me away from all of it.”
“It wasn’t a dream,” I say, watching her sweet lips. “It was destiny. You were just getting a glimpse of your future. There’s going to be no more hurting, no more wanting. I’m going to take care of you now. And I take care of what’s mine.”
She smiles faintly and then looks back out the window. The light from the setting sun is washing over her gorgeous face and making her red hair look alive with fire. I clench my jaw and slam my fist onto the window behind the driver. I’m not a patient man and I want to be back home with this beauty yesterday.
The driver hits the gas and before long, we’re at our new home.
“It’s so big,” she says, looking up at the tall building in shock.
I swell with pride at the look of awe on her face. I built this organization from the gutters into the biggest criminal organization in the state.
“And it’s all yours,” I say.
She smiles. “It’s amazing, Mr. Connolly.”
“You will call me Cormac,” I say.
She nods as she looks at me with shy eyes. “Thank you, Cormac.”
The sound of my name crossing those sweet lips is enough to make me want to lunge at her and rip off every shred of clothing.
Keep it together.
I can’t let the people in my organization see how obsessed I am with her. They could take her and use her against me and that can’t happen. As loyal as most of them are to me, there’s always a few aspiring members who would want nothing more than to replace me as the leader.
I have to keep it together to keep her safe. As much as I want to rip off her clothes and plant my hard cock in that sweet young pussy, I have to wait until we’re in my room.
Then they’ll be nothing to stop me from taking what’s mine.
The driver opens the door for us and my Buttercup looks at me.
“Let’s go.”
She does as I say and steps out of the limo with me following close behind. The driver smiles at her as she steps out and I have to hold in the rage that’s trying to explode out of me. I don’t like other men’s eyes on her. Only I get to look at her.
Normally, I go out with the most gorgeous women in town. They hang off my arm wearing low cut tight dresses with their plastic tits sticking out for everyone to see. They’re the kind of women who demand to be looked at with their curvy bodies and done up hair and having other men leer at them never bothered me before.
But my Buttercup is different.
I grab her arm and hurry inside where I can keep her covered up and protected. She’s mine and I’m protective of my things. Only I get to look at her like that.
The doorman meets us and nods to me as he opens the door. He keeps his eyes on the ground and off of my girl. He’s a smart one. I make a mental note to make sure he gets a promotion.
The lobby is full of people and some of them try to get my attention but I just ignore them, holding onto my Buttercup’s arm as I pull her to the elevator.
“Mr. Connolly,” someone shouts out, waving their arms like a maniac. Shit. It’s the mayor. What the fuck does he want?
I take a deep breath and stop. It may be about the stadium deal. As much as I want to get Bree up to my room, the stadium deal is a multi-million dollar deal that I’ve been trying to settle for almost a year now.
“You better have good news for me,” I bark.
He smiles tightly as he stops in front of us. “I do,” he says with a smile. “Hello,” he says when he sees the girl that I’m holding onto. “I’m Mayor Smith.”
“Bree Walsh,” she says, shaking his hand.
Every muscle in my body is flexed with anger as I watch him touch her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Walsh,” he says.
I take a breath when they finally release each other’s hands. She has to learn the rules of the house. I’m the only one permitted to touch her. Everyone else will lose their hand if it goes anywhere near her.
“Call her, Mrs. Connolly.”
The mayor nods. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Connolly.”
My Buttercup is smiling as her cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink. She likes the name, which is good because she’ll have it forever.
The mayor assures me that the stadium deal is almost finalized and when he starts to tal
k about something else, I blow him off. “We have more important things to deal with,” I snap at him.
“Oh,” he says, jerking his head back. “Okay.” He takes my girls’ hand again but this time he kisses the top of it. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Conno-”
He doesn’t finish the thought. I slam him up against the wall, digging my forearm into his throat so hard that he starts to turn purple. “Did you just kiss my girl?”
His eyes look like they’re about to pop out of his head and I would laugh if it wasn’t so goddamn unfunny.
“I’m sorry,” he squeaks with the last bit of air that he has.
I release him and straighten my jacket, looking around at all of the gawking faces in the lobby. “What?” I shout and they all scatter like mice, dropping their eyes to the floor where they belong.
The mayor sinks to the floor, gasping for air as Bree takes my arm. “Come show me my new home,” she says, looking up at me with the softest eyes. Eyes that bring me from an out of control rage to a soothing zen-like state. How can I be mad with her looking at me like that?
“Okay,” I say, smoothing out my suit. “Let’s go.”
We walk down the hall and turn the corner, stopping in front of the elevators. “Wait here, Buttercup,” I say, tucking a strand of her gorgeous red hair behind her ear. “I forgot my key-card at the front desk.”
She nods and I hurry back around the corner, my eyes locking onto the mayor.
“Shit,” he curses when he sees me coming. His eyes dart for the exits but I’m too fast.
“Hand on the table.”
“What?” he asks with a shaky voice.
“You heard me. I don’t ask twice.”
He gulps as he places his trembling hand on the marble table. With one quick movement I pull out my gun and smash the handle onto his hand, shattering bone and making sure that he never pulls that shit again.
He falls to the floor, clutching his wrist and screaming out in pain as I put my gun back in the holster like I don’t give a fuck. People are watching but I don’t care. I want the word to get around so people will know what will happen if they touch my Buttercup.
Guarding Her Body Page 8
