Chapter 5
Trent got her dressed back into her pajamas. Then he tucked her into bed before going into the bathroom to wash up and get ready for bed.
When he walked out, she was hugging Scruffy Dog and watching him closely. He saw the relief on her face as he returned.
He climbed into bed, lying on his back. She immediately crawled on top of him. It was her favorite position to sleep in when she was feeling unsure or scared.
“I wish I’d stayed home like I’d told you I would. I didn’t even text you that I was leaving.”
“That’s true,” he agreed, running his hand over her back. “But you don’t need to be worrying about any of that stuff right now. You’ve been through enough. We’ll talk about all of that later.”
“Talk?” she asked.
“Hmm.” He ran his hand down her back to pat her ass lightly. “Maybe more than talk. We also need a chat about nutrition.”
“I don’t think we need to talk about that, Daddy,” she said hastily.
“I disagree. Now, you need to close your eyes and get some sleep. You’re exhausted.”
She yawned and slumped against him. “I don’t think I can shut my brain off.”
He lightly massaged her back. “Just think about something else. Something nice.”
“Like a vacation?”
“A vacation? Sure. You can think about that.” Did she want to go on a vacation? Why hadn’t he thought to take her away? Fuck. “Where would you go?”
“To the beach. I’ve never been on a vacation to the beach before.
It always sounded so much fun. Some of the kids at school would go during summer break and they’d talk about it when they got back.
The teacher would always ask who did something fun over the summer, then kids would get up and talk about their break. ”
“What did you get up and talk about?”
“Me? Oh no, I never got up.”
Fuck. How had he not taken her to the fucking beach?
“Although I’d probably rather go visit Chardonnay and Effie. I miss them. Chardonnay said she’s going to go on a cruise soon. She’s making some good money stripping at Pinkies.”
“Perhaps we could go see them one day soon.”
She tensed, then she pushed herself up, so she was looking down at him. Her messy, red hair was everywhere, and he brushed it back off her face so he could see her more clearly. Fuck, he hated how drawn and exhausted she looked.
“We could do that?”
“Fuck, baby. I hate that you seem so shocked. Of course we can. I’m sorry I haven’t suggested it before now. We’ll go as soon as Ben is back from his honeymoon, yeah?”
“Thank you, Daddy! Thank you!” She kissed his face energetically. Then her lips hit his, and he placed his hand around the back of her head to hold her still so he could deepen the kiss.
When he drew back, they were both breathing heavily and his cock grew hard.
“You taste so good, baby,” he told her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you today.”
“It’s so crazy. Who’d think that something like that could happen here? In a small corner store in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. Did you know that Bev had a shotgun? And she knows how to use it.”
“Hmm. A lot of people around here know how to handle a gun, baby. And Bev has an interesting past.”
“Wow. Crazy.” She snuggled into his chest again. He only ever slept naked, so she had easy access to his skin.
She fell silent for a while, and he hoped she was going to sleep. But then she wriggled around.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
“No. I was so scared, Daddy.”
Fuck. Fuck.
He rubbed his hand up and down her back. “I know you were, baby. I’m going to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”
“It was such a fluke that I was there. I know I said that I wished I’d never gone into town. But if I hadn’t . . . then he might have kicked Jess.”
Fuck. He hadn’t thought of that. She was right, though.
“Stop thinking about it,” he ordered, unable to take the fear and worry in her voice any longer.
“I wish I could. But every time I close my eyes, I can see him standing over Jess, his leg going back. Only I think about what if I was too slow? Or what if the gun had gone off? What if he’d fallen on her?”
“Baby girl. You can’t keep going over ‘what ifs’. You’ll tear yourself apart. Try to sleep, yeah? You’re overtired now.”
She nodded, moving again. Then she sighed. He kept rubbing her back, hoping she’d drift off.
“Did you set the alarm?” she asked.
He frowned. That wasn’t something she’d normally ask. “Of course, baby.”
“And you locked the front door?”
“Yeah, baby. I did.”
“Did you check the back door?”
“Hey.” He rolled them to their sides and cupped the side of her head, running his thumb over the apple of her cheek. “You’re safe now. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“I know . . . I just . . . I’d feel better if I checked the house was locked up. I’ll be back soon.” She attempted to roll out of bed, but he tightened his hold on her.
“Uh-uh, no way you’re getting out of bed in the dark and cold to go check that the house is secure.”
“But—”
“That’s my job,” he told her firmly. “You stay right here. I’ll go check.” He walked out of the bedroom and through the house, checking it thoroughly. If his girl needed this in order to feel safe, then he was going to give it to her.
When he returned to the bedroom, she was sitting up in bed, clutching Scruffy Dog to her chest. She was tugging at his right ear. Something she did when she was stressed. His right ear was far more worn than the other one.
“Hey, everything is all right. The house is locked up tight. The alarm is on. You know I’d hear if anyone tried to break in. That asshole is locked up tight. Even if he knew where you lived, there’s no way he could get in here to hurt you.”
“I know. Thanks, Daddy. I just . . . it can be scary here at night.”
Shit. Had she been scared last night?
He never should have left her.
“I’m here now. Daddy will keep all the scary things away,” he reassured her as he climbed into bed and drew her back over his chest.
“Even the bogeyman?” she asked.
“Yep. Even him.”
“Ghosts?”
“They are no match for Daddy,” he reassured her.
“Zombies?”
He snorted. “Piece of cake.”
She relaxed on his chest, snuggling in. “All right, Daddy.”
“That’s my girl. Now, go to sleep. You’re safe here in Daddy’s arms.”
The gun was pointed straight at her.
No! No!
She didn’t want to die.
At one time in her life, she hadn’t felt like she’d had anything to live for. But now . . . she had Trent. She had friends, her cousin. A life, a career, people she cared about.
“I don’t want to die!”
“Baby, wake up!”
“Please don’t kill me! Please!”
“April, wake up, baby!”
“Trent, I’m so s-sorry. I love you!”
The shooter narrowed his gaze as he fired, and she screamed as pain shot through her chest.
Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted.
She couldn’t breathe! She was dying!
“April, you wake up right the fuck now! You listen to Daddy or you’ll be in big trouble. Open. Your. Eyes.”
Opening her eyes, she gasped for breath as she stared up at him. “D-Daddy?”
“Thank fuck.” He was sitting up in bed with her tucked into his lap, holding her tight.
A sob escaped her. “Daddy.”
“I know, baby. I know. You were having a nightmare. But you’re fine. You’re safe. And I’m not ever going to let something like that happen to you again. I promise.”
He couldn’t make that promise. Not really. Bad things happened all the time. But she needed to hear it in that moment.
Turning her head, she pressed her face to his bare chest as she cried.
“It’s all right. You’re safe. Daddy is here.”
“S-Sorry I woke you up.”
“Stop that,” he said firmly. “You never apologize for waking me up. The only time I would ever be mad is if you needed me and you didn’t wake me up.”
That was Trent. Always putting her first. God, how she loved him for it.
He lay back in the bed and arranged her on his chest again, his arms tight around her.
“Want to tell me about the nightmare?” he asked.
“That guy had his gun aimed at me. I knew I was going to die. Then he fired at me and I couldn’t breathe. That’s when you woke me up. Thank you.”
“Always, baby.”
She lay there as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. She stared into the darkness, knowing that she needed to go back to sleep. But she was frightened to close her eyes.
“I think I should go do some work or something and let you sleep, Daddy.” She attempted to climb off him, but Trent tightened his arms around her.
“Don’t even think about it,” he growled.
“I’m keeping you awake, though.”
“You think I care about that? I don’t. What I care about is you. Stay where you are.”
“I don’t think I can sleep. I feel antsy . . . itchy on the inside. I can’t explain it.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
She thought about that for a long moment. “I don’t know.”
She wriggled around on his chest. She had to do something.
“I think . . . I need to feel alive. To remember that I’m here. That he didn’t hurt me. He didn’t hurt anyone else.”
“You’re here, baby girl. With me.” He squeezed her ass and a shot of pleasure ran through her.
Suddenly, she knew exactly what she wanted if she could get him to agree. She ran her tongue over his nipple, then turned her head so she could suck on it.
“Baby,” he groaned. He placed his hand on the back of her head, holding her there gently. “Fuck. What are you doing?”
“If you have to ask that, then I’m obviously not doing it right,” she grumbled as she moved her head over to his other nipple.
“Christ. Of course you’re doing it right.”
“I want you,” she murmured as she slid down his stomach. He didn’t have defined abs, but his stomach was firm and hard. He was built wide. Strong.
She always felt so small and delicate against him, and she loved that.
“April,” he said warningly. “Stop for a moment and talk to me.”
“Please, I don’t want to talk. I want to feel.” She glanced up at him. Reaching over, he switched on the bedside lamp and studied her face.
“You’re sure about this?”
“I need you in my mouth. I want this. I want to feel alive.”
He nodded slowly. “All right, my baby.”
Relief and hunger filled her.
She practically fell on him. Feasted on his body. She used her mouth and tongue and fingers to play with his nipples, to kiss and lick his chest and stomach and neck. Finally, she couldn’t hold back anymore. April grasped hold of his dick.
She was well aware that he was holding back for her. Normally, he wouldn’t put up with her taking control for long.
Trent needed control as much as she needed to submit.
He was worried about her, that much was clear. And he wanted her to have whatever she needed.
She slid her tongue over the head of his cock as he groaned.
Then she took him into her mouth, moving slowly up his shaft.
“Fuck. Fuck me.”
Hmm. That sounded like a good idea. But she wasn’t done playing with his dick yet. She took him as deep as she could and hummed.
“Fuck!” he groaned.
She loved doing this to him and she wasn’t stopping yet. She moved up his cock, then licked her tongue over the head of him again. Taking just the head into her mouth, she used her hand to jack him off.
His breathing grew faster, and she could feel how tense he’d grown. Drawing away from him, she shifted between his spread legs, lying on her stomach. Then she cupped his balls, licking them as she went back to rubbing her hand up and down his dick.
He was muttering to himself. She had to admit that she was shocked he hadn’t snapped and taken over.
Moving up onto her knees again, she sucked on the head of his cock. A sense of contentment ran through her. She loved having him in her mouth.
“Baby, get up here. I want to taste you.”
No. She didn’t think so.
“April,” he growled. “Fuck.”
Poor Trent. He really did sound like he was in pain. Finally, she straddled him and took him deep into her pussy with a groan.
That felt so damn good.
Placing her hands on his chest, she started to ride him. Slow, then fast. Hard, then gentle.
She could feel her own need growing. She was so damn close, but she couldn’t get to where she was supposed to be. A noise of frustration escaped her.
Then his hand was there, his finger playing with her clit. With his other hand, he cupped her breast and pinched her nipple.
“Oh! Ohh,” she cried out. “More, please.”
“Whatever my baby wants, she gets.”
That wasn’t always the case. He’d been known to tease her for hours. Although, in fairness, he always gave her what she wanted in the end.
“Please!” She wasn’t sure what she was begging for. She was so close, but she couldn’t seem to get there.
“Come for me, baby. Come hard. Now!”
That’s what she’d wanted. What she’d needed. To be given permission to let go and come. Throwing her head back, feeling her hair move down her back, she screamed as she came.
As soon as those first few trembles of her orgasm began, he grabbed hold of her hips and started driving himself into her. He was relentless. There was nothing soft or slow.
He was fucking her.
He rolled them and she found herself on her back with her hands above her head, her wrists trapped in his large hand. With his other hand, he held himself up, so she wasn’t taking all of his weight.
Then he started fucking her again. She wrapped her legs around his hips as best she could, holding on for the ride.
When he came, she was so close to the edge once again that a whimper of need escaped her. He released her hands, kissing her hungrily as he remained settled inside her. She loved having him inside her. It made her feel connected to him.
“I need to go clean up,” she said.
“No.”
“Um. There’s a wet patch.”
He shifted them over so he was on his back and she was lying on his chest once more. Somehow, he kept them connected. His dick was still semi-hard inside her.
“Now, there’s no wet patch.”
“We can’t sleep like this.”
With a yawn, he turned out the bedside lamp, wrapping one arm around her tight. “Yes. We can.”
There was no way. She needed to clean up. He was still inside her.
Not . . . happening . . .
She kept thinking that even as she drifted off to sleep.