Chapter 3
Ihad never been so fucking torn by anything in my life.
Especially not while on a ride.
I didn’t want to end the one I was on. Not when my sweet baby girl held on so tightly, my cock throbbed to know what she’d feel like.
The soft sounds she made as she sighed in awe and wonder or the little giggles of glee when I took a turn sure as hell didn’t help, either.
I was harder than a steel pipe. Her front pressed tightly to my back, her soft scent of sugared berries wafting in and out of my nose, teasing my senses.
The only thing that kept me sane was knowing I was not only going to take her to the clubhouse but to my room.
Having her stay with me was fucking making me lust drunk.
I’d called myself daddy to her, and she hadn’t shied away.
No, it’d been the opposite.
I’d seen that look in her eyes of surprise and joy that told me all I needed to know.
Not that I would push anything yet. I hadn’t lied.
I was a patient man when it came to working towards something I wanted.
For her, I sure as fuck could be. I wasn’t going to rush my princess into anything she wasn’t absolutely sure about, but when she was ready for some play time with her daddy, I’d be ready.
The guys pulled up to the back entrance of the casino and headed to the underground structure where we parked our bikes overnight.
Jessie’s hold on my waist tightened as if reality was starting to set in.
All I could to was stroke her arm, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay.
Pride swelled inside of me of how brave she was.
She might not have told me all the details about her stepdad, but the fear and hesitation in her voice had made me see red.
There was a man in California whose days were numbered, if I had anything to say about it.
We all pulled up to our spots, and when we were off the bike, I reached out and started to slowly unclip the helmet I’d put on her.
“Better?” I asked, carefully running my fingers through her short strands.
“Very. Thank you.” She licked her lips, leaving them glossy and beckoning for my mouth.
“Good,” I said roughly. “What’d you think about your first ride?” I asked, and I shit you not, if I wasn’t halfway in love with her already, the smile that lit her face would have got me there.
“It was amazing.” She bounced on the heels of her feet. When she realized her own enthusiasm, she shoved her hands into her pockets. “I never thought“—she shook her head–– “it could feel like that.”
“Like what?”
“That… freeing.” Oh yeah, Jessie was mine. Mine to love, to cherish and adore, and, most importantly, to protect.
“That’s how it felt?” I asked and she nodded, slightly more subdued. Like she wasn’t sure she could show me just how excited she was. With time. Give her time, a soft calm voice whispered in my head.
My daddy side.
The one I’d never let myself explore despite all the shit I’d done in the past.
I opened my mouth to say something when she yawned, and I noticed just how dark the circles under her eyes were. Crossing state lines seemed to have taken it out of her, and I didn’t want to think about how many sleepless nights she’d been through.
“Let’s get you up to my room.” I tangled our fingers and led her towards the elevators.
“Hey, Stone, where you going?” Ace asked behind me, but I simply flipped him the bird. Nothing was going to slow me down from making sure she got some rest, and soon.
Ace’s rough laughter echoed around the concrete lot, but I didn’t care.
They could all laugh at me and say I was pussy whipped.
I’d gladly take it like a badge of honor if it meant Jessie would call me hers.
The only thing that mattered in that moment, and what I suspected for the rest of my days, was doing everything and anything to take care of my princess.
Suddenly, there was something other than my club or my bike that took priority.
Her small hand was chilly from our ride as I held it gently in my big paw.
Fuck, she was tiny. Staring at her under the fluorescent lighting, I could make out just how much younger she looked than in the moonlight.
“Second thoughts?” she asked in a teasing tone, but her eyes showed just how worried she was.
“Not in the least, baby girl.” I pressed the button to call the elevator down and couldn’t help but let my attention drift to her, not surprised to see her eyes set right on me.
Fuck, she is pretty.
A lethal combination of sweet and sexy with an innocence I wanted to claim.
One I wanted to own and do everything in my power to deserve.
My free hand rose between us, and I loved how she didn’t move away from my touch.
She didn’t flinch, either, as I stroked the side of her face. Trusting me without realizing it.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” Her eyes widened and that pretty little blush I had seen under the moonlight was even prettier in the parking garage.
My fingers drifted into her short strands.
I was captivated by the way she chewed on her enticing bottom lip.
“Your hair’s soft as silk, sweetness,” I noted, and she blushed.
“It used to be longer,” she shared so softly, I knew even though the guys were around, no one but me heard. I could see it, too. Dark chocolate silky strands to run my fingers through. To wrap up around my hand moments before I drove into her wet and waiting body from behind.
“Yeah?” I asked. My Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
Get a hold of yourself, dumbass! I yelled at myself.
This was not the time to get a fucking boner.
Jessie nodded and looked away, staring at the shut elevator door before her eyes ran upward, gazing towards the lights that told you what floor it was on.
“I figured it would be good to cut it,” she kept taking. “I’d blend in easier if… if in case my stepdad reported me missing. I was going to dye it, but bleaching it in a gas station bathroom kinda… freaked me out.” I was glad as fuck she hadn’t. Her hair was beautiful.
“You miss it?” I asked gruffly. Her head moved, and our eyes connected. “Your hair, I mean.” She shook her head.
“This is lighter, easier.” She shrugged as if that was all the explanation I was going to get.
“Right,” I mumbled, and when the elevator dinged and the doors opened, I moved to the side, letting her step in on her own, needing her to choose to come willingly.
And when she took that first step, again without hesitation and completely of her free will, I felt like a goddamn cocky son of a bitch ready to pound on his chest like some unevolved caveman.
I held on to the strap of her heavy backpack, wondering if she’d had to walk with it and how many miles she’d hefted it around when she ran from the place she’d called home.
I joined her inside the elevator and pressed the button that led to the level where we had our rooms. As we went up floors, I explained what was on each level and the shit that went on at Elysium.
From the club, the public, that we closed down once a month for a fight night, to the private members-only club and restaurant and hotel.
She soaked it all up, and when we reached my floor, I stepped out first and took her hand in mine.
I could have played it cool and aloof, but that was little-boy shit.
I was a grown man who knew what he wanted for the first time in almost forty years when it came to a partner.
Mine, that steady daddy voice whispered.
I wasn’t going to play games and have her question my motives.
We walked down the hall in silence, and when I opened my room door, she stepped in again without hesitation. I looked up at the ceiling knowing that the stars were shining in the sky and thanked them.
“Take a seat.” I pointed, but of course, she didn’t sit on the couch but at the kitchen table. I set her backpack on top of the table and breathed out slowly. Baby steps, I reminded myself. Be patient.
“Hungry? Thirsty?” I asked. She chewed on her bottom lip. “Baby, with me, all you gotta do is tell me what you need, and it’s yours.”
“Some water would be great.”
“Good girl.” I grinned and walked to the small kitchenette area. I poured two big glasses of ice water and reached for the pack of double-stuffed Oreos Griffin and his girl Marty had left last time we’d hung out.
“Here.” I set the glasses and the pack of Oreos down, making sure to open it before taking the seat right in front of her. We drank our water and with my pushing, the two of us had two cookies each.
“Wanna watch TV or shower or––“
“Shower,” she said softly with a shy little smile I felt straight down the line of my spine. “I’d like to wash the road off, if that’s okay.”
“Sounds good. Come on.” I set her up with a towel and turned on the shower for her. “If you need anything, I’m just outside.” She opened and shut her mouth like she’d changed her mind. My brow rose in challenge and her eyes softened.
“Could I borrow something to wear? All my things are a little… dirty now.” Of course.
Fuck, I was failing at this daddy thing.
“I got you, baby girl,” I promised. I needed to be more anticipatory.
I hurried to get her one of my T-shirts and some sweats.
I looked at the joggers and frowned. They would be a motherfucking tripping hazard for my princess, so I switched them out for some gym shorts.
I brought everything in and set them on the vanity.
“Anything else?” She shook her head, staring up at me like she couldn’t believe I was real.
Same, baby, same. Unable to stop myself, I leaned forward and kissed the top of her head.
“Use anything in here, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered. I forced myself to get the hell out of there because what kind of patient daddy would I be if I made her let me wash her from head to foot on the very first day we met?