Chapter 4
Iwiped the steamy mirror and stared at myself.
My eyes were tired but a little brighter than the last time I’d really looked at myself. My round face familiar yet different due to the short strands kissing my chin. My lips tipped upward in a genuine smile.
I had done it.
I’d not only crossed state lines but was somewhere safe. Or safe-adjacent in the very least.
Daddy.
Shawn.
My face brightened at the thought of the Viking biker on the other side of the bathroom door.
I had a feeling he had stayed close like he’d promised.
Not that his room was huge, but still, he could have left to the clubhouse he’d pointed out was on a whole other floor.
Or gone to visit with one of the many bikers or his brothers, like he’d called them.
Shawn was a mix of everything my mom had warned me against men.
But Mom, as much as I loved her, hadn’t had the best taste in men herself.
I just hoped that wasn’t some kind of genetic trait I shared with her because Stone, or Shawn, like he asked me to call him, was every single daydream and fantasy I’d ever had rolled into one.
Tall, tatted, and so strong that at first glance would intimidate anyone.
A man who towered over my own five-foot height and made me feel safe.
Which is what he’s done since he caught your baseball hat, a little voice in my head whispered.
A gruff man with jagged edges who had a soft side for me.
And the beard? Only the cherry on top of a very tempting sundae.
The man looked like he could handle himself in any kind of situation.
Riding on the back of his bike, holding on to him as the wind hit my face and his body shielded mine, had been exhilarating.
Life changing. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen the moment I stepped out of the bathroom, or even what my day would look like tomorrow, but I knew I’d always be grateful for how special Shawn had already made me feel.
I glanced back at myself, bringing the black shirt he’d let me borrow up to my nose.
It smelled like clean laundry with a hint of whatever cologne he wore.
It smelled good. Like home. Or what home should smell like, I thought to myself and cringed.
God, I was like some kind of schoolgirl with a crush.
For all I knew, the guy had a wife and kids, and this was his crash pad, where he brought women he saved off the side of a road for a hot hookup before he tossed them back onto the street.
I looked down at myself. His shirt fit surprisingly loose and hung way below my knees, beyond the gym shorts I’d had to roll at the waist.
“I shouldn’t get these dirty for no reason,” I muttered to myself.
I let the gym shorts fall to the ground.
I bent and picked them up before folding them and setting them on the vanity, where he’d laid them out.
It left me without wearing panties, but everything would be covered up.
I hung up the towel I’d used on the rack and took one long breath before I opened the door.
Sure enough, there he was.
Nothing could ever prepare me for just how devastatingly handsome he was. Seeing him leaning against the wall next to the door with one long leg crossed over the other, his hands resting just inside the front pocket of his denim jeans, had me tongue tied.
“You make that shirt look good, princess,” he praised, and I couldn’t stop from wanting to swoon, literally.
“Umm…” I opened and shut my mouth before my eyes skirted to the ground below me. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“You never have to say thank you when it’s the truth, honey.
Come on.” He extended his hand, and without thinking, I reached for it willingly.
I followed as he led me towards what was obviously his bedroom.
The door stayed open behind me, and he led me straight to the far end of the bed.
“Get in, baby.” He pointed and I swallowed.
Is this where I am going to need to earn my keep? I glanced at him.
“I know this is a little late in asking, but, umm…”
“Anything, princess.”
“Is there a Mrs. Stone or a girlfriend or––“
“Baby, I’m gonna stop you right there. I know there is no way of you knowing this, but if I had someone, there is no way you would get on the back of my bike, much less my room at the casino. There is no one for me but you.”
“But me?” I wheezed as my thighs clenched together. His eyes dropped and lifted, and I knew he hadn’t missed my reaction. But by the twitch of a muscle at his jaw, I knew he’d misunderstood it.
“You.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead again, somehow melting away some of my anxiety. “Now get in bed, baby girl.”
“And you’re going to, umm…”
“Sleep in the living room,” he shared. I stilled.
“What?” My eyes felt like they were going to bulge out, and I wasn’t even going to try and analyze the disappointment I felt knowing he wouldn’t be in bed with me. “You can’t sleep in the living room!” I exclaimed, obviously shocking the two of us.
“Why not?” Something like amusement glimmered in his blue gaze.
“You just… can’t.” I actually stomped my foot, and his lips twitched like he thought my little bratty fit was adorable or something. “I just mean, you’re big.”
“Am I?” he teased. I rolled my eyes.
“Tall,” I corrected, still tongue tied, and shook my head. “I just mean, there isn’t any way you could feel comfortable on a couch.”
“I have a recliner.”
“That’s not any better. You told me you have been riding all day through California to get home,” I reminded him. “You’re already doing this huge favor for me. Please take your bed. I’ll sleep out there.” I started to move, but by the way his face changed I knew this wasn’t up for discussion.
“You’re fucking adorable, sweetheart. But if you think I would let you sleep on the couch—“ I opened my mouth to suggest I could sleep on the floor, but he didn’t let me say a word “—or the floor,” he said like he’d somehow read my thoughts, “you have something else coming.” My eyes skirted to the bed and back to him.
“It’s a big bed,” I observed softly.
“I‘m a big man.” Oh, that he definitely was.
“We could share.”
“We could and we will. But tonight, I need you to know you’re safe with me.
To feel safe. It’s important to me.” Everything inside of me went molten.
“You get the room. The door“—he pointed behind him–– “has a lock. There’s a chair there“—he pointed to the desk and the seat next to it—“if you wanna tuck it under the knob.”
“That feels like overkill,” I whispered.
I wasn’t stupid. I might come off as na?ve and a little gullible at times, but I wasn’t stupid.
I knew just how easily a man Stone’s size could overpower me.
If he wanted something from me, whether I wanted to give it to him or not, a lock and a chair wouldn’t stop him.
“I want you to feel safe.” Those words struck me as easily the sweetest, kindest thing anyone had ever said to me.
My hand found his, and when our gazes connected, I whispered, “I already do.” His massive chest heaved, and I watched as his eyes changed. Darkened with self-satisfaction.
“Please sleep with me.” My eyes dropped to his prominent Adam’s apple as it bobbed.
“Jessie.” The warning was clear in the rich depth of his voice, but there was no way it would change my mind.
“Please, Daddy.” I had no idea why I called him that other than it felt right. He was older than me by a lot. I was twenty-two, and even though I’d seen some things in my life, I was pretty inexperienced when it came to sex and men.
“Jess…” He swallowed again. I tugged on his arm, pulling him closer to me and the bed.
To my surprise, he let me. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.
His words replayed in my mind, and my body and soul started to relax.
I leaned to reach for the comforter when Shawn leaned closer, the heat of his body against my back.
“I got you, baby. If this is what you want, I got you.”
“I do.” My breath hitched in my throat, and I turned my head to look over my shoulder, completely entranced by the fact he was so close, bent so low I could see black and goldish specs in the blues of his irises.
Dios mio, he was beautiful. I’d never thought of myself as a particularly lucky person, but knowing he was single and looked at me like he felt I was the most interesting thing he’d ever laid his eyes on made me feel like I’d hit the jackpot.
“Thank you,” I found the ability to say out loud. Shawn simply nodded and pulled the dark comforter back before straightening his body.
“Get in, baby, let me get you all tucked in.” His voice made gooseflesh rise over goose bumps.
Something warm, almost syrupy-sweet, ran through my veins.
Other than my mom when I’d been younger, no one had cared enough to not only take care of me but want to do it.
I slipped into his bed, and not a moment later, Stone’s fingers skimmed my arm.
His touch left a trail of heat and a promise of something else that made an ache build between my legs.
All from an innocent touch. How the hell was I going to sleep all night next to him?
What had I been thinking? Before I could answer myself, he pulled the comforter over me and my head touched the pillow.
“Good? Need more blankets or—“
“Just you,” I whispered, staring at him.