Chapter 5
Dallas
Fuck me. My girl is stunning. Beyond words. I knew she would make my cock harder than ever if she removed the costume she hides behind, but the level of my need to own her has gone through the roof. It’s going to be challenging keeping my hands off her.
God, her hair. It’s fucking mesmerizing. Long, thick unruly curls. I’m going to want her to wear it down when she’s not playing the librarian role. I won’t make her change her public persona. I know it’s important to her, and I’m equally certain it’s for a good reason.
She hasn’t shared her secret with me yet, but she will. I just hope she wasn’t lying when she told me she was not in danger. She won’t be able to sit for a week if I find out she lied and someone is after her.
I lure her toward the couch. I’m not interested in sitting across from her. I want and intend to touch her. When I sit and pull her next to me, she tries to scoot away and fails. She has no place to go since I settled in the center, leaving her only enough space between me and the arm of the couch.
I turn my body sideways and cup her face. “When was the last time you were kissed, baby?”
She meets my gaze and stares at me. Her cheeks turn pink. “Has anyone ever told you you’re too forward?”
I chuckle. “I suspect I am. It’s either in my blood or the water supply here in Wilde.
After spending a few weeks with my cousins who are clearly on a mission to get their women wed, bedded, and bred, I’ve caught the bug.
So, yes. I’m going to be direct with what I want.
Right now, I want to kiss you. Answer my question. ”
She gasps and shakes her head. “I don’t want to answer your question. Did you just say wed, bedded, and bred?”
I laugh. “Yes, baby. It’s rampant in the mansion.”
She does not laugh. She shudders and leans back. “I think I should avoid your kisses then.” She pushes away from me farther, almost bending over the arm of the sofa.
I chuckle. “You can’t avoid kissing me forever. It will get weird at some point, especially after we’re married.”
She gasps. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’ll never lie to you, baby.”
“We don’t even know each other. You’re putting the cart way before the horse.”
“We know each other better than Tiago knew Reagan or Ryder knew Claire before either of them got engaged.”
“They were both engaged for like a week,” she argues.
“Yes. I’ve been dragging my feet. We’re behind.” I chuckle.
Her pretty brown eyes go wider.
I’m pushing her. I don’t want her to feel pressured, so I lean back, giving her space but taking her hand in mine. I like that she looks slightly disappointed by my retreat.
“Where are you from?” I ask her.
She hesitates, eyeing me suspiciously. “I was born in Miami.”
“Ah. That’s far away. What brought you to Arizona?”
Another hesitation. Finally, she sighs. “I came here for college. I like it here, so I found this job and stayed.” Her answer seems rehearsed, like she prepared that response a long time ago, knowing people might ask her questions.
I can’t keep what I know from her forever. It wouldn’t be fair, and it would backfire on me in the long run. “Full disclosure, Arianna. I had my PI look into you.”
Yes, her eyes can go wider. She jerks her hand free of mine and rises from the couch. In seconds, she’s stumbling backward, nearly falling on her ass. She’s pale, too. She looks like she might vomit. “Why?”
I don’t move. I don’t want to spook her further. “I knew from the moment I met you that you had secrets. It’s obvious you’re hiding from something or somebody.”
She drops into the armchair, pulls her knees to her chest, and tugs her dress down over them. She hugs her shins and drops her forehead against her knees.
I fear she’s close to hyperventilating. Whatever she’s hiding, the thought of anyone finding out scares her to death. I suspect she thinks I know, but I don’t.
“Arianna, my PI found nothing on you before the age of eighteen. I’m aware that you reinvented yourself then, and whoever did it for you did an amazing job because even my expensive private investigator couldn’t find a thing.”
She doesn’t move.
I hate that she’s so distressed, and I really wish she would tell me why, but I need to earn her trust, and it doesn’t help any that I went behind her back and hired someone to dig into her past.
“I’ll respect your privacy for now if you’re not ready to talk about it. As long as you can promise me you’re not in danger.”
She sniffles and shakes her head. “I already told you I’m not,” she tells her knees defiantly.
I like her spunk. “Okay, then we’ll table your childhood. Are you really from Miami?”
She nods, but she still won’t meet my gaze.
“How about if I tell you about me?”
She shrugs.
I smile and proceed, “My father is the second-born son of Amos Wilde—Richard. He left Wilde and moved to Texas, where he met and married my mother. I’m their second born. I was born in Dallas, and for some reason, my mother thought it would be fun to name me Dallas.”
My girl lifts her face. She stares at me with narrowed, unbelieving eyes. “You’re kidding.”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
She drops her chin to her knees this time. Progress.
“I met and married my first wife when I was thirty-four.”
She jerks her head up. “How many wives have you had?”
I chuckle. “Just two. You’ll be the second and final wife.”
She rolls her eyes and lowers her chin back to her knees. If I keep telling her my intentions, will she eventually accept what I’m telling her as reality?
I lean forward and set my elbows on my knees, holding Arianna’s gaze.
“I knew you were mine the moment I stepped into this library a week ago, baby. I’ve been dragging my feet because I wasn’t prepared to let myself be vulnerable with a woman again.
I was married for five years to my first wife, and she left a very bad taste in my mouth.
I swore I would not marry again. I had no interest in ever letting a woman snow me under and rake me through the coals again. ”
Arianna licks her lips and whispers, “What changed?”
I smirk. “I think it was that Doug guy coming in and flirting with you today. I realized the thought of him or anyone else thinking they could have you made my skin crawl. I may have been in denial about how strongly I felt about you, but my eyes are open now. I’m done lying to myself. You’re mine , Arianna.”
She licks her lips again. “People don’t own other people, Dallas.”
I smile. “Submissives who crave the kind of dominance I intend to exert over you are brought to their knees at the idea of belonging to the right Dominant.”
After several seconds, she draws in a deep breath. “I promised myself I would never let a man control me.”
“There’s a difference between letting someone abuse you, either emotionally and physically, and letting someone guide you in the direction of being the best version of yourself with only good intentions toward your well-being.”
She pales again.
“Did someone abuse you, baby?” I ask carefully.
She slowly shakes her head. “I’ve never let anyone close enough to have the opportunity.”
And yet, she knows about abuse. She’s witnessed it. Her parents? I won’t ask right now. I suspect it’s a deep wound and probably has something to do with why she’s hiding in Wilde, Arizona.
I need to touch her so badly. I hold out my hand. “Please come to me, baby.”