My breath gets stuck. My thoughts muddle together.
One man shouldn’t be able to have this effect on a girl.
“You’ve been running for a long time,” he says, dragging his knuckles across my jaw. “It’s time to stop.”
I swallow. He’s not just talking about leaving Chicago after the Tony debacle.
There hasn’t been a time in my life where I didn’t feel like I’ve had one foot out the door ready to take off. Maybe because my father was so eager to cast me aside or because I knew the only thing keeping me from living in the streets was the generosity of my brothers.
But Artem isn’t something I want to run from.
Not anymore.
He’s an anchor.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” I try to push on a smile, wanting to lighten the air. It’s getting too heavy to breathe.
“And you’ll run again the moment you feel out of control.” He cups my cheek, brushing his lips across mine.
“I won’t be anyone’s burden.”
He huffs. “Who’s in charge now?”
“What?”
“Chaos is all around us. The Irish are looking for us. Janis has put a bounty on your head. Your brothers are blowing up my phone with demands about your whereabouts.”
“Are you trying to ruin the mood?” I press my hand against his shoulder.
He chuckles. “Tell me, who’s in charge right now.”
I swallow, realizing what he wants to hear, what he needs to hear.
“You seem to think it’s you.”
He laughs. “And you? Who do you think it is?”
My body hums. “This exact moment?”
“Yes. This exact moment, who is in charge. Me? Or you?” He slides his hand along my jawline, then beneath my hair at the base of neck.
Chaos is exactly what’s happening on the outside of this cabin. But here, in his grip, locked into his eyes, there’s a calm. And it feels amazing to be able to breathe like this.
I’m tired of always being one step ahead of every situation.
I want the anchor he offers.
“You are.” I breathe the words, then add, “Daddy.”
He growls like an animal unleashed. His hand fists in my hair and in the next moment we’re both on our feet.
“Let’s go.”
When I get her to the bedroom, I spin her until she’s facing me. Her wide eyes catch mine while her perfectly pink tongue drags across her bottom lip.
I want to bite that lip. I want to bite down so hard she whimpers.
Fuck, I’m a sick monster.
