“Reed,” she sighs, “I swear to God, if you don’t tell me what the hell is going on, I’m going to walk back to town! I don’t care how dark it is.”
I glance up at her pretty, blonde hair glowing in the light of the flame, her thick thighs spilling out from under the hem of a short little sundress, and that gross fucking flannel.
That old asshole’s gross fucking flannel!
A flare of heat flashes over me as my chest tightens with that same barbaric feeling I had at the festival. I stand from the ground and stare at her, jaw locked as I tug the flannel off her and toss it into the flames. There’s a sudden flare up of smoke and fire leaps higher, giving off a thick gray puff.
Her eyes narrow and her pretty, pink lips drop open with anger. “You’ve lost your mind! Why are you doing this?”
Honestly, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I need to say something. I need to fucking speak!
My shoulders lock, my hands go still, and the pull that’s been drawing me toward her for years suddenly snaps. I step forward and land my hand on her delicate little throat, a growl settling in my chest as I stare toward her in the dark light of the moon. “Because you’re mine.”
Chapter Eleven
Nikki
I shouldn’t like the way he’s looking at me. My clit shouldn’t throb at the way his rough hand tracks my pulse against my throat. My panties shouldn’t be soaking wet at the thought of this big, storm of a man claiming me.
It’s screwed up. He shouldn’t have taken me from the festival. He had no right, and he definitely had no right to drive me out here in the middle of nowhere on his motorcycle. He knows how much I hate that thing! There are like a bazillion motorcycle accidents a year on this mountain alone. It’s dangerous, and I wish he’d stop riding. Yet here I am, arching into his touch, silently desperate for his hand to keep sliding south until it’s between my legs.
What’s wrong with me?Why is my body aching for his like he’s the only one who sees me clearly and understands me? The only one that can steady me and offer relief? Surely, there’s someone else on this planet I can connect with the way I connect with Reed, right?
There must be. There are millions of people. Billions even.
Billions of men who aren’t my father’s best friend.
I need Reed too much to mess this up. I’ve already concluded that, so why am I here in this very spot again, about to make the same mistake I did a few hours ago?
Restless energy itches beneath my skin and a low pull in my stomach draws me closer to his massive frame. He’s barely said two words all night. I shouldn’t reward that behavior. I should take my chances with the bears and walk back to town, but the thought of pulling away from him sends that empty ache and imbalance coursing through me again, keeping me in place.
“In the tent, little kitten. Daddy has something he needs to do.”
My stomach tightens the second he refers to himself as Daddy, and I immediately know I’m going to obey.
He stands before me and nods toward the small tent set with two lanterns hanging outside. I’m not sure how he knew about this place or who’s tent this is, but I don’t ask questions. Instead, I lean forward, unzip the tent, and crawl inside with one of the lanterns in hand, kicking my shoes off before I pull in my feet like my mama always taught me. We didn’t camp much, but the few times we went were fairly memorable because of the wildlife encounters. Up here, it’s not uncommon to run into a bear or two, and the last time we had a family camping trip, we ran into four, all of them in our campsite.
Needless to say, we didn’t stay the night.
Inside, there’s a high-top mattress already set up with a single sleeping bag rolled in the center. To the side of the bed, a folded blanket and a backpack, which I don’t bother looking inside. The tent and its details aren’t really the focus tonight.
The main focus is my father’s best friend. The giant man with solid, inked biceps that dwarf the tent in a matter of seconds.
When he’s finally inside, he turns back and zips the flimsy room closed, the scent of pine and dusty nylon melding with the smoke residue from outside.
I have no idea what’s happening, though I’m excited to find out.
Reed sits on the edge of the mattress, his heavy weight rising me higher on the opposite side. “You shouldn’t have gone to the festival with that man,” he groans, his fists clenching. “Daddy should spank your little ass right here for thinking you could.”
“And what do you suggest, Reed? We can’t be together. My father—”
“No.” He twists toward me and narrows his gaze in the soft light of the lantern. “No more excuses. You’re mine.” His nostrils are flaring and his shoulders are tight like he’s lost the battle he’s been fighting with himself. “Now take off all your clothes for Daddy. I want to see every fucking inch of what belongs to me.”
My clit throbs, and again, like a simple little girl, I do what I’m told and strip down to nothing in the cool night air as the man I’ve always trusted watches my every move.
“Jesus Christ,” he mutters under his breath as I stand before him, nothing but the pale light of the lantern in the small space. “You’re perfect.”
For a moment, he doesn’t touch me at all. He only observes, drawing his gaze down over my hard beaded nipples, my hips, my pussy, and my thighs with a groan.
