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“I can imagine spending the rest of my life with Emma.” Elias swallowed hard. “I want to make her smile all the time. I love the way she makes me feel. It hurts to think of her not being around here.”
“Let’s go get our girl.” I let him out of my embrace but something flickered across his face.
“Wait.” His voice cracked. “Will tracking her down after she ran away make us as bad as Shawn?”
“That piece of shit abused her for years.” I wanted to shake the thought out of him. From the one interaction yesterday that we witnessed, Shawn hurt her even worse than I could have imagined. I’d never allow him to get near Emma again, no matter what.
“Right. But we’re chasing her.”
“Focus. We will drag her stubborn butt all the way to the fireplace, wrap her up in blankets, and make a new plan once she’s warmed up.”
“What if all this spanking was too much? The discipline?”
“Are you questioning my decisions, babyboy?” I didn’t use the pet name with him often, but it planted him in a more submissive mindset when I did. He shook his head.
“No, Sir.”
“Good. Then we’re going to get the horses.”
“But—”
“One.”
Elias let out a shuddering breath. It wasn’t a sound I wanted to hear from him again. “I never get like this. Emma makes me crazy.”
“It’s because you love her. And you don’t want anything to happen to her.” Lifting his chin in my hand, I kissed his lips. He returned the kiss, deepening it. “I’ll let you beat her ass for this.”
“Luke—”
“Two.”
He stared at me, pupils dilated, chewing on his bottom lip. I knew him well enough to know he was processing something else. We needed to get a move on, but he needed to be calm first.
“When you stood in the kitchen and said maybe I needed to be sore for a while. I-I haven’t been able to get it out of my head, Sir. I’ve been going through the motions, but there’s a lot of crap I haven’t worked through yet.”
Bingo. I had an inkling he needed something more from me. It took a lot for him to come to his own conclusion. Pushing him against the wall, I made sure he felt my erection pressing into his thighs as I pinned him there. Kissing him rougher than I typically did, biting, sucking. He moaned into my mouth.
“If I need to paint your ass red every day to get you to a better place? I’ll do it.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m very proud of you for asking for what you need. We’ll talk more tonight.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s go.”
With a solid plan in mind to find Emma, and another plan brewing on how to get Elias back on track, it made me realize how much the two of them wanted me. It wasn’t because of my physical strength. It wasn’t my handsome exterior, though others complimented my physique. No, it was deeper. My two brats trusted me with big decisions. Trusted me to keep them safe. Trusted me to be their daddy. The knowledge seeped down into my very core, satisfying me in a way I had never experienced. I’d do anything to stay in that role. Forever.
Chapter 15
Emma
Hunching down by the large oak next to the pond, I slid down to the roots. I planned on leaving for good but my heart hurt. Even with all the questions I needed to answer from the police, I couldn’t bring myself to go far. I walked to the barn, said goodbye to the horses, but the skates brought back a rush of emotions.
My boyfriends loved me and wanted the best for me. I couldn’t have dreamed up this scenario a few weeks ago. It wasn’t fair to leave without so much as a goodbye. Luke and Elias had been so good to me. I dismissed everything in one fell swoop. They couldn’t possibly forgive me after this stunt.
Horses’ hooves pounded loudly. From this distance I saw a gorgeous black mane shining against the rising sun. Chance! The glorious black Arabian stallion approached at a good clip before slowing to a trot into a walk.
