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I swallowed hard—what in the world could he be talking about? I had no idea but no danger, however bad, was scarier than being separated from my sweet Daddy.
“I understand,” I said soberly. “I’ll stay in the cabin at night.”
“All right.” He sighed deeply. “Then you can come. Though I’m afraid you’re going to be bored to death—there’s not much to do out there. The internet connection is pretty spotty—sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
“I have my books,” I said quickly. I’ve always been a big reader, though to be honest, my tastes had changed lately. I went from reading fairy tales and other childish things to being interested in more…grown up fiction. I’d just downloaded a whole lot of new books to my e-reader not long ago and my TBR pile was a mile high. I didn’t think I’d be bored.
“Well, as long as you don’t mind spending all your time with an old man,” Jack said, running a hand through his thick hair, tinged with silver at the temples.
“You’re not old.” I put my arm around his waist companionably. “You’re barely forty!”
“And you’re not even twenty, Princess. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here and hang around people your own age?”
“I don’t want people my own age,” I said stubbornly. “The girls are silly and flighty and the boys…well, the boys only want one thing.”
I blushed as I said it but it was true. The very limited times I had gone out with a guy—once at prom my senior year and once in what I thought was going to be a group date only to be told that everyone else had “canceled”—I had been sorry. Both times my dates had practically attacked me—growing more arms than an octopus and pawing at me until I managed to get away.
These two incidents had left me shaken—and more determined than ever that I wanted nothing to do with boys my own age. Like I said, they seemed like a whole other species—one I most definitely wasn’t compatible with.
“What are you saying, Princess? Did someone hurt you?” There was a low, protective growl in Jack’s deep voice and a flash in his pale blue eyes that almost made them look golden for a split second.
“They tried,” I said quickly. “But neither of them…got anywhere. I mean, I got away in time.”
“That’s good.” But he still looked angry. “Do you want to tell me their names? I’ll make them fucking sorry they tried anything with you, baby girl.”
Since Jack usually didn’t curse around me, I could tell how upset he was.
“It was a long time ago,” I assured him. “I’m past it. But you can see why I don’t want anything to do with boys my own age.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.
“I guess that’s why you’d rather hang around with an old man.”
“For the last time, you’re not old. And…” I pressed closer to him. “You make me feel safe.”
“Safe, huh?” His eyes flashed again and I wondered if it was a trick of the light that made them seem that golden color.
“Safer than I’ve ever been…Daddy,” I said, rubbing my cheek against his chest and breathing in his warm, masculine musk. It reminded me of warm fur and pine needles in the forest and bonfires all rolled into one, with a hot spicy note at the bottom that was undeniably masculine.
Jack sighed and hugged me back, one arm around my shoulders.
“I hope you’re right about that, Princess. I promised your father I’d keep you safe. I hope I’m doing the right thing, letting you come with me.”
“You’re doing the exact right thing,” I told him. Taking him by the arm, I tugged him towards my laptop which was open on the dining room table. “Come on—let’s buy the plane ticket right now!” I didn’t want him to change his mind and back out.
With a bemused sigh, Jack allowed me to drag him over to the computer and buy a ticket for a seat which was, luckily, located right beside his. The deal was done and I was going home with him to the Pacific Northwest.
I had no idea I was walking into danger…in more ways than one.
THREE
“Well, this is it. Make yourself at home.”
Jack swept out a hand, indicating the interior of his rustic log cabin, located in the middle of the woods. It had taken us a long time to get there, driving his old jeep over a rutted dirt road that led into a forest that was so dark it was positively primeval.
I had felt a shiver go through me as we came into the shadow of the woods—the tall old pines that rose for what seemed like hundreds of feet towered above our heads. Something inside me told me I had entered a dangerous territory, but I tried to push the feeling away. How could I be in any danger with Jack there to take care of me?
