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I took a deep breath through my mouth, tasting her now-slightly-burnt cinnamon scent. “When we reach your apartment, you’ll have all the time in the world to figure it out. You’ll get good.”
“Alone?” Another sob that felt like a rip in my heart.
“I’ll stay on guard outside. I won’t leave you unprotected.”
“But I’ll be by myself. That’s all I’ll ever have, isn’t it? Lonely heats with plastic dicks and pretend knots.”
“You can find someone?—”
She made a frustrated sound. It was fucking cute. “I’ve tried. I’m practically a hermit. I tried with guys when I was homeschooled, friends of my sisters. They said I was defective. Frigid.”
“You are not defective,” I spat. “And only shitty lovers ever speak the F word.”
There was a long pause. “Are you a shitty lover?”
I mock-growled. “You really are being a brat, aren’t you? And here I always thought you were such a good girl.”
She sucked in a breath, and the vehicle filled with a burst of bright, warm cinnamon scent. Of course she had a praise kink. She’d never had anyone tell her how perfect she was.
The dirtiest part of me, deep inside, whispered, She never had a Daddy either. Maybe we can fix that.
Damnit. Now my dick was harder than ever.
I started thinking about doing my taxes, unclogging toilets, roadkill, anything just to keep from coming at the thought.
She grumbled, moving the blanket around—probably soaking up her slick—before she poked her head out. Her hair was tousled, her eyes slightly swollen from crying. “Maybe I’m not a good girl. Maybe I have hidden depths.”
“I’m sure you do.” I forced what I hoped was a friendly smile. “You’re so young, Valentine. You have years to explore your hidden depths. To find the right someone to invite into your bed, your nest, your heart.”
“But I don’t have time,” she panted, her cramps obviously tearing through her again. “Donovan, even if I go to the hospital and use one of the heat orderlies, I can’t do this with a stranger. I can’t.” Her eyes burned a hole in my cheek. “Donovan, would you… Please, would you help me?”
My mouth went dry. “I can’t. I signed a contract. I gave your brother my word. He’s my employer, sweetheart, and you’re my responsibility. I may not be a good man, but I try to have integrity. I keep my word. Please don’t push.”
Her breath came out shaky, but she said, “I won’t. But I want you to know… I think you’re a good man. And I want you.”
I want you. Those three words melted into me, soaking like water into my dried-up heart.
I’d heard them a thousand times over the years, from women who wanted to fuck me. They’d always come from women who’d seen me as a notch on a bedpost. They wanted me like they wanted a possession, or a toy, or a story to tell their friends about the huge, ugly alpha they’d spent the night with. Some of them wanted the challenge of being the one to tempt the “monk” into bed.
But that wasn’t how Valentine said them. The way she said them made them sound like three other words. Words I knew I’d never hear from her lips.
“Please,” she whimpered, then cried out again.
The road sign ahead was hard to make out in the increasingly heavy snowfall, but I knew this exit like the back of my hand. I’d taken it well over a thousand times.
I turned on my indicator, then took the off-ramp, following muscle memory as I drove into Aspen Springs. In ten minutes, we were at my cabin. I slung the bag of recent purchases on one arm, then got out and opened the door on Valentine’s side. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go inside and get you cleaned up.” I lifted her, feeling the damp spot on the bottom of the blanket.
“I’m so embarrassed.”
“You can’t be. Burritos don’t get embarrassed.”
“B-burritos?”
I carried her to the front door, pressing my thumb against the lock pad there. One of the perks of working for Storm Securities was a massive discount on all their latest tech, and I’d taken full advantage of it. “Yes, little burrito. Didn’t you notice the blanket you’re in?” I flicked on the light and carried her inside, using one foot to shut the door behind us. It automatically locked.
The room smelled a little like coffee, and I wondered if I’d forgotten to empty the machine the last time I was here. Which was… four weeks ago, now. I hadn’t taken a day to come home since I got the call to fill in for Bobby.
I wouldn’t lie to myself about why that was. I hadn’t been able to leave her side since I met her. Long before I knew she was my true mate.
