‘Hi, Uncle Justice.’
‘Ainsley?’ I grip my cellphone tight as relief swarms me at the sound of her voice. It’s been three days since she disappeared. ‘Where are you, sweetheart?’
‘I can’t tell you that. I know if I do, you’ll make me come home. I love you, but I don’t want to come back. I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay,’ she says. ‘I know you’re probably worried about me, but you shouldn’t be. I’m safe.’
‘That’s good, sweetheart. Tell me where you’re at and I’ll come and get you. We can talk this out,’ I say, gripping onto the edge of my desk, trying to keep myself from demanding that she come home. If she’s really thinking about disappearing like Milan said, demanding won’t get me anywhere. The fact that she’s been gone for three days with no word is pretty powerful evidence that Milan wasn’t wrong about my niece’s plans.
I listen intently, trying to make out background noise. I can hear traffic whizzing by, but not much else. She’s on the road somewhere. A highway? An interstate? Fuck. She could be literally anywhere.
‘I don’t want you to come and get me, Uncle Justice,’ she says, her voice soft. There’s a thread in it that worries the hell out of me. ‘I need to be alone for a while, okay? I, um, I just wanted to call and tell you that I love you and that I’m okay. Please don’t be mad at Milan. I made the decision to leave on my own.’
‘Ainsley, kiddo, I’m not mad at you or Milan. I just need to know where you’re at,’ I say. Ainsley is Milan’s complete opposite. She doesn’t challenge me or break rules. She’s always gone along quietly, not making waves or causing problems. The fact that she’s telling me no now isn’t good news. ‘You don’t have to do this. We can talk about it.’
‘I love you,’ she says again. ‘I’ll call you again soon. Please don’t worry about me. You taught me what I need to know to take care of myself. Now, I want to do it, okay? I’ll be fine. Bye, Uncle Justice.’
The line goes dead.
‘Fuck!’ I roar, throwing my phone onto my desk. I want to smash it against the wall, but I don’t. The call came in as a payphone with a Wyoming area code. If we can trace it, we can track her. I pick the phone up again and dial Travis. He’s at the college with Milan, waiting for her to finish up for the day.
With the glaring exception of my missing niece, the last three days have been the best of my life. Milan still hasn’t told me she loves me, but I can wait her out. I know she feels the same way I do. She’s just going to make me work for it. Like I told her though, I’ll work like a fucking dog to keep her happy.
Falling asleep with her in my arms and waking up to her in the morning is a sort of nirvana I don’t deserve. I’ve made love to her over and over, and I’m still not satisfied. When she cuddles up in my lap and lets me hold her or sighs my name in her sleep, I know there is nothing is this world I wouldn’t do for her.
I bought her a ring while she was in class today. If I have my way, it’ll be on her finger and we’ll be married by this time next week. I’m not asking her father. He has no say here. Milan is mine now. As far as I’m concerned, he won’t ever see her again unless she decides to let him. And he’ll be doing it sober or not at all. That’s not negotiable.
‘Boss,’ Travis says as soon as he answers.
‘Ainsley just called from a payphone. I need you to track it down.’
‘What’s the number?’
I pull my phone away from my ear and hit the speaker button so I can repeat it to him.
‘Give me ten minutes,’ he says.
I pace, waiting for him to call me back. Not knowing where Ainsley is or if she’s truly okay is driving me up the wall. I need to find her and bring her back home. Then everything in my world will be exactly the way it should be.
It takes Travis five minutes to call me back. Each one feels like an eternity.
‘The payphone is located in Cody, just outside of Yellowstone,’ he says.
‘Fuck.’ Even if Travis got on the road now, it’d take him all day to get there. She could be well on her way to Montana or Idaho by the time he even got into town.
‘What do you want to do?’ Travis asks.
I hesitate for a long minute, weighing my options. Despite what Ainsley and Milan think, she isn’t safe out there on her own. Ainsley is too pure, too sweet. Anyone with bad intentions will see it from a mile away. My enemies aren’t the only dangers out there for her, not even close. This world is full of bad people willing to do even worse things. I know. I used to be one of them.
‘I need you to find her, Travis,’ I mutter, thinking about the person I used to be and the shit I did that I’ll never be able to take back. I never hurt a woman or a child, but how many lives did I ruin? How many men did I bankrupt? How many did I bury? ‘I don’t care what it takes or who you have to pay off. Find her.’
‘Yes, sir,’ he says, no questions asked, and no explanations needed. There isn’t much he wouldn’t do for her, not because I pay him well but because he cares about her too. He’s a stoic motherfucker most of the time. He doesn’t volunteer information and doesn’t say a whole hell of a lot, but Ainsley is family to him. And for a man like Travis, family is everything.
On that, we’re in perfect agreement.
‘You want me to have Van sit on Miss Cooper until she’s out of class?’
She’ll be done for the day in an hour. Until Ainsley called, I was carefully counting each minute standing between me and my princess. Letting her go to class this morning was hard as hell, but I promised I wouldn’t let her fail out of college.
‘No. I’ll meet you at the college,’ I tell Travis.
‘See you then.’
‘Wait.’
‘Yeah, boss?’
‘Float a reward for Ainsley,’ I grit out. ‘A million dollars for her safe return.’
‘Jesus.’
‘Make it clear that if a single hair on her head is harmed, I will destroy this entire state,’ I growl. ‘She comes home safely or whoever touches her leaves in a body bag. And then I’ll burn their entire world to the ground.’
‘Yes, sir,’ he says, his tone making it clear he knows I mean it.
I grab my keys and head out, eager to get to campus before Milan’s class ends. She didn’t fight me on allowing Travis to accompany her today, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she tried to give him the slip, just to remind me that she’s her own person. Things between us may be great, but I’m not stupid. Milan wasn’t made to obey. She likes to see how far she can push before I push back and make her submit.
She needs that fight, just like she needs the peace she finds when I punish her or the joy she feels when I take care of her afterward. She calls herself my brat. And says I’m the man she chose to tame her. Let’s be honest though…I like my baby girl wild.
Nothing gets my dick harder than Milan does when she’s breaking the rules or going out of her way to rile me up. Part of me wants to lock her away so no one else ever gets close to her. I want to surround her with guards who follow her every step. Part of me is fucking terrified of losing her the same way I lost Julian and Marissa.
There are exactly two people in this world with the power to destroy me. The niece I raised and the woman I love. With one of them on the lam, the need to protect the other at all costs is screaming at me. For her sake, I’m trying like hell not to give in. She may love me as deeply as I love her, but if I tried to cage her, I’d break her. I almost did that once already, by failing to claim her when I should have. I swore that she would be safe with me, that she would have everything she needed. I can’t take that back now. I won’t.
If something were to happen to Ainsley though….
My nerves jangle at the thought, anxiety churning in the pit of my stomach.
I’ve tried to be a different man since the day I found her in that closet. To be a better man. I looked at her, traumatized and orphaned, and saw my sins with agonizing clarity. I’m the reason she was in that closet. Every day since, I’ve vowed not to be that man again.
After talking to her today, I feel more like him than ever…and that scares the hell out of me. Milan deserves so much better. I doubt I’ll ever believe I’m actually worthy of her. Only a fool looks at an angel and believes he’s her equal. I’m no fool. But I want to be a man worthy of her. A man she can be proud to call hers.
I’ve built my future on a house of cards, and it’s one big wind from blowing over. I need Ainsley home safely to keep that monster locked up. I need Milan safe for the same reason. I can’t let anything happen to them. They don’t have to like it. They don’t even have to understand. But I can’t risk losing myself to that cold, ruthless motherfucker now that I know what it means to be Milan’s daddy, to have her trust.
It would destroy us both.
The need to see her is overwhelming. I desperately need to wrap my arms around her and remind myself that she’s here and she’s mine and nothing will change that.
It’s a cloudless, cold March day. Traffic is minimal. But I still arrive at campus on edge and out of sorts. Travis and I talk for a few minutes before he takes off to find Ainsley’s trail.
I call Strand while I wait for Milan.
‘Lucas Strand,’ he says on the third ring.
‘Strand, it’s Justice.’
‘Mr. Foster. I was going to call you today. Any word from your niece?’
‘None,’ I lie with frightful ease. ‘That’s why I’m calling. I plan to offer a reward for her safe return and thought you should know.’
‘What type of reward are you looking at?’
‘A million dollars,’ I say. ‘To anyone who brings her home safely.’
He’s quiet for a moment and then, ‘I see. I’m guessing you want me to run it through the media channels?’
It’s my turn to fall silent. The risk is huge. But her being out there on her own is already risky enough, isn’t it? Anyone could grab her, hurt her, hold her against her will. And I wouldn’t have a clue until it was far too late. At least this way, there’s hope. There’s a chance of staving off the monster and being the kind of man Milan deserves.
‘Run it,’ I say. I regret the decision as soon as it’s made, but I don’t take it back.
‘I’ll get it sent out before I leave the office today,’ Strand murmurs.
‘Yeah, thanks.’ I disconnect, shoving my phone into my pocket. I turn my face up to the sky and curse. Milan is going to kick my ass when she finds out what I did.
I pace in restless circles, waiting for her class to end.
She trickles out with the rest of the students fifteen minutes later, looking more beautiful than she did when she left the house this morning. Her sweatshirt hangs off her shoulder, exposing her creamy skin and the tantalizing dip of her collarbone. Her pink leggings make her legs seem even longer than usual. Milan is short, but I never really considered just how tiny she is until this moment, when even the other girls in the group stand several inches taller.
Not one of them draws my eye like Milan does. There’s something captivating about the way she carries herself, her shoulders back, her head held high. She’s a dainty little princess with a warrior’s spirit. She’s changed since I claimed her. Physically, she’s the same, as beautiful as ever. But there’s a subtle look in her eyes, a happiness that wasn’t there just a few short days ago. Her smile is full of a captivating combination of both womanly satisfaction and girlish innocence. She’s not lost in the world anymore. She’s finally found where she belongs, finally realized her power.
Her classmates seem to know it too. They cast curious glances her way. Far too many of them are men…boys. They sense that something is different with her. I see it in their eyes. Curiosity. Desire. Lust.
Possessive jealousy whispers through me. I shove my hands into my pockets to hide the way they clench, and stare her classmates down, daring any of them to try to take her. They wouldn’t survive the night. They know it too. As soon as they catch sight of me, they stall, finding anywhere to look but directly at me and Milan.
That’s right, you horny motherfuckers, she’s mine. My baby girl. My world.
She doesn’t notice them. As soon as she sees me standing there, she forgets everything else. Her eyes light up, her smile growing. I keep one watchful eye on her classmates, though the majority of my attention is squarely on her. Like always when she smiles at me, nothing else registers, nothing else matters.
My dick stirs, lengthening in my pants as she sashays toward me.
‘You owe me a million dollars,’ she says, stopping directly in front of me, her smile bright as the sun.
‘You know about the reward?’ How the hell did she find out already? Travis works fast, but not that fast. Hell, no one works that fast. It hasn’t even been half an hour since I told Travis to offer it.
‘The reward? What reward?’ Her brows furrow. ‘I was talking about our bet, Mr. I Never Lose.’
Shit. I forgot about our bet. We made it in the shower this morning between lingering kisses and the two orgasms I gave her. She bet me a million dollars that I wouldn’t make it through the day without showing up here. If she won, I owed her a million. If I won, she was going to spend the weekend tied to the bed. I thought she was adorable, thinking I’d lose a chance to keep her naked and on my cock for two whole days, so I took the bet.
It completely slipped my mind when Ainsley called. All I was thinking about when I told Travis that I’d meet him was being with my girl again. The need to see her again, to hold her again, was overwhelming. The bet didn’t even cross my mind. I’ll give her the million though. She’ll be tied to the bed soon enough either way. We both know she won’t tell me no.
‘What reward?’ she asks again.
Shit.
‘We’ll talk in the car,’ I murmur, wrapping an arm around her waist to navigate her away from her classmates. I’d rather not have an audience when she rips my balls off. She misses Ainsley, but she is staunchly on her side in this. She’s going to be pissed.
Thankfully, she allows me to lead her to the car instead of demanding answers.
I reach around her to open the door for her, but the little minx pushes back against me, rubbing her ass against my crotch. Before she can move away, I cage her in against the side of the Lexus, her tits pressed against the window. I wrap her ponytail around my fist, pulling her head back until my lips are at her ear.
‘You’re playing with fire, baby girl,’ I warn her, biting the shell of her ear.
‘Then burn me, daddy.’
Fucking hell.
‘You want me to fuck you in the middle of the parking lot?’ I growl, grinding my dick against her ass. ‘Don’t tempt me, pretty baby. I’ll have you screaming for daddy so loud the whole campus will hear you.’
Her moaning my name doesn’t cool me down any.
I place a soft kiss to the side of her throat and then step away from her before I really do fuck her right here and now just to remind her that I’m the one in charge here. I may let her play and push my buttons and give me hell, but I decide when she comes and how hard. I decide how much she can take and how she takes it. She might like the fight, but we both know how much she loves it when I win.
She scrambles into the car without pushing me further. Unable to resist, I grab her round ass, making her squeal. The sweet sound of her laughter settles a little of the anxiety still churning through me.
By the time I’m in the car, she’s back to business.
‘What reward?’ she asks as I back out and head toward home.
‘Ainsley called today,’ I murmur, not lying to her.
‘She did?’ Her baby blues widen in surprise, though there’s a small hint of relief there too. She’ll never admit it, but she’s been worried about Ainsley too. ‘That’s good, right?’
‘I sent Travis to track her.’
‘Justice.’
‘I want her home,’ I grit out.
‘Even though you know she doesn’t want to come home,’ Milan says, her voice soft.
‘She’s not safe out there on her own,’ I mutter. It’s true…so why do I feel so guilty?
‘You offered a reward for her, didn’t you?’ Milan asks.
I don’t even have to say anything for her to know that’s exactly what I did. She’s too damn smart and she knows me just as well as I know her.
‘Oh, Justice,’ she sighs, her disappointment loud and clear.
I expect her to throw a fit, but she doesn’t. She’s completely silent in the seat beside me. And somehow, that’s even worse. She always tells me exactly what she thinks, even when she knows I won’t like it. The silence though…it’s new and it’s deafening. I fucking hate it.
How do I fix it when giving her what she wants means I risk losing myself and her?
‘Do you really believe she’s in danger or are you just afraid to let her go?’ she finally asks as we pull into the driveway.
‘Does it matter either way?’ I ask, not so sure I’m ready to admit to this beautiful, infuriating girl that I’m less than she thinks I am. In her eyes, I’m a good man, one worthy of being her daddy. Yet I feel less worthy of her in this moment than I ever have before.
‘It matters to me,’ she whispers.
Somehow, I’ve hurt her. And that…that’s intolerable to me. I can handle her being angry with me. But I can’t handle hurting her. She’s the reason my heart beats. The only thing I’m certain of is how I feel about her. That won’t ever change.
I pull up to the doors and park.
‘I wasn’t a good man before I took custody of Ainsley,’ I mutter, staring out at the lawn. Flowers have started blooming in their beds, standing tall in a world still caught in the grip of winter. It’s too cold for them to survive, but they bloom anyway, uncowed by the harshness of life and their own fragility. ‘I took what I wanted, regardless of who it hurt. I lied. I stole.’ I swallow hard. ‘I killed.’
‘You aren’t that man anymore.’
‘I know. But he’s not dead either,’ I admit, turning to face her. ‘He’s still in there, waiting to be let out. If something were to happen to you or Ainsley….’
‘You’re afraid you’ll become him again,’ Milan whispers, instantly understanding.
‘I can’t be him and keep you. That kind of life, the things I’m capable of doing…they shouldn’t ever touch you. I won’t allow them to touch you. But I can’t lose you either. Being your daddy, being the lucky motherfucker you chose to share yourself with is everything to me,’ I rasp. ‘My heart beats because of you. I can’t risk losing you.’
‘Justice,’ she whispers, tears filling her eyes.
‘Some days, I think you’re the only thing keeping me from turning into him again,’ I admit. ‘I’m worried as hell that something will happen to her out there and I’ll end up losing myself and both of you. The only way I survive is with you.’
She unsnaps her seatbelt and crawls across the console into my lap. Her arms go around my neck as she burrows in as if she intends to fuse us into one being. I hold her just as tightly. And for the first time since Ainsley called, the anxiety quiets, allowing me to breathe. I fill my lungs full of Milan, allowing her vanilla cinnamon scent to soothe the raw places inside.
‘You’re a good man, Justice,’ she whispers. ‘The fact that you don’t want to be that person again is proof of that. I know you, and I know that you won’t allow yourself to be him again.’
‘And if you’re wrong?’
‘I’m not,’ she says without hesitation. ‘If you can’t trust yourself, trust me. You’re my daddy. You would never do anything to hurt me, and losing you would hurt me, Justice. It would break me. I love you so much. So you have to let it go because I’m not going to give you up and I’m not going to let you turn into that man again.’
‘Fuck,’ I whisper, my hands locking on her hips as she straddles me. ‘Say that again.’
‘I’m not going to let you turn into that man again.’
‘The other part,’ I growl.
‘I love you.’ She rests her forehead against mine. ‘I love you. I love you. I love you so damn much, Justice Foster.’
‘Fuck,’ I whisper again, her words washing through me in a flow of warmth, of light. They flood into those dark places inside, lighting them up like the sun. And I realize she’s right. I won’t become that man again when doing so would jeopardize what I have here with her. The man I used to be…he’s strong. But her daddy is stronger. He has something to fight for. Someone to live for. Not a fucking thing in this world will take me from her.
I tip her head back as she whispers over and over that she loves me. Her lips part to say it again and I swoop, crashing my mouth down on hers and then licking inside. I kiss her hard and deep, pouring my entire soul into her.
She gives hers right back to me, kissing me with so much heat I feel it liquefying my veins. My dick pulses, pressing against my zipper in his quest to get to her.
‘Daddy,’ she whimpers, writhing on my lap and clawing at the fly of my pants, desperate to be connected again.
She isn’t the only one. I need in her more than I need my next breath.
I feel for the lever to move the seat back, giving us room. It’s not much, but it’s enough. We work together to free my cock and get her pants and panties off of her. And then I’m inside her, thrusting deep.
We cry out in unison, reveling in that first deep thrust, the one that joins us like we were made to be. She leans back against the steering wheel, her hands on my shoulders to give her leverage. She rides me then, bouncing on my lap and crying out my name.
I grip her hips, helping to lift her up and down my cock. My eyes never leave her face, as enraptured by her as ever. Her baby blues are dark and dazed, her lips parted. She’s resplendent, so fucking beautiful she takes my breath away all over again.
‘I love you,’ I whisper as her inner walls begin to flutter and her cries become louder, her movements more frantic.
She comes hard, her little cunt locking down on my cock so hard it hurts.
‘I love you, daddy!’ she cries.
Those four words pull me over the edge with her. I yank her down on me and hold her there, coming with a roar. She rides me through it, milking my cock until my cum drips down her thighs, making a mess of both of us. And then she slumps against my chest, her face pressed against my throat, trembling, wrecked. Beautiful.
‘Daddy,’ she whispers.
‘You own me, baby girl,’ I murmur into her hair. ‘Mind, body, heart, and soul.’
‘Damn right I do,’ she mumbles back.
And just that easily, the man I was a decade ago loses his grip and falls silent, tamed by a wild little princess with a warrior’s soul, and a daddy who would walk through hell for her.
