Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 32998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Being her daddy isn't just about fucking her or the filthy games we play. As much as I love every dirty goddamn one of those, it's the moments between that bind me to her—the times when I'm holding her close while she sleeps, or cleaning her up, feeding her, or bathing her. When she trusts me to ensure every need she has is met, I'm on top of the world, untouchable. And I know she is too. This is our connection. This is who we are together.
I could have searched for a lifetime, but it never could have been anyone else because they weren't her. She's my little girl—my Lena. There is no one else. There never will be, not for me. Whether she knows it or not, there won't be for her, either.
I glance out the window to check on her, but don't see her on the porch. A ripple of unease washes through me. She should have finished her call by now. She always rushes Dalton off the phone, eager to get back to me.
"Lena?" I call, hoping she'll pop her head around the corner.
She doesn't.
"Little angel?" I try again, louder this time. I don't give a fuck if her cousin hears me. It's not like her to ignore me.
Still no answer.
Fuck.
Adrenaline spikes through me as I practically rip the door open and stride out, searching for her. No Lena leaning against the porch rail or standing further out in the meadow. She's not here, not near the cabin where she should be, where I can keep her safe.
A sick sense of dread rushes through me as I turn toward the back of the cabin—toward the treeline.
"Lena!" Her name is a shout this time—a command that demands an answer. But the woods don't reply.
"Dammit, Lena, where are you?" I growl under my breath, trying to figure out where she would have gone.
My axe.
I grumbled the whole way home about leaving my axe behind. Would she have gone to get it? Fuck. Do I even need to ask? Of course she would. She toes the line of disobedience whenever she thinks she can get away with it, just to see what I'll do. Just because she wants me to punish her.
I turn and jog down the footpath, dodging roots and pebbles as I race toward the clearing where I felled the tree a few hours ago.
I try like hell not to panic, but it claws at my chest anyway, worst-case scenarios running through my mind in a sick parade.
Is she hurt? Lost? All I can think of is her terrified green eyes searching for me.
No. She's fine. Everything is fine. I'll find her on the path, dragging my axe back, and spank her perfect little ass for scaring me. She'll beg and plead while I fuck her until she promises not to run off again. Everything will be just fine.
I tell myself the same thing over and over…
Until her sharp scream pierces through the silence of the forest, slicing through me like the blade of a knife as it echoes through the trees. The fear in it is unmistakable, sending my heart racing.
I don't think. I just act.
"Lena!" My muscles coil, and I sprint, charging through the underbrush with a roar. I follow the sound of her voice, propelled by a surge of raw fury, desperate to get to her.
I burst out into the small clearing within seconds, only to bellow with rage again when I see her, my axe and her phone on the ground beside her. Some motherfucker has her backed up against a tree, lunging at her, laughing.
She looks so small, so afraid…
"Get the fuck away from her, you motherfucker!" I slam into the man, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Before he can even register what's happening, I'm on top of him, my hands closing around his throat in an iron grip.
"Touch her, and I'll fucking kill you," I growl, my voice a low, lethal promise as I tighten my grip around his throat.
His eyes widen with fear, laughter dying on his lips. He struggles under me, but it's useless. Years of military training have made me stronger, faster. There's no chance he can shake me off.
It takes everything I have not to kill him here and now, but I can't do that. Not with Lena standing here, watching. Not when she needs me.
I drive my fist into his face instead. Bone breaks beneath my hand with a sickening crunch. I hit him a second time, and then a third. His eyes roll back, his body going limp.
I peel myself off him, pausing only long enough to make sure the bastard isn't going to move anytime soon, and then turn to her. She's huddled against the tree, her body shaking as she sobs quietly.
"Are you okay, Lena?" I ask, my voice hoarse with fear.