Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
I closed my eyes, overcome with fear and paralyzing sadness. I didn’t want to push them away. I wanted the opposite. I wanted to never be left alone again. I wanted Colt and Lucas more than I’d ever wanted anything.
Colt rested his forehead to mine. “You want to surrender to us. I can see it.”
I sniffled. “Being defenseless scares the hell out of me.”
“You’re not defenseless,” he murmured, easing back a few inches. “You have the power to bring Luke and me to our knees.”
My breath stuttered, and I felt the crease appear in my forehead. “I do?”
“Does that come as a surprise?” He smiled the smallest of smiles and cupped my cheek. “We want the good and the bad with you, the ugly and the beautiful. The tantrums, the giggle fits, seeing you spill dipping sauce on your shirt—”
I glanced down quickly, and Colt hooked his finger under my nose.
“Made you look.”
I looked up sharply. Gah!
He smiled. “We adore you, Kit.”
Hope expanded in my chest, but the vise grip of fear was constantly there to remind me not to get ahead of myself.
I whimpered and wiped at my cheeks. “What can I say when sorry isn’t enough?”
His gaze turned softer. “Why wouldn’t it be enough, baby?”
“Because I never wanted to hurt you like this, and it’s what I’ve done,” I cried. “I’m crazy scared of overstepping. I d-don’t have you like you two have each other, and it already makes me upset a lot. After a month. Think of what I’ll do in three months. I’ll be your nightmare.”
“Or you’ll still be our dream.” He brushed the pads of his thumbs under my eyes. “Sweet boy. What part of ‘it’s you we’ve been waiting for’ don’t you get? Fuck three months. In ten years, I hope we’re still findin’ new ways to fall in love with each—”
I squeaked.
Amusement danced in his eyes.
Did he just…?
“It took me a while to figure out why you were so insistent on Luke and me deciding how you should redecorate your house,” he admitted. “But when it dawned on me, no one was happier than me.”
Maybe it was too dark in the alley for him to see my blush. Maybe not. I didn’t give a damn. My heart hammered in my rib cage, and for once, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
“We’re falling in love?” I whispered.
He nodded slowly and ghosted his lips over mine. “We’re definitely fallin’ in love. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yeah,” I exhaled. I was brimming with hope. The vise around my chest loosened. “I want the opposite of pushing you away.”
“Good,” he whispered back, and he kissed me once. “Who am I, Kit?”
I shivered and closed my eyes and drew a deep breath. “You’re my Daddy.”
“That’s right. And Daddy will make you surrender. On Saturday, in fact. I’m gonna hunt you down and steal the last bit of control that you’re clinging to.”
I cracked one eye open. “You’re gonna what?”
He grinned. “You need an outlet. What Abel was talking about—he was right on the money. You get frustrated easily, and that’s when you act out. So I’m gonna show you how we can get rid of those frustrations.”
Funny how quickly I got nervous. “The hunting part is figuratively speaking, right?”
“Not even close.” He trailed a finger along my jaw, his gaze following the movement. “You’re gonna be able to fight back. It’s gonna be you and me in the middle of the woods. I’ll find you…”
I sucked in a breath.
“I’m telling you this now so you can prepare yourself,” he murmured. “You often feel weak. You talk down to yourself. You lift others to the skies and bury yourself six feet under, and that’s gonna change. You’ll fight me with everything you have, Kit. Promise me.”
“I-I promise, but—”
“Nope. Leave it there. You wanna tell me some bullshit about you not being a fighter, and I don’t wanna hear it. You’re stronger than you think, and you’ll show me—but most importantly, yourself—this weekend. Okay?”
“Okay.” I stowed away my questions for later. I didn’t need to know the details right this second.
“Okay,” he echoed. “You ready to go back in?”
I nodded. “Yes, Sir. I’ll apologize to the others.”
“That’s a good instinct, but it can wait. I’m gonna put you on speech restrictions while we eat. You need to let your mind power down some.”
How could he know such things? I didn’t even know, and it was my mind.
“I’m not allowed to talk at all?” I asked hesitantly.
“Not a word, but I’ll give you a quick moment to let Luke know we’re good.”
I nodded again. Maybe I did need this. I trusted Colt. “I will obey.”
“That’s my boy.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and then he linked our fingers together as we left the alley.
I wiped at my cheeks to make sure I’d removed as many traces as I could of my crying fest, and I stayed close to Colt. He seemed to sense I needed the comfort, so he draped an arm around my shoulders and told me to shut everyone out. Only he and Lucas existed. I didn’t need to pay attention to anyone else.