“I. . .I don’t know.”
“You lure them out with bait.”
He pulled over into a parking area that was surrounded by woods. There was no one else around and he parked, turning off his lights.
“If they wanted to use me as bait then why did they just let me go?” she asked. Her voice was quiet, subdued. He hated that he had to scare her but she needed to realize that this wasn’t a joke.
“Because it’s not Reyes and the Iron Shadows that are the big threat. The main threat comes from whoever they were holding that money for.”
“No one would believe I’m good bait. I don’t think Keira cares about me. I’m just someone to use.”
There was a broken note in her voice that caused him pain. “If these other people find out you came looking for her, they might assume you know where she is. They could come after you, baby.”
She eyed him narrowly. “Don’t call me baby. I’m not yours, Zeke Jonas.”
“Yeah, you are. You just don’t want to admit it. But you’ve been mine for the last six weeks.”
“That night did not make me yours,” she whispered harshly, eyes flashing.
He leaned in again. “Oh baby, it totally did. I know I scared you. I’ve given you time. But then you went and put yourself in danger. Entering a goddamn MC bar on your own. And I don’t give a fuck what Duke says. These guys might have some sort of moral code but it’s not like yours and mine. I wouldn’t ever trust Reyes with him. Not even if he swore on his mother’s grave. Actually, especially not then, since I know what sort of mother he had.”
“How do you know him?”
“We spent some time in the same foster home.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you lived in foster homes.”
He nodded. “Yeah, from the time I was eight until I was old enough to leave.”
He heard her gulp. “They weren’t good.”
He shrugged, looked over at her. “Some were good. Others okay. Many of them were crap.” Some of his foster parents had been downright abusive, but he wasn’t going to get into that with her. She didn’t need to know any of that.
“What happened to your parents?”
“Never knew my dad,” he admitted. “My mother was a junkie who cared about her next fix more than me.”
“Oh, Zeke, I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged. He didn’t like to think about any of that. It was a long time ago and he’d built his own life without their help.
She seemed to sense he didn’t want to talk about his parents, because she didn’t ask anything more.
“What about the home you were in with Reyes?” she asked.
Shit. He didn’t want to go into that.
“Worse than most,” he admitted.
She made a pained noise. “Did anyone. . .I mean, did they. . .”
He reached over and took her hand in his. “I want to share as much of my life, of me, as I can with you but just like there are things about my job I can’t share, there’s also things about my private life I can’t either.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both. It’s in the past. It’s not things you need to know.”
He could see under the lights of the parking lot that her jaw was tight. He waited for her to argue with him, but she just looked down at her hands. They were clenched in her lap.
“If Clint hadn’t taken responsibility for me after my parents died. . .”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“There is no way in hell that Clint would ever have let you go into foster care.”
He knew that for certain. That man was all about family. And family wasn’t just blood. Zeke should know, living on Sanctuary Ranch and being part of Jensen Security International was the first time Zeke had felt like he had a proper family. The SEALs had managed to fill that void somewhat. But the people on Sanctuary were his family.
And Eden was his soul. His heart.
His everything.
He just had to help her figure that out. And right now, he was done being patient.
“No, he wouldn’t. He has too much integrity for that. He’d never let his family down.”
There was something in her voice. . .did she think that she’d let her family down?
“He didn’t deserve to be saddled with a crippled ten-year-old,” she muttered.
He heated hearing her talk about herself like that.
“Eden, look at me,” he said in a low voice.
She shook her head, keeping her gaze directed on her lap. “Can we just go home now? This night has been a complete nightmare. I just want to forget it ever happened.”
“Eden. Look. At. Me.” He made certain to inject more Dom into his voice.
She turned her head to look at him. “What?”
He sighed and reached up to rub his thumb over her lip. Taking care of her was going to be a balancing act of gentleness and firmness. Because she definitely needed some understanding. She wasn’t immediately going to let go and let him assume command. But she also needed someone strong, who wouldn’t give in to her temper and bullshit.
She needed to know what was acceptable and what was not. And risking herself like she had tonight was never going to fit in the acceptable side of the table. Trusting his gut had gotten him out of some scary places and saved his life more than once. Right now, his gut said to give her a little dose of his stricter side.
“Watch your tone, little one.” His voice was deep, low. He saw a small shiver work its way through her. Yeah, she liked that. He wondered if she secretly craved rules and boundaries. She had some with Clint. But she could also work her way around him. Most of the time. Especially if she roped in Kent to help. He had a huge blind spot when it came to Eden.
Zeke wouldn’t be like that. He’d be firm and he’d stick to his rules. Even if that might kill him. But if he got it just right, then he knew she was going to thrive. She would find the safe place to be herself. To let go of the tight hold she had over her Little.
That was the end game. To give her what she needed and desired.
And that meant he would get the same.
“Or what?” she challenged.
“Or I’ll start your punishment off here in my truck.”
There was a moment of silence. The only sound her harsh breaths working in and out of her chest. “Punishment? You’re not punishing me, Zeke Jonas.”
“Oh, baby. Did you really think you were going to get away with putting yourself in danger and not be punished? Princess, you might have your brothers fooled but I know that you need a firm hand.”
“I’m not a fucking horse you’re trying to break-in.”
Sometimes it felt a little like that.
“I know you’re not.” He leaned in and kissed her lightly. “I’d never spank a horse.”
Another beat or two while he knew she was trying to process that. “Who the hell said you get to spank me!”
He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck. Time to learn a lesson. “Eden, you walked into a dangerous bar filled with a bunch of unsavory characters alone, without telling anyone where you were. What the fuck did you think was going to happen?”
“They didn’t hurt me.”
“Because you got lucky!”
“Duke said they don’t hurt women.”
“You know better than to believe something just because someone said it. I know you’re not that naïve. And even if Duke and Reyes don’t hurt women, doesn’t mean all the Iron Shadows adhere to that. And there were people other than Iron Shadows in that bar. You were alone, you were vulnerable and that is completely unacceptable to me.”
“Why do you care? Because of one night we spent together? I thought I’d made it clear that’s all we could have.”
“Don’t mistake me backing off as me giving in to you. I’ve given you time to come to terms with things. That time is now up. Because you put yourself in danger and I won’t allow that to happen again. You need someone to ensure that you’re safe because obvious
ly your judgment is completely off. That someone is me. Because you’re mine. And I’ll keep saying it as often as I need to in order for you to believe it.”
She snorted. “You’re gonna get sick of your own voice then.”
“Maybe so.”
“I’m not yours, Zeke.”
“Baby, the more you say that, the more I am determined to show you I am. It’s like a double-dare, a thousand times over.”
She groaned. “You’re insufferable.”
He let a small grin curl up his lips. Then he remembered what she’d said earlier. “Eden, you have to know that Clint never for one moment regretted taking responsibility for you, right?”
“So now you’re not just talking for me, you’re talking for my brother as well?” she snapped.
Surprise filled him and he grew tense. Fuck. Did she really believe that Clint held regrets?
“Did he ever do anything to make you think he has regrets?” He was unaware how dark and dangerous his voice sounded until she stiffened.
“Of course not. But. . .he has to, right? One day he was carefree, living his life as a young bachelor, next he was a pseudo-father to a cripple. And let’s face it, I wasn’t an easy kid, definitely not an easy teenager to raise.”
Anger clawed his gut. He had to take a deep breath to calm himself. She could rile his temper like no one else. “As soon as we get back to the ranch, we’re sitting down for a talk with your brothers. I can’t believe you’ve thought this way all these years and not spoken to them about it or that they didn’t figure it out.”
“We don’t need to talk to them about it,” she said quickly.
“We do. You’re under some serious misconceptions and they won’t be fixed until you hear it from your brothers.”
“Damn it, Zeke—”
“And you are not ever, ever to refer to yourself as a cripple again, do you understand me? I’m going to let that slide without a punishment this once, but talking bad about my girl is completely unacceptable.”
She drew in a breath. “You have some obsession with punishment.”
“Oh, I have a definite obsession with your ass. I want to squeeze it, kiss it, and I have spent many, many moments imagining having you over my knee, spanking it.”
“Don’t you think that’s wrong, considering I wouldn’t be able to get away from you?” she snapped.
His heart froze in his chest. Stopped beating. Then he slid back from her into the driver’s seat.
“You think I’d abuse you, Eden?” he asked in a serious voice. Her answer had the means to hurt him, to completely unravel him. He waited. She stared up at him.
“No,” she answered quietly.
Thank fuck. Thank fuck.
His breath left him in a huge whoosh.
She stared out at the darkness. “You really think there’s a possibility I’m in danger?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that, Eden. About anything.”
She nodded and more of that tension left him. Her trust meant everything.
“I won’t know more though until Reyes calls me.”
“He’s going to call you?”
“Duke handed me a burner phone before we left. He’ll call me on that. I’ll get the answers we need. In the meantime, I don’t think it’s a good idea that we go back to Sanctuary.”
“What? Why?”
“Because whoever they’re partnered with is likely dangerous and I don’t want to lead them back to your family.”
“You think they could be in danger? But Sanctuary has the best security there is. Nobody can get at us there.”
“No place is one hundred percent secure, and under other circumstances I would agree. But I would feel better if we stayed away until I talked to Reyes and got the lowdown on who we’re dealing with. If they learn of you then that’s probably the first place, they’ll go searching for you. Which means, I don’t want you there.”
“This. . .it’s madness. I want to go home.”
He hated the lost note in her voice. Even as he observed how young she sounded. How sweet. Okay, so he had an ulterior motive for bringing her here. He wanted her to himself. Wanted some time alone with her. Wanted to recreate that night of the wedding.
“Just one night. While I figure out what’s going on. Besides, you’re tired, I’m tired, the last thing we need is to travel for hours at night.”
“Where are we going to go?”
“An old SEAL buddy has a holiday cabin not far from here. He’s a paranoid bastard so it has some top-notch security. He’d fit right in at JSI and I’m hoping once he retires, he’ll come work there. But for tonight, I think it’s our best option.”
There was silence. He wouldn’t force her. This was up to her.
“All right. Let’s go to this cabin. I just want to go to sleep and forget about everything for a while.”
“Good, the cabin is about twenty minutes from here. We’ll need to stop for supplies. You just sit back and relax. Let me take care of everything. I’m going to look after you, Eden. I promise.”
“You might regret saying that,” she told him in an almost ominous voice.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m far more effort than I’m worth.”
10
Zeke wasn’t happy with her.
He’d tried to get her to talk to him after she’d made that statement about her worth, but she’d decided to ignore him. Well, as much as any breathing female could ignore Zeke Jonas. The man was sexy. Hard. Hot. Entirely too bossy and domineering. But in a way that made you want more, not in a way that turned you off.
Because it was an innate dominance. Part of who he was. It wasn’t an act. It wasn’t him trying to be a controlling bastard.
It was Zeke being Zeke. He’d lay down his life for someone he considered his. He’d protect them from any source of conflict or danger, even if that came from within.
Truthfully, she was shocked he hadn’t turned away from her a long time ago. She’d done her best to piss him off. To keep him from seeing the truth.
That she wanted him. Badly. She wanted to be wrapped up in all that safety. To have him dote on her, dominate her. To have that one night they’d spent together happen over and over. She wanted to give him all of her, to jump the cliff and let him catch her.
Only, she couldn’t. That one night was all she’d allowed herself and even that had been a stupid, idiotic move. Because it had shown her everything she was missing out on. Everything that her brothers gave their women.
And she couldn’t.
She’d told herself she could never trust someone enough to let that side of herself free. But that wasn’t it. She trusted Zeke. Knew he wouldn’t hurt her.
But she didn’t deserve him. Wasn’t worthy of him. Zeke deserved the best.
“We’re gonna talk about what you said, Eden. You can’t shut me out forever,” Zeke said in a low voice as they pulled up outside a surprisingly large lakeside cabin in the middle of nowhere. Security lights had flicked on as they approached and she saw that it was single-story with a wide wraparound porch.
They’d only stopped once on their way here, to get some food. She’d barely spoken to him as they’d moved through the store. Only answering his questions when he’d threatened to smack her bottom right there in the shop. She didn’t think he would, but she hadn’t wanted to take the chance.
“This is your friend’s cabin?”
“Yeah, he’s got some family money, I think. Impressive, huh? There’s more to see inside.”
She undid her belt. “Can you get my chair?”
“Eden, I’m not letting this go.”
“Are you going to trap me here until I talk about it or will you get my chair?” She kept her voice devoid of emotion but it was hard. She knew he wouldn’t use her inability to physically get away from him against her, though.
“There’s no ramp up. I’m gonna go unlock the door and check around first, all right? You stay loc
ked in the truck.”
She frowned slightly then nodded. Even though she thought he was exaggerating the danger she might be in, she didn’t argue.
Pick your battles, Eden.
He climbed out of the truck, shutting the door with a firm click. Then he beeped the locks. Didn’t trust her with the keys, huh? Wasn’t like she could drive his truck, since it wasn’t modified for her.
She closed her eyes, a headache thumping. She needed sleep. Desperately. But she knew it wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. Clint had taken her to several sleep specialists when her insomnia first started. In the end, she’d pretended that their help had worked in order to set his mind at ease.
But she rarely got more than an hour or two each night.
Except that night with Zeke.
Fuck. Fuck. She should never have allowed herself that.
She startled, letting out a small gasp as her door opened. Zeke stood there. “Princess, you okay?”
He reached out and she flinched back. He stilled. “Eden?” his voice was a rasp, disbelief filled it. Along with something else. . .hurt?
Fuck. That was the last thing she wanted.
Go with it. Push him away.
She couldn’t do it, though. It would hurt something inside her. Something she didn’t think she could ever repair.
“Oh God, what am I doing?” She pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes with a pained groan.
“Eden, talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
She shook her head with a small sob. Shivers racked her body. She couldn’t go on like this, she felt like she was splintering apart. She was trying to hold it all together. To keep everything from bursting out of her. But she just didn’t know if she had the strength to go on.
“Oh, baby. I’m here. Sh. I’m here.”
She was barely aware of him lifting her, carrying her into the house. She buried her face in his neck, trying to draw breaths into her tight lungs. To calm her ragged breathing. He settled her on his lap, his arms tight around her.
Don’t let go. Don’t ever let go.
“I won’t. I won’t.”
She wasn’t aware she’d spoken out loud. But it didn’t matter. Because right now, she couldn’t be away from him. She needed him. So much.
Daring Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 5) Page 9