by Alexa Riley
No, he wouldn’t. Even though leaving her to suffer would kill him. Soft, tear-stained and vulnerable Tawny would wreak havoc on his common sense, though. He wasn’t a man given to gentleness. Hell, after spending a decade in the desert, being thrown into the world of a teenage girl had been like trying to read blindfolded. But from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, Gavin would have done anything. Anything to ensure this angel’s happiness. Nothing he did anymore seemed to accomplish that. Every day she seemed to withdraw from him a little more and it was driving him crazy, even though it was necessary.
Gavin looked away from Tawny before his eyes betrayed his thoughts. I dream of fucking you so hard, baby. I dream of disciplining you for being a bad little girl. I dream of spoiling you rotten with gifts and getting big, grateful smiles in return.
I dream of loving you and being loved back.
Had anyone ever loved him? No. No, he didn’t think so. He’d been raised by strict Catholics, the oldest of four children, none of whom he spoke to anymore. What was the point? They had no happy memories to share. His only happy memories had been made with Tawny. Tawny whose disdain for him seemed to grow the more he tried to do the right thing.
This young girl had a future. Gavin had guaranteed his best friend she would achieve it.
He needed to focus on that and stop imagining his tongue in places it didn’t belong. Her exuberance had brought him back to the land of the living after endless deployments, and he wouldn’t let her down. Wouldn’t subject her to his growing needs. That meant hands off.
“You’re so quiet,” Tawny murmured, sliding her tight ass onto the kitchen table, giving him a view of her barely covered cunt. “What are you thinking about?”
Gavin swallowed. “I’ve got a new wave of recruits landing on base today.” He forced himself to swallow a bite of eggs. “I’m thinking about how I’m going to scare the shit out of them.”
Her eyes sparkled and once again, the old Tawny made an appearance. “You’re going to give them the General Hopper treatment.”
He smiled at her. “Damn right I am.”
The moment stretched, but Tawny seemed to catch herself and the indifference returned. “Poor saps. I know how they feel. I get the General Hopper treatment twenty-four-seven.”
A weight pushed down on his chest. “I’m a little overprotective, but it’s all in the interest of keeping you out of dangerous situations.” He took another bite, watching her closely as he talked around it. “I’m not that bad, am I?”
“I don’t know. Let’s find out.” She ran a finger around the rim of her coffee mug. “I booked a modeling gig today. That’s where I’m going in this outfit, General.”
Something dark and dangerous reared up inside Gavin. “The hell you are, baby.”
They both sucked in a breath at the endearment, which hadn’t been intentional. Not at all. But when he’d thought of another person—male or female—taking pictures of Tawny, he’d thought no one is going near what’s mine with a fucking camera and the word had slipped out.
Tawny raised an eyebrow. “Baby?”
Forgetting about the ruthless hard-on in his pants, Gavin stood, planting his fists on either side of Tawny’s hips. “Do you need money? Is that why you decided to flaunt your…”
Her cheeks were turning pink. “Flaunt my what?”
Every ounce of blood in his veins was rushing south. “Your body,” he growled, unable to stop himself from looking. Fucking Christ, those perky tits were almost peeking over the neck of her tight T-shirt. One bounce on his dick and they’d come right out. “No one looks at this.”
“No one but you?”
Jesus, was Gavin imagining the hopefulness in her tone? Yeah. A product of his wishful thinking. This gorgeous eighteen-year-old couldn’t want anything to do with him. “No one.”
Her lips flattened into a line. “I can do whatever I want. I’m an adult.”
Gavin snorted. “By the skin of your teeth.” His hands found her knees and dragged her closer on the table, even as warning bells went off in his head. “You need money, you’ll get it from me. I take care of you. That’s my job.” He brought their faces together, wondering why she seemed so out of breath all of a sudden. Was she not feeling well? “No modeling, Tawny. I forbid it.”
Several seconds passed, their exhales pelting one another’s lips. That’s when Gavin remembered his erection. How close it was to the snug pussy between her legs. With the will of ten men, he jerked away and sat back down.
Tawny stared straight ahead, her beautiful tits rising and falling. “Fine,” she said, finally, hopping off the table and stomping out of the kitchen. “I won’t do it.”
Chapter Two
Tawny
Oh, she was going to the modeling gig.
Putting a convincing act on for Gavin was essential, however, because if the big, bad four-star general turned babysitter believed for one second she was lying, he’d track down the photographer she’d met in the mall and murder him with his bare hands.
On second thought, that might be pretty entertaining. Gavin was built like a mountain of muscle, age doing nothing to detract from his ruggedness. God, no. Age added to his appeal. His life experiences were written on his face, etched into his thick arms and thighs, inked onto his body in the form of wicked black military tattoos. Just thinking about the mixture of gray and black hair covering his body sent Tawny’s fingers coasting down her belly, her fingertips grazing her sex through her shorts. Then she thought of him telling her she was only an adult by the skin of her teeth and she grew frustrated all over again.
Tawny swiped the tears from her eyes and stomped a little bit more on the bedroom floor for good measure, knowing it would echo through the ground floor. As soon as Gavin left the house, she was going to the modeling job purely to piss him off. It was the latest and greatest step in her plan to snap the leash on Gavin’s control and turn him into a stark, raving lunatic. Surely today would be the day he finally lost his cool.
What would happen when he finally did? Well that was something Tawny had been fantasizing about since the day Gavin walked into her father’s funeral. Okay, maybe not that exact day, since she wasn’t an unfeeling monster and she’d loved her father dearly. But shortly after she’d moved into the general’s house, she’d begun noticing her body in new ways. Every time Gavin walked around in loose, gray sweatpants, the outline of his huge penis made her panties uncomfortably wet. Every time they accidentally brushed arms, her nipples would turn into stiff, little peaks. Oh God. His mouth. The simple act of watching him chew across the kitchen table made her rub herself against the chair indecently.
Was this normal? No. She’d spoken to enough friends to know this chemical reaction didn’t happen every day. And it was made stronger by the pull in her chest whenever Gavin smiled. Whenever she opened the fridge and saw he’d bought her favorites at the store. Or how he basically had a panic attack if she so much as skinned her knee. He cared for her so thoroughly, she never had to vocalize her needs. He simply fulfilled them.
Except for one.
Okay, maybe more than one.
She didn’t just want Gavin to stop viewing her as his young ward and have sex with her. No, she wanted to be his companion in all the ways that counted. She wanted him to desire her body and treat her the way men treat their wives. She’d been so sure when she turned eighteen that Gavin would stop giving her platonic kisses on the forehead and lay one on her mouth. That day never came, though, and no matter how much she tried to tempt him, he resisted.
God, it was frustrating. Her body ached every time they were in the same room. Her heart squeezed and begged for Gavin’s to recognize its counterpart, but he refused. So where did that leave Tawny? Why pissing him off until he snapped and let himself be seduced, of course. And today she was going full throttle.
Tawny heard the general’s truck pull out of the garage and wasted no time grabbing her purse. She flew down the stairs, intending to grab a granola bar ou
t of the pantry. When she opened it, however, she saw a short stack of pancakes sitting on the table, a bowl of whipped cream and strawberries beside it. “Stupid, thoughtful jerk,” she whispered angrily, moisture burning behind her eyes. “I’m not eating that.”
One her way to the cabinets, she popped a strawberry into her mouth and groaned. On her next pass, she snagged a fork and cut out a little triangle of pancake, swiping it through the whipped cream.
“This is who you are now? A pancake waster?” Tawny kicked the chair out and sat down. “Wasting food helps no one.” She ate most of the pancakes before talking herself back into her resolve. Today was the day she broke the general.
Half an hour later, Tawny arrived at the address written on the business card.
A motel?
Not just any motel, either. A broke-ass joke of a motel. The parking spot lines were faded into nothing, and the sign looked like a rock had been thrown through the middle. When she met the model scout in the mall yesterday, the aging hipster in Tom Ford glasses had seemed legit. His website was decent. Apparently, it was even easier than she’d thought to create a fake business. Good thing she didn’t learn that lesson that hard way.
Dammit. She would have to find another way to anger Gavin. Putting her life at risk for the cause would be counterproductive if she wouldn’t even be alive to give him her virginity.
Tawny put the car in reverse but stopped short of pulling away when a girl her age walked out of one of the motel rooms. A gorgeous girl with pin-straight blonde hair and a great figure. The model scout walked out after her, kissing her cheek and exchanging words. Almost simultaneously, they seemed to catch sight of Tawny in the car, waving her over.
She was still skeptical, but how shady could this guy be if another woman trusted him?
Turned out, women could be shady, too. Or down on their luck and desperate for cash.
As soon as the three of them walked into the motel room, Tawny began mentally berating herself for not driving away. At least five other women were there. Several sheets hung from the ceiling, creating partitions for each of them, so they could perform live on webcams. Naked performing. They moaned and touched themselves while their numbers ticked up in the corner of the screens.
Swallowing the acid that rose in her throat, Tawny backed toward the door, but the blonde blocked her path. “What are you doing?”
“Stay a while,” said Aging Hipster as he joined them. “You won’t know until you try it whether or not you like it. Easy money, too.”
“You’ve got a great look. So innocent,” crooned the blonde, playing with Tawny’s hair. “You’re going to fry the system with viewing requests.”
“I was thinking I could come back tomorrow.” Tawny smiled and tried to free herself from the cocoon they’d created around her. “I’ll bring donuts.”
Aging Hipster laughed. “Unfortunately, you’ve seen our lucrative…and illegal…setup here. You might look innocent, but you can’t leave that way. Innocent people call the cops.” He nodded toward an empty partitioned space. “You leave after a day’s work. That way we’ve got your tape if you make trouble.”
The blonde squeezed her shoulder. “Sound good?”
Tawny shivered. “Was that rhetorical?”
Neither one of them answered her and that’s when panic truly set in. The general had taught her some basic self-defense moves before he stopped touching her altogether. She called on them now, stomping down on the blonde’s instep and throwing an elbow in Aging Hipster’s face. There was no time to savor the spray of blood, though, and Tawny lunged for the door, opening it an inch, before it was slammed shut and she was dragged back on her hands and knees, a hand clapped over her mouth as she tried to scream.
That’s how Gavin found her when he kicked open the door.
Chapter Three
Gavin
Gavin was homicidal.
Fire raced through his system, top to bottom, at the sight of Tawny being held captive, the fear in her eyes reaching out and gripping him by the neck. Scared? The girl he’d protect with his very life was scared? No. NO. Unacceptable. It sent rage funneling through his veins, until he was being sustained by nothing but the rivers of fire that ran inside his body. Who were these people? Who dared lay their fucking hands on his angel? Burn it all down. He would incinerate this hell and everyone inside of it.
Mine. Mine mine mine mine mine. Who the fuck is touching what’s mine?
An ungodly burst of violence shot up Gavin’s sternum and he turned and punched a hole clear through the door, before ripping it off its hinges and driving it full force into the man in glasses. The man who’d been suicidal enough to touch Tawny. Gavin’s first victim flew across the room, tearing a sheet from the ceiling on his way to bouncing off the wall.
“Gavin…” Tawny whimpered.
His deafening bellow sent women scurrying from the sheets into the bathroom where they closed the door behind them. Slowly, he turned his fury on the blonde, whispering, “Get the hell away from her,” in a voice laced with poison. “Run. Before I break my rule about hurting women and snap your goddamn neck.”
The words were barely out of his mouth before she turned and stumbled away, pounding on the bathroom door. No one let her in, so she settled for the closet. Gavin could only pay the inconsequential blonde the barest amount of attention, though, because Tawny was still on the disgusting floor, her arms wrapped around her middle. The fact that she was shaking made him release another strangled shout.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know it would be like this. I promise.”
“Why?”
“I said, I’m sorry.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “How did you find me?”
“You think I take chances with your safety? You think I would risk losing you? I track your phone. I track you constantly.” Gavin picked her up by her elbows, holding her aloft with her feet dangling off the floor. “Why? Why would you do this?”
“Why do I do anything?” Tawny screamed back, kicking him in the knee. “I just want you to stop being so fucking calm and controlled all the time. I want you to give in.”
“Give in to what?” He glimpsed heaven as she wrapped her legs around his waist, her pussy jostling his cock. “No,” he croaked, even as his flesh swelled to the point of pain. Even as he turned and rammed her up against the closest wall, thrusting into the cradle of her thighs. “No,” he ground out again through clenched teeth. “Don’t tempt me when I’m this angry. I won’t be held accountable.”
“So you are tempted?” Her exhale came out sounding relieved. “You hold yourself accountable, Gavin,” she moaned into his neck, gasping as he thrust three more times, each one harder than the last. “N-no one does that but you.”
“I made a promise.”
“To keep me safe.” She leaned back and hit him with the full force of her green eyes, wrenching his heart up to his throat. “You can protect me and have me at the same time.”
“Have you?” He couldn’t stop the dark laughter from escaping. “You have no idea what that means when it comes to me. When it comes to these needs of mine for you. Just you, Tawny. You’ve woken up a sick obsession inside me, little girl.”
Her body startled to tremble, but her legs locked around him tighter. “Show me.”
Gavin’s mouth dropped to her throat, his teeth dying to sink in. “No.”
“Yes.”
His hands found her ass, molding her cheeks through the shorts the way he’d dreamed of doing millions of times—but he never could have imagined the tight youth of her flesh, the way it let him play as rough as he needed, then bounced right back to its perfect shape. “Your pussy would do the same, wouldn’t it?” He groaned, using his hands to jerk her close, hump her into the wall. “I could fuck it, grind in it, spit on it and you’d still be virgin tight for Daddy.”
Tawny’s jerked against him, her eyes going as wide as silver dollars.
Regret was a brand being stamped into his che
st. Lord, please let me take back the last five minutes. He needed a do-over, so he could stop himself from spilling his secret desire to be this girl’s daddy. The one who satisfied her body, the one she trusted to soothe her, to grant her every single wish. More than that, he needed to go back in time and keep his hands off her incredible body. How could he go on living without being inside Tawny now that he’d touched her, learned her curves and had his fantasies blown out of the water?
Time stood still as Tawny looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes, those straight, white teeth sinking into her lower lip. “There’s only one way to find out…Daddy.”
Impossible. No. No, he couldn’t have heard her correctly. Not only did this amazing girl want him, she didn’t seem repulsed by the title he’d wanted to give himself for so long. That was it. Curtains. In that moment, he could have no more stopped himself from taking their relationship to a new, uncharted level than he could swap the moon for the sun.
Gavin pressed his bared teeth to her cheek. “Now you’ve done it.”
With a growl of possession, Gavin ripped Tawny off the wall and tossed her over his shoulder. Several people stood in the parking lot, probably alerted by the noise. Whatever they saw on his face, though, caused them to hide behind cars, back in their rooms. That was very smart of them, because at that moment, he would have murdered anyone who stood between him and claiming Tawny.
My little girl. Mine.
Chapter Four
Tawny
Whoa. Call me Magellan because I just made a mothereffin’ discovery.
Tawny sat in the passenger seat of Gavin’s truck, her fingers curled into the seat as he bounced through potholes on the dirt road without slowing down. This was not like him at all. Gavin didn’t speed. He didn’t drive with one hand. Yet, he was doing both of those things now, looking like his jaw might split in half at any moment.