by Sam Crescent
He’d thought about the young woman at the burger place one too many times. He didn’t understand why she’d gotten under his skin, only that she had, and it bugged him.
She was over eighteen now by a few months.
He wondered if anyone ever went to her party.
He doubted it.
What teenagers went to a burger party?
Shaking his head, he arrived at the warehouse in time to see his doctor.
Parking the car, he picked the girl up and carried her through the warehouse.
There was a small office in the back with a bed, and he laid her out gently.
“She’s out of it.”
“To make sure she was safe, I put her out.” He stood back.
“That’s a nasty bump to the head. If she’s got a concussion, tranquilizing her was the wrong thing to do.”
“Just do your thing. Stop her from dying.” He didn’t even know why he felt this way about her.
Her breathing was really important to him.
He didn’t get it.
Rubbing the back of his head, he left the office and made his way toward Cage and Rome, who were stringing up the man that was going to pay for all of his sins.
He’d thought about the girl often, and when Rome brought over her bag, he had no problem going through it.
Checking her purse, he saw her name was Hannah Ray. Pretty name. She had so many books, notebooks, and there was even a college acceptance letter along with a scholarship agreement inside. This woman clearly carried around her life in one backpack, and she was only eighteen years old.
The doctor was with her for over an hour, and after getting bored watching the fucker fall asleep and just drip blood down the drain, West decided to watch Hannah instead.
She was still out cold.
Her face was soft, and the doctor tutted.
“I’m going to need to come back when she’s alert. Someone will have to sit with her. She’s got no external injuries other than the bruised head, and I don’t see any lump forming.”
“Why do you need to come back?”
“To ask her questions. To make sure there’s no brain damage. Hitting your head can cause a lot of problems.”
“I’ll call you as soon as she’s awake.”
The doctor nodded and, without another word, left.
Sitting on the chair in the corner of the office, West watched her.
Her chest rose and fell with each of her indrawn breaths.
Her long, brown hair fanned out across the pillow, and she looked so peaceful.
So beautiful.
He’d remembered her these past few months.
When he was alone and sleep refused to claim him, he’d find his thoughts drifting off to this woman. Wondering if she was okay. If anyone went to her damn party. Who was taking care of her?
No woman had ever made him think about anything the way Hannah had.
The name suited her.
He didn’t know how long he sat there, only that Rome and Cage came to ask him if he was going to deal with the problem outside.
Leaving the problem to them, he stared at Hannah, waiting, watching. Making sure she was okay. His cell phone was in his grip, the doctor on speed dial if he needed anything.
Time passed.
When she moved and let out a moan, he got up out of his chair, and moved toward her.
She lifted her hands up, and one went to her head.
“Ouch.”
“It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Hannah opened her eyes, and he smiled down at her.
“I know you,” she said, tilting her head to the side.
“Yeah, you do. You know me.”
“Where am I?”
“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
“I’m so confused. My head hurts.”
“It’s okay. I’ll grab a doctor.”
“You’re going to have to tell my parents that I’m with you. I was … somewhere, and they are going to worry. They always worry.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of everything.”
He ran his fingers down her hair, calling the doctor. “She’s awake.” He hung up and watched.
“We’re done,” Rome said, drawing his attention to the door.
“You made him suffer?”
“Yes. You want to come and see?”
“Nah, I’ll take your word for it. Let the doctor in when he comes.”
“Do you need that drug that Reese has been working on? The one that will make her relax? Similar effects to the date rape drug but she’s aware and you can talk to her. It makes her think she’s in a dream.”
The thought of drugging her didn’t sit well with him.
“Yes.” The word slipped out from his lips before he could stop it.
Over the next three hours, the doctor came and analyzed her.
She had a mild concussion and would need to be monitored over the next twenty-four hours.
So, he did just that. Following the doctor’s orders, waking her up, taking care of her. Being sure that everything was okay for her and she wasn’t hurting. Rome and Cage would take turns staying with him.
After the twenty-four hours, he did something stupid. He injected her with the specially designed drug that he’d used to find out information about top businessmen. Knowledge meant power in his world, and that knowledge along with proof always came in handy.
When he pulled Hannah into his arms, she rested her head against his chest.
“This is nice. I like being hugged. I don’t get hugged that much anymore. I got to go away to college soon. I’m going to miss my parents so much.”
“You love your parents?”
“Yes. Of course. They mean the world to me.”
“Did it upset you how they celebrated your eighteenth birthday party?”
“No, that was fun. I don’t care about the people at school. They don’t care about me.” She sighed. “I feel funny.”
“You’ll be fine. I promise. You mentioned college. What are you studying?”
“Finance and business. I want to help people. No one was there to help my parents when they were advised about a wrong investment. No one cared, and I want to open a company that will help people like them and small businesses to make more money, not to lose every single cent they own and put their house at risk. If something happens to my parents.” She stopped and sniffled. “They lose the house.”
“Oh, honey.”
“So many memories are there. People think because they were older that it wasn’t fun to be with them, but they were all wrong. My parents are amazing. I love them so much. One day I hope I can find someone who’ll make me feel special. When Dad looks at Mom, he looks at her and he loves her. That kind of love doesn’t come around often, but they have it. They love each other so much, and I want to love someone so much.”
“You want a family?”
“Yes, so many kids, so no one craves a sister or a brother. I feel weird right now. I shouldn’t be talking about this with you. You smell so nice.”
****
Present day
“So, for the next two days while your head recovered, I took care of you. I asked you questions and you gave me all the answers I needed. Your parents believed that you were away studying. They knew you took it seriously, and that’s what I made them believe.”
“I don’t remember,” she said. “They asked how my studies went, and I told them it went good.”
“That’s what the drug was designed to do.” He ran his hand up and down her thigh.
“And we just talked?”
“I would never do anything to you, Hannah. You know that. All we did was talk, and I realized what an amazing, beautiful woman you were and your fate was sealed that day.”
“It was?”
“Yeah. You see, I kept remembering you as the girl in the burger place. The one that didn’t have any friends around her but you didn’t let that worry you. Y
ou were your own person, and you had this amazing smile that seemed to light up your entire face and I wondered about you.”
“So, it was after we talked and you took care of me that you decided I was yours?”
He cupped her cheek, tilting her head back. “There was no doubt in my mind that you needed someone to take care of you. Someone who was going to love you for you, and that person is me. It will always be me.”
Tears glistened in her eyes, and he pressed his lips to hers.
“Also, you have to take this.”
“Take what?”
West got to his feet and took her hand. Opening the drawer, he let her look.
He saw her tense.
“You may not like the outcome of that test, but you’ve got to take it and you’re coming home with me tonight to do it.”
Chapter Sixteen
There were a lot of things about West’s story that Hannah knew deep down that she should hate. The fact he drugged her. That he kept her with him for several days. He’d been watching her closely for five years. He knew so much about her that he knew she’d missed her cycle and she was now sitting in the bathroom taking a pregnancy test that he’d purchased.
She didn’t know why she wasn’t hating him, only that she was so scared at that moment that hating him wouldn’t help her.
Hannah liked that he’d done all those things for her.
He’d taken care of her rather than leave her for dead.
She wasn’t so keen on the drugged part, but she could live with that.
West caught her hands where she was rubbing them together trying to warm them up.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“A baby is not in the cards.” Even though he’d not been using a condom, and every chance he got, they’d been having sex, she clung onto this belief that she wouldn’t get pregnant. By some miraculous design she wouldn’t catch that easily.
The beep of his cell phone let them both know that it was ready.
“Do you want me to look and tell you the result?”
She shook her head. “No. We can look together.”
West held out his hand and she took it, locking her fingers with his as she stood up. The test was on the counter near the sink, and as she stared down at the stick, she saw the results clearly.
“Pregnant. You’re pregnant, Hannah.”
He pulled her into his arms.
She was a little dazed.
Pregnant.
A little life grew inside her body.
Another human being for her to take care of.
She rested her head against his shoulder.
She thought about her mother. How she’d sit and look over the single photograph she had of Hannah from the ultrasound. She’d wanted so many children, but between life, work, and bad luck, they’d only ever had one child, her. She always wanted a brother or sister, but her mother couldn’t have any more children after her.
Tears sprang to her eyes.
Her baby would never know how amazing her parents were.
“What’s up, baby? I know this isn’t what you asked for and that you hate me for everything that I’ve done…”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?” he asked.
“They’re never going to know their grandparents.” She sniffled. “They would have been amazing grandparents for our baby.” She put her hand on her stomach.
Pregnant.
“I don’t have any family left,” she said. “It’s just me.”
West put his hand over hers. He was so much bigger than she was in every single way. “This baby is going to want for nothing. He or she will have everyone it needs.”
“But—”
“No buts. It’ll have a killer aunt in Emily. I’ve decided she can keep breathing seeing as you and she are getting along much better now.”
Hannah burst out laughing.
“She will have Emily’s family as well.”
“You made that family up.”
“So? It doesn’t mean I’m going to tear it apart just because you know the truth. Our baby needs a family, so we’ll give it one. There’s Rome and Cage as well. Our own little family, and they will make sure that our baby is loved.”
“You can’t make people fall in line, West. Or do something they really don’t want to do.”
“Of course I can. You’re looking at the king of this city, babe. I started off in the streets, and I rule this town. Everything I’ve done, and everything I will do, was so that you and I could have this life.” He pushed some of her hair back off her face. “Look at me. I’m not perfect. You and I both know I’m not perfect, not even close, but my love for you, that is pure when it comes to you. Tell me what to say, and I will say it for you.”
“There’s nothing else to say, West. I … I’m …what do we do?” she asked.
“First, you move in here with me.”
She laughed.
“I’m being serious. I want to be here every single step of the way for our baby growing.” His hand went to her stomach. “Then we’re going to get married.”
“Married?”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It wasn’t possible, was it?
“Yes. I want you for my wife. I’m not letting either of you go.”
“Marriage is a lot of change.”
Did she want to marry him?
She knew the answer to that.
Yes. She wanted to marry him.
“All my life I’ve never wanted anything,” she said. “The friends or the popularity that a lot of people seemed to chase. I didn’t care for it. You. Emily. All of this. I never thought I’d want something so badly, but I do. I love every single thing that you’ve done, and that scares me.” She laughed. “You’re a stalker, and rather than report you to the cops, I love it. How weird does that make me that I love you stalking me? That you’ve built a life around me that in some way keeps me safe? Emily, Rome, Cage, Emily’s family. It is all there for me.”
“Do you want to see?” he asked.
“What?”
“Everything?”
She nodded.
He took her hand, and she followed behind him, her curious nature getting the better of her as she did so. He walked down the long corridor and came to a locked door. She waited as he pulled his key out and the lock clicked open.
Entering the room, she saw a computer and lots of screens lit up.
“You have a computer room.”
He let go of her hand, and she watched as he flicked on computer screens. The apartment where she lived came up on the screen.
Rome sat on one of the sofas, eating from a bowl.
The only two rooms that weren’t on the screen before her were the bathroom and Emily’s room.
She watched Emily come onto the screen, wrapping her hair up on top of her head. West switched the screen on.
“You don’t have to sit with me. Hannah’s not home.”
“I’m also here to make sure you’re okay.”
“Ah, I’ve been stepped up in security for West?”
“Yep. Hannah loves you, and you know anything she loves will always be cared for.”
“So sweet. I’d have not had a problem if you decided to stay here just to keep me company.”
“You filmed everything?”
“I loved to watch you.”
She stared at her bedroom, and her cheeks heated. “You watched me, didn’t you?”
“I watched that you couldn’t achieve real pleasure.” His hand spread out across her stomach. “Yes, I saw that. I saw you read those dirty books and touch your pussy, but you were never able to get yourself off and it always pissed me off. Every time you didn’t come hard, I knew you needed me and that I would be the only one who could give you what you needed.” He ran his hand down her body, cupping her pussy.
“Don’t you think Emily and Rome would be a good couple?”
“He’s not the only one who wants her,” West said.
>
“He’s not?”
“No, not even close. Cage wants her as well, but I’m not going to interfere with that. The only person I care about is you.” He sucked on her neck, and she gasped at the pleasure that rushed through her body.
This man was a monster. He hurt people, and in his world, he was on top.
Her own personal king.
And he wanted her.
No other woman.
“Marry me, Hannah. Let me give you the life you deserve.”
One of his hands moved up to her breast, cupping the flesh. Her nipple was so hard, and she wanted him. His other hand stroked her between her thighs.
It wasn’t enough.
“Please, West.”
“What? Tell me what you need?”
“You. I need you. Nothing else, just you.”
He bit her neck right over her pulse. Pleasure erupted around her body, and she cried out his name, not wanting him to stop. It felt so good being in his arms.
She didn’t ever want to leave.
His cock pressed against her ass, and she turned so she could look at him.
Attacking his clothes, she started to pull on his shirt. Buttons sprayed everywhere as she got him naked.
West did the same, tugging on her clothes until they fell to the floor. His strength turned her on as the bite of the fabric dug into her skin as he pulled the clothes from her. When they were both naked, she kicked off her heels and he pressed her against the wall.
He grabbed her hands, holding them above her head. His lips trailed down her body, sucking on one nipple, going across to her other. He bit down on the red peaks, and she cried out, his name spilling from her lips as he soothed out the pain with the back of his tongue. He alternated between each breast, licking, sucking, biting, and lavishing her nipples with so much attention that she couldn’t think straight.
The pleasure was out of this world.
He knelt down before her, and her hands dropped to her sides as he kissed her stomach.
“Hey, little baby. Daddy is right here. Right here for you.” He kissed her stomach, and she closed her eyes.
They had created a life together. So beautiful.
“I’m going to take care of your momma and you when you come out. I don’t care if you’re a boy or a girl. I’m going to love you because you’re part of me and my love.” He nibbled her stomach, and she moaned once again.