“You’re not overreacting.”
She met my eyes. “Someone was really here?”
“Yeah.” I stroked her cheek. “Your screen is cut and the window’s jacked up in the family room.”
She gasped. “Oh, my word.”
Sirens were approaching, so I shifted so I could stand up. “You need to put some clothes on, Willow. You can freak out in a minute.”
She nodded and pulled on sweats and a hoodie, zipping it to her neck just as cops slammed through the door. Willow jumped, so I pulled her close and kissed her temple.
“Willow!”
“Lisa?”
“Yeah, honey, it’s me,” she called.
“I’ll be right there,” Willow said, and grabbed my hand. “I’m okay.”
I nodded and stepped in front of her to lead her down the stairs. Lisa met us at the bottom. “Whoever was here is gone now,” I said.
Lisa nodded. “Yeah. We’re collecting evidence now. Have you got somewhere to stay for a few days, Willow?”
“She’s coming with me,” I said.
“But—”
“Not up for discussion,” I ground out.
Willow frowned up at me but didn’t contradict me again.
“You good?” I asked Lisa. “Want Willow to pack a bag so we can get the fuck out of here.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll get what we need before you go, but you can pack, Willow.”
Willow said nothing as she stomped up the stairs (her little feet pounding the carpet like she imagined my face on each step). I grinned because she was cute as hell, but schooled my features when she closed us into her room. “I can’t stay with you,” she snapped, dragging a bag out of her closet.
“Don’t have a choice, Willow.”
“What will people think?”
“Who gives a fuck?”
“I do.” She threw the bag on the bed and started throwing clothes into it. “I would love to have your devil may care attitude and not care about what people think of me, but I don’t.” She faced me, an expression of irritation covering her beautiful face.
I closed the distance between us and kissed her gently. I couldn’t help myself. She was fuckin’ adorable when she was pissed.
“Dash,” she hissed.
“My turn to talk,” I said, cupping her face.
She huffed, but didn’t comment.
“Someone broke into your house and I don’t want to think about what they wanted, or what they might have done to you if they’d found you,” I said. “There’s only one place that’s safe for you right now. One place I know no one can get you. And it’s my place. With me. And my brothers.”
“Why is this happening?”
“I don’t know, baby, but we’re gonna find out. In the meantime, you’ll be protected, hear me?” She nodded and I pulled her close. “Pack for at least a week.”
“I have school.”
“You’ve got six weeks before school starts,” I countered. “This’ll be dealt with or you’ll be gettin’ an escort to your classes.”
“Dash.”
“Willow,” I mimicked.
“Fine,” she breathed out.
“Yeah, baby, I know it’s fine.”
“Well, thank you for making it seem like I had a choice,” she snapped.
“You’re welcome,” I deadpanned.
She pulled away and continued to throw things into her bag and I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
* * *
Willow
I was both irritated and relieved as Dash put a call in to Doc and organized someone to watch my house... while I prepared to walk into his den of sin and temptation.
I didn’t know how I was going to deal with being alone with Dash in his room at the compound. I was already dealing with impure thoughts when it came to him, and now I was going to be somewhere no one would tell me that ripping his clothes off and licking his entire body would be wrong.
Once I threw the plainest clothes I had into the bag, I made my way to the bathroom for some personal items, before walking back to my room and straight into Dash’s arms. He slid his hand to my neck and kissed me deeply, his tongue meeting mine and then diving in deeper. I sighed against his mouth and leaned in, frustrated that I couldn’t get closer.
I dropped my shampoo and deodorant on the floor, and wrapped my arms around his waist, sliding my hands up his back. As we grew close to the point of no return, he broke the kiss and dropped his forehead to mine. “Damn.”
“This isn’t going to work, Dash.”
“We’ll make it work, baby. You need to be safe.”
I sighed, pulling away from him. “My issue is I’m not safe with you either.”
“What the fuck?”
“Not like that,” I rushed to assure him.
He picked up my discarded items and handed them to me before crossing his arms. “Then like what?”
I didn’t know if I could tell him... confess my thoughts. I’d never said anything like that out loud, but he looked both angry and worried, so I knew I needed to tell him why I felt off-kilter.
“Willow?” he prodded.
“You’re infuriating sometimes, you know that, right?”
“Backatcha,” he ground out. “Now, explain why you don’t feel safe.”
I focused back on him and swallowed. Then I shook my head.
“Baby,” he said, his tone a little gentler.
“Good Lord, Dash, I can’t be alone with you or I’ll get pregnant.”
“Excuse me?”
“All I ever seem to want to do when we’re alone is rip your clothes off. If I go to the compound with you, there’ll be no one to stop us from... participating in those carnal pleasures,” I whispered.
Dash dropped his head back and laughed.
“Very funny.” I threw the rest of my things in my bag and tried not to hit him. As soon as my hands were empty, Dash pulled me against his body again and kissed me gently.
“I’m not laughing at you, baby.”
“Coulda fooled me.”
“Okay, maybe your mouth speaking ‘carnal pleasures’ caught me off-guard, but that’s what makes you adorable.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I shouldn’t be thinking about these things.”
“Baby, it’s normal to think about ‘these things.’ It doesn’t make you bad.”
“You don’t know all the things I’m thinking.”
Dash raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
I smacked his chest gently, my face flaming. “You are ruining me.”
“Eyes, baby.” He stroked my cheeks and I forced myself to look at him. “Fuck me, you’re so beautiful.”
“Dash,” I whispered.
“No one can ruin you, Willow, unless it’s in a good way. You’re the kindest person I know and you’re good through and through, so I want you to stop beating yourself up about this. We have a connection, a really deep connection, and it’s only growin’. Don’t dirty that. It’s beautiful, like you.”
I blinked back tears. “I just don’t want to do anything wrong.”
“You’re not doin’ anything wrong, Willow. You’re doin’ the best you can and doin’ it well. I get that you’ve got some tapes playin’ in your head that are just plain wrong, but I’m here to help you sort those out.”
I dropped my face to his chest and hugged him tight. “Promise me you won’t let me ravish you.”
“No.”
“Dash.”
He chuckled again. “Baby, you wanna rip my clothes off and ravish me, I’m not goin’ to stop you, but I will promise that I won’t let you do anything before you’re ready to do it.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m pretty sure I’m ready now... at least my body is... and that both scares the crap out of me... and makes me excited.”
Dash grinned, kissing me again. “It’s okay, Willow. I promise.”
I nod
ded, letting him hold me for a few precious minutes before pulling away. “I’m ready.”
He squeezed my hand, grabbed my bag, then led me downstairs.
Willow
Dash and I had walked into the compound and I couldn’t help but be impressed. It was housed in an old tobacco barn on almost thirty acres, but there were newer, smaller buildings surrounding it. Fencing and concrete walls made the land impenetrable, along with the armed men guarding it.
The main room of the barn was all wood and open, probably like it had been back in the day. There were three sets of stairs, one off the main room, one off the kitchen at the back and one off the foyer.
We took the ones off the main room, and then Dash led me down a hallway on the right and into his room. I was surprised by how modern the room was with a large bed and private bathroom. He also had an a/c unit that was working overtime and I sighed as I walked into the cool space. Summer was hitting Savannah like Satan’s cookout, and my home didn’t have a/c, so this was a treat for me.
“If it’s too cold in here—”
“Don’t you dare touch that,” I demanded as Dash walked toward the unit. “It feels amazing.”
Dash chuckled. “Got it.”
“The room is really nice.”
He smiled. “Had one of the girls clean it. She did a good job.”
I frowned, but kept my opinion to myself. I didn’t like that another woman was in his room, even if she was cleaning it. I faced my bag, which Dash had set on the bed.
“Willow?”
“What?”
His arms slid around my waist from behind and he kissed my neck. “You jealous?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “A little bit, yes.”
He turned me to face him and smiled. “Only two people have a key to my room. Me and Doc. I asked Doc to let one of the girls in to clean, but he wouldn’t have given her a key. I don’t even know who did it.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you.”
“I get it.” He kissed me gently. “It’d be a little weird for me too.”
I forced a smile. “Sorry.”
“Willow,” he admonished. “Don’t do that. You get to feel however you want to feel.”
I nodded, kissing him again. “Okay.”
“I have to go.”
“What? Why?”
“’Cause I got interrupted and I gotta close the loop on what I was doin’.”
“Right. I didn’t even think about that.” I bit my lip. “Sorry I pulled you away.”
“It’s all good. Badger covered it, just gotta make sure.”
“Okay.”
“Got beers in the fridge, cable on the television, and if you get hungry, there’s food in the kitchen downstairs. Just help yourself.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“You won’t.” He patted my hip. “No one’ll bug you, Willow, but if you feel uncomfortable for any reason, text me.”
“I will.”
“I’ll see you when I’m done.”
“Okay.”
He kissed me, then walked out the door.
I’d hung out in his room, watched a sappy movie, then found myself starving. It was past nine when I ventured my way downstairs looking for coffee. I found it being prepared by a man who looked a bit like my dad... if my dad had longer hair, a scruffy beard, and tattoos.
“Hey, babe,” he said. “You Dash’s woman?”
I nodded. “My name’s Willow.”
“Gator.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“You too. You want coffee?”
I breathed out, “I would love some coffee.”
He grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Gator showed me where everything was and then gave me a tour once I had a cup of life in my hands. No one else was around, which seemed odd to me since Dash said the compound was usually milling with people by ten in the morning.
“Why’s it so empty?” I asked.
“Late night.”
“Oh.” I smiled to keep myself from asking anymore questions.
“You hungry?”
“A little, yes.”
Gator grinned. “Bacon, eggs, and toast sound good?”
My stomach rumbled. “Oh, my word, yes, please.”
He chuckled and led me back to the kitchen, waving to a bar stool by the big stainless-steel island. “Pop yourself there and I’ll cook.”
“You sure I can’t help?”
“Nope. You just sit there and look pretty.”
I did as he ordered, my heart warming at the sweet, fatherly way he had about him... despite the fact he looked like a hardcore biker. I was beginning to realize that the things I’d been taught to believe were wrong. Now I just had to figure out how to process that.
I had just buttered two pieces of toast when one was swiped off my plate and lips kissed the back of my neck.
“If this isn’t Dash, sir, you’ll have a lot of explaining to do,” I retorted.
He chuckled and sat beside me. “Hey, baby.”
“Hi.”
“You hungry?” Gator asked.
“Yeah, man.” Dash nodded toward the stove. “You cookin’?”
“Only ’cause I’m fallin’ in love with your girl.”
I blushed and dropped my eyes to my plate. Dash wrapped an arm around my waist. “She’s pretty fuckin’ awesome.”
“Because I get you free food?” I challenged.
“Well, yeah? Why else?”
I grinned as I leaned into him. “Glad to see your priorities are intact.”
He smiled. “You get any sleep?”
“No. I watched a movie and then came down here,” I said. “How did your thing go?”
“Good. Wanna crash for a bit though. You good with that?”
I nodded and sat quietly while Dash ate. Since Gator cooked, I insisted on doing the dishes, then Dash and I headed back to his room. He stepped into the bathroom, walking out with only a pair of boxer briefs on.
“Dash!” I spun and faced the door.
“My shit’s in here, baby. It was either walk out in these or naked. I chose the former.”
I squeezed my eyes shut wishing he’d chose naked, but said, “Well, thank you for not coming out naked.”
I jumped a little when his arms wrapped around me and he kissed my shoulder. “If you’d ever like to walk around in just your panties, I won’t complain, FYI.”
I sighed. “I have to admit, you look pretty good in just your panties.”
Dash laughed. “That sounds all fuckin’ kinds of wrong, but you are funny.”
I smiled, keeping my eyes closed.
“I’m decent, Willow, you can turn around now.”
I did so and groaned.
“What?” he asked.
“Why do you have to be so darn perfect looking?”
He had a Dogs of Fire tattoo on his left bicep, a dragon on his right, along with a skull up by his shoulder and an intricate heart on his right forearm. His chest was covered in tattoos and I desperately wanted to trace them all with my tongue.
“Backatya.”
He kissed me, lifting me and settling me on his bed. He slid my sweats off my body, panties and all, settling his face between my legs and kissing me intimately.
“Dash,” I rasped, pushing my body back to get some distance. “What are you doing?”
He grabbed my ankles and kept me in place.
“Dash?” I pressed.
“Do you need a play-by-play here, baby?”
“Yes, I think I do,” I squeaked.
He grinned. “My plan is to go down on you, and that means, I’m gonna feast on your pussy.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Gross, no.”
“Not gross,” he argued. “Beautiful. Trust me?”
“In theory, yes.”
He tugged me back toward him and leaned over me. “When my tongue hits your clit, you’ll understand what I’m talking about
, and you’ll love it. I promise.”
I felt the heat creep up my face. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“I plan to lick every inch of your pussy, too, baby, so get ready.”
I groaned covering my face with my hands.
“Eyes, Willow.”
I shook my head.
“Willow,” he warned, kissing my knee.
“I can’t look right now,” I mumbled. “Please don’t stop, but don’t make me watch.”
“Baby.”
“Please, Dash. I trust you, but I need to not look right now.”
His mouth traveled down my leg again, then covered my very private part. I writhed as he gently sucked on my clitoris and I couldn’t stop myself from bucking against his mouth. This made him grip my thighs harder and keep me in place, but it did not make him remove his mouth. I let out a quiet squeak as his tongue, then his finger, slipped inside of me and I was overwhelmed with the sensation. His mouth moved back to my clit and he slipped another finger inside of me and I whimpered as I came apart.
I gathered my courage and glanced down my body to watch as he continued to kiss me intimately and then he raised up and leaned over me. “You taste like honey, baby.”
“I... I don’t really have words.”
Dash grinned as he kissed his way to my neck, cupping my breast as he kissed me just under my jaw. “You don’t need to say anything.”
Despite the overwhelming ecstasy he was creating, guilt won out and I asked him to stop.
“Baby.”
I dragged my hands down my face and groaned. “I’m sorry. I just... can’t.”
He pulled me onto his chest. “It’s okay.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I loved everything you did, but I feel so unbelievably dirty.”
“Nothin’ we did here was dirty, Willow, but I get it.”
I swallowed.“You don’t have to lie.”
“Exactly which part am I’m fuckin’ lyin’ about?”
“The getting it part.”
“I do get it,” he said. “Don’t mean I like it, but I’m not gonna make you do anything you don’t feel comfortable with, and I’m not gonna be a dick while you’re figurin’ it out.”
I snuggled closer to him. “I appreciate that.”
“Let’s get some sleep.”
I nodded. Dash stepped into the bathroom and was there a while... I didn’t ask why, but I threw on some clothes while he was in there and climbed under the covers. Dash joined me (finally) and then he wrapped his arms around me and we slept.
Saving the Preacher's Daughter (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter #1) Page 8