by Jane Henry
What the hell had happened? Anyone who’d frightened her, scared her, hurt her, they’d answer to me.
“Sawyer! Oh my God. I need to go home.” She slammed her hands on my chest, startling me. Was she in her right mind? “Now! Get your jet. I need to go!” She turned as if to run away, but I caught her.
She was such a fright I grabbed her arms and gave her a brisk shake.
“Annabelle,” I said. “Calm down and tell me what’s going on.”
She shook her head from side to side. “I don’t know. I don’t really even know what’s going on. I need to—you need to — It’s my mom and Gavin and — I don’t — help!”
Fear churned in my stomach but I had to master my emotions if I was going to help her.
“Honey, listen,” I began. “I can’t help you if you don’t calm down and tell me what happened.”
“Stop talking! Get the fucking jet!” she cried, pushing away from me. She was crazed, out of her mind. With one swift move I spun her around and cracked my hand across her ass. She gasped and jolted, but before she could respond, I swept her into my arms and held her in an iron grip.
“There’s more where that came from if you don’t calm the hell down. I’ll spank some sense into you if you can’t do it yourself. Understood?”
Her hands circled my neck and she rested her head on my chest. To my surprise, she closed her eyes as if she were ready to take a nap. “Yes,” she said softly. “Yes, Daddy.”
My heart warmed and my cock twitched. God, what this girl did to me.
“Tell me what’s frightened you, sweetheart. We can’t move any faster or more effectively by being frenzied. Explain what’s happened, and I will do whatever it takes to take care of you.”
She nodded against my chest, her soft hair grazing my chin, eyes still closed as I walked the length of the office, shifted her up a bit so I could open the door, then stopped into the hallway and marched purposefully back to the library. As I made my way to the entrance, she explained.
“My sister texted me, but I didn’t get the messages until just a few minutes ago. I called her right away,” she said. “It isn’t true what they’re telling people, Sawyer. I want to be here! I am not a prisoner!”
I nodded to placate her, the desperation in her voice making a lump rise in my throat. God, the poor girl.
“I know, baby,” I said soothingly. “Now tell Daddy what happened.”
Her shoulders relaxed as she leaned against me, her hands still around my neck. “My mother started telling people lies. They took her, Sawyer. They went right into my home and took her from us. She’s being held at an institution, but they think she’s crazy.”
I shook my head. “You said she’s unwell, but the visiting nurses I’ve sent have said her illness is far more manageable than they expected. She isn’t crazy, honey. We know that.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “She isn’t well.”
“We’ll take care of her. But now you have a big problem on your hands. You need to get her out of the institution and home again. You need to clarify to the media as best you can that you haven’t been forced, and that you’re here of your own accord.”
“I need to go home, she whispered, her hand on my chest flat-palmed as if to show me how she was ready to submit to my answer.
“Yes,” I said. “We’ll go.”
Even as I said the words I wanted to take them back, hold her close, tuck her into my arms and never let her go. If I let her go, would she come back to me? I closed my eyes briefly to help stem the swell of emotions that threatened to overtake me.
“But our agreement. It isn’t over. I have another three weeks, and I haven’t even had my big media debut yet. It’s all in vain if I go now.”
“That isn’t important. Go.”
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
I leaned in and kissed her soft cheek. “‘Thank you, Daddy,’ would do.”
She clasped her hands about me once again, her gaze bright and hopeful once again as she smiled up at me. “Thank you, Daddy. I will come back. Sawyer, you have my word. I will come back.”
But something inside me told me no, she wouldn’t. She had no reason to.
I took my phone out of my pocket and powered it up. I’d send her home.
And then I’d find a way to live without her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Annabelle
He wanted to come with me, and God, I wanted him to, but as soon as we set things into motion for him to come, all hell broke loose.
“The authorities are looking for you,” Worthington said, flicking through the news on his phone. “You’re under no obligation to go back right now, and if you stay here we can at least get your legal team ready to defend you. It could delay things, at least.”
Sawyer held his phone up to his ear. “I don’t give a damn about any of that,” he growled. “We will handle this when we get back to America. No. I’m not staying.”
“Please, sir, listen to me,” Worthington began, but Sawyer interrupted him.
“No!” he snapped. “You listen to me. I’m going with her. If they land me in jail until my legal team can bail me out, so be it. She does not travel without me. She does not travel alone. Am I clear?”
Worthington pursed his lips but finally nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said, placing his phone back up to his ear. “Bring the jet. We leave within the hour.”
“Sawyer, you do not need to go,” I said, loudly so I’d be heard over the bustle around us. Worthington looked at me, and Sawyer’s gaze burned a hole right through me.
“I didn’t suggest it, or ask you. I’m going whether you want to or not.”
I frowned, anger rising at his accusation. “I didn’t say I don’t want you to go,” I said. “What I do not want is you bringing more trouble to yourself than necessary. I want to keep you safe here…”
“Enough, Annabelle.”
“And if you decide you’re going to…”
“I said enough.” Damn. I’d almost forgotten how his dominating nature made my nipples harden and my panties dampen, even as I sought to control my anger at him.
“Fine.”
He came to me, then, crossed right over to me and grasped my arm before leaning into my ear. “Try that again, or you’ll be practicing that over my knee on the way home.”
The vision of me sprawled over his lap, getting spanked on that enormous bed of his, as we traveled… “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes, Daddy. I won’t argue.”
“Good girl,” he said, pulling me into a ferocious embrace.
Tears pricked my eyes. I needed the fierce protection of someone who loved me, and he did. I knew he did. And I knew something else as well.
“I love you, Sawyer,” I said to him. “I love you so very much.”
His arms tightened so hard around me it almost hurt, but it wasn’t tight enough. I needed to feel his enormous presence and strength now more than ever.
“And I love you, Annabelle.”
Below the balcony in the garden, someone stirred. I wasn’t exactly sure what or who it was, and I peered down below us, but they were gone now.
“Did you hear that?” I asked him, and he shook his head.
“Let’s get you on that jet,” he said. “We will sort this out.”
Dusk settled over Paris as the jet rose.
“Didn’t even get you one full day here,” he muttered, sitting back in the armchair with a glass of bourbon, frowning. He’d taken off his suit jacket and loosened his tie, and his hair hung over his forehead, disheveled but beautiful. I loved him so.
“After we get this mess settled, we can come back, maybe?” I asked hopefully.
He smiled, his eyes crinkling around the edges. He smiled so rarely that when he did it was a gift, something that moved me and made me want to climb on his lap and kiss him madly. “Yeah, baby,” he murmured. “We’ll come back.”
My phone buzzed. Damn his international WiFi connection. I didn’t get a break
even when up in the air. Though a part of me was relieved to be able to see what was going on at home, every single update only aggravated me. I flicked through the messages and logged back onto Facebook, shaking my head in frustration as bullshit reports filtered my feed about my kidnapping and horrible mistreatment. I was told by his lawyer not to reply to anything in social media. Sawyer himself told me if I did, he’d spank my ass. I was being good but I was also checking every ten minutes.
“Annabelle.”
I shook my head and waved a hand at him. “Just a minute. I am checking, still. There’s a new article online. These bastards. If I ever get my hands —”
“Annabelle.”
He placed his glass down on the little table beside him, uncrossed his legs and opened his arms, the smile leaving his face and his voice lowering as he sobered. “Little girl, you come here.”
I felt as if I walked to a lion in his lair as I approached, dragging my feet.
I realized then that he’d been calling me, trying to get my attention. His eyes never left mine until I made my way and stood between his knees.
“I called you, several times,” he said, tapping a finger on my chin, and when I tried to look away, he grabbed the hair I’d twisted into a braid and pulled my gaze back to his. The sting of it tingled along my scalp, raising the hairs on my arms as my pulse spiked. I stared, and he stared back, and in his eyes I read so much more than I’d expected — sternness, passion, and an exquisite tenderness only someone close to him could ever discern.
“We have six and a half hours left of this flight home,” he said. “When we arrive, the chances that I’ll be taken into custody are high. I have no control over how things will go when we arrive home. Do you understand?”
I nodded, tears blinding my vision.
He released my hair, placed his hands on my lower back, and pulled me to him so that I sat on his knee. It felt nice sitting on his lap, where I was safe with his focus on me. He was so much bigger than I was that I felt wrapped in a cocoon when his arms came around me. I laid my head on his chest, and he held me tighter as he spoke.
“Do you like when I take care of you, Annabelle?” His harsh voice had softened. Though still deep, it was melodic and soothing, like a hymn.
“Yes. Yes, Daddy, I do,” I said, enjoying calling him daddy where no one would hear, where I felt comforted and cared for. It was so wrong it was sexy, so taboo I trembled when I get up the nerve to call him that.
“I’m glad,” he said in a low, deep voice. “But if you want me to protect you, Annabelle, you must do as I say.”
Overcome with inexplicable emotion, I could only nod and swallow hard.
“Head on my chest like a good girl. There you go,” he soothed. “Now, as I said, I’ll likely be taken into custody. And it might take some time for my legal team to straighten things out. So, we have two choices. We can spend what could be our last night together for a while checking on the latest new articles online. Or…” His voice trailed off as his touch moved to the hem of my top, lifting it, exposing my bare belly that he tickled with the tips of his fingers. I shivered in delight and giggled. “We could spend the night doing far more pleasurable things.”
I did not staunch the tears that flowed freely now, and allowed him to wipe them away with the pad of his thumb.
It could be our last night together.
“Let’s do the more pleasurable things,” I whispered.
He grinned, his stern features softening, his eyes alight with warmth and joy. His mouth dropped to my chest and he feathered kisses there, then trailed his tongue along the collarbone. I closed my eyes and let my limbs go boneless. He stood, lifting me with ease, and carried me to the bed, where he laid me down as gently as if I were made of spun glass. With gentle but firm tugs, he undressed me, baring me to him. He knelt by the bed and took my breast in his mouth, his warm tongue caressing my nipple so that I moaned out loud. I shoved my knees together, only to have him pry them apart with one hand while with the other, he kneaded my breast and flicked my nipple. He released me after a moment, and while I laid naked on the bed and he knelt in front of me fully clothed in an impeccable white shirt and dress slacks, I shivered with arousal. Slowly, he lowered his mouth between my legs, his tongue finding its way to my most sensitive parts, commanding control of my body. My body responded instinctively to his, already primed for climax. In a matter of minutes I came with abandon, his name on my lips, my body shuddering in pleasure as he held me in his firm yet tender grip, I could not think beyond what might happen, what could be, only content to be here with the man who loved me.
He climbed onto the bed and I watched in a haze as he stripped. He was so beautiful. And he was all mine.
“Sawyer,” I whispered, gently training a finger along his large, muscled chest. “Mister Gryffin… Daddy.” At that, his eyes flared with heat and he lowered himself to me, nudging my legs apart.
“My good girl,” he whispered. “Open for me, honey.”
I opened my legs at the feel of his cock at my entrance, my heart skipping a beat as he thrust gently into me.
We made love until the wee hours of the morning, and when we finally collapsed on the bed in exhaustion, I snuggled up onto his chest, and we watched the sun rise over the Atlantic, a beautiful beginning to a day that would tear us apart.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sawyer
I wished I could have held her in my arms forever. I would have. I’d have neglected my own needs and given up all that I owned, every bit of it, if I could have only held onto her, protected her, shown anyone who threatened to tear us apart that she was mine.
I’d experienced terrible tragedy and pain in my life, but everything I’d gone through paled in comparison to what I faced now, letting the woman I loved go when I would have given anything to keep her.
We were almost home now, almost where we would land, and I wanted to be prepared for whatever would come my way. As per my instructions, Worthington had notified the local authorities that Annabelle and I’d be returning early this morning. I fully expected they’d be prepared to apprehend me, though the charges were false, of course.
A knock came at the door. We’d had “Do not disturb” on for the majority of the night, and now my crew was likely prepared to communicate. I sat up in bed and swung my legs over the side, before I leaned back and tucked the blanket around her. She watched me in silence.
“Come in.”
Worthington opened the door and didn’t even flinch when he saw her lying beneath a blanket on my bed. “Sir, we touch down in thirty minutes. Would either of you like something to eat or drink?”
“No, thank you,” I said, looking at her but she just shook her head.
“No, I’m all set, too,” she whispered. He nodded and left.
“Let’s get you up and ready, then,” I said. I lifted the blanket and leaned into her, pulling her over to me and cradling her on my lap. “Do you want me to dress you?”
She nodded. “Please.” She closed her eyes as I laid her back on the bed and fetched her clothing. Her slightly-damp hair looked curly and unkempt and adorable. I helped her into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, allowing my touch to roam the gorgeous curves of her body before I pulled the top down to cover her.
“There, sweetheart,” I said, pulling her back onto my lap.
“This will work out, Sawyer. You will see. This is all going to work out.”
I closed my eyes and nodded, kissing her forehead, and I held her in silence as long as I could, until we had to prepare for descent. When we were getting ready to land, I buckled her in and held her hand. Still, we said nothing as the wheels touched down.
I inhaled deeply as my staff prepared to escort us off the jet, and I clutched her hand as the door opened.
“No matter what happens, remember I love you,” I said hoarsely.
His lower lip quivered. “I-I will, Daddy. I promise.”
As I suspected, six armed men waited with weapons dra
wn when I exited.
I sighed. “Isn’t this a bit of overkill?” I said, trying to be as nonchalant about all of this as possible.
The largest of them, still a good head shorter than I stood, stepped in front, his pistol drawn. “For a guy who murdered his fiancée and then kidnapped an innocent woman? I doubt it.”
With a sigh I offered them my wrists. They cuffed me with more force than necessary, and tugged me over to the waiting cruiser.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I love you, Sawyer!” Her voice rang clear across the expanse between us. I smiled at her, noting the shocked looks on the guards who held me.
“And I love you.”
“Stay strong. This will come right in the end!”
I did not reply. I could not give her false hope.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Annabelle
Watching them take him away was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I cried openly, not bothering to even attempt to hide my grief.
“It’ll be okay,” Worthington said, but I pushed him away, angry that he dared talk to me and attempted to console me. I wanted no one and nothing but Sawyer.
“Take me back to his house,” I instructed the driver, but a policeman approached me.
“Ma’am, we were under the impression that you’d been kidnapped, and we’ll have to bring you in for questioning.”
“I’ll do that when I’m good and ready. As you can see, I was not held against my will, I’m not hurt at all, and the only thing I want to do is to make sure my mother is okay.”
I answered the briefest of questions from the police, as compliantly as possible as I knew that’s what Sawyer would want. It seemed to take hours before they finally let me go and I arrived at his home. A sob caught in my throat at the sight of it, and I could hardly handle the emotions that threatened to consume me. It felt simply awful to be here without him. It was so wrong.