Total pages in book: 209
Estimated words: 196085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 980(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 654(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 196085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 980(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 654(@300wpm)
I release his throat, cock back and hammer my fist upward under his jaw, throwing him back three feet to where he lands in a pile of dust, out cold.
I spin, grabbing Kezia’s hand and march us out of this medieval torture chamber toward the truck.
As we make our way outside, a voice sounds from behind another tent.
“Psst.” I look over, Kezia oblivious next to me and I see one of the girls that took her from me earlier. “Take care of her. Please.” I open my mouth to answer, but she’s gone and I don’t want to wait another second to get my baby away from this place but make a note to ask her later who the dark haired girl is.
I get Kezia inside the truck, buckled in, and finally holster my gun when I look behind me and see no one watching. I throw the car into drive and spin in the dirt, knowing now that I’ve got her back with me, I’m never letting her go again.
“I’m sorry I left you here. I knew something was wrong, I should have followed my instinct. My sweet little girl, I may never let you out of my sight again.” I reach over and brush the dust from her cheeks. Dried trails of tears cut through the dirt and I never want to see her cry. My gut feels like a coiled viper ready to strike anyone that dares come close right now.
“Baby, are you okay, for real?” I reach over and cup her cheek.
“I am now.” She looks over, her soft features so trusting as she smiles, and my heart is beating out of my chest. “Where are we going?” she asks, and it takes me a second to switch off the fury and focus on caring for her.
Just as I open my mouth to answer, a loud, gnawing growl comes from her stomach and she wraps her free hand around her center.
“Sorry.”
“You’re hungry.” New anger wells up inside me as I remember watching her last night but not seeing her eat anything. “We’re going to get you some food, that’s where we’re going.”
“No,” she snaps, too fast, but I’m not backing down. “I’m fine.”
“Yes, we are,” I announce, giving her a stern stare. “Sometimes, I make the rules, I know what’s best for you and you’re going to learn to trust me.”
The tension in her face softens and she brings a shoulder to her ear. “Daddy knows best.” The words drip from her plump cherry lips and my already throbbing cock sends a jolt of painful need deep into my core.
“Every time you call me that, I feel like I’m the luckiest human on the planet, baby girl.”
“Every time I look at you, I feel the same.”
CHAPTER 10
KEZIA
“This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.” I gaze around, my mouth hanging wide in awe as I turn in circles, the stars and moon shining down. The first hum of light turning the sky along the horizon from black to deep gray. “I’ve traveled this entire country, and I always had dreams of a place…it looked like this. I never knew it could be real.”
“Well,” Merrick starts, his eyes trained on me as we walk the stone pathway from where he parked his truck toward the front door of a house that is straight out of my dreams. He’s changed out of his uniform, wearing loose, faded jeans and a white button up shirt. Simple but still so sexy. “First, you are the most beautiful place, person, everything, that I’ve ever seen. And second…” He stands behind me, wrapping his hands around my waist, and I feel the hard length pressed into my back, making the tension grow low between my legs. “Second, this is real. I’m going to take care of you from now on, Kezia. No one will hurt you again.”
I want to believe him, but a lifetime of a reality that doesn’t match his words niggles doubt in my mind. I take a long breath, admiring the enormous barn-like structure that is his home lit up outside and inside in the low light of pre-dawn.
The rustic form contrasts with the modern touches that have turned the giant structure into an awe-inspiring house. As we approach the front door, I see huge glass windows that give a straight view through the first floor.
The driveway to the house was probably half a mile long, winding through pines that reminded me of the ones at the waterfall we went to just yesterday. He told me this is part of the same land, and the way it rolls and enormous century old trees hug the house make it more like the cover of a magazine than somewhere I ever thought I’d find myself.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I hear dogs barking inside, then see them through the glass.