“It wasn’t your time to go.”
“My aunt certainly thought it was. I moved in with her after my parents died. She was angry because I was sitting in the front seat. I get car sick and my mom had swapped seats with me. So, you see if I’d just been sitting in the back as I should have been—”
He cupped her face between his hands. His gaze was fierce as he stared down at her. “You wouldn’t be here with me now. And my life wouldn’t be nearly as rich.”
A tear dripped down her cheek. Shit, she had to stop that. “You don’t even know me. I’m trouble.”
“I have my ways of dealing with trouble.” He grinned.
She snorted. And she just bet he did. The man had hands the size of a paddle. “I’m more trouble than I’m worth.”
“That’s the very last time you’re going to say that,” he said sternly. “You might have been taught to believe that, but it’s not true. And talking about yourself like that is going to end with you getting a nice, fat plug up your bottom.”
Her eyes widened. Her heart beat quickened. He couldn’t mean that.
“It’s time I got you back in bed.” He glanced around then stood, carrying her.
“Where are you taking me?”
“My room. That’s where I want you now that you’ve agreed to be mine.”
She was his. She still wasn’t completely sure what that would mean. It scared her a little, opening up and letting him in. Trusting him. He could hurt her. And yet, he’d already shown her such kindness. He strode into a rather sparse bedroom. It was huge, with large windows flanking each side of an enormous bed. The bed wasn’t just wide but high, she thought she might need to take a running jump to get up on it. The only other furniture were the two nightstands. A large TV was attached to the wall above a fireplace. How nice would it be to
have two chairs set in front of the fire, maybe a rug on the floor…
“Charlotte? You still with me?”
She blushed. “Sorry. I tend to do that a lot.”
“Daydream?”
She nodded. “It really used to piss Brian off.”
“Brian?” he asked. He sat her on the bed then knelt and started pulling off her shoes.
“My ex.”
“We need to have a talk about him later too.” He pulled her sweater off as he spoke, being careful not to jar her hand and giving her a moment to gather herself. He reached for the clasp of her jeans. “Don’t know what you were thinking, getting yourself dressed. As if I’d allow you to go back to work so quickly. Got a mind not to let you out of this room for a month.”
Didn’t sound so bad. As long as he stayed here with her. He stilled then looked at her, and his gaze was hot. Possessive.
“Crap. I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“You did. And that’s enough swearing out of you. Good little girls don’t swear.”
“I never said I was a good little girl,” she said cheekily. By now she was dressed just in her t-shirt, panties and bra.
He grinned. “Well now, that’s going to make life interesting, isn’t it?” He tapped her nose. “Just means I get to spank you more.”
“You want to spank me?”
He shrugged. “I don’t like causing you pain. But if you’ve earned it, a spanking is a small, temporary hurt to prevent something that could really harm you. I wouldn’t be much of a daddy if I let you break the rules without facing any discipline. From now on, you can expect to be very closely watched. I don’t like that you’ve lost weight. You were already tiny as it was. What were you eating when you lived in your car?”
“Mostly crackers and fast food.”
“Well, fast food is going to become a distant memory for you.”
Suited her. She’d had enough crap food to last a lifetime. “Brian never worried about what I ate.”