Normally, he managed to control that darker side of his personality better. The part of him that screamed. Own. Possess. Protect.
No one on Sanctuary Ranch had truly seen that part of him. They’d seen bits of it. But not the whole picture. And not aimed towards one of their own. He knew if they did, he would lose all chance at making Eden his.
Despite the distance she attempted to put between herself and everyone else, she was the princess of Sanctuary Ranch. Every goddamn person that lived there would lay down their life for her, and she didn’t have a fucking clue.
He knew that, because if she did, she’d be certain to work out what made them all loyal to her in a way that dictators of small world countries could only dream of, and she’d destroy it.
She didn’t want anyone’s devotion. probably thought she was tolerated by everyone because of her brothers.
Not true.
If she knew how much everyone loved her, she’d stop doing all those small acts of kindness that she viewed as nothing and everyone else saw as everything. She’d pull back, retreat, she’d keep that fiercely loyal side of herself tightly in check.
She’d give nothing.
And he wanted everything.
They all knew she was uncomfortable with too much closeness and kept their devotion under wraps. But it was there.
It was why they let her get away with far too much. She had them all wrapped around her little finger, whether she knew it or not.
And she got away with murder.
No more.
Her demons that have dug their claws in deep, but those demons didn’t stand a chance against him. All he needed was for her to let him in. Let him close. He thought maybe he’d gotten there the night of the wedding. But he’d pushed too hard too fast.
Stupid fucker.
He knew better. He’d worked hard to control himself. To learn patience. Being in the Navy had helped. Training as a Dom helped even more.
Kent had introduced him to BDSM, and he’d discovered a way to calm his world. To tame the bea
st inside him.
Eden was his reward for his hard work.
He wanted her tied so close to him, she couldn’t live without him. And while he was tying her to him, he’d be tethered to her too. Everything he would demand from her he would give in return.
He’d give her his protection. He’d guard her body. Her soul.
Nothing would hurt her.
Nothing would get the chance since he’d no doubt wrap her up in layers of protection that even God himself couldn’t penetrate.
Hmm, that might be a bit too much. At least to begin with.
All those roiling dark emotions he’d learned to control were now focused in on her. Protect Eden. Possess Eden.
Be her daddy.
That’s what he was going to do.
Own her. Fuck her. Dominate her.
Love her.
She was running scared from him at the moment. She’d showed her soft underbelly. But she should have realized that he wasn’t a predator who would rip into her. He was the tarnished knight who was going to protect her.