Stratton Lee
The hot water of the bath surrounded the two of us as I leaned back against the clawfoot tub, Dahlia’s smaller frame laying against my chest as her hand ran over my pectoral, her eyes closed and breathing far more even than before. There was color back in her face, and her entire frame seemed void of tension, giving me a sense of relief that was completely unparalleled.
Sure, there was the fucking relief that I’d finally been inside the woman I had loved for my entire life… but it was more than that. It was the fact that I had been able to pull her back from something I worried had the ability to push her to the point of no return. It was the fact that she had trusted me to take care of her. That even now she was pliant and relaxed in my arms, allowing me to completely shelter and protect her, even if it was from her own thoughts.
I thought I’d been terrified before. Hell, I knew I had been when I’d seen fucking Julian holding a gun to Dahlia at that stupid fight. But oddly, the most terrified I’d ever been was watching the pure desperation and desolation invade her expression as she stood in the bathroom alone, looking as though her heart was breaking.
It had been enough to snap something inside of me. The part of me that wanted Dahlia’s full submission had come out, wanting her to listen to us, wanting her to let me fucking fix her problem… and she’d let me. She had embraced that side of me and completely given into my touch. Given into my demanding orders and words.
I didn’t deserve it. I really didn’t fucking deserve it, but I wasn’t about to deny it, especially as she laid curled up against me like a kitten.
We’d been in the bath for some time now, and I had washed her hair, taking time to give her a scalp massage, before moving to the rest of her body. I had never considered aftercare and what that would be like with Dahlia, but the way she practically purred when I’d kissed her skin after washing it left me feeling like for once I was doing something right. I’d fucked up friendships, failed at fixing the family business, failed at keeping her safe and at a distance… but taking care of Dahlia? I could do that.
I would do that forever, if she let me.
“Stratton?” Dahlia’s voice was soft and languid.
“Yeah, angel?”
Her head tilted up as she offered me a small, shy smile. “When did you get so many tattoos?”
Was that what she’d been tracing? My lip twitched as my eyes darted down to the flower to the right of her hand.
“Are you talking about the flower, Dahlia?” I asked knowingly.
Her eyes warmed. “Maybe.”
“I got it when we were sixteen.”
Those soft lips parted open as a blush invaded her face. “Oh.”
I hummed knowingly. “Go ahead and ask.”
Her small laugh had me smiling. “So that’s a what type of flower?”
“A dahlia.”
She flashed a smile. “Any reason you picked that one?”
“Just my favorite flower.” I shrugged playfully as she pressed a kiss to it.
Before she could say anything, the door opened and Yates stuck his head in, looking completely unperturbed with interrupting us. “Sorry, love birds, we have a slight issue. Ian was just reported as having been seen in town early today. We have no idea how accurate it is, but King wants help organizing tomorrow, if possible.”
I knew he was talking to me and not Dahlia. Her eyes were half closed in sleepiness, but there was also a tension in her body at Ian’s name.
I offered him a nod, and he stepped out as I tilted her jaw up.
“I really don’t want to see him again,” she admitted softly.
“Don’t worry.” I kissed her lightly. “We’ve got this, angel.”
I frowned when I heard something from the other room, most likely Yates going through shit trying to find her some clothes, as I secured a towel around my waist and motioned for her to stand. I wrapped her in a robe tightly as she practically curled back into me.
I loved sleepy Dahlia. She was fucking adorable, and that was a word I almost never used.
“I’m going to grab you something to wear.” I kissed her hard before leaving the room, frowning as I looked around for Yates, wondering where the bastard had gone.
As I rounded the bed, I cursed, finding him knocked unconscious, blood dripping from his nose. Turning around sharply, I felt a pinch in my neck, and something hit my face hard before I was down for the fucking count.
Oh, fuck no.
Rage filled my veins as I struggled to stand up but was hit again, hard, whatever they’d injected into my system causing dizziness to ram into me.
Dahlia’s scream echoed through my ears.
It was the last thing I heard before seeing someone dragging her from the bathroom, the darkness casting shadows as everything closed in around me.
Someone took Dahlia.
Someone was going to die for that.