 by Laylah Roberts.jpg)
Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
She found it hard to settle down, to trust. So letting him close was likely a big mistake.
When a threat presents itself, she knows she has to protect him.
Gray didn’t let many people close. But when he did, he kept them.
If Maeve thought she could run . . . well, she could just think again.
He was coming for her. She would be his.
And frankly, he didn’t really care what she thought about that.
This book contains a grumpy, caretaker Daddy who isn’t afraid to do what he has to in order to keep his girl safe.
Please be aware of the trigger warning.
Please note: You should be able to read this book without reading any of my other series, but some characters from other books will appear. This book has an overarching storyline that will continue across other books in the series.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
Sparkles of gold caught his attention.
In the middle of a sea of writhing bodies, she stood out. A shining star. Gorgeous. Stunning.
And quite possibly the worst dancer he’d ever seen.
He winced as she stumbled into someone. A surge of anger filled him as the guy she’d banged into danced up against her. She turned and shook her head, stepping away from him.
Gray tightened his hands around the rail as he leaned over, watching.
If that asshole did anything . . .
Well, he’d been looking for someone to work out his frustration on.
But the guy moved back, hands up.
Probably for the best. He shouldn’t start a fight in the middle of the nightclub. Although, he could always pull that fucker out the back and take care of him.
Gray glanced around The Edge, one of the legitimate businesses that his boss, Drew Markovich, owned.
Last night, Markovich had been shot at outside the back of Suck ‘n Blow, another bar he owned.
He could have been killed. It was Gray’s job to keep him safe, and he’d nearly failed.
So now he was here, looking to burn off some of the anger riding him.
Not by dancing.
But a fight or fuck would do it.
He watched her move. Her hips swaying. Her long, dark hair flowed down her back, nearly reaching her ass.
Made him wonder what she’d look like as she rode him. Or as he twisted her hair around his fist while he guided her mouth over his cock.
Fuck.
Reaching down, he adjusted himself. No one could see him up here as the VIP area was above the dance floor.
But he could see her just fine.
The Edge wasn’t somewhere he usually came to find a woman. He preferred to go to Hooks and Cuffs, the local BDSM club. He’d find a sub to scene with. To fuck. Occasionally, he fucked women outside the club scene. But he always made sure that they knew the score first.
He wasn’t looking for forever. Or anything beyond one night.
He watched as Goldie stumbled again. Drunk? Or just clumsy?
This was stupid. He should go to Hooks and Cuffs and find a sub to take care of his hard dick.
Instead, he watched as another asshole approached her. Motherfucker was pushier. Just as Gray was about to storm his way down here, the bastard backed off.
Fuck.
Watching her was bad for his blood pressure. She was definitely an asshole magnet. He understood why they were approaching her. While she might be a terrible dancer, there was something in the way she lost herself to the music. She gave it her everything.
Goldie suddenly started making her way off the dance floor. Toilet? Drink?
His gaze narrowed as she headed for the front door. Where were her friends? Fuck. Had she really come here alone?
Not your problem.
Why was he so worried about her? He didn’t know her. He didn’t let people get under his skin like this.
And yet he still found himself checking the external camera feed on his phone. It was a live feed, and . . . there she was.
She had a jacket on now at least.
Why do you care if she’s warm or not?
There was no way he was falling for a woman in a gold dress with crazy dance moves.
Never.
But maybe he should just go follow her and make sure she got into a taxi . . .
It was his good deed of the . . . month? Year?
Fuck. Who cared? He was doing it.
“Well, boys, look what just stumbled into our laps.”
She stumbled as some asshole dragged her into a dark alley, one hand tight around her arm, the other pressed over her mouth.
Fight, Maeve.
Break away. Run.
Right. She’d do that if she had some clue how to fight.
Shit.
All she’d wanted was to go dancing and have some fun. Dancing used to be an outlet for her. A way to shake off all her fears. But she hadn’t been out dancing for a year.
And look what happened the first time she did. She got dragged into a dark alley by some asshole.
Not cool.
She tried to speak behind the hand over her mouth.
“What?” he asked.
“Hmmbihodigh.”
Finally, he dropped his hand away.
“Thank you.”
It was always good to use your manners, right? Couldn’t hurt . . . maybe these guys weren’t that bad.
“Hi, that’s a really lovely, uh, haircut you have,” she said.
Maybe. She couldn’t really see much about the way he looked in this light.
“Shut up, bitch.”
Wow.
So rude.
Her temper started to ignite.
Calm, Maeve.
“It’s rude to call someone a bitch, especially when you don’t know them. I’m actually a very nice person. I even have a citizenship award for kindness.”
Okay, her friends had bought it for her, but these guys didn’t know that.
“Who gives a fuck, bitch?” another one snarled.
“Yeah, all we care about is how tight your pussy is,” a third one added.
“You’re not going to get the chance to know! And I didn’t fall into your lap, Frog-face,” she told the guy holding her. “You grabbed hold of me and dragged me back here. That’s the opposite of falling in your lap. Let me go!” She tried to yank her arm free. But he tightened his hold, making her gasp in pain.