Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
“Dani.”
“Dani what?”
“That’s it. Just Dani.”
A crease forms between his eyebrows. “I meant your surname.”
I look away and busy myself with prying loose the flecks of dried mud near the window. I wish the ground would swallow me whole. “I know what you mean. I don’t have one.”
He’s dying to know more but careful not to upset me.
The women at the compound always told me that men only want one thing from me—my body. So I should steer clear of them because men are animals.
I smile to myself. Damien isn’t one of them, though. Maybe it’s the way his eyes fill with genuine concern or how he makes sure he gives me enough space or how he doesn’t take every opportunity to “accidentally” touch me.
No.
Damien Davenport is different. And just the thought of this big hunk of a man touching me makes my insides twist and my belly flutter with need. The need for what, I’m not sure.
For years, I’ve erected these invisible walls of ice around me, trying not to get attached to anyone. But with him, I feel it thaw and crack just like that.
Trust is a foreign concept to me. I learned that early on. It was costly to expect someone to be there for me and protect me. Elise was the only exception. But now… Now there’s also Damien.
“Aren’t you gonna say anything?”
“Actually, I’m waiting for you to start. I don’t want this to sound like an interrogation, Dani.”
Oh god. Why does my name sound different on his lips? Why does it sound…sexy? I shake my head, trying to ward off the urge to ask him to relieve this terrible, empty ache within me.
“I… I ran away.”
“From who?”
“Father and his men.”
3
DAMIEN
I grip the steering wheel, my jaw aching from clenching my teeth so hard.
It’s worse than I thought. So much worse.
Her father and his men?! I don’t know who they are or what they want with her, but for the past hour, Dani has burrowed herself under my skin. The more I know, the more boiling fury swells inside me.
By the looks of it, she doesn’t have anyone on her side.
Surprise, motherfuckers. She has me. I don’t even have half the story, but I already know—down to the marrow of my bones—that I’m standing by her. Keeping her safe. Making sure none of them can hurt her. Ever again.
She’s mine to protect. And maybe, eventually, mine to pleasure. I have no idea how much she’s endured, but she's suffered enough.
No more.
From here on out, she’s not always gonna look over her shoulder or jump at the slightest sound of an engine rumbling. The way her face contorted with fear when that motorcycle passed us by will forever be burned in my retinas.
Earlier, I was just about to start a new life in a new town. Now, I have a mission. A renewed purpose.
Earn her complete trust. Take care of her problems, and by taking care, I mean I’m not above bashing those men’s skulls to the ground. Make her mine.
The last one is most likely a foregone conclusion. Judging by the way she reacted when she touched me, I say she already belongs to me. Even if she’s not fully aware of it yet.
“Tell me about them.” My tone comes out gruffer than usual, so I soften it as I add, “I need to know more about who we’re dealing with.”
“This is gonna sound crazy.”
“I’ve seen my share of crazy, Dani. Tell me at your own pace. I won’t interrupt. You have my word.”
She shifts in her seat, her hands trembling on her lap. “I grew up in a small community with mostly women and other young girls. I-It’s in the middle of the woods. We’re totally off the grid. We have our own power and water supply, and that’s the extent of technology we’re exposed to. No TV or radio. But we had cameras, which followed us everywhere. Almost everywhere. They had these red dots that blinked, and it always creeped me out.
“We eat healthy foods, mostly fruits and vegetables from our own garden. Us girls are told to exercise at least an hour every day, spend some time under the sun, and have to undergo blood tests every few months.”
There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach and a pounding at the base of my skull.
“When we turn 18, we graduate and are sent to the main house a few miles away. We don’t know what happens to girls who graduate since we never see them again. Well, I didn’t until yesterday.”
Without thinking, I reach out and cover her hand. Instead of pulling her hand back, she rests her other hand on top of mine and starts tracing my knuckles with her fingers.
Whatever coherent thought I had a second ago flies out the window.
My loins tighten, and my stiff manhood strains against my zipper. Heat licks through my veins, and my nerves are strung so tightly I think I might snap.