“That wasn’t the worst lie. I headed to our apartment, thinking I must have screwed up what she’d said. I let myself into the apartment and found her in bed with someone else.”
“Oh, Caden! I’m sorry.” Brooklyn’s brown eyes clouded with tears again.
Quickly, he assured her. “That wasn’t a bad thing, Brookie. I needed to know. It was gut-wrenching at first, but when I think back, I could pick out a lot of warning signs I’d missed.”
“Was she your little girl?”
“No. That was one of the big red flags I let pass. She had shared she had fantasies of being little, but resisted any attempts I made to be her daddy.” His stomach still twisted into a sick knot when he thought about how she’d manipulated him and played on his desires.
“So, she lied?”
Caden smiled faintly at the anger in her voice. She didn’t like that someone had behaved so badly. “Very definitely. That’s one thing I am rigid about now. Don’t lie to me, little girl. I can handle everything else, but lying makes me shut down.”
“I don’t like lying either.”
“Can you tell me what happened to your beautiful apartment?”
“Brent. I met him in a class at community college. He was handsome and attentive. I was thrilled that he pursued me. Brent wanted to spend a lot of time with me. Finally, I invited him to move in.”
“Things changed after he got to your apartment?” Caden guessed.
“He wouldn’t let me see my friends and made me switch to online courses, so I didn’t have to leave the apartment. He even painted the walls this light gray color, saying it was the newintone. Eventually the space I loved became my prison.”
“Did you move out?”
“When I tried to leave the first time, he hit me,” she whispered.
Clamping down at the burst of anger that consumed him, Caden forced himself to focus on Brooklyn. “Oh, Brookie. I’m so sorry, baby.”
“I filed a police report and kicked him out. The charges were dropped for lack of evidence. A ‘he said, she said’ situation, the cops told me. I packed up my stuff while he was out and ran. I’ve been running ever since.”
Caden didn’t trust himself to say anything. He clenched his teeth and continued to rock her. Brooklyn relaxed against his chest. When he had regained control from his urge to pound Brent into pulp, he suggested, “Shall we paint your room blue?”
She pushed away from his chest to look at him. Caden could see the hope in her eyes. “You don’t have to do that,” she told him.
“I don’t have to, but I’d really enjoy making your space comforting to you. Hopefully, you’ll feel like this is home.”
“What if he comes here?”
“I’ll stop him from bothering you in the future. This ends now,” Caden promised.
He wouldn’t allow this to continue. Bullies like Brent usually backed down when faced with a target that fought back. Caden had already shown Brent that he had the skills to take him down. Caden would have no trouble making sure Brent didn’t get back up.
“I don’t want you to get in trouble with the law,” she told him.
“You let me worry about that, Brookie.”
“Brookie?” she whispered. “No one’s ever called me that.”
“It seems to fit you. Do you want me to stop?”
She shook her head immediately. “No, I like it. I enjoy being here with you, Caden.”
He cupped the back of her head and drew her lips to his. Caden kissed her softly at first. When her lips moved eagerly under his, he deepened the kiss. Her mouth opened, inviting him inside. Her taste was addictive. His hunger for her grew with each exchange.
When his control stretched thin, Caden forced himself to lift his head. Her hungry expression made his already thickening cock jerk in his fatigues. She affected him on a caveman level. He wanted to strip Brooklyn naked and stake his claim on her gorgeous body.
When she blinked her eyes open in confusion, Caden stroked her soft cheek, regretting the roughness of his working hands. “Welcome home, little girl. I’m warning you now, I’m a possessive bastard, but I’ll always listen to your needs and concerns.”
