Silas nods slowly. “If he’s desperate enough, yes. Men like him tend to throw their own under the bus when the heat gets too high. We’re watching every road, every airport, every contact we have. But you need to keep her close, Eli. Closer than close.”
“I already planned on it.”
Rafe claps my shoulder. “We’re all watching. She’s one of us now.”
I nod once, but my mind’s already turning. I don’t like unknowns. Especially when they involve the woman sleeping in my bed every night.
The rest of the evening passes in the usual Haven 7 way. Food. Stories. The kids falling asleep on laps. Daisy stays tuckedagainst my side most of the time, her hand resting on my thigh under the table. Every touch feels like a promise. By the time we say goodnight and step back out into the cold mountain air, the need to have her alone has built into something sharp and insistent.
We walk back to the cabin in silence. Snow crunches under our boots. The stars are bright overhead. The second the door closes behind us I turn the deadbolt and pull her into my arms.
She comes willingly, hands sliding up my chest. “I missed you tonight,” she whispers.
“You were right next to me the whole time.”
“Still missed you.”
I kiss her hard. There’s no slow build tonight. The kiss is hungry and deep from the first second. She moans into my mouth and presses closer. I back her toward the bedroom, hands already working the buttons of her flannel shirt.
The moment we reach the bed I push the shirt off her shoulders and let it drop. Her bra follows. I cup her breasts, thumbs brushing her nipples until they tighten. She arches into my touch with a soft gasp.
“Get on the bed,” I tell her, voice low. “On your back.”
She obeys, eyes dark with want. I strip quickly and crawl over her, kissing her again while my hand slides between her legs. She’s already wet. I circle her clit with my fingers, slow and firm.
“Look at you,” I murmur against her mouth. “Soaking for me already. Such a needy little thing. You want Daddy’s cock tonight, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she breathes. “Please.”
I kiss my way down her body, taking my time. When I reach her pussy I spread her open with my thumbs and lick a long, slow stripe up her center. She jerks and moans my name. I settle in, licking and sucking her clit while two fingers slide inside her, curling against that spot that makes her thighs shake.
“You taste so fucking good,” I growl against her. “I could eat this pretty pussy every day and never get enough. Come on, baby girl. Let me hear how much you love my mouth on you.”
She comes fast, crying out, hips bucking against my face. I keep licking her through it until she’s trembling and pushing at my shoulders.
I move back up her body and kiss her deeply so she can taste herself on my tongue. Then I reach for a condom, roll it on, and settle between her thighs. “Eyes on me,” I say. “I want to watch your face while I fill you up.” I push in slow but steady, watching every flicker of pleasure and stretch cross her expression. When I’m buried to the hilt I hold still, letting her adjust.
“Fuck, you feel perfect,” I groan. “So tight and hot around my cock. Like you were made to take me.”
I start to move, deep and rhythmic. She wraps her legs around my waist and meets every thrust. The sounds she makes drive me crazy. I lean down and speak low against her ear. “That’s it. Take every inch. Such a good girl for Daddy. You love getting fucked like this, don’t you? Love feeling me so deep inside you.”
“Yes,” she gasps. “I love it. Harder, Eli. Please.”
I give her what she asks for, thrusting harder, angling to hit that spot inside her with every stroke. My thumb finds her clit againand rubs tight circles. She starts to tighten around me, breath coming in short desperate pants.
“Come for me,” I growl. “Come all over my cock like the pretty little girl you are for me.”
She shatters with a cry, walls pulsing hard around me. The feeling drags me over the edge right after her. I bury myself deep and groan her name as I come, hips jerking against hers.
We stay locked together afterward, breathing hard. I kiss her slow and soft, brushing damp hair off her forehead. When I finally ease out and deal with the condom I pull her back into my arms and tuck the quilt around us.
She curls against my chest, one leg thrown over mine. “I love this,” she whispers. “Being here with you. Feeling safe.”
I stroke her back and hold her tighter. “Good. Because I’m not letting you go. Not now. Not ever.”
She falls asleep quickly, safe and warm in my arms. I stay awake a little longer, listening to her breathe and thinking about her father, about Dominic, about the threat that is still out there somewhere in the dark. I need to tell her.
But right now she’s here. She’s mine. And I’ll burn the whole world down before I let anyone take her away from me.
