“I know. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure you feel safe.”
“I do feel safe, for myself. This building is like a fortress. I couldn’t even come up in the elevator without the guy in the lobby calling Rachell first to announce my arrival. And you have to use your thumbprint to access this floor and this apartment. No one is going to get near me here.”
“That’s right.” The top three floors of this building are like a fortress. No one is getting to Autumn.
I have no evidence to suggest that the man who killed her father will come after her. Perhaps he simply wanted revenge for some perceived wrong of Burke’s. But it’s also possible he wants to eliminate Autumn, too. Until I’m sure he can’t do that, I’m going to keep her close.
“As soon as you find that guy, you’re going to leave me here and go hunt him down, and I’m going to panic over your safety the entire time.”
Her feelings are valid. She has every reason to be concerned. I’m not sure what to say to ease her mind. There’s probably nothing I can say. She’ll be worried when I go after this guy, and she’ll stay that way until I’m back in her line of sight. There’s no way to fix that.
“What if you’re wrong, and it’s not the guy you think it is?”
“I will make sure there is no doubt in the world before I take any action, Baby.”
“Why not just call the police, tell them what you know, and let them handle it?”
She’s grasping at straws. My job is to do everything I can to calm her nerves, but I won’t change my mind. “We will only involve law enforcement if it becomes necessary, sweetheart.”
“So, right now, no one even knows my father died except me, your team, and probably the killer. It’s possible even he can’t be sure.”
I nod. “Could be he’s been waiting to see an announcement on the news, and since he hasn’t yet, he isn’t sure if your father drank the poison. Considering how well-equipped he was to get the job done, I suspect he’s watching the house.”
“Do you think he watched me arrive and then leave?”
“Maybe. He might have also seen the men we sent in, pretending to be from the coroner’s office, come and collect the body.” I can’t know for sure. If the motherfucker was watching, he would have seen Autumn. Nothing else. In which case, it would be reasonable to believe Burke had not yet drunk the poison.
One of my men is following him. If he returns to the house, we’ll know.
Autumn sighs. “So we wait.”
“Yes, Baby girl.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and leans her chest against mine.
For long minutes, I simply hold her. She feels so good in my arms.
Eventually, she leans back, putting some space between us. She meets and holds my gaze, chewing on her lower lip as if she’s uncertain about something. I want her to look at me with surety. We’ll get there.
I draw her closer and nuzzle her nose. “I want to kiss you, Autumn.” I need us to take this step. I need her lips on mine. I need to feel closer to her. Yes, we got things out of order when I touched her pussy last night, but it was so brief, and I didn’t see anything. We’re taking a step back. We should start with kissing.
Smoothing a palm higher so that I’m guiding her between her shoulder blades, I slowly close the inch between our lips, giving her time to deny me. She won’t. Her heartbeat is strong under my palm. She’s breathing heavily, too.
I love how she reacts to me. She might not be fully aware, but she’s learning how her body responds to everything I do. She’s submissive and Little, so it’s not shocking that she nearly moans when I issue a demand. I thought she would combust when I ordered her not to move from her art table earlier. She squeezed her thighs together and trembled under my directive.
I’ve picked up my dominance since then, issuing firm but gently delivered commands. She’s so fucking adorable when she submits to me.
“Give Daddy your lips, Baby girl.”
She whimpers and lowers her mouth to mine.
I start out slowly, claiming my girl with soft nibbles before gripping the back of her neck and tilting her head to one side so I can deepen the kiss.
After licking the seam of her lips, I tease her mouth until she opens for me. Fuck, she’s sweet. Her tentative shyness is my undoing. She hasn’t been properly kissed in her life. She will be every day from now on. I’ll make sure she knows she is loved, that she is mine.
Loved…
The word hangs silently in the air.
