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Since he said he’d be home soon, and I put my plan into place.

Luckily for me, Amanda prefers a bath.

I nod. “It’s been like it for ages now. Amanda said she’d arrange for someone to fix it.” I lift a shoulder and part my legs wider. His gaze travels down to my apex before darting back up to my face. “You can just shower in mine. I can wait here.”

I fail to mention it was me who took a hammer to the shower hose to detach it from the wall, part of my master plan to snag my man.

He glances back toward the bathroom, then down at me.

“I’ll go in first, and then you go in after. Okay?”

I lick my lips, and he zeros in on the movement.

“Yes, Daddy.”

His lips part, and he stares back at me. His body freezes as the air thickens between us and time stands still. I fight the urge to smile, to push him further, too terrified I’ll scare him away.

Then he flinches and shakes his head and turns on his heels toward the bathroom, not sparing me another glance.

We’ll see about that, Jensen Marino.

I might have agreed to go in the shower after him, but I never agreed to not watch him shower.

After years of waiting, I deserve this.

CHAPTER THREE

JENSEN

There’s something different about Immie, but I can’t quite put my finger on what. I mean, sure, her body has changed; she’s become more womanly, more mature than the teenager she was during my last brief visit. It’s not just that, though. There’s a shift in her, something I don’t think I’m quite prepared for.

I lather the shower gel in my hands, and as her vanilla scent engulfs me, I flinch. Is it okay for me to wash with her products? I glance around the room, searching for something more manly.

Since I rescued Immie, I’ve felt something for her I’ve never encountered before, and though that might sound seedy to some, it was anything but. I had a need to care for her, to claim her as mine, to protect her so nobody could hurt her again or touch her in any way that was unwanted. I’d kill them before I let that happen.

Maybe it was because of the darkness Azrael’s family surrounded us in, or maybe it was because I was given the opportunity to save such an innocent young girl who captured me. Something inside me switched that day.

I went against everything I was commanded to do to save her, and ultimately put us both at risk, but just as I thought, Azrael wasn’t the man he was perceived to be, and he helped Immie, and in turn, helped me.

The only way I could keep her safe was by creating a new identity with me as her guardian. I had no intention of becoming her father, but I also had no intention of anyone caring for her but me. When Zane, my brother, suggested I adopt her to keep her close to me, it felt almost unnatural, yet also like I had no choice. It was the only viable route; she needed a family.

I’m not her father, not in any sense of the word. It’s merely a piece of paper I signed. I’m her protector, her provider, and I’ll continue to be just that.

My mind wanders back to moments ago, her spread out on her bed and awaiting instruction. She’s always required guidance, which used to plague me when I left her, but now it feels different. Why is that?

I work the shower gel over my shoulders and down my arms. Fuck, that feels good, smells good too.

Slowly, I become lost in the sensation of cleansing my body, enjoying the heat on my neck as the water splashes over me, and I inhale the vanilla scent coating me.

I smell just like her.

“Jesus, this feels damn good.” I tilt my head back and allow the water to run down my face, relishing the way my muscles relax, and the tension of the day washes down the drain.

Prickles of awareness creep over me, and I feel like I’m being watched, much like I’ve felt before in the house, but it never amounted to anything. I spin toward the door, expecting it to be closed, but it’s not. I expect to find nobody there, but staring right back at me is Immie.

My little nightmare.

Her eyes have darkened to a stormy blue, a shade I haven’t really taken note of before now, though, deep down, I know I’ve seen it before. Only now does it register, when perhaps I should’ve been more aware.