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  Fuck. No.

  I wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close. I placed a hand on her cheek, keeping her looking at me.

  “I'm going to take care of this.” I brushed my thumb across her cheekbone. “And no one is taking you anywhere. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

  Her lips trembled, and I watched as all the walls she'd put up crumbled. She pressed her face against my chest, her entire body shaking as she cried. Tears usually freaked me out, but I didn't feel the urge to run away from her. No, I wanted to protect her. Check that. I didn't want to protect her. I would protect her.

  I kissed the top of her head. “It's okay, sweetheart. I've got you.”

  What she said to me before, and what she'd say to me when this was all over didn't matter. I'd take care of her. Nothing else mattered.

  Aside from occasionally slipping a hostess a tip to get a better table, I didn't like to use my money to influence people, but as soon as I put my arms around Tanya, I knew I'd do anything to protect her. And if that meant calling in every favor I had owed to me, paying off whoever I had to, and making promises of my own, I'd do it.

  Which was why, less than half an hour after I arrived at Tanya's apartment, I had a couple of friends in the FBI looking into her father and who he might owe money to, and a few friends on the police force working off the clock to try to find him. And Alix was taking the ransom demand to the FBI in case that was the only way to get Tanya's father back. I didn't take what I had for granted, but seventy thousand didn't mean much to me, especially when I knew what was at stake. I'd pay those assholes if it kept her safe, but I wasn't an idiot. They'd keep coming for her. So even if I had to pay them off tonight, no way in hell would I let it go.

  And if the authorities couldn't do anything, then I'd talk to the head of the security firm I worked with and find out who I had to hire to get things taken care of. I had several of the firm's men outside right now. They'd make sure Tanya was safe until it was all over.

  Not that I planned on leaving her anytime soon.

  “They won't find him,” she said dully.

  I sat down next to her and set my phone on the table in front of me before turning to look at her. “I told you that I'd take care of it, and I meant it.”

  “Why?” She reached a hand out to me, then dropped it back to her lap before she touched me. “I mean, I'm grateful you came, but after what happened–”

  “We don't need to talk about that.” I curled my fingers around her hand. “Right now, just know that my people are taking care of things, and I'll be here while you wait.”

  She shook her head, something desperate in her eyes. “I can't wait. Not like this. If I have to sit here for hours while not knowing if my dad's okay or if men are coming to get me or–”

  I silenced her with a kiss, barely suppressing a moan as she leaned into me, parting her lips. Her tongue flicked against my bottom lip, and I pulled it into my mouth, reveling in the taste of her. Her hands clutched my shirt, and I buried my fingers in her wet hair. It wasn't until she dropped a hand on my lap, palm pressing against my half-hard cock, that I broke away.

  “Tell me what you need.” My voice was rough.

  “You.” She ducked her head. “I can't...”

  “I can take you out of your head,” I said. “Make you stop thinking for as long as you want.”

  I knew what I offered would make it harder for me when all this was over, but I would do that. For her.

  I couldn't deny it anymore. I'd do anything for her.

  She nodded. “Please. Please, Erik, I can't...”

  “Shh, sweetheart.” I kissed her forehead. “It's okay. I've got you.”

  Twenty-Eight

  Tanya

  I hadn't really been thinking when I called Erik. I'd just known that I was so far in over my head that I was drowning. I didn't have any close friends, no family I could count on. From the time Aunt Lolly handed me over to the social worker, I told myself that I'd never count on anyone else again. I'd be independent. Self-reliant. I'd never give another person the opportunity to let me down.

  I'd broken that promise when I started falling for Erik. I thought I'd be able to handle things, but something about him had gotten through my defenses. Breaking it off with him had been an act of self-preservation, but when I'd gotten that call, I'd known that I couldn't handle things alone. He was the only person I could think of to call.

  No, that wasn't entirely honest. He was the only person I'd wanted to call.

  I hadn't expected him to take care of things – at least, that hadn't been a conscious thought – but I couldn't deny the relief I felt when he took charge. I was a twenty-two-year-old assistant with a degree in creative writing and a tiny one-room apartment. I couldn't have done anything on my own.

  After how I'd ended things between us, he'd gone above and beyond what I had any right to expect, but then he'd kissed me, and the last of my defenses had crumbled. When he asked me what I needed, I let go of all the analysis and the questions and the doubts. There'd be time enough for that when all this was over.

  So I let him take my hand and pull me to my feet. His touch was gentle as he kissed my forehead, and that faint flutter of hope I'd thought was gone perked up.

  “Go wash your face and pull your hair back in a braid.” He dropped his hand as he turned to the couch. “We don't want it getting knotted up.”

  I did as he asked, letting myself just go through the motions without any real thought behind any of them. By the time I came back out, Erik had pulled the couch out, spread an extra blanket over the bedspread, and arranged my pillows at the head of the bed. He'd taken off his shoes and shirt but kept on his jeans so that those v-grooves and the dark trail of hair all disappeared beneath the waistband.

  “Come here, sweetheart,” he said as he held out a hand. “Let me take care of you.”

  It was strange, I thought as I took his hand, how he could manage to make those orders rather than requests, but still sound so gentle. The moment my palm slid across his, I felt the tension start to leave my body. I'd missed him more than I'd wanted to admit, and now that he was here, I felt like I could breathe again. Like I didn't have to carry everything on my own.

  He helped me onto the bed and removed my robe, his eyes darkening as they moved over my body. My nipples automatically tightened under his gaze, my stomach twisting, pussy throbbing. It shouldn't have been possible for my body to react so strongly to just a look, but with him...I couldn't explain it. I was attuned to him in a way I'd never been with anyone else.

  “Lie on your stomach,” he said.

  I did, letting him position my arms at my sides, turn my head, shift my legs until I was exactly where he wanted me.

  “Lotion?”

  “Bathroom, right drawer.”

  He walked away for a moment, then returned, bringing the scent of calla lilies with him. A few seconds later, he took my foot between his hands and began to press his thumbs against the sole. I moaned as he worked the tension out of first one foot, and then the other, before moving to my calves. His moves were unhurried and precise, finding each knot and working it through before moving to the next place.

  I'd never had anyone give me a massage of any kind, but I was fairly certain that the heat pooling between my legs had more to do with the man giving it than it did with how amazing it felt. And it felt pretty damn amazing.

  Up and over my body he moved until his hands had explored everywhere but the place I wanted him the most. As he coaxed the last of the tension from my muscles, his touch changed and he slid his hands down my sides, stopping on my hips.

  “Spread your legs a bit wider, sweetheart.” His voice was low in my ear, making me realize for the first time that neither of us had spoken since I told him where to find my lotion.

  The bed shifted under his weight as he moved between my legs. He pulled my hips up, not enough for me to be on my knees, but just enough so I wasn't flat on the mattress. A moment later, the wet
heat of his tongue moved over my skin. I shivered, fingers curling into fists, then relaxing again as I gave myself over to the sensations of his mouth on my body in a new way. I'd never given thought to how oral sex could feel different when done in a different position. He certainly had a way of making me see things in all sorts of new ways.

  I let out a yelp as he nipped the inside of my thigh. I looked over my shoulder, frowning, but he simply raised an eyebrow.

  “Stop thinking,” he chided. “Just feel.”

  I nodded, resting my cheek on the blanket again. No thinking. Feel. Hot, wet friction against sensitive nerves. Changing pressure on my clit, then the slide of his tongue up to my entrance. Tip teasing before dipping inside. Pleasure coiling low in my belly. Building. Climbing. Pushing me toward the inevitable conclusion. All the things I'd read about before but had only just begun to experience.

  I turned my face so the blanket muffled my cry as I came. He held me open with his thumbs, continuing to lick every inch, prolonging my orgasm until I was beating my fists against my bed, my body unable to process any additional stimulation.

  When he released me, I collapsed back onto the bed, panting. I hadn't realized Erik had moved until I caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye as he came around to stand in front of me. I didn't protest as he pulled my arms toward him, or even when he tied my wrists together.

  “Get up on your elbows and knees.”

  I pushed myself up, surprised that my muscles had recovered enough to hold me. When I raised my head, I saw something glinting in his hand, my breath catching when I realized he was holding the nipple clamps he'd bought me. He didn't say a word as he climbed onto the bed and leaned down, sliding his hand beneath me.

  “Oh,” I gasped as he fastened the first clamp into place. The pinch was more than I remembered, but I didn't complain. Instead, I closed my eyes and let all that fill my mind, chasing away the chaos that wanted to return. My body jerked when the second clamp was attached, but I kept my eyes closed and drifted into what my research had referred to as subspace.

  I liked it here.

  All I had to think about was the dull ache in my nipples, the feel of the blanket against my knees. His palms were hot as he slid them up my legs to cup my ass, and his jeans brushed against my calves, reminding me that he was still clothed. Then his finger began making circles around my opening, light teasing touches that made me shiver.

  “Stay still, sweetheart,” he warned me. “If you don't, I'll have to punish you.”

  My stomach clenched. So much about this shouldn't have been turning me on, not the least of which was the thought of how he'd punish me. Still, I would try to do what he wanted.

  I sucked in a breath as he pushed two fingers into me, each twisting stroke slow and sweet. Then he began to tug on the chain attached to the clamps, and every ripple of pleasure upward was countered by a sharp sting of pain. The two contradictory sensations twined together in my gut, burning with the sort of fire that made me writhe.

  Suddenly, the hand under me was gone and coming down with surprising force. Two sharp cracks that made me cry out...then push back. For once, my brain didn't flood with the questions and doubts that would have normally come to mind. Instead, it was wonderfully quiet, full only of him and me.

  “Now, sweetheart,” his voice was low in my ear, “are you going to be good?”

  I nodded, skin humming.

  “Good girl.” He pressed his lips against my spine. “Now, don't move.”

  I stiffened as something hard brushed against a place that definitely wasn't my pussy, but I didn't pull away. I didn't know what Erik was using, but I shuddered as he pushed it into my ass. My muscles quivered, throbbed, and I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths. It wasn't very big, but it was definitely there.

  He didn't ask me if I was okay, but I knew if I said the word, he'd stop. I didn't want him to stop though. I wanted more.

  “Good girl.”

  And then he was pushing inside me, filling me even as the motion rubbed against whatever it was he'd inserted in my ass, creating a rough, almost harsh, sensation that I'd never felt before. Hard, deep thrusts made me cry out until I exploded, but he didn't stop, relentlessly driving me from one climax to the next.

  Time and place all faded away until all I knew was the waves of pleasure he gave me. The freedom from myself.

  Twenty-Nine

  Tanya

  I knew what just happened between us didn't change anything, not in the big picture. Erik still didn't do relationships, and I still couldn't keep my emotions separate enough for casual sex, which meant sleeping with him again could have been a colossal mistake. I didn't let it get that far though. As soon as my legs were working again, I headed for the shower. An awkward morning-after type of conversation wouldn't be quite so bad if I had a chance to clear my head, and if I gave Erik some time alone to think as well.

  What he'd been thinking while I was in the shower, I didn't know because as soon as I came out of the bathroom, he went in. I told myself it was for the best when I heard the water turn back on because that meant I could be dressed for whatever happened next. It didn't matter how intimate the two of us had been not more than twenty minutes ago, talking to Erik while I was only wearing a towel wasn't exactly comfortable.

  I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans and a nice short-sleeved peasant blouse, then worked my wet hair into a braid. I could face Erik like this, and I'd be ready to go as soon as he heard something about my father.

  Or if I needed to make a quick getaway.

  Erik had promised that he'd protect me from the men who were threatening me, but I wasn't stupid. I knew better than most that while promises like that could be meant in the moment, they rarely lasted. If my own father hadn't been able to keep his promise to come back for me, I certainly wouldn't hold Erik to something similar.

  A phone rang, and I jumped. I had it in my hand before I realized that it was Erik's phone, not mine. The name on the screen, however, was one of the people he'd mentioned as being an FBI contact. I snuffed out the twinge of guilt I felt as I answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Erik?” The man's voice was deep, the sort that would echo in a large room.

  “This is Tanya Lacey,” I said. “Erik can't come to the phone right now.”

  I flushed as I said it even though I knew there was no way the agent could know that Erik was showering, or why.

  “Ah, Miss Lacey. You're the daughter.”

  What felt like a lump of ice formed in my stomach. “Yes. Jefferson Lacey is my father.”

  “I'm Agent Kinney with the FBI. Your father's safe.”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed, legs unable to hold me. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I closed my eyes. He was okay.

  The agent continued, “We found him and were able to arrest the men involved. There didn't appear to be anything more than a few superficial injuries, but we took him to the hospital just in case. We probably have another two or three arrests to make, but the men in custody are already asking for deals. And you can let Erik know that we didn't need to pay the ransom, so he can pick up the money at our office.”

  “What hospital?” My voice shook, but the agent didn't comment on it as he answered my question. I thanked him and ended the call.

  My dad was safe. He had a lot of explaining to do, and I was still furious with him for leaving me, but none of that translated into wanting him dead or hurt. I wanted him to have the chance to make things right, and now he had it.

  I needed to see him.

  I stood, glancing at the bathroom door. I could wait until Erik was done so he could go with me. It'd only be a few more minutes, I was sure. Once I told him that everything was okay, I knew he'd rush so I didn't have to wait.

  He'd done so much for me, and I didn't even know all of it. Like the ransom. Seventy thousand dollars, and he hadn't even mentioned it. It killed me to think about walking away from him now, but I knew it was for the
best.

  I found a piece of paper and wrote a quick note, thanking him and telling him that my father was safe. I added what the agent said about the money, then paused, debating if I should say anything else. No, I didn't need him to think I expected anything else. He just needed to know I was grateful, and that I was safe. After a moment more, I set it on the bed where I knew he'd see it. I grabbed my purse, slipped on a pair of shoes, and left, just in time. I heard the shower turn off as I closed the door. If I hurried, I'd be downstairs and hailing a cab before he finished reading my note and thought to come after me.

  If he thought of following me at all. I wouldn't blame him if he walked away and decided he never wanted to see me again.

  I pushed the thought from my mind as I hurried down to the lobby. My dad needed to be my focus right now, not whether or not there was something more to Erik and me. I'd waited more than ten years to find out what happened to my father. That had to take precedence.

  The ride to the hospital brought back all of the anxiety that my time with Erik had eliminated, so by the time the taxi stopped in front of the building, my nerves were stretched to the breaking point. I managed to pay the driver and get inside, but I felt like I was barely holding it together. The woman at the desk pointed me in the right direction, and it was all I could do not to run. A pair of uniformed officers stood at a door, telling me which room I wanted without needing to look at numbers.

  “I'm Tanya Lacey,” I said as I got close enough for them to hear me. “Agent Kinney told me that I could come see my father.”

  The men exchanged glances, then one shrugged. “Kinney's in there, so it's his ass or hers.”

  I ignored them as I stepped inside. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood at the foot of a hospital bed, but I barely glanced at him. All my focus was on the man in the bed. I'd been a child the last time I'd seen him, and he'd always seemed larger than life to me. As I'd gotten older, and my good memories of him had been tainted with the bitterness and anger and hurt that had come with knowing he'd left me, I still saw him through a child's eyes.