Very slowly, Benny sets me down, holding me around the waist until he’s sure I’m not going to fall or lose my balance. Then, his hand shoots out like a bolt of lightning, wrapping around my father’s throat. “You run your mouth a lot for a man who doesn’t want to die.”
Watching my father’s eyes bulge out of the sockets, his fingers clawing at Benny’s immovable grip, I gasp. “Benny!” I pull at his arm. “No. No, you don’t hurt people.”
There is a third man in the room. He has been staring at me with wide eyes since we entered the room, but now he breaks into laughter. “That’s all he does, darling.”
A snarl rips out of Benny, his attention shooting toward the other man. “You talk to her again and I’ll drown you in the fucking river for the crocodiles.”
My mouth drops open, the room spinning around me.
No, my giant is gentle. And kind. He is not this violent man the other man claims he is. He must just be upset that my father was saying those bad things about me. Things I’ve grown so used to over the years, they don’t bother me anymore.
I don’t like violence.
My father used to inflict it on my mother. Every once in a while, I don’t manage to escape his anger and take a slap or two. Then there are the men in the bayou, fighting over money. Fighting to make money through cock fights or card games. Before my father made me drop out of school, the boys in my classes were always so aggressive. Angry. Entitled. My whole life, I’ve been surrounded by furious men and I don’t want that anymore. My aspirations for a happy, loving life are why I’m so attracted to my giant from the forest. My giant who helps animals heal from wounds and treats them with such care.
“Benny,” I sob, trying once again to untangle him from my father. “No. Don’t.”
His hold around my father’s throat loosens automatically, his big shoulders heaving with exertion. He turns to look at me, his gaze heavy with longing. For several moments, his throat works, as if he’s making a decision. And then, in the blink of an eye, I’ve been thrown over his shoulder. “Taking the girl,” he grits out, stomping out into our front yard.
As soon as we’re settled into the boat and I’m straddling Benny’s lap, snuggled up against his big chest, the altercation begins to fade from my memory. There has to be some explanation for the fury he displayed toward my father. I’m sure I’ll find out what it is as soon as we’re alone. And anyway, we have our whole lives for explanations, me and my sweet giant from the woods.
Chapter Three
Benny
Her father’s words echo loudly in my head.
She hasn’t even lain with a man yet and she’s already buck wild.
I don’t want to believe what that disgusting piece of shit said about my angel, but hell, it’s hard to discount the evidence. She’d rubbing on my cock like she’s dying without it inside of her, those sexy thighs flexing restlessly around my hips. Her tits are spilling out of her dress, those hard nipples just about to pop free of the neckline. I’ve given up on trying to control my erratic breathing. Or the sweat pouring down the sides of my face. I’ve got the sexiest young thing in human existence slowly grinding her cunt down on my erection, her fingernails buried in my shoulders like she’s enjoying herself a lot, and I’m about two seconds from drilling her in the bottom of this boat. If the thought of Grim seeing her naked didn’t make me want to commit a homicide, I’d be balls deep right now.
But this moment to think is good. Necessary.
I need time to come to my fucking senses.
She doesn’t want me. She couldn’t possibly. She’s just…
For some reason, this girl is horny beyond measure.
If her eyes weren’t so clear and alert, I would assume she’d been drugged.
More of her father’s parting words come back to haunt me.
She’s exactly like her mother.
Offering herself up to the first man who pays her a little attention.
Let’s be honest—that’s exactly what is happening here. This poor girl has been abused and locked up and now I’ve ridden in like the cavalry to save her. Of course she’s grateful. Of course she is willing to overlook the fact that I’m a monster.
Well I can’t let her tempt me into taking something she’ll regret giving away. As soon as we’re in the real world, as soon as she has options, I’m going to be the ogre she made the mistake of sleeping with. I’ll die if that happens. I won’t be another man in her life who does her dirty. No. Not happening. I’ve sinned a lot in my thirty-three years, but I draw the line at taking advantage of sweet angels down on their luck.
“Please, girl,” I grunt, my hand shaking on the small of her back, dying to get a grip on that tight ass. “Please. You have to stop riding me like that. I’ll embarrass myself.”
She blinks up at me innocently. “You don’t like it?” Her hips start working quicker, her brow puckered in concentration. “Is this better?” My head falls back on a curse. I’m about to tell her I love it. Of course I do. What red-blooded man wouldn’t like this gorgeous girl with the beautiful spirit giving him a lap dance designed to make his balls explode? I’ve never been so hard. So heavy and achy. And that’s before she drags her tongue straight up the center of my jugular, purring like a kitten who has just been given a bowl of cream. “I just want to make my Daddy happy,” she whispers in my ear.
“For the love of God, if you won’t give her what she needs, I will,” Grim calls from the front of the boat. As soon as his words penetrate, rage begins to filter into my brain, my blood, my bones. Then I notice he has an erection he’s trying to hide by facing the water, looking back over his shoulder. In the blink of an eye, the situation has changed. Now there is another male in the vicinity who wants to take the angel away from me?
“If you come a single inch closer than you are right now, motherfucker, I’ll rip the head clean off your shoulders,” I roar, holding Fawn more securely to my chest. Words aren’t enough, though, so I draw the gun at the small of my back and point it at Grim. “Drive the boat and keep your mouth shut.”
Oh, I’ve scared him. The back of his neck is white as a ghost, his shoulders tense. But Grim has never known when to shut the hell up. “Message received, Beat Down.” He pauses. “But how are you going to explain your precious cargo to Frank? We don’t take collateral. It’s full payment or nothing. That’s the policy.”
“I know the policy,” I respond tightly.
They think I’ve taken her as collateral, but the idea of giving her back sets my teeth on edge. Good thing her father will never come up with the money. There isn’t a chance in hell I’d let her go back to that hovel.
I’m on the verge of telling Grim to stay out of my business. But then, Fawn leans back and slays me with wide, disillusioned eyes. “You have a gun,” she whispers, her gaze trailing down my arm, her bottom lip starting to tremble. “Are you a bad man, Benny?”
Swear to God, I almost toss the gun into the swamp.
This girl believes something bad about me and I’ve never experienced such self-loathing in my life. Worse, the answer to her question is yes. I am a bad man. It’s true.