The Billionaire(6)

I watched to make sure she was eating before I began to tell her of my morning's activities.

"I saw your father today."

I kept my eyes on her watching closely for her reaction. Was the fear  that entered her eyes the normal fear any teenaged girl would have in  this situation, or was it something more?

Tread carefully Gideon, do not push, not yet, no matter what has come  before, you're here now, just see to it that her life is better for  having you in it. I had to repeat that shit to myself when the fear on  her face grew palpable.

"What happened?" Her voice was so soft, so...fearful, one day soon I will take that all away.

"He gave us his blessing."

I saw the disbelief in her eyes when she finally picked her head up to  look at me. Fear mixed with hope, a sad combination in one so young. She  made me want to weep. What is this? Was she my penance? How could she  make me feel when I never had before? Why her, why now? This whole  situation felt beyond my control, which was never a favorite of mine.

"He...Are you sure?" For fuck sake Gideon you can't pick her up and sit  her on your lap with a schoolyard full of teens walking around. They're  probably wondering who the fuck you are in the first place, no need to  make a spectacle of yourself and her. But that hopeful sadness in her  voice pierced me to the quick.

"One hundred percent, in fact I'm picking you up from school this  evening and you're going to spend some time with me before I take you  home later. Would you like that?"

"Oh yes please."

So innocently eager to be with me; please don't let me fuck this up.

"Go ahead, finish your lunch Blossom, we'll talk later. Just know that  your dad knows about us, and although he was a little worried in the  beginning, I guess that had more to do with my age than anything. He  came around in end though, you can call him and check if you'd like."

I held out my phone to her but she refused.

"I believe you."

Now she's back to blushing and ducking her head. I lifted her head with a finger under her chin.

"Why so shy?"

She just shook her head and blushed even harder. I wanted to kiss that  amazing mouth of hers, but not here. Too many prying eyes, last time I'd  forgotten myself not today. There will be plenty of time for that  later, I'll make sure of it.





When lunch was over I had her stand in front of me so we could talk. It  was almost time for her to return to classes but there was one more  thing before I let her go.

"Look at me little Blossom."

She looked up at me, so fucking beautiful, damn. Will I ever get used to  it? I hope not, I hope I never lose this feeling of awe whenever I look  at her.

"I need to know, need to hear you say it, do you want this, with me?"

She bit into her lip in that way that was bound to make me crazy before long, before nodding her head.

"No baby, say it."

"Yes, I want...this with you..." Done deal, the last hurdle crossed. Now I can forge full steam ahead.

"Good, now is there anything you need before I leave you? I'll be back to get you later, should I meet you here?"

"Here's fine, and no, I don't need anything, just..."

"Just what baby?"

"Don't hurt me."

Fuck, those words in that soft, hesitant almost tearful voice was my undoing. How could someone hurt such a thing of beauty?

"Come here Ashley."

She came to me without hesitation, head down looking at her feet. I  wonder if I should work on that or if that was a big part of her appeal?  I didn't want her to be this way with anyone else though. As my woman  she would be queen of the fucking city. I didn't want her being shy and  meek with anyone else. The sharks I swam with would see that as a  weakness and go for the jugular. Then I'd have to get blood on my hands  and that's never good. There you go again getting ahead of yourself  Gideon. You've lost all sense of propriety and what little bit of  civility you had seems to have disappeared entirely. Well that's what  happens when a lion has to protect his mate. I imagine that's exactly  how the king of beast feels.

"Look at me, you have nothing to fear from me, I will never hurt you, not in any way, and from now on no one else ever will."                       
       
           



       

She swallowed deeply and I knew what she was thinking. Okay then Gloves  off, begin as you mean to go on. I didn't plan on keeping anything from  her, and ain't that a kick in the head? Me Mr. Tight-lipped Thorpe  wanted to be transparent.

"I know...do you understand?" I spoke the words softly trying to take  some of the sting from them. I didn't want to embarrass her after all,  far from it.

She'd looked into my eyes fearfully when I said I know. She knew what I  meant it was evident by the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes.  Fucking bastard, I should just make him pay for the hell of it. As it  stood I'm tempted to go back on my word for the first time in my life.

I don't think I will be leaving her in his house after all.





Chapter 6



Gideon



I spent the time between leaving her and the end of the school day  pondering my next move. If I'd thought for one second that she was  ignorant to her father's true feelings towards her I would be able to  leave her there, but the knowledge in her eyes was my deciding factor.

It felt as if I was walking a minefield, I knew without a doubt that my  Blossom would be the kind of girl who wanted the love of her father. She  wouldn't want to just walk away from him and everything she'd known; so  how do I come between the two of them without losing her in the  process? How do I get her to see the danger without becoming the enemy  in her eyes?

I'd started out wanting her body yes; it was her beauty after all that  had first captivated me. But there was something else there. That  softness of hers was drawing me in, that sweet air of vulnerability had  me wanting to wrap her up and keep her safe for always. This was more  than lust this was so much more than anything I'd ever done before. I'd  never once wanted to protect, to own to consume. Everything about her  just made me want to be everything she could ever want. Fuck I'm in  trouble here.

She wasn't something you possessed for a time she was a treasure you  cherished for a lifetime. That much I knew and I was determined to be  the one to do it. No one else will ever tap into all that sweetness. I'd  kill the motherfucker who tried.

Her youth gave me pause but only for a moment, it's my intentions that  should bear scrutiny. If I meant to go forward with this, it must be  more than a momentary fling, it must be...forever.

Could I do forever? Forever is a long fucking time, I've never wanted  forever before. Somehow with my Blossom I think I could do two lifetimes  and still not have enough. So yes, the answer is yes, I most certainly  can do forever. I could feel the lock click into place as I got ready to  say goodbye to my freedom. Somehow I always thought there would be  panic and fear associated with that thought but, nothing. I felt nothing  but excitement at what was to come.

That was one burden lifted, now to the other.





By the time I was waiting outside the school for her I had a course of action in mind.

I had already called her dad to say that I will be keeping her after  school before returning her to him after dinner. To say he was  displeased would be putting it mildly but I could care less, he was  lucky he was seeing her again at all; the dumb fuck. I'd hung up on him  when he started his bullshit, there was nothing he could do or say to  stop this. If he knew what was going through my mind he'd shut the fuck  up or find a hole to hide in.

I'd made up my mind how I wanted to do this now all that was left was  for me to work on getting her use to the idea of living with me  permanently. How would she react to such a thing? The interest was there  yes, but having lived such a sheltered life, having only known me for a  handful of days how would she react? Fuck Gideon since when do you  think like this? She's the most important thing in your fucking life  you've gone after lesser things with more fire don't punk the fuck out.  Just do what you always do, take shit.

I had no doubt I could possibly force the issue in a roundabout way, but  I needed her to want it, to want me, to want us. She's not a business  acquisition I can't approach this situation the way I did everything  else. And that was my fucking problem and what about her? This was still  so new to her. I've had weeks to deal with my obsession she's had days.  But something inside me screamed that I had to move and move fast.  There was something way the fuck off about Clifton Sanders and waiting  for the report to be completed was gonna drive me nuts.

The thought of him hurting her in any way destroyed me. How could anyone  seek to crush a Blossom? How could her beauty, both inner and outer,  not sway him? Was the man fucking blind, or was his hatred of his own  daughter so deep he couldn't see reason? I was afraid the latter would  prove true, and it was that fear that had knots in the pit of my  stomach. By coming on the scene the way I had, I had escalated  something, how would he react? How would he handle my existence in her  life? And if he couldn't will she pay the price?