Wyatt-1(Lane Brothers, Book 1)(4)

Slow down, Wyatt, no sense teasing yourself when you just saw what that animal did to our girl. She needs slow, easy loving, and above all, you have to prove to her that she’s safe here with you before you make any move to get in that sweet piece.

It’s hard because while I am a stranger to my sweet Ellie, she is no stranger to me, not after that first time I saw her and got hooked.

For months now I’ve watched over her and witnessed her isolation. I saw her repeating her days, doing everything in such an orderly fashion, never veering from the familiar, and it breaks my heart because I know exactly what she’s been doing and it kills me.

My sweet Ellie is turning into a ghost, someone so invisible that before long, even she won’t see herself anymore. I understand it. God help me, I do.

Like I said, I know everything about her, including the fact that four years ago she was stalked, kidnapped, and held captive for three weeks while that sick fuck, Bolton Conrad, tortured her physically and mentally.

And now that I’ve seen the scars, all I want is to kill the fuck again before wrapping my girl up in my arms and keeping her safe and sheltered from every harm and hardship life tries to throw at her.

She didn’t deserve what happened to her, and she doesn’t deserve what she’s doing to herself now.

That’s why I decided to make my move so soon, despite the risk of being caught. I couldn’t stand to see her fading away so fast. I won’t let her disappear into that murky place inside herself when she deserves light, love, and happiness.

She’s a good person. Before any of this shit occurred, she was a straight-A student who studied accounting and lived at home because she adored her four-year-old brother and the mother and father who’d once jokingly told their friends that Ellie was a gift and the best big sister any boy could ask for.

My poor girl was so sweet and kind and carefree in those days, always letting her little bro tag along, and volunteering at a soup kitchen in her neighborhood in suburban Philly.

She had friends, too, which doesn’t surprise me because the girl is like a magnet. Once you get hooked, her sweetness just reels your ass in. I like that her life was so happy and that she knew absolute love before a car accident claimed her parents and her beloved Alan.

She’d almost died, herself, from a head injury, but my girl is a fighter and pulled through.

I can’t imagine what that must have been like for her and wish like hell I’d known her so I could have been there for her.

I think of my own ma and pop waiting on me to do what I have to and get my girl home where she belongs and I smile. They know what I’m doing, and after months of discussing it, even Ma said I can’t leave Ellie to her own devices for much longer. So here I am, trying to keep my lust and love contained and ease her into things when all I want really is to claim her and shove her kicking and screaming back into life.

Too fragile, Wyatt, she’s too fragile.

I can’t forget that she lost her family, spent months grieving, and then had to deal with the terror and pain that that piece of shit Bolton put her through.

I have to remember that she needs time.

Thinking of time, I realize that enough has passed that she is probably pacing, or worse—searching for a way out of the fortress that my uncle Garner is letting me use for this mission. I go back up and unlock the door.

The roundhouse she throws at me the minute I walk in is easily deflected, as is the kick to my nads and the teeth she tries to sink into my neck after her agile ass all but scales my six-five frame.

Goddamn, I knew she would be perfect.

After deflecting every well-placed hit and wrapping my arms around my five-three, blonde beauty, I calmly throw her ass over my shoulder in a fireman carry and quickly make my way downstairs as she hits, bites, and scratches at my back and ass with her claws.

“Put me down, you idiot!”

A hard smack to her plump ass settles her down nice and quick, and I feel my dick perk up at the way she immediately stills and goes lax in my arms.

I like my sex dirty, enjoy a sensual spanking every now and then, and envision many enjoyable evenings showing my baby what her body is capable of.

“You settle down and stop fighting and I’ll put you down. Try anything else and I’ll tie you to the chair and force-feed your ass. I told you, I don’t want you hurting yourself, and you will if you come at me again. I’m army trained, little girl. Nothing you throw at me is getting through.”

That shut her the hell up real quick, and I feel her tense as I let her down, regretting my words when stark fear shines back at me from those brown eyes.

I hate scaring her, but my baby needs to know me and understand what I’m capable of, so that she will eventually realize I am able to stand between her and any asshole who thinks to get at her ever again.