Her Daddy's Jewel (MC Daddies Book 5) Page 13

  “Sting took care of it with his team,” Jason replied.

  “Your son is safe now?” Claudia asked.

  “I sent Dax out there,” Sting told her.

  “Good. How old is he?”

  “Sixteen.” She licked her lips. This was the tricky part. They’d have to judge her after finding this out, right? But as she glanced around, she saw nothing but curiosity and understanding.

  “How old were you when you had him? You must have been a baby,” Dusty asked.

  “Dusty,” Claudia warned.

  “I wanted to keep him, even though I was young. But I . . . I couldn’t.” Shame flooded her and Jason lifted her into his lap.

  “Jason!”

  “Twenty-four.”

  She could not believe he had her on his lap in front of his mother.

  “Why do you keep counting?” Dusty asked.

  “He’s counting every time she calls him Jason,” Sting said. “I’m guessing it’s the number of times he plans on spanking her.”

  “Sting!” Claudia scolded as Jewel felt herself going bright red. What the hell was up with this family?

  Jewel glared up at Sting, who gave her a surprised look. “You’ve got fire.”

  “Yep,” she replied. Even though she wasn’t entirely sure that was true.

  “Good,” he replied. “You’ll need it.”

  Well, that wasn’t ominous or anything.

  “The partner could be a problem now that his operations have been interrupted,” Claudia said. “Especially if he helped set Darrins up. Is there any possibility that he knows about you, dear? Is there any way he would suspect that you had something to do with this? I’m guessing none of this can come back on us?”

  Jewel felt terrible. What if she’d put his entire family in danger? What if Maxwell’s partner found out that they were the ones who’d taken him and his men out?

  “We were careful when we raided his compound,” Sting said. “All my guys wore masks. They didn’t talk. We were in vehicles without any identification. But I think it would be best to up security around here for a while. And keep Jewel hidden. If the partner knew about her and someone sees her . . .”

  She stiffened, wishing she could get off his lap. But Jason tightened his hold on her

  “Jewel, I don’t suppose you would give us a moment?” Claudia asked.

  “Ma,” Jason said warningly.

  But she took the chance to get off his lap. She was feeling overwhelmed, ill. She didn’t want to be here anymore.

  “Just a few minutes.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she told Jason woodenly. She walked into the foyer, but she still couldn’t breathe.

  She’d put them in danger.

  Why did everything she touched turn into a disaster?

  Walking to the door, she stepped outside. Suddenly, she found herself running. She didn’t know why. She just knew she had to run. The urge was too great to ignore.

  “Jewel!”

  She ignored her name being yelled.

  She tried to push herself to run faster, needing to feel the burn, the pain, to punish herself. But she was weak. Stumbling, she tripped and slammed onto her hands and knees on the ground. She let out a pained cry then rolled onto her bottom. That really fucking hurt. Tears flooded her eyes but she didn’t let them free.

  She heard him approach. Damn it. What had she been thinking? She had to have known he would follow her. If there was one thing that Jason was, it was persistent. Stubborn. Mule-headed.

  “Mule-headed, really?” He crouched down in front of her, tilting up her face. “Oh, baby.

  What did I tell you about running?”

  “I’m sorry. I panicked. But I feel like I’ve brought so much trouble to your family. They don’t need any of this. What if this partner finds out that you were involved in taking out Maxwell and all his people, in taking the girls?”

  “Doesn’t matter if he does.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because we’re going to take him out too.”

  “What? How?”

  “We’re hardly a normal family. You know that. Plus, I don’t want to brag, but I’m an okay sniper. I’ll always protect you. Which means eliminating all threats. All of them.”

  Jason hated seeing her on the ground, looking so broken. So fragile. Gently he grasped hold of her hands, turning them over. He let out a silent whistle. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me that you hurt yourself? Did you hurt anything else when you fell?”

  “My knees and my pride. I barely made it twenty feet from the house.”

  “You should be grateful, if you’d made it out the gate then you’d be finding yourself in a whole lot of trouble.”

  He picked her up carefully.

  “I can walk. You don’t need to coddle me.”

  “Far as I’m concerned, that’s exactly what you need.”

  “I’ve brought trouble right to your family’s door.”

  He frowned down at her. “Let’s get something straight. I did this. I made the decision to involve them. I had Maxwell brought here. Me, not you.”

  “Yes, but if this partner knows about me, comes looking for me . . .”

  “Which is why you’re going to stay here, on the estate where no one can get to you,” he told her firmly. “Promise me. Promise you won’t run again. I’m not leaving you until you promise.”

  Asshole. “I promise.”

  “You break that promise and I’ll put you over my knee.” He entered the house. Luckily no one was around. She hoped no one had seen her fall.

  She narrowed her gaze at him. “Are you a Dom?”

  He started up the stairs. “Not exactly.”

  “Oh. Sorry, I thought . . .” she trailed off, embarrassed. She really was crap at reading him.

  “I’m whatever you need, baby girl.”

  “What? No, Jason, that’s not the way it works.”

  “Twenty-five,” he told her.

  “Will you please stay focused.”

  “I’m always focused.”

  “You can’t just become a dominant because you think it’s what I need. How do you even know I need it?”

  “Deep down, what you really want is someone who cares about you, who puts you first, who makes some of the tough decisions. Am I wrong?”

  Was he wrong? No, he wasn’t.

  “I met Maxwell at a BDSM club. I thought he was everything I wanted. Suave, sophisticated, handsome. He said all the right things, told me what I wanted to hear. I thought he would be the perfect Dominant, strong but also fair. In the beginning, he treated me like I was special. As though I mattered.”

  “You do fucking matter. You’re the center of my universe.”

  “You’re so insane.”

  Damn man wasn’t even winded. She ran for two minutes and she was a heaving mess who couldn’t even stay on her feet. How was that fair?

  “How often do you work out?” she asked as he reached the top of the stairs.

  “Every day.”

  “Seriously? Why would you want to do that? That sounds like torture.”

  “Maybe I should make you up a program, considering how quickly you ran out of breath in your mad sprint for the gate.” He pushed open a door and walked into a big room with a large bed against the opposite wall. It had a dark blue cover on it. There was a huge entertainment center on the wall next to the door, along with some beanbags around the floor.

  He carried her into an attached bathroom and set her on the counter.

  “You’re never getting me into a gym.”

  “That so? What if I promise orgasms?”

  “Orgasms? Sounds more like a reward for you than me.”

  “Oh, it’s definitely a reward for me,” he murmured. “Getting my face between your legs, licking that sweet pussy until you scream your release is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long, long time.”

  “Creepy stalker,” she said breathlessly.

  He kissed her gently. “Your creepy s
talker.”

  Yeah. He was. And she was the luckiest person on the planet for it.

  “We need to build you up a bit first, though. You’re rundown and probably low in a number of vitamins. I’ll mix you up a shake after your nap.”

  “Um, I’m not taking a nap.”

  “Yeah, you are. After I clean you up.” He rummaged around in the cupboard, pulling out a First Aid kit.

  “I don’t need cleaning up.”

  “Unless you want an infection and to end up in the ER, you do.”

  “That won’t happen.”

  He put his hands on his hips and stared down at her. “Why not?”

  “I’m allergic to doctors.”

  He narrowed his gaze at her. “When’s the last time you saw a doctor?”

  She shrugged. “Maxwell brought one in to run tests.” She shuddered at that memory of him examining her without her consent. She hadn’t even been able to fight back, she’d been so weak.

  “I mean when was the last time you voluntarily went to a doctor?”

  “I think I’ll plead the fifth on that.”

  “I’ll write ‘doctor’s visit’ on the list.”

  “List of what?” she asked.

  “Things I need to do to keep you happy and healthy. It’s quite a list.”

  She felt ashamed of herself for running off like she had. It really wasn’t like her. In her defense, though, she’d been through a lot.

  “I’m sorry for running. It just got on top of me.”

  “I know,” he reassured her. “But you don’t need to worry. My family will be fine. They’re used to danger.”

  “They don’t . . . they’re not into what Maxwell was, right?”

  His eyes widened. “Hell, no. Look, they might be criminals but they don’t deal in human trafficking or prostitution. Never.”

  She let out a relieved breath.

  “I’m not sure I fit in here.” She winced. Why did she say that?

  “If you don’t like it here, we can leave. Remember. You first. Everyone else second. Got me?”

  What the hell had she done to deserve such devotion?

  Perhaps he was her reward for going through all that hell.

  She didn’t know. All she knew was that she wanted desperately to believe him. But she wasn’t certain that she could. Even though she acted like she was tough, her self-worth was in the toilet.

  “I’m going to take off your jeans now, all right?” His voice was so gentle that it surprised her.

  He lifted her off the counter then undid her jeans then pulled them down over her ass before sitting her back on the counter. It was cool beneath her ass. She was wearing some silky panties that he’d bought for her. Damn stalker had already known her sizes. But she didn’t complain since they were so much nicer than the plain cotton ones she usually wore.

  “This isn’t the reason I thought I’d be getting you out of these jeans,” he said as he knelt and gently tugged them off over her feet.

  “You thought you’d be taking them down for sex?”

  “Nah, figured it would be to spank your ass.”

  “Jason!”

  “Twenty-six.”

  “You can’t keep threatening to spank my ass.”

  “Why not? I’m looking forward to it. You over my lap, bottom bare, squirming around as I spank your ass then play with your pussy.”

  “Oh Lord.”

  Why did he have to say that? Because now she knew she wouldn’t get it out of her mind.

  He cleaned the scrapes on her hands and knees. She winced. Ouch. Damn it.

  “But I can understand why you’d be worried about the non-fun kind of punishment. Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you the first time.”

  “Thank you so much,” she told him sarcastically.

  Crazy.

  “You’re welcome.”

  He dabbed antiseptic on her hand, holding it firmly with one of his as she tried to shy back.

  “Ouch!”

  “Be a brave girl and you’ll get a reward.”

  “What sort of reward?” she asked suspiciously. “Like my workout reward?”

  “I was thinking of gummi bears, but if you’d rather have an orgasm . . .”

  Oh, she wanted the orgasm. But it just wasn’t that simple.

  “Hey, look at me. Look at me,” he told her firmly.

  She raised her gaze to his.

  “We have forever. There’s no rush.”

  His statement combined with the kind but firm look on his face helped push away her panic.

  “It’s not that I think you’re like him—”

  “I know, baby girl. I know.” His look was gentle. It nearly undid her. “Now, be a good girl and you’ll get your gummi bears.”

  She did like gummi bears . . . so she did her best not to wince and complain as he cleaned her up and then grabbed some bandages. Thick pads went on the palms of her hands, then he started to wrap them up.

  “Um, don’t you think this is overkill? It’s just some scratches. I’ve had far worse.”

  “You’re my precious baby. Nothing is overkill when it comes to taking care of you. Now, which Band-Aids do you want?”

  She sighed, but decided she didn’t have the energy to fight him. She stared down at the Band-Aids, about to just point at the plain ones when she saw the cutest Powerpuff Girls ones.

  She shouldn’t . . .

  But she really wanted them.

  Did he know? She glanced up at him. It seemed that Jason didn’t do things without purpose.

  “How did you know?” she asked as she pointed at the Powerpuff Girls ones.

  “I’ve been shopping with you and Sunny before, remember? Saw you looking longingly at a T-shirt with them on it. By the way, that’s now unpacked in the bedroom. Along with the rest of the stuff I bought for you. Bought these as well. One of the maids unpacked them and put them in here.”

  “Jason . . .”

  “Twenty-seven. I need to find my notebook. Keep track.” He leaned in and kissed each of her bandaged knees then her hands.

  “Did you just kiss them to make them all better?” she asked.

  “You don’t think it will work? My kisses have magic powers.” He grinned. “You’ll find out yourself when you let me kiss your pussy.”

  She groaned and put her hands over her face. This guy. This crazy, ridiculous, incredible guy. He was going to be the death of her.

  He carefully picked her up. “I can walk.”

  “I know.” That was all he said as he started carrying her out of the bathroom. “Do you need to pee before your nap?”

  She sighed. “No. I also don’t need a nap.”

  “Yeah, you do. You’re exhausted. You’re just protesting because you think you should do everything yourself.”

  Was she? Yeah, likely. She wasn’t certain that she liked how well he knew her. Meant she couldn’t get away with much.

  He laid her down then tucked her in. Then he drew the curtains.

  “I won’t sleep.”

  “I’ll stay with you until you do.”

  Sitting next to her, he gently massaged her head.

  “You promised me gummi bears,” she reminded him with a yawn.

  “When I return, I’ll bring them.”

  She tensed, opened her eyes to look up at him. “Return from where?”

  “Gonna have a chat with Maxwell.”

  “What are you going to talk to Maxwell about?” She wasn’t stupid, she knew he wouldn’t be just talking.

  “I want to know where the girls are coming from and who his partner is. But you’re not to worry about any of that.”

  “Telling me not to worry doesn’t work.”

  “Hmm, you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “So as your Dom, I can’t just command you to not worry?”

  He was teasing. At least she thought he was.

  “You know it doesn’t work like that.”

  “Would be nice if it did,” he
muttered.

  “For you, sure.”

  “For you, since everything I do is for you.”

  “You shouldn’t . . . you can’t make me your everything.” It was too much. Right?

  “Why not?” he asked seriously.

  “Because what if I fail you? I’m not perfect, far from it. In fact, I’m kind of messed up. I make mistakes all the time. I can be hard and cold sometimes. I find it difficult to trust, to open up.”

  “I don’t want someone perfect. That would be a boring life, don’t you think? And I’ll make mistakes too.”

  “You can’t become a Dom just for me. I don’t want you changing yourself for me.”

  “I’ve always been a dominant guy. Being dominant isn’t about being the loudest, or the one in charge, or barking out orders all the time. When something is important to me, then I’ve no problem with taking control. Anyone could put on some leather pants and pick up a paddle and call themselves a Dom, right?”

  “Yeah, like Maxwell.”

  “Right. What qualities would you like your Dom to have?”

  “I don’t know if I want one anymore.”

  “You’re scared. I get it. That bastard hurt you in ways no one should ever have to endure. But I also know you’re brave enough to try again.”

  “I’m so tired.”

  “I know you are, baby girl. I know you are. That’s why I’m here. Lean on me. Tell me what you were looking for in a dominant when you went to that club and found Maxwell?”

  “I’m not sure.” She thought it through. “Someone who was strong, but who didn’t have to lord his power over people in order to make himself feel big. Someone who could put my needs before theirs, but would also be able to lean on me when they needed help. Someone who would listen, who could own up when they were wrong and try to fix it. I guess I wanted someone I could surrender to and trust that they had my best interests in mind. Probably sounds stupid.”

  “Doesn’t sound stupid at all. I want all of those things too.”

  Maybe he could be all those things, maybe he was right. She hadn’t seen him as dominant because he was quieter. But if something was important, he spoke up. He didn’t need to posture or powerplay.

  And that was refreshing in comparison to Maxwell’s in-your-face personality.

  She was starting to drift, nearly fully asleep when she thought she felt him lean in, his lips brushing her forehead. Then a quiet whisper.