She doesn't notice them. As soon as she sees me standing there, she forgets everything else. Her eyes light up, her smile growing. I keep one watchful eye on her classmates, though the majority of my attention is squarely on her. Like always when she smiles at me, nothing else registers, nothing else matters.
My dick stirs, lengthening in my pants as she sashays toward me.
"You owe me a million dollars," she says, stopping directly in front of me, her smile bright as the sun.
"You know about the reward?" How the hell did she find out already? Travis works fast, but not that fast. Hell, no one works that fast. It hasn't even been half an hour since I told Travis to offer it.
"The reward? What reward?" Her brows furrow. "I was talking about our bet, Mr. I Never Lose."
Shit. I forgot about our bet. We made it in the shower this morning between lingering kisses and the two orgasms I gave her. She bet me a million dollars that I wouldn't make it through the day without showing up here. If she won, I owed her a million. If I won, she was going to spend the weekend tied to the bed. I thought she was adorable, thinking I'd lose a chance to keep her naked and on my cock for two whole days, so I took the bet.
It completely slipped my mind when Ainsley called. All I was thinking about when I told Travis that I'd meet him was being with my girl again. The need to see her again, to hold her again, was overwhelming. The bet didn't even cross my mind. I'll give her the million though. She'll be tied to the bed soon enough either way. We both know she won't tell me no.
"What reward?" she asks again.
Shit.
"We'll talk in the car," I murmur, wrapping an arm around her waist to navigate her away from her classmates. I'd rather not have an audience when she rips my balls off. She misses Ainsley, but she is staunchly on her side in this. She's going to be pissed.
Thankfully, she allows me to lead her to the car instead of demanding answers.
I reach around her to open the door for her, but the little minx pushes back against me, rubbing her ass against my crotch. Before she can move away, I cage her in against the side of the Lexus, her tits pressed against the window. I wrap her ponytail around my fist, pulling her head back until my lips are at her ear.
"You're playing with fire, baby girl," I warn her, biting the shell of her ear.
"Then burn me, daddy."
Fucking hell.
"You want me to fuck you in the middle of the parking lot?" I growl, grinding my dick against her ass. "Don't tempt me, pretty baby. I'll have you screaming for daddy so loud the whole campus will hear you."
Her moaning my name doesn't cool me down any.
I place a soft kiss to the side of her throat and then step away from her before I really do fuck her right here and now just to remind her that I'm the one in charge here. I may let her play and push my buttons and give me hell, but I decide when she comes and how hard. I decide how much she can take and how she takes it. She might like the fight, but we both know how much she loves it when I win.
She scrambles into the car without pushing me further. Unable to resist, I grab her round ass, making her squeal. The sweet sound of her laughter settles a little of the anxiety still churning through me.
By the time I'm in the car, she's back to business.
"What reward?" she asks as I back out and head toward home.
"Ainsley called today," I murmur, not lying to her.
"She did?" Her baby blues widen in surprise, though there's a small hint of relief there too. She'll never admit it, but she's been worried about Ainsley too. "That's good, right?"
"I sent Travis to track her."
"Justice."
"I want her home," I grit out.
"Even though you know she doesn't want to come home," Milan says, her voice soft.
"She's not safe out there on her own," I mutter. It's true…so why do I feel so guilty?
"You offered a reward for her, didn't you?" Milan asks.
I don't even have to say anything for her to know that's exactly what I did. She's too damn smart and she knows me just as well as I know her.
"Oh, Justice," she sighs, her disappointment loud and clear.
I expect her to throw a fit, but she doesn't. She's completely silent in the seat beside me. And somehow, that's even worse. She always tells me exactly what she thinks, even when she knows I won't like it. The silence though…it's new and it's deafening. I fucking hate it.
How do I fix it when giving her what she wants means I risk losing myself and her?
"Do you really believe she's in danger or are you just afraid to let her go?" she finally asks as we pull into the driveway.
"Does it matter either way?" I ask, not so sure I'm ready to admit to this beautiful, infuriating girl that I'm less than she thinks I am. In her eyes, I'm a good man, one worthy of being her daddy. Yet I feel less worthy of her in this moment than I ever have before.
"It matters to me," she whispers.
Somehow, I've hurt her. And that…that's intolerable to me. I can handle her being angry with me. But I can't handle hurting her. She's the reason my heart beats. The only thing I'm certain of is how I feel about her. That won't ever change.
I pull up to the doors and park.
"I wasn't a good man before I took custody of Ainsley," I mutter, staring out at the lawn. Flowers have started blooming in their beds, standing tall in a world still caught in the grip of winter. It's too cold for them to survive, but they bloom anyway, uncowed by the harshness of life and their own fragility. "I took what I wanted, regardless of who it hurt. I lied. I stole." I swallow hard. "I killed."
"You aren't that man anymore."
"I know. But he's not dead either," I admit, turning to face her. "He's still in there, waiting to be let out. If something were to happen to you or Ainsley…."
"You're afraid you'll become him again," Milan whispers, instantly understanding.
"I can't be him and keep you. That kind of life, the things I'm capable of doing…they shouldn't ever touch you. I won't allow them to touch you. But I can't lose you either. Being your daddy, being the lucky motherfucker you chose to share yourself with is everything to me," I rasp. "My heart beats because of you. I can't risk losing you."