Page 74 of Controlling Chloe

His expression is as haunted as I felt when I first saw her scars. It’s something I’ll never recover from, and I have a feeling Kieran won’t either.

“Call me when she wakes up?” he asks.

“Yeah. Where are you heading?”

“To let out some rage.” He glances back at Chloe before leaving the room. He hasn’t killed those guys, but I’m pretty sure that won’t be the case when he returns.

Another two hours pass. I’ve called the doctor up here three times to check on her, and he’s assured me she’s fine. He also murmured something under his breath about there being something wrong with me. Fucker.

I’ve been pacing at the end of the bed for the past twenty minutes, trying to keep myself from shaking her awake. The thick carpet is going to be worn thin from how many laps I’ve done.

“Daddy?” Her voice is raspy and quiet, but it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.

I turn to stare at her and nearly drop to my knees when she meets my gaze. Her baby blues are sparkling beneath her drooping eyelids.

“Baby girl.”

She nods and tears immediately start rolling down her cheeks, cracking my heart right in half.

“I didn’t disobey you. I didn’t leave campus on my own. He showed up there and took me.”

Rushing to her side, I pull her into my arms. “Shh. I know, baby. I know. It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe now. Daddy’s got you.” My voice cracks, and my eyes burn with tears.

She’s safe and in my arms. She’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.

“I was so scared. I never thought I’d see you again. I never thought I’d see Kieran or Paisley either, and you would never know what had happened to me.”

Rocking her against my chest, I bury my face in her hair, soaking in the faint soft, sweet scent. For the first time all day, I’m able to take a full breath. “I would have gone to the ends of the earth to find you, baby girl. You’re mine, and I’ll never give up on you. You’re safe now. It’s my fault this happened. I should have had bodyguards with you at all times. I fucked up, and I hope you can forgive me.”

Her entire body tenses and my stomach lurches. Is she going to hate me because of what happened?

She leans back and cups each side of my face so she can stare at me directly in the eyes. “Don’t even think about putting this on yourself. I’ll find the hairbrush and spank your ass if I have to until you understand that this wasn’t your fault. What happened is on him.”

My cock twitches in my slacks as a slow smile spreads on my face. “You think you want to spank me, huh?”

The prettiest rosy hue spreads over her cheeks. “Well, um, no. I don’t want to do that. I prefer it the other way around. But I will if you keep blaming yourself. Understood, Mister?”

Raising an eyebrow, I lean closer to her until our foreheads touch. “Understood, Little girl. And if you call me Mister ever again, you’ll find yourself over my knee in a heartbeat.”

Her breath hitches. “Sorry, Daddy.”

I wink and smile. “Better.” And then I kiss her, deeply.

We’re both wound around each other, kissing, biting, and sucking. My cock is rock-hard, but I don’t care about that right now. The only thing I want is to kiss and hold my girl. To listen to her beating heart and run my fingers over her pulse all night to make sure she’s okay.

“I love you so much,” she whispers.

My throat tightens, and if I could reach into my own chest and rip out my heart to give it to her, I would. She has no idea how much she means to me. “I love you too, Little girl. So fucking much.”

“Did the police come?” she asks when we finally pull back enough to see one another clearly again.

“No. The police aren’t involved. Do you have any idea where Ronald was taking you or why?”

“He said he was going to make me pay his debt to the Red Dragons. I don’t know what he meant by that.”

My blood runs cold, and as carefully as I can, I pull my phone from my suit pocket and call Declan.

“Yeah?” he answers.

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