Page 33 of Controlling Chloe

When she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, I reach up and tug it free with my thumb then run the pad over her plush, pillowy mouth. “Why not, baby girl?” I ask again.

“I’m scared. We barely know each other. You’re sort of, a lot. Not in a bad way necessarily, but it’s overwhelming. I can’t think around you.”

If only she knew I feel the same. Every rational thought I might have in my fucked-up head disappears the second I’m around her.

“Nothing has to happen. I’ll sleep in my suit if you want me to. I want you wrapped up in my arms all night, though.”

She giggles and lifts her chin to meet my gaze again. Her eyes sparkle in the moonlight. “You don’t have to sleep in your suit. Promise nothing has to happen?”

I capture her chin between my fingers and lower my face so it’s only inches from hers. “Nothing will ever happen that you don’t want. I might control you and leap over all sorts of invisible lines, but the one thing I will never do is force myself on you in a way you truly don’t want.”

Her breath catches, and a whirlwind of emotions runs through her eyes like a movie reel. “Okay. Nothing happens, though.”

“Scout’s honor.”

An unladylike snort comes from her. “Somehow, I don’t believe you were ever in the Boy Scouts.”

My lips pull back into a face-splitting grin. “Maybe not in the traditional sense. More like the mafia scouts where our word is everything. Way better than the other kind of scouts.”

She bursts out laughing. It’s the most beautiful sound in the world. When I grab her by the hips and lift her into the car, she squeals and grabs my forearms but continues to giggle as I buckle her in. I start to pull away, but she grabs my hand.

“Will you kiss me?”

Slowly, I lean in and brush my fingers over the wispy hairs that have fallen free from the buns on top of her head. “You never have to ask, Little one. I’ll kiss you anytime you want.”

Then I seal my lips over hers and kiss her like my life depends on it. It feels like it does. She’s the air I need to continue breathing. My girl.

13

CHLOE

I’m a squirmy mess, sitting in a pair of soaked panties while he drives to his house. It’s probably for the best that we don’t mess around. I meant what I said when I told him he overwhelms me. Sometimes it’s a good feeling, and sometimes, I don’t know what to think about it.

Bash is the kind of man who will completely consume me. Hell, he already does, and it’s only been two days. As hard as it is with him, I’ll have to learn to stand my ground on some things. My father ran my whole life for so long, and I let him do it while lying down like a dog. I won’t let the same thing happen with Bash. Although, comparing the two is absurd. Bash is nothing like the man who raised me.

“How come I’ve never met your sister?” I ask. “I’ve met you, Declan, and Ronan, but never her.”

His expression softens. “Paige is attending college in Ireland. Her mom was there.”

My eyebrows furrow. “Her mom?”

“Yes. Our mom died when I was young. Our father married Paige’s mom ten years later. That’s why she’s so much younger. After our father died, her mom decided to return to Ireland where she’d grown up. Paige stayed in the States to finish schooling. Her mom fell ill when she was close to graduating high school. Declan offered to send her to Ireland for college so she could spend time with her mom before she died.”

My heart squeezes in my chest. I know what it’s like to lose a mom. I can’t imagine doing it in a foreign country, away from everything I’ve ever known.

“She’s all alone?”

He shakes his head. “Her best friend, Tessa, is with her. We have some extended family there too, so she has plenty of people surrounding her. As soon as they graduate, they both plan to return to Seattle.”

“That’s good. How old is she?”

“She’s a little younger than you.”

I nod. “What did she go to school for?”

A smile spreads on his face, and he lets out a quiet chuckle. “Interior decorating. She was always redecorating stuff. It drove my father up the wall, but he never said anything to her because it made her happy. He would glare at everything she’d done, but when she asked whether he liked it, he always praised her. It wasn’t a big surprise to any of us when she told us what she wanted to go to school for. We’re hoping she’ll be too busy starting her business when she gets home to focus on our houses.”

Tears burn in my eyes. “Your dad seems like he was sweet.”

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