Page 51 of Controlling Chloe

I nod and sniffle. “It won’t happen again.”

“You’re right about that. After I’m done punishing you tonight, I don’t think there will be any question about how serious I am about your safety.”

My tummy twists into knots, but my clit swells and my heart is full.

“As for you,” Kieran says firmly, pointing at Paisley. “Do not ever try to get in the middle of two men fighting. You’re a tiny fucking thing. You could have been badly hurt. Do you understand me?”

I watch from the safety of Bash’s arms as my best friend stares up at my brother, her eyes wide. When she doesn’t say anything, Kieran takes a step toward her and narrows his gaze.

“I asked you a question, Little girl,” he says.

Paisley glares back at him, and it’s starting to feel like a standoff between the two. “I was trying to stop you from killing him. And I’m not tiny, so maybe get your eyes checked.”

Kieran takes another two steps until he’s so close, he’s towering over her. “If I wanted to kill him, he’d be dead. Do not ever get in the middle of two men fighting. Do. You. Understand?”

She has to tilt her head back to look at his face. “Fine,” she grits out.

He lets out a growl of annoyance. “Good. Get in the fucking car before you freeze to death. Jesus. Where are your pants?”

Paisley lets out an irritated huff, then spins around and stomps toward the SUV, where Bash has already opened the door and is helping me into the back seat.

“It’s called a dress!” she shouts over her shoulder.

“Yeah, well, it barely covers your ass,” Kieran yells back. “And it’s only sixty degrees outside, are you trying to die of pneumonia?”

She rolls her eyes, climbs into the SUV, then shouts, “Sixty degrees in Seattle is practically summer weather, you big oaf!”

Before the two men get in the car, Paisley looks over at me. “I don’t like your brother.”

My lips pull back into a small smile. At least I’m not the only one who’s been scolded tonight. Somehow, it’s a little easier knowing that she got into trouble with me. Although my bottom is going to pay the price, while she gets to go home and crawl into her comfy bed. Rude.

The air in the SUV is thick with tension. Kieran is running so hot I can feel the heat all the way back here. Paisley has her arms crossed over her chest while she glowers at my brother. If this wasn’t such a serious situation, I might giggle.

“How did you know where we were?” I finally ask.

Bash glances at me in the rearview mirror. “GPS on your phone.”

I tilt my head and pull my eyebrows together. “How were you able to do that? Did you hack into it or something?”

He raises an eyebrow. “I installed a tracking program on your phone the night I took you home.”

“What?” I shout as I sit up straight.

“Little girl, I’d recommend you don’t have a tantrum about it right now. If I hadn’t installed the program, I wouldn’t have known you were here, and then what would have happened? That fucking asshole had his hands on you. If we hadn’t shown up, who knows what would have happened.”

I shrink back into my seat again, lowering my eyes. I can’t believe he was tracking me. Actually, I can believe that. It’s Bash. I should have known he would do a thing like that. Whether I like it or not, my Daddy has no boundaries when it comes to keeping me safe.

Warmth spreads through my core. He downloaded that program before he got my brother’s blessing. So, even though he didn’t think he could have me then, he still wanted to keep tabs on me. I stew on that for a few minutes. I can’t decide if I’m ridiculously turned on by what he did or if I should punch him in the balls.

He pulls up to my place, and when he puts the car in park, I reach for the door.

“Don’t you dare touch that handle, Chloe. You’re coming home with me. We’ll be spending the rest of the evening having a nice long chat.”

The weight of his words isn’t lost on me. By chat, he means he’s going to paddle my ass. I clench my bottom without meaning to. When I look at Paisley, she’s staring at me.

“Are you going to be okay?” she asks quietly.

I nod. “Yes. Bash won’t hurt me.”

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