Her shoulders stiffened and she slowly turned toward me, her eyes shiny and defeated.
“Who the fuck did this to you?” I growled.
For a second, she stared at me, a slight quiver to her lips. She was exhausted, devastated, at the end of her rope…and she let me see it all. But then I watched as a mask seemed to slide across her features, her gaze growing hard and cold. “Leave me alone, Camden,” she snapped, trying to brush past me.
“Wait, please,” I insisted, stepping in her path. “Talk to me?”
She whirled around, fury and despair written all over her stunning face. “You want to know what happened to me, Camden? Do you? Really? I got beat up by a druggie in a shelter bathroom. That’s right,” she hissed, leaning forward so she could point a finger at my chest. “A shelter. I’m. Fucking. Homeless.” She paused, her posture stiff and challenging, like she was waiting for me to run screaming from the restaurant at the news.
“Let’s go back there and finish this discussion,” I murmured, wanting to protect her from all the very interested eyes I could feel boring into my skull. I tried to gently grab her arm but she yanked it away from me, her hands shaking as she stalked toward the back hallway.
As soon as we turned the corner, she stopped and faced me, her hands fisted at her sides, her face reddening, the gash standing out on her forehead. “You happy?” she cried. “Now that you’ve discovered my dark, sad, little secret? Fun’s over, Camden, right? Don’t want to fuck the poor piece of trash, do you?”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.
I don’t know what came over me then, but suddenly I was carefully pushing her against the wall and holding her wrists above her head with one hand as my body pressed against hers. I trailed my knuckles across her soft cheek as she shivered and whimpered under my touch.
Leaning forward, I brushed my lips against her ear, enjoying the way her breath hitched against me. “Let’s get something crystal clear, right now, baby girl. If I ever hear you talk about yourself like that again, I’m going to put you over my knee.”
She squeaked in indignation, making no move to get away from my grip, though. Anastasia’s eyes were wide, a rosy blush spreading across her skin. Her tongue peeked out and licked her bottom lip…like she was imagining licking me.
“Do you understand me, Anastasia?” I growled.
I could feel her chest heaving against me, her breasts brushing my chest with every breath she took. I felt like a sick piece of trash that my dick was hardening as her black eye glared at me. But I couldn’t help it.
Anastasia Lennox was a sickness in my bloodstream that I had no desire to cure.
When she still hadn’t said anything, I lifted my head so I could study her face. “I’m waiting, Ms. Lennox.”
She scowled at me for a long moment, biting down on her lip like she always did. I used my other hand to free it from her punishing bite.
“Yes, Daddy,” she spit sarcastically. I growled, pleasure shooting through me, my dick going from half-mast to fully erect. I liked that far more than I would’ve thought.
Fuck, I actually loved it.
I pressed my lower half against her stomach so she could feel how turned on I was.
Her eyes widened, and I stroked her fluttering pulse with my thumb. “Now that you’ve decided to be a good girl, tell me what you need.”
All at once her whole body fell, all the fight leaking out of it. “Why do you care?” she whispered brokenly. “You can’t do anything about it.”
“I want to help you more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my entire life,” I told her truthfully.
That seemed to be another one of those invisible landmines because she stiffened again, trying to pull away from my touch. I was afraid she was going to hurt herself, so I let her go, taking a step away so she wouldn’t feel the need to fight me.
“Help?” she spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Right. Like that’s possible. Go back to your perfect life and forget about me.”
“Impossible,” I breathed, reaching forward to push a piece of hair out of her face.
“Why?” she challenged, tears welling in her eyes. “Why do you even care? I’m a mess. You can’t fix me, Camden. Why do you even pay any attention to me at all? You don't know me, and you don't want to. So just stay away from me. I can’t take any more disappointment.”
Anastasia turned and stormed back into the washroom, slamming the door behind her. I stood there for a moment, fists clenched, but then my anger faded into a calm peace. My course was set. She needed help, and if she wouldn’t accept it willingly…
I’d make her.
I went to follow her, and the pink-haired employee that she worked with was suddenly in the doorway, a fierce look on her face as she blocked my path.
“Don’t even try it,” she growled. “That girl’s had enough.”