Page 70 of Power and Possession

“Steele,” she slurred, looking at me angrily. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Her friend came to her side, grabbing her arm to pull her away from me.

I practically roared. “She’s mine! I’ll take care of her. If you know what’s good for you, leave.”

The blonde looked at Ashlynn, who nodded. She scampered off quickly back to whatever group of friends she came with.

“You can’t be here.” She pushed me lightly, not hard enough to even make me sway.

I grabbed her arm, feeling the electricity surge through me the second our skin connected. It was like every single synapse in my brain fired at the exact same time, urging me to hold on to her and never let go.

“I’m not yours to boss around,” she mumbled, her heel catching on absolutely nothing, yet she stumbled anyway.

“When you make bad choices that could hurt you, you are mine to boss around.” I pushed her through the door into the cold night air. The music thudded inside, the vibrations palpable, but the rest of the street was still. She instantly shivered, and I sighed and pulled off my sweatshirt and tugged it over her head. She struggled pulling her arms through, and up until that moment I didn’t realize just how inebriated she was.

I stood there in my t-shirt, staring at this woman who captivated my entire existence.

She opened her mouth to yell at me again, but then turned her head and puked all over the sidewalk.

By the time I got her to my townhouse, she had fallen asleep. I drove incredibly slow this time, completely opposite of my rage driving before. She had definitely overindulged, and I worried about her getting sick again. I didn’t give a damn if she puked in my car, but I knew she’d be incredibly embarrassed about it when she sobered up.

I pulled up into my garage and killed the engine. Most of my security team was gone, having been reassigned to watch Ashlynn’s house. I was pissed that they didn’t let me know that she left her home and came into London.

I walked over to Ashlynn’s side of the car and opened thedoor. She slept with her mouth wide open, her head tilted back unladylike against the headrest. A tiny bit of drool pooled in the corner of her mouth.

She’d never looked more beautiful.

I undid her seatbelt without waking her, and I scooped her up in my arms. She weighed hardly anything, and I was now worried that she hadn’t been eating properly. She had lost weight at the beginning of her captivity with me, but she’d put it back on before she was taken by her father. When she’d come back to take care of me, she was definitely thinner, but again she seemed to go back to her natural weight when she was with me at my estate.

I hated that she wasn’t eating well. I wanted her to be healthy and curvy.

She started to rouse as I carried her up the stairs.

“How did you find me?” she asked weakly.

“Your tracker,” I said, waiting for her to fly off the handle or even strike me at the invasion of her privacy.

“Oh,” was all she said, and then she rested her head against my shoulder and passed out again.

I brought her up to my bedroom, and when I set her down on my bed I had a flashback to the first night we’d spent together here. I sighed, wanting nothing more than to relive some of the passion we shared, but instead I focused on putting her to bed like she was a child.

Her dress had ridden up to her waist, exposing her toned thighs and the silk black panties she had on. I gulped hard, pulling the zipper down her back as I removed her dress. I hardened considerably in my jeans, but when I saw how thin she truly was, it was enough to push my desire right out the window.

Obviously she hadn’t been faring too well during our separation either.

I went through my closet and found one of my t-shirts, removed the sweater, and replaced it with the shirt. I kept her in just her panties, knowing that she wouldn’t be cold with me next to her.

She turned her head slightly as I tucked her into my bed. “Steele…” she murmured, grasping for me as I crawled in next to her.

“I’m here, Ash.” I pulled her tightly into my chest, warming her supple skin with my body. I covered her like a blanket, shielding her from the cold night and whatever lurked just outside the light and in the shadows.

“Don’t leave me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I replied, my lips grazing her forehead softly, watching as she drifted off.

It took me forever to fall asleep. The entire time I held her in my arms, I was scared shitless of losing her again. Even now, I feared that she’d wake up and leave as soon as her hangover was finished.

But I wouldn’t allow it this time.

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