Page 44 of Royally Lucky

“Yeah. He and his ole’ lady arrived about half an hour ago.”

“Cool. See ya.”

Sutton felt Kendrick squeezing her hand, unfurling her fingers from around the worm. “What’s wrong?”

Kendrick held her hand in his, facing her with a worried frown.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m worried about what will happen to me and them and everything.”

He released her hand and tugged her onto his lap. “You’re not alone, Passerotta. Whatever tomorrow brings, I’m going to be with you.”

Sutton crossed her arms over her chest. “You can’t be with me every second of every day, Kendrick. My life is here whileyours is halfway across the country. How’s that going to work? Are you going to have Keys keep an eye on me and report back to you? What about that seems fair to you or me?”

His arms tightened around her. “We’ll discuss the logistics of all the details, Sutton. Right now, let’s tackle one thing at a time. I’m not leaving California for a while. When I do, we’ll discuss it at length.”

His idea of a while and her timetable could be two totally different lengths, though. Hers being like fifty years. His timeline was probably a couple of weeks. Totally different.

Chapter Twenty-One

Sutton stood under the hot water pounding down on the back of her head. Her hair hung before her face, but she couldn’t summon the energy to push it back.

She braced her hands on the tile in front of her, wondering how long it would take before the water got cold. As a teenager, she stayed in the shower until the hot water turned cold, almost freezing.

The door opened, letting in a cold breeze.

“You’re going to turn into a wrinkly mess if you stay in here much longer, Passerotta,” Kendrick rumbled.

“I’m gathering the energy to get out.”

That’s a lie. She can admit that to her subconscious.

“Hmmm. Did you know I can tell when someone isn’t telling the truth, and when someone lies to me? I have to punish them?”

Her body reacted to his words like a starving man offered a hamburger. She leaned back against his tall, naked frame, shivering at the delicious feel of his warmth. “Oh really? And how do you punish those who you deem liars?”

His hand came around, pressing against her abdomen. She tried to remain calm and act unfazed. Failing miserably. If only she could shut her emotions off. In his arms, she felt sheltered. Safe. He made her feel emotions Sutton thought were only real in fairytales and fictional books she read on the down low. If she were being honest, she could see Kendrick as the hero in her favorite author’s novels. Xaden Riorson might be a fictional character, unlike Kendrick, and okay, he’s sexy as fuck. Plus, his relationship with Violet is swoon-worthy.

“Does the thought of me punishing you excite you, or is it something else?” One hand slipped up her body, gripping her neck. She froze, unsure what he planned to do next. His hand forced her head back, making her look over her shoulder to meet his electric green stare. “Answer me. Does the thought of me spanking your ass or forcing your submission in another way excite you?”

She sucked in a deep breath, nodding. “Yes.”

“Yes, to which?” he asked, tightening his fingers on each side of her neck.

She placed her hand over his, loving how careful he was even when cutting off her blood supply while ensuring he didn’t press too hard on her windpipe. “Yes, it excites me knowing you will punish me and that those punishments will lead to pleasure.”

His hand tightened and then released, making her whimper at the loss. Kendrick chuckled. His big, scarred hand turned as he ran his knuckles down her chest and over her nipples, making her moan. “You’re so needy. I love hearing you tell me what you like and don’t like. Let’s see if you like this.”

His fingers gripped the tip of one nipple and twisted. She cried out, standing on her toes as he pulled harder. Kendrick’s other hand wrapped around her hair, pulling her head back, forcing her into an arch.

“Kendrick, please.” She didn’t know what she was begging for. Him to stop, or him to fuck her. Both sounded divine.

“Oh, I plan to please us both, baby girl. I want to hear you screaming my name by the time I finish fucking you. God damn, Sutton. The thoughts that ran through my head when they’d taken you...” He let out a growl.

His hand tightened in her hair further, almost past the point of erotic pain to straight pain that she worried he might rip some strands from her head. Yet she didn’t tell him. They both needed reassurance that she was okay.

The hand on her breast moved down her body to cup her between her legs, cutting off her words and her breath.

“You’re mine, Sutton. Mine to touch. Mine to own. Mine to protect. The next bastard who tries to take you from me will learn the hard way I’ll kill for you. Fuck, I’ll give up my life for you.”

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