Page 28 of Saved By The Mountain Man

I held her a little tighter, giving her my strength if she needed it.

“Look, if you need some damn dick between your legs, there are plenty of men at the compound that I can let you have. But you don’t need to date any of them. And you sure as hell don’t need to date one who is twice your age. Who already screwed up his life and isn’t loyal.”

“Now wait a minute there, Josh. I was loyal. I gave you everything. But you also told me I wasn’t allowed to follow my heart. So, the one moment I did, that I wanted something for myself, you stabbed me multiple times and left me on the side of the road.

“You can’t blame Brandi if she doesn’t want to deal with a man who has issues like that. And the men at the club aren’t any better. Also, might I add, I’m really surprised you’d allow her to be treated like a whore, again.”

I didn’t mean to drop that surprise, after all, it wasn’t mine to speak of, but to hear him talk about her like that, set my blood on fire. I mean, I knew he was an asshole, but he really thought it was okay to toss her out like that? His own daughter?

“What do you mean, again?” he asked, looking between us. “Did you screw her beforehand and toss her aside, Hugh? Was she pregnant and there’s a kid running around that’s yours?”

“Oh, give it a rest, Dad. No, that is not the case. Stop jumping to conclusions,” Brandi huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at him. “You don’t need to know the crap that happened, okay? It’snot about you; it was never about you. And it would all be a lot easier for all of us if you just got on your bike and left. Without me.”

“That will never happen. Now tell me what the hell does he mean!”

I looked at Brandi, offering her a smile. Again, I didn’t mean for it to come out, but I was on a roll and the words just came tumbling out.

Okay, really, I think deep down I wanted to put this man in his place, knock him down a peg or two without ever laying a hand on him.

Was that smart?

Far from it.

But it happened, and I couldn’t get it back. However, I wasn’t going to let her tell this story alone. I would be right by her side, walking through it with her.

“Brandi, tell me,” Josh demanded, his look and body language filling in the blanks of what he wasn’t saying, what we weren’t hearing.

I stood a little straighter and rubbed her back. She gave me a grateful smile and turned to face her dad.

“Remember quite a few years ago when you sent me up to Colorado?”

I watched as her dad bristled, and felt some sick, twisted satisfaction at the words coming his way.

***** Vixen*****

I took a deep breath as I finished the story, realizing that I was wrapped up tightly around Hugh, and I didn’t care. I know he didn’t mean to start it, but it was also high time that my dadknew just all the ways he didn’t give a shit about me, no matter what he wanted to believe.

And okay, I’ll give it to him that in his twisted mind, he might have been doing something right, but it wasn’t right to me, or for me. And as an adult, I needed to stop it. Needed to back away from him. Needed to save my own sanity, and that meant having distance between me and him. No matter the cost.

“So,” he started, arms crossed, and I lifted my brow, ready for whatever he was going to throw my way. “What the hell took you so long to say anything?”

I rolled my eyes and looked at Hugh, who shrugged.

“Really? That’s what you tell me? Not that you’re sorry it happened, or some sorry ass bullshit. You just ask why I never said anything?”

“What should I say, Brandi? You’re screwing a man who’s almost twice your age.”

I let my jaw drop at the implication he was laying down. No way in hell did he think I was lying. Or that I condoned what happened years ago. But instead of letting me swing, Hugh did it, catching my dad off guard.

I knew what that would cost him if his guys came running so I quickly stopped him, shaking my head.

“He’s not worth it, babe,” I whispered, grabbing his cheeks and making him look at him. “He’s not worth it,” I repeated, needing him to hear me.

When he finally looked at me, I mean really looked, I nodded, letting him know I was okay. With a shaky smile, I turned around, watching my dad as he wiped blood from his nose.

“You fucked up, Demon,” my dad roared, standing up to his full height, as if that was a trick of the trade either one of us would fall for.

“Go away,” I told him quietly.

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