Page 26 of Dark Torment

JONATHAN

God,she’s too adorable for words. And that dress. Fucking help me, because I’ve been hard as stone since I got close to her in it.

I knew she was beautiful before, but she tends to always cover up her body or hide it. This dress, though? It’ll be the death of me.

She’s like a walking fucking dream with the way it cinches at her waist with a belt before flowing into a skirt.

Would it be cheesy of me to call her Sunflower? Because I think it suits her.

She’s beautiful without being flashy, and she brightens up my life like nothing else ever has. She does it for Shelby as well.

She even brightens up her customers’ days without even realizing it because she always has a warm smile and kind words for anyone she comes into contact with. And don’t even get me started on how gentle she is with animals.

Fuck, I’m about to adopt a previously abused dog because the look in her eyes told me she wanted her.

Sadie. There’s something about this dog that has my woman’s heart, and I will make sure Olivia gets to have her. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Though, with the recent development of Jeff’s body being discovered, I will probably need to adjust my timeline slightly.

I’m finding myself overly furious with Ben now that I’ve cloned Olivia’s phone and seen the messages. It was easier than I’d anticipated to clone her phone outside of the restaurant that night. But all the fucking messages dating back months and years from him? All of them hateful.

He has never once said a kind word to his little sister that I could see. It grates on my nerves that she lets him belittle her like that. Allowing him to make her feel less than her worth.

She’s a fucking goddess among us but sees herself as worthless.

It ends tonight.

“I like your laugh,” I tell her, focusing on something that will calm my nerves, so she doesn’t sense the danger lurking within me.

It’s a part of me I don’t want her to see until it’s time. If she sees it now, she will be worried I would use it against her and that would never happen.

She stops laughing, blushing like crazy, and I want to do everything to keep that innocence there forever.

“Sorry.” She giggles a little more before righting herself. “I’m good, I promise.” She holds her hand up like she’s promising to tell the truth in court, and it’s sweet.

“If that news was too upsetting for you, I can take the forms home and contact the shelter myself,” I tell her.

It takes work not to grind my jaw at the idea of that asshole’s lifeless body bothering her, but I have to remember she’s not like me. She doesn’t live with this darkness inside of her the way I do.

“No, sorry. It’s just, you seem to read me better than anyone I’ve ever met, and it unnerves me.” She sighs, looking nervous.

“It’s my job to read people, but I never meant to make you uncomfortable.” I lift my hand to cup her cheek, caressing it softly.

“I—I’m not uncomfortable with you. That’s the thing that scares me the most,” she whispers, and I nod, giving her a gentle smile before forcing myself to pull away.

I don’t miss the flash of disappointment in her eyes from the loss of my touch, and it pleases me.

Soon, baby. Soon you will have all the attention you could ever want and need from Daddy.

“So, what all do I need to do to ensure Sadie comes home with me?” I ask her, stopping my straying thoughts.

If I think about my plans for her, I’ll lose the small control I have on my desire and act too soon. I have to do this right.

“Oh, I have the forms here. If you fill them out and take them to the local shelter, they’ll run a quick background check to make sure you have nothing that suggests violence. It’s a waiting period of a few days to a week, but they’ll hold her for you while the check comes through.” She smiles at me.

Yeah, no way am I waiting for the background check to come through. I know it will be clear, but I want to know Sadie is safe at home with me, so she’s comfortable with me and the house before I bring my girl home.

I’m sure working for the DA’s office along with a kind donation will get them to waive their standard waiting time.

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