Page 48 of Kept

She wriggles underneath me, and I squeeze her wrists in light warning. “Did you not promise Maverick you wouldn’t leave the house without one of us?”

Her mouth opens, then closes again. “You’re right here, though?”

Her hopeful tone draws a small laugh from my chest. Sneaky. I can get on board with that, and my own lips lift in response.

“Looks like you’ve got yourself an out,” I say. She wriggles, her face flushing as my hips shift against hers.

“We should go back,” she says, and the first hint of trepidation enters her eyes when I don’t move. “R-Ryder?”

Leaning down, I brush her mouth with mine, just once, inhaling the shaky sound that comes from her lips. “And if I don’t want to let you go? What would you do then, princess?”

I watch the realization hit, the way her breathing changes as she pushes against me. I don’t move.

“The world is a bad place, Zella,” I say quietly. “Moore got that right, at least. And while you’re safe on our land, I wouldn’t recommend running at night anywhere else. You understand?”

She nods, her eyes flickering between my face and the forest behind me. Her face softens, the fear sliding away.

“I’ve never been outside,” she whispers shakily. “It’s so beautiful out here, Ryder.”

I swallow as I shift back. At this point, I wouldn’t have a clue if it was all burning to the ground around us.

The only thing I see is her.

Clambering up, I hold a hand out, her small hand swallowed inside mine as I lift her up. She winces as she stands, and I glance down to her bare feet.

“Have you cut yourself?” I demand. My words come out more harshly than I meant, and she shifts uncomfortably. “I don’t care. It was worth it. I– ak!”

She flails in my grasp as I turn and stride for the house. She’s all soft curves and warm female in my arms, my arm reaching under her thighs and hand gripping the curve of her bare hip.

She tries to protest, and I growl. “Enough, Zella.”

“But—”

“No,” I snap irritably. Turns out I do actually have a line, and it’s Zella hurting herself. For fucks’ sake. She looks up at me, and that fucking lower lip of hers is trembling.

“I’ll take you back out tomorrow,” I grit out. Anything to make her stop looking like someone drowned her puppy. “Afterwe’ve found you some fucking shoes.”

The smile she gifts me with in return lights up my entire chest.

Ignoring her protests, I carry her through the main doors, taking the stairs two at a time until we reach my room. Zella looks around curiously as I carry her through into my bathroom. “This isn’t my bedroom.”

“No, it’s not.” Lifting her to sit on the vanity, I yank open drawers until I find a first aid kit. She watches me silently as I run a clean cloth under the water until it warms and drop to my knees.

Taking her ankle in my hand and making a valiant effort to not look at the fucking heaven tempting me mere inches away, I wipe away the dirt as gently as I can, pausing every time she winces. My fingers rub her ankle, reassuring her.

“A few scratches. Not too serious,” I note, smoothing some cream over her foot that makes her hiss. Her skin is ridiculously soft.

“I didn’t think about that,” she admits ruefully. “I just wanted to run.”

Her hair trails next to us, and a glance tells me it’s full of mud and sticks from the forest floor. That’s a problem for tomorrow. Getting to my feet, I hold up my hand and motion her to wait, ducking back into the bedroom.

When I walk back in, Zella glances up at me shyly. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and that delicious flush is fucking everywhere.

She looks edible.

Swallowing, I step closer. “Arms up, princess.”

When she raises them, I slide her arms into the soft material, tugging it down until she’s covered. Gently, I thread her hair through the top until the full length is out, as she watches me.

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