Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
“We did,” I whispered. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, Maddog.” He smiled at me. It was yet another piece of my past that had shaped who I was. For years after I’d come here and settled in with all the people here, I’d refused to answer to anything other than Maddog. I’m sure a therapist would have loads of fun with that little tidbit. I was sure I did it because “Maddog” wasn’t afraid of anything. Holly was afraid of everything.
Jax carried me to the waiting Bronco in the driveway. Razor drove us to the little house Jax had described. It was only four houses down the small block, but there was no way I was up to walking that distance and Jax knew it, bless him.
Once inside, he took me to the bedroom and sat on the bed, settling me between his legs. I was confused at first, but then he picked up a brush on the nightstand and began working it through my hair. I rested my chin on my knees and let the soothing strokes of the brush lull me into a space between asleep and awake when all I cared about was the next stroke of the brush.
The next thing I knew, Jax had laid me on the bed and wrapped himself around me. My hair lay in a long braid over my shoulder and Jax’s arm was solidly around my waist.
“Jax?”
“I’m right here, baby. Ain’t goin’ nowhere. Get some sleep and I’ll keep you safe. I’ll still be here when you wake up.” The last thing I felt was his lips on my neck as he whispered. “I love you, little Holly. I love you.”
Chapter Nine
Jax
Holly slept like the dead. After a couple hours, I had to move to a chair I’d pulled up beside the bed so she could see me if she woke and I could hold her hand if she needed me to. I wanted to hold her hand whether she was awake or not, but Wrath was blowing up my phone with information they were getting out of the girl. Alistair, the prick, wasn’t talking. Didn’t matter much if he talked or not. Apparently, his phone, and a private server he thought was impenetrable, had a wealth of information on them. None of it good for Chris Alistair the Third.
I’d just finished reading a text when Holly moaned and rolled over on her side, facing me. Her eyes opened and I reached for her hand.
“Hey, baby. Sore?”
She gave me a sleepy smile. “A little.”
“Fury sent something for pain if you need it. Not too strong, but it’ll help you sleep.”
“No.” Holly gripped my hand. “We need to talk first. Probably should have already.” Those clear blue eyes of hers could drown a man. Especially when she looked at him like she was looking at me now. There was no guile, no hedging. Holly was exactly as I saw her now. Sure, she could be brash and sarcastic, but I knew it was how she protected herself. When things were going wonderful in her life, she was like this all that time. When things got rough, she shored up her defenses and concentrated on surviving. Likely due to the leukemia she’d had as a child.
“We’ll talk about whatever you want to talk about, whenever you want to talk about it.”
She smiled. “Are you always going to give in to my demands?”
I couldn’t suppress my chuckle. “Probably. I’ll make sure I’m there when the fireworks start, and stand between you and whatever I have to until you’re ready to leave.”
“That’s such a ‘you’ thing to say, Jax.” She focused on my hand, threading her fingers through mine. “Are you and my dad OK?”
“We are, baby. Don’t worry about your dad. He and I can work out our own problems, but he’s going to allow me to make you my old lady.”
“I mean, you gave me a property cut and everything. It’s a little late, I suppose.”
“Never too late for a daddy to protect his little girl, but Wrath knows I’ll take care of you.”
Moisture leaked from her eyes, though she smiled through her tears. “You’ve always taken care of me.” With slow, deliberate movements, she raised her hand to my face, stroking my short beard. “I’ve loved you my entire life, Jax.” Her voice was barely a thread of sound, almost like she was talking to herself. “I know I haven’t always acted like it. I’m sorry for telling Mom and Dad you were mean to me when I was little. That wasn’t very nice of me.”
“Baby, don’t apologize for that. Never for that. It was the only way you could get one of them to come get me.” I chuckled softly, bringing her fingers to my lips where they were still laced with mine. I kissed her knuckles gently, letting my mouth linger on her skin. When I spoke, it was with her fingers still against my lips. “I admit the first time startled me. Especially when I opened the door to a scowling Wrath. He took a swing at me before telling me what was going on. Once he did, I knew what was wrong.”