Page 20 of Own

Hester

Slowly blinking my eyes open, I glance around the room to see Cato and two other men quietly packing up boxes. Several are already taped up, and I notice some furniture is missing, like my reading chair, bookshelves, and grand mirror that Scarlett loved when they picked me up for dinner.

“Wh-wh-what’s h-h-h-happening?” It’s difficult to get the words out; my throat feels like it’s closing and blocking my airway as panic suffocates me.

Cato stops working to look back at me. Whatever he sees gets him to send the men away. The door silently closes behind them as the man in question sits on the bed in front of me.

Taking me by the waist, he drags me into his lap and grips my cheeks in his hands. “Breathe, pretty girl.” A breath whooshes out at his instruction, and he smiles, “Good girl.” A whimper lodges in my throat. I love when he says that to me. “You good?” I nod subtly, and he shakes his head. “No, kitten, I want words.”

I swallow deeply, then say, “Y-y-yes.”

He shakes his head again, leaving me confused.

“I want the right words, Hester.” God, that dominating tone sends shivers down my spine. I know what he wants, but I’m so uncertain about it. Leaning into the side of my neck, he whispers, “Take your time, kitten, there’s no rush.”

How could he know? I always feel the need to hasten my words when speaking to someone, or they’ll never come out. I think that’s part of why I stutter so much. I want to be heard…listened to, but I almost always fail because people can’t get past my speech patterns.

After inhaling and exhaling a few times, I lift my chin, borrow some of Cato’s confidence, and meet his startling, intense stare as I murmur, “Yes, Daddy.”

His lips crash over mine in a soul-searing kiss that shuttles me out of my body into orbit while he makes love to my mouth, jutting his tongue in and out, sweeping it across mine. It’s messy and wet, and my heart pounds so hard I can hear it while my blood rushes through my veins like a volcanic eruption.

A moan reverberates in my throat as he takes me down to the bed, lies over top of me, resting between my legs. Rubbing his rigid length against my core, my legs wrap around his hips, and I glide my fingers through his hair. Scratching his scalp with my blunt nails, Cato nips my lip until I whine.

“Fuck, kitten, I don’t know what it is about you calling me Daddy, but my dick is ready to explode and live inside your pussy until it’s raw, and even then, I don’t think I’ll ever want to leave.” His lips brush my jaw, kissing and nibbling along the way down my throat.

He pushes my shirt up, sucking in a sharp breath when he notices what I saw earlier. The red marks from large fists hitting me. It’s only a matter of time before they bruise, and then it’ll take weeks to heal.

Growling low in his throat, I almost look for a rabid dog until my brain realizes it’s the man between my legs. Cato turns feral, inspecting my damaged flesh, gently kissing each mark, and muttering in rage. His voice is so low I don’t hear the words clearly, which is probably for the best because this man seems to have a violent streak, and I don’t want to get in the middle of that.

“Kitten.” His lips wrap around a turgid nipple, and I gasp from the warmth of his mouth. He sucks deeply, making me ache in unfamiliar ways before moving to the other side and doing the same thing. “You’re coming to live with me.” He grinds between my legs, stealing any protest I would have had as I cry out in enjoyment.

“Daddy, puh-puh-please.” Begging is new for me.

His naughty chuckle is like a warning. “Not yet, pretty girl, but soon.” He continues to suck on my nipples while humping me through our clothes until there’s a knock on the door.

“Uh, boss,” I bite my lip, embarrassed that whoever it is might have heard me. “Kids are coming.”

Cato curses but doesn’t stop yet; instead, he moves down my body, tugs my pants below my hips, enough to expose me, and takes a long lick up the center of my body. I slam a fist into my mouth and bury my wail of pleasure as he does it one more time before we hear more voices outside.

Kissing back up my body, Cato fixes my clothes and steals another kiss, forcing me to taste myself on his lips. It’s strange but erotic, and I get the feeling he likes doing it to me.

“Later,” he mutters between kisses. “Tonight you’re all mine, and we won’t be coming up for air until I’ve had my fill.” The wicked promise in his eyes terrifies me. This man is a bulldozer, and I’m the wall he’s knocking down.

Once he’s certain we’re presentable, he opens the door, and Scarlett rushes in with a small box in her hand, looking ready to get to work. Nate gives his dad a suspicious look before greeting me.

“We came to help!” Scarlett declares, glancing around the room to figure out where she should start. Smiling, I crawl out of bed and guide her into the bathroom, somehow becoming a willing participant in an unexpected move.

“Ev-ev-everything h-h-here.” As I open the bottom cabinets for her, Scarlett gives me a funny look.

“Why do you stutter?” she asks, then places her box on the floor and kneels beside it. “I’ve never heard anyone do it as much as you.”

I become nauseous with embarrassment and can’t find it in me to answer, so I freeze.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, looking up into my mortified gaze as she grips my hand. “It makes you special.” She smiles angelically, and her innocence lets her believe that’s a good thing, so who am I to break that spell?

I offer a smile in return, still not saying a word as she chatters away about the things we’ll be able to do now that I’ll be living with them. Making plans for me to help her bake all the cupcakes she can eat and have personal story time without the mean kids who come to the library.

My forehead crinkles as I wonder who she’s talking about. Admittedly, I don’t witness most of the interactions between the kids because I’m usually back to work once I’ve answered everyone’s questions and helped them find books they’re looking for. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.