Page 35 of Seducing Sasquatch

I nod. “I have a photo of her in my phone case.”

Patting my thigh, Arden kisses the top of my head. “Go get it, baby.”

Crawling from his lap is a mission, as I slide on his soft furry thighs. Arden holds my waist with his big hands and helps me to my feet. I rush to where my phone sits on charge in the kitchen and pop the case off. Inside, the little cutout of my mom looks back at me.

I carry her to Arden, letting him pull me onto his lap once more as I cuddle into his side. “That’s her. And she’s holding me.”

My mom smiles back at me with my baby self cradled in her arms, just like the way Arden holds me now.

“She’s beautiful,” Arden hums. “You look just like her.”

I’d heard that a lot before she died. In fact, I heard it most at her funeral. We both shared blonde hair and hazel eyes, but others said we both shared the same kind heart.

“What’s her name, baby?” Arden drops his face against my hair and sucks in a deep breath.

“Abbie,” I reply. “She and my father met in college.”

Humming quietly, Arden’s large fingers sweep across mine as they gently take the photograph from my grip. “Abbie is right. You should be anyone you want and do anything you like. Following what your father wants wouldn’t be in your best interest. There’s a whole world out there, baby. One filled with adventure and excitement. You don’t have to be a lawyer just because it’s what your father wants.” Arden places my mom’s photo on the coffee table.

The pit in my stomach sinks and dread flows in, filling me to the brink. “But I can’t. He won’t take no for an answer. I’ve tried, but he won’t listen.” I hide my face against Arden’s chest, shielding myself from the world. “He knows I’m here. He knows I’m in this town. My father gave me the rest of the week before he would come find me and take me back.”

Arden stiffens beneath me, his arms wrap around my body and a deep, gurgled growl explodes through the cabin. It shakes his chest, and then his entire body is moving. I squeal as I’m lifted high into the air, the cabin blurring around us as Arden carries me down the hall and into the darkness of his bedroom.

I’m weightless for only a moment before I land on the bed with a bounce. Arden is a huge shadow that sweeps across the room, tossing the blankets and sheets up around me, piling pillows and other soft items on me, until I’m shrouded in bedding.

“Daddy,” I whine. “What are you doing?”

His mountainous form clambers onto the bed and I’m amazed the weight of him doesn’t make it collapse. His canines flash in the fading light as he approaches me with his eyes darkening. “Protecting you.”

His voice is hardly human. Instead, it’s more like a snarl a bear would make. Yet, as I’m pulled back into his chest, with the blankets and pillows pressing into me from all angles, I suddenly feel the safety net he’s now made.

“Your father can’t take what’s mine.” Arden’s voice rumbles through me. “You will never have to set foot in your father’s house again, baby. You’ll never have to worry about being someone you don’t want to become.”

My heart sings and I burrow deeper into the plush nest that surrounds me. “Thank you, Daddy.”

Arden’s pleasant hum vibrates through me but my mind races. Despite his promise to keep me from my father’s orders, the thought still sits like a lead weight in my stomach. I’m not sure how exactly I can persuade my father to let me live here. With Arden. With another man.

He definitely won’t like me challenging his wishes for me, let alone coming out as gay. Throughout my years growing up in that empty house, I’ve seen the way my father sneers when the topic of same-sex love is brought up, either online or from work colleagues. How his face morphs into pure disgust.

“Sleep, baby boy. I’ve got you now.” Arden’s hushed voice runs across my cheek as he lays a gentle kiss on my skin.

I tilt my head back, my face meeting his from where he sits behind me, cradling me between his spread thighs. My gaze darts to his parted lips, those sharp canines sprouting from his lower lip.

Yet something else amongst his handsome features captures my attention. Sliced, from his brown down to his cheek, a faded scar lines his skin. It’s so faint I didn’t notice it until now.

“You have a scar?”

Arden’s eyes narrow as he smiles, letting out a breathy laugh. “Would you believe I got into a fight with a grizzly back when I was a teenager?”

I shake my head. “Surely not.”

Arden hums, not denying it as his tongue swipes across his upper lip.

Leaning forward, I press my mouth to his, tasting the same mountain air on his breath that I remember from the hot spring. Arden’s tongue licks across mine as I open my jaw wider, accepting him inside. His teeth poke at me gently but his mouth burns as he devours my whimpers and whines.

Pulling away, Arden’s golden gaze practically glows in the darkness as he smiles kindly. “Thank you for accepting me. For seeing my beast and not hating me for it.”

How could I not accept him? He’s everything and more. He’s the first man to not give up on me, who wants to see me become someone I want to become.