Dungeon Games (Masters and Mercenaries #6.5)(53)

He didn’t like the fact that her brother-in-law had shown up and suddenly someone had her name on a grain of rice and that meant death. Yeah, one plus one equaled two, and that usually meant that money was involved.

Money was involved far more often than psychosis. Most people with hormonal challenges got help and never hurt a person. People who were greedy on the other hand…

Karina walked his way. God, she was gorgeous. His Gorgeous Girl. His. Fucking his. She wouldn’t stray. She wouldn’t look another way. She would take all that love and lust and send it his way if he was lucky. She would take that sexy feminine energy and spend it on the man who brought her comfort and pleasure and who made her feel loved.

He was going to be that man. He was going to be that man if it killed him.

“Hey, I got you a rum and Coke.” She smiled his way and winked to let him know it was just a Coke. Hers would be the same.

He kind of thought hers would be the same for a different reason. How did he tell her that it was okay? How did he tell her he didn’t give a f*ck? Would she even believe a damn word he said at this point?

There was only one reason he could think of if she had a record. Karina Mills wouldn’t harm another person. Karina wouldn’t commit armed robbery or even shoplift.

But if her life was bad, she might hurt herself. She might have taken drugs to escape when she was young.

And he knew damn well she would pull herself up and fix the problem because that was the kind of woman she was. She was strong and brave and so f*cking gorgeous it hurt to look at her.

She was everything a man could want.

“Thanks, gorgeous.” It hurt to not call her what she was. He knew it was dumb, but she was his baby. He’d never called Maia that. When he was young, it was because that was what his dad called his mom. As he’d gotten older, he’d realized that Maia wasn’t his baby.

Karina was his baby. He might never say it, but it was true. She was the one.

He’d been a dumbshit *, but she was the one.

She smiled Sean’s way. Again, a very pretty smile, but not the one reserved for her lover. He was her lover and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure it stayed that way.

He took his Coke and maneuvered his way next to her. “Thanks, gorgeous. What did Master Will want?”

“He’s not feeling well. He just came over to tell me he and Starr are heading home. He wanted to make sure I was okay.” She took a sip and smiled his way.

God, how did he tell her he loved her? He’d f*cked this up on a fundamental level. She had to think he wouldn’t accept her. He hated she thought so little of him.

He looked at the clock. It was past one. The club would be open for a little bit more, but they were past the heavy scenes. He’d avoided them tonight. If he’d been at Sanctum, he would have stripped her down and flogged her. He would have tied her to a cross and laid into her, but he didn’t trust the eyes on her here. At Sanctum they would honor his claim. The minute he got a real collar around her throat the men would praise her beauty, but no one would make a move on her. They would honor her for the gorgeous submissive she was.

Here, he worried they would simply take her. Without love. Without honor. Without thought to who she really was. Gorgeous. Smart. So f*cking strong she brought him to his knees.

“Are you ready to go?” He wanted to get her out of here. He wouldn’t feel good until he had her back at his place, behind locked doors and in his bed. He’d long ago learned to trust his instincts and they were telling him it was time to stop. Karina didn’t know it, but she was going to his place tonight.

“If you think it’s the right time, then yes.” Karina nodded his way, obviously giving in.

She wanted to stay and if he thought for a second it was in her best interest, in her interest in any way, he would likely turn it around. It wasn’t. None of this was. He was going to tell the Rangers tomorrow to f*ck themselves and he and Karina were going on a vacation. He would give them every lead he had, but his girl was out of this. Nothing was worth her safety. She was the most precious thing in the world to him. If he lost his job, then Ian f*cking Taggart better get ready for a new employee.

He was putting Karina first.

“Go and change your clothes. Don’t take long and don’t bother with a shower. I’ll just get you dirty again.” He couldn’t walk out and get into the car with her in a corset and thong. Though it should be legal because she was so pretty.

She glanced Sean’s way and her bratty beautiful eyes rolled. “He’s going to kill me, Sean. I’ll see you both back here in ten.”

She sashayed her way toward the locker room. God, he wasn’t going to let that go. Her ass was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.

And she needed him. She needed him to center her. She needed him so she didn’t devolve into chaos and dirt. God only knew her bathroom needed him.

He would move her into his place. Better yet, he would let her pick a place and then properly organize their stuff and hire a maid. She would cook and he would handle the daily cleaning.

They would be happy.

“Dude, you’re in too deep,” Sean said.

He shrugged. “I don’t want to be anything else.”

“Then I apologize. You’re in just deep enough.”

He could happily drown if she would just keep smiling his way.