Savage Savior (Savage People 3)

“I’m gonna be honest, J. The fucking apocalypse couldn’t keep me away from him at this point. Which brings me to my next point. You’re clam jamming me.”

Jade throws back her head and cackles.

“Oh my fucking God, you did not just say that.” She grabs my head and smothers me with her boobs, falling into the bed on top of me, peppering me with kisses. “My little Dahlia is growing up and finally giving up that V-card. And to her step-dad, no less. Go big or go home, am I right? I’ve never been so proud.” She continues her assault on me as I fight my way out of her cleavage and swat her hands away.

“Nobody’s losing anything if you don’t get out of here.”

She snags her purse off the end of my bed and stands up swiftly, just like that, a giant smirk spreads across her face as she slips her flats back on.

“Fine, I’ll go. But on one condition.”

I roll my eyes, already knowing where this is going.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll call and tell you all about it later.”

She arches an eyebrow. “With details?”

“Down to the number of inches,” I grunt, burying my face in the fluffy teddy bear, feeling my neck and ears reddening.

“Damn straight baby girl.” She smacks a loud kiss on my cheek and then hugs me uncharacteristically long. Then she lingers on the threshold, fingering the doorframe before swiveling on her heels to face me.

“I really am sorry about tonight, Dahl,” she says in a quiet voice. “And I know this is all kinds of forbidden, but I see the way he looks after you, the way he looks at you. You deserve something good. Don’t be afraid to take that shit.”

I don’t know why, but her words make me want to cry. I know my life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, but I never complain about it. Knowing that it’s obvious to other people, even if she is my best friend, makes it somehow seem worse. I know she wants the best for me, and even after three years of friendship, sometimes I’m still not used to anyone being on Team Dahlia. I want to listen to her advice. I want to be a taker for once in my life. I don’t want to risk speaking, because fuck feelings, so I simply nod to let her know I’m picking up what she’s putting down. Jade’s scarlet lips form a small, knowing smile and she gives me a curt nod before leaving my room, closing my door behind her.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

This is happening.

This is really happening.

I am going to have sex with the man who bought me the teddy bear that I’m hugging.

No, the man who took care of me. The man who gave me a new life.

This is happening, and I want it.

Graham still hasn’t shown his face, so I took the opportunity to wash and shave everything. And I mean everything. After basically contorting myself into a pretzel in attempt to get to those hard-to-reach areas, I towel-dry my hair and put on my Pink Sugar lotion that smells like actual sugar cookies. I actually feel pretty good after my shower, all things considered. I have a headache from knocking my head, and my lip is swollen, but other than that, I’m ready for some action. Jade is right. I should be all kinds of fucked up about what Shawn tried to do to me, but I’m not. Because at the end of the day, he didn’t. And after what Graham did to him, whatever it is, I know he’ll never try again.

I pick out a baby pink cotton nightie with lace trim and white polka dots. It probably doesn’t scream experienced sex kitten, but I leave off the underwear for easy access, hoping it evens things out.

I contemplate painting my nails to pass the time, but I decide against it, not knowing when Graham would make an appearance. Wet nails on my pristine white bedding probably wouldn’t be a good idea. I flip through an eBook on my phone, but I can’t focus on the words. I give up after reading the same paragraph approximately seventeen times. The air is heavy with lust and anticipation. I snag my earbuds off my dresser and decide to listen to some music. Apparently, all the excitement of the day finally hits me because I start to doze off. I try to fight sleep but it catches up with me. All the adrenalin coursing through my body earlier made me tired, and all of a sudden, my eyelids become heavy, too heavy. I call his name one last time before drifting off, and then I’m done.

I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep before I feel Graham’s massive body blanket my own. I stretch and hum contentedly while my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. He hasn’t turned on the lights, but there’s some light pouring from the hallway and into my room. His dark hair is wet and a soft lock hangs in his eyes. He’s in a plain white tee shirt and what feels like thin cotton pajama pants against my legs. I’ve never seen him so dressed down and it catches me off guard. I decide that I love comfy Graham. I think I want to keep him. He drags his nose up my throat and inhales deeply before tugging my headphones out with his teeth.

“What’ve you done to him?” My voice is groggy from sleep and exhaustion, and my eyelids are droopy, but I can still see through the mist of sleep the gorgeous dangerous man next to me. And he’s done something bad tonight. I can see it in his eyes.

“Dahlia.” His voice is steel and he didn’t call me Dolly. “He’s not going to bother you anymore.”

I gulp. I thought as much, but what did he do to him? I press my body to his and suck in a ragged breath.

“Tell me how you punished him.” I feel my spine tingling with lust, and I hate that I love how violent this man is. But instead of cooperating, he chuckles softly and traces his long finger through the valley of my breasts, leaving shivers in his wake.

“You act like I owe you shit. This is so sweet. No, I’m not going to tell you anything.”

“Why?” I croak. His hand finds my throat and he wraps his fingers around it, his grip tightening gently.

“Because I want you hot for me. Not disgusted. Not scared. Aroused. Are you feeling fucked-up tonight, Baby Dolly?” He tugs at my nightie, his voice smooth and dark.