Aleki’s mother was Samoan and he had black hair that curled when he let it grow and cocoa-colored skin. A big, tribal tattoo wound its way from his hand up his arm. He was the shortest of the three, but the most muscular. And he always had a grin on his face.
Wolfe stepped forward. He was quieter. More thoughtful than the other two. He always made her feel calm and centered. She entered his embrace, and just breathed him in. With his glasses, lean build and messy, blue-black hair people often underestimated him. But that’s the way he liked it. The man could move like a ghost when he needed to.
“So, Arianna,” Caleb said, turning her back to him. “Want to explain why you haven’t been answering my messages? Why there’s a big dude glaring daggers at us? And why the hell you’ve been crying?”
Bain was livid.
About to breathe fire, livid.
And it was all aimed at the three men who were daring to touch his woman. Caleb actually pulled her behind his back while the other two moved in to surround her.
“Easy, man, calm down,” Dominic told him. “They’re Ari’s friends. Caleb knows Kent, remember?”
“Someone better fucking explain to me what is going on,” Caleb demanded. “We’ve been trying to get hold of Ari for days. We’ve been traveling for over twenty hours. I’m on a very short fuse and getting here to find she’s been crying; the match is about to be lit.”
“I don’t fucking care,” Bain snapped back. “Hand her over now.”
“It really would be best if you let Arianna out before he explodes,” Dominic said calmly.
“Aleki, let me go. You guys all need to calm down. I’m sorry I worried you. It was inexcusable of me. I just needed a break, but I should have called you. I’m so sorry. And now you’ve made a long journey for no reason. I feel terrible.”
“It’s okay, Ari,” Caleb told her soothingly. “Calm down, sweetheart. We’re not mad at you. I’ve never known you not to answer the phone, so yeah, we were freaked. But I’m guessing there’s a reason you didn’t have your phone on.”
“I took her phone and laptop,” Bain told him. “She was stressed. She needed a break. Let her go. Now.”
“No. The two of you can now leave. You’ve done the job I hired you to do but we’re here now. We’ll take care of Arianna.”
“Over my dead fucking body,” Bain snarled, taking a step forward, his hands clenching into fists.
“All of you stop it!”
It was obvious Arianna was getting more upset, which just fueled his anger. But then the dark-skinned guy let out a small grunt.
“Ouch, Ari, what’d you kick me for?”
“Out of the way!” She slid past him, but Caleb grabbed her as she went to go past him.
“Let her go!” Bain yelled.
“Bain! Stop!” she snapped at him. Then she turned to Caleb. “And you stop too!”
“You wouldn’t turn off your phone unless they made you. And you’ve been crying! You never cry!”
“I was crying because. . .” she paused and took a deep breath. “Bain spanked me, okay?”
“What?” Caleb roared, stepping forward.
“He’s my Daddy!” she yelled out before he could reach Bain.
Caleb froze. “What?”
He turned towards Arianna. She pressed her hands to her cheeks with a groan. “I can’t believe this is happening. You wanted me to find a Daddy Dom? Well, I did.”
“Him?” Caleb gestured to Bain.
“He’s a good guy, Caleb.”
“What was he spanking you for?” Aleki demanded to know.