Chapter 5

5

ACE

“ H ome sweet home,” I tell her when we pull up to the back of the bar. She peers out the window of the truck. Now I’m kicking myself in the ass for not having gotten a house. I could fix that, but first impressions can mean a lot. I don’t want her thinking I’m some player who hangs out at a bar all night for fun.

“Isn’t this a place people go to for alcohol?”

“That it is.” I watch her closely to see her reaction. “I know this is a big change for you, sweetheart, but you no longer have to worry about your safety. I’ll never let anyone touch as much as a hair on your head.” I want her to feel safe here.

“Bars are filled with sin.” A small smile pulls at her lips. She’s not wrong there.

I live in that bar, and the things I want to do to her are sinful. Fuck, the things I have thought about doing to her while I got myself off inside that bar were just as bad. That was before I’d even touched her. Knew that she smelled like vanilla and sweet apples. Who knows what my mind will conjure up next?

I want to punch myself in the dick. This is so not the fucking time. She doesn’t need this shit. I rescued her from a cult twenty minutes ago. Any time I touch her or move too quickly, I see her tense up. I’d be shocked if she wants to talk to men once she is completely free.

She’ll never be free of me.

I’ll have to punch myself in the head along with my dick at the barbaric thoughts I’m having. Neither of my heads are acting right. Not that I can stop that. Libby has this effect on me. It’s her own little superpower. She is the only one in the world that wields it.

“I live above it.” I grab my phone and the drone controller. “I’ll help you out. Stay put.” When I exit the truck, I land the drone before helping Libby down. I need to install a side step for her to be safe. I add it to the mental list I already have going. There is no doubt that she will be a part of my life. It might not be in the way I want it right now, but my brother and Winter are together. I don't think Libby will go far from her sister.

I’m careful not to pull her into me when I help her down. The urge to hold her, comfort her, and make her feel safe is riding me hard. It takes all my self-control not to be too overbearing. What the hell is wrong with me? I have never had this problem before. I interact with women all the time in the bar, but never have I had an ounce of interest in them.

“My leg isn’t that bad. I can get down on my own.”

“It’s not about your leg. It’s slick out and the truck is high.”

“Oh.” Her eyes brighten. She doesn’t want to be treated differently because of her leg. Libby has no idea I will treat her differently, and it has absolutely nothing to do with her leg. Which I will be getting checked out by a professional once she’s ready.

I punch in the code to the back door. The screen opens, allowing me to place my thumb on it. The lock clicks over.

“I feel like I’ve gone to the future.”

“I’m sure there is a lot you’ll want to see and learn.” She nods. I flip on the lights before opening the door wider so she can enter the back entryway. “The bar and kitchen are that way.” I gesture down the hallway toward the front. “My place is here.” I nod to the stairs. My hand goes to her back to guide her. The second I make contact, she stiffens. I jerk it back.

We both say sorry at the same time.

“It’s me that should be sorry,” I repeat. “I know you don’t want to be touched.” I need to work on keeping my damn hands to myself for now.

“It’s not that, really. Just not used to it. I mean not without…” She trails off, and I find myself almost feeling grateful. I'm not in the right frame of mind to hear the details of what she went through at the hands of the men at Heaven’s Temple. I'd lock her in my home and go back to Heaven’s Temple on a rampage. While it would be justified, right now, I need to focus on her. Everything else can be left for later.

“I know.” I say that so she doesn’t have to. Not until she is ready, at least. Libby gives me a small smile before heading up the stairs. I stay close behind her. When we get to the top, I once again enter the code before placing my thumb on the scanner.

“This is really cool.” A small laugh leaves her.

“It’s not really normal. I just have these kinds of locks because of my job.”

“At a bar?” I bark a laugh, opening the door for her. “What?”

“I own a bar. It’s not really my job. I have people manage it. It’s more for me to have roots here. My brother relocated here, so I followed suit.”

“Oh.” Her smile grows. “So you all are close then. Winter and I are close too.”

“Yeah, we’re close. Whether he likes it or not.”

“Right, because he enjoys being out in his cabin alone.”

“Not alone anymore.”

“That’s still a lot for me to take in. My sister has a boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend.” I chuckle. I don’t think Garrett or I have looked like boys since the seventh grade if I had to guess.

“I guess if he’s your size, he’s not a boy.” I don’t know why, but her comment makes me want to puff out my chest. No, I’m no boy, but I need to fucking remember she is a young girl. I know she’s legal, but still. Fuck me.

“We are built pretty much the same.” I begin to remove my gear. Libby takes a step back. “Not getting naked.”

“Oh, ah—” She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t think that.” Her cheeks flush. Damn is she cute when she gets flustered. How would she be if I got my mouth on her?

I turn to give her my back because my dick is coming to life again. Those thoughts are not going to help. When I turn back around, her eyes are curiously running over my place. I hadn’t thought about how someone else might see it. The only people who have ever been up here are my brother and a few contractors I hired to help with the construction of it.

“It’s an open floor plan, but the bathroom is private." I walk over to the barn-style door and slide it over to show her.

“So I’m staying here?”

“Till the storm dies down.” I really don’t want to think about that right now. There is no way I’m letting her leave, but I can’t say that. Shit, I shouldn’t even be thinking it with what she’s been through. I know it’s messed up, but that doesn’t change anything. She’s mine.

“You live alone?”

“Of course.” Has she been thinking otherwise? “I’m single.” I hold up my hand to show her my finger is bare. Well, I was single until I laid eyes on her.

“But people out here live together before marriage, right?”

“They do. I'm not one of them.”

“It's truly a whole new world for me.”

“That scare you?”

Libby lets out a small breath. “Not sure what I feel. It’s all so much. I thought I’d forever be under my father’s finger. No one was going to marry me because of my leg.” She shrugs her delicate shoulders. Again, I want to grab her up into my arms, but I stop myself.

“Bullshit,” I blurt out. Her brows lift in surprise. “You’re fucking gorgeous. Not to mention sweet. Your leg isn’t putting anyone off.”

There is no way that shit is true.

“You know, sometimes I did wonder. I thought a few showed interest, but my father always told me there weren't any requests for my hand.”

He’s full of shit, and that gives me a real fucking unsettling feeling. Why did her father want to keep her at home? There’s no way in hell anyone with eyes saw Libby and didn’t want her. By chance, she and I made eye contact, and she was all I could think about from that moment forward. Which tells me that for some reason, her father lied to her.

“Did your father have other wives?”

"No.” She shakes her head. “From what I was told, once they married Winter off, it was only going to be the three of us.”

My next thought ignites a burning sensation deep in my throat. I want to ask her if fathers have married daughters in their cult, but I don’t. I don’t want her mind going there either.

“You can make yourself comfortable if you want. Are you warm enough?” She has a few layers of clothing on.

“Actually, kind of hot.”

“I might have something you can wear if you want out of that dress thing.” I don’t want her in it, but I won’t make her change. But I do go to my closet to find what I can. I come up with a shirt and a pair of boxers. “You can wear this if you want. It might be more comfortable.”

“Thanks.” She takes them from me. “Do you mind?” Libby glances toward the bathroom.

“You don’t have to ask for anything here, babe. Use what you want. Make yourself at home. You are free to use the fridge and kitchen.”

“Really?” That perks her up some.

“Of course. Anything you want,” I tell her. Fuck, she could ask for anything, and if I don’t have it, I’ll get it. She’ll never want for anything again. Her wish is my command.

“Thanks,” she says again, stepping toward me, my clothes clenched close to her chest. I don’t move, not wanting to spook her as she draws closer. Libby lifts on her tiptoes, and I realize she is trying to kiss my cheek, but she’s still not tall enough. I lean down some for her, anticipating the way those soft pillowy lips will feel on my skin.

Her lips press against me. I bite back a groan. It’s not only the feel of them, but she braces her hands against me. Her sweet vanilla smell wraps around me. It’s enough to take me down.

“You’re a good man, Ace.”

If she had any idea what I wanted to do right now, she wouldn't think that. It took everything in me not to turn my head and steal a kiss. And fuck did I hate myself for that.

Libby has had enough taken from her. I would never do that to her. Even if it kills me.