Chapter Six

Robert leaned against the doorjamb to the family room, where his daughter and Grace sat on the floor playing a card game. He could tell his daughter was the one teaching Grace the game and how much they were enjoying it.

Over the last several days, he noticed more and more things about his new nanny. She was afraid of him but tried to hide it, and he’d caught a glimpse of a faded bruise on her upper arms. He knew she got them from her father, and he was doing everything he could to get information about the bastard. He wanted to take the man down in any way he could. So far, the Society had found several shady deals the man was involved with, and it just got worse the more they looked.

A few of his brothers in the Society had been looking into what was done to Grace, and it was worse than he first thought. No wonder she was afraid of him. She’d been abused and starved so many times he was amazed she was still alive. The fact she still had trouble looking him in the eyes bothered him, but he was determined to fix that. He had to remind himself a few times she’d only been with them a little over two weeks.

He was trying to find a way to keep Grace with him if her father tried to come for her. Oh, he knew she was an adult, but he didn’t trust the man not to find a way. Maybe being mentally unstable or even engaged to some man the bastard thought of.

Robert would hide her if he had to because there was no way in hell she’d ever go back to her father.

His eyes ran over Grace. He could tell she was gaining a little weight from all the food she’d been eating. She could still gain another twenty pounds or so, but he was not pushing. The fact that she was looking better and happier every day was enough.

Robert had started to notice that Grace wore the same unattractive dresses every day. Curious, he had Taylor check out her things, and they were both astonished to find she had very little. The clothing and bathroom items were the cheapest a person could get. Knowing how rich her father was made him hate the guy even more.

He and Taylor were buying things for her and putting them in her room. Nice shampoos, gels, bubbles, and hair accessories. There was more they wanted to buy her, but she’d been embarrassed when she found the things, and she had yet to wear any of the clothing. He wasn’t going to insist on it because he knew it would only be a matter of time before she did.

Another thing he’d had to do was protect the money she made from him. Her father had set up a bank account that her money was supposed to go into. Robert knew Grace would never see a dime of it, so he sent some money to her father’s account but opened another in her name. That’s where most of the funds were being deposited.

He cleared his throat to get their attention. The fear that entered Grace’s eyes upset him, but he hid it behind a gentle smile.

“Daddy’s home,” Hannah screamed and raced to him.

He caught her in his arms and threw her up in the air making the little girl squeal. After given her a kiss on her cheek he set her down. “Go on into the bathroom and wash your hands. We’ll be eating soon.”

“Okay, Daddy.” Hannah ran out of the room.

Robert turned to see Grace picking up the cards and putting them back into the package they came in.

“Did you have a good day, Sweetheart?”

She always looked a little shocked when he called her that, and then her complexion would turn rosy, and she’d look away. But not before he saw the delight in her eyes.

“It was good. Hannah wants to go swimming, and I…”

“You can’t swim?” he asked.

“I’ve never been in a pool before.”

That shocked him. “I don’t want you around the pool without me. Promise me.”

She nodded slowly. “I promise. I’m afraid to go too close. I’ve had nightmares that Hannah had fallen in and was drowning, and I couldn’t save her. I tried, but…”

“You tried to save her and drowned, too?” he asked.

She nodded. “I couldn’t not try.”

Jesus, just the thought of losing his daughter was enough to make him nauseous. If he lost Grace too, he didn’t think he’d be able to stay sane.

“I’m going to teach you to swim. By the time we’re done, you’ll be a pro.”

She smiled. “I doubt that. As long as I can swim enough to save Hannah, I’ll be happy. Do you really have time, though?”

“Yes. Don’t worry about that,” he said. “Are you ready for dinner?”

She nodded.

He held out his hand. She looked at it for a moment and then reached for it.

The feel of her small, soft hand in his made his attraction grow, as did the protectiveness he’d felt from the very beginning.

They walked into the dining room, where Hannah was already sitting. He released her hand and held the chair out for her before sitting on his own.

He couldn’t keep the smile off his face as the girls talked while they ate. They were both so animated, and he could already tell they were very fond of each other.

When the meal was done, he stood. “How about we watch a movie tonight?”

Hannah clapped and raced out of the room. Grace stood frozen. “Do you have time?”

Robert walked to her and took her hand again. “Yes. I want to relax with you two tonight. It was a long day.”

“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?” Grace asked.

“Just sitting with us is enough right now.”

She nodded and let him lead her into the family room.

Hannah was already there looking through Netflix channels until she found one she wanted.

“Is this okay, Daddy?”

He smiled. “Yes.” He looked at Grace. “Have you seen Cinderella before?”

Grace shook her head. “No. I wasn’t allowed to watch TV.”

“Well, Hannah loves to watch these types of movies, so you’ll get to see several.”

“We’ve already watched a few together. They are wonderful.”

He sat on one side of Hannah, and Grace sat on the other. She tried to sit a few feet away, but Hannah stopped her.

“Grace. Sit by me.”

Grace glanced at him and then scooted over. Hannah automatically took her hand, and he could see that helped to relax Grace.

Several minutes into the movie, he rested his arm on the back of the sofa. His hand was behind Grace’s head, and he took the opportunity to touch her hair. She still wore it in a braid every day, but he didn’t think she was ready for him to make her do the things he’d been dreaming about since she came.

Grace visibly stiffened, but then he saw the desire-filled flush on her face and continued to do it. If she had pulled away, he would have stopped, but he was pleased to see she enjoyed it as much as he did.

After the movie, the three went to Hannah’s room and got her ready for bed. They sat in her bed to read and listen to the book, and all Robert could think about was taking Grace to his room, stripping her, and thrusting as deep into her tight cunt as he could.

Fuck, he needed to get that out of his head when his daughter sat beside him. It was hard to hide the erection sitting that close to her.

After they turned out the lights, Robert closed the door and looked at Grace. He could tell she was nervous and didn’t want to make it worse.

“Good night, Sweetheart. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He didn’t know if it was wishful thinking or not when he caught the disappointment in her eyes.

Soon. He wouldn’t have to let her go. He’d be able to do everything he’d dreamed of and more.