Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Ana

"Are you sure I can't stay here?"

This weekend has been like a dream. The morning after my embarrassing vomiting, Patrick woke me up with breakfast in bed. Best meal ever. I don't know much about drinking other than I don't want to do it again and food is the trick to feeling better the next day. Well, that and water. He made me drink so much water on Saturday thatI was making trips to the bathroom every twenty minutes. By the evening, though, I felt back to normal.

After dinner that night, we watched movies and fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up at some point, I was cuddled up against him. As soon as I realized it, I peeled myself away from him and went to my bedroom. Then I lay in bed, berating myself for snuggling with him. When I was done doing that, I started making a mental list of reasons why it's okay to like Patrick Ryan.

Anastasia Ryan…

My panties get damp every time I think about that.

"It will be good for you to get out of the penthouse. Besides, all the girls want to meet you. And I'd like to spend more time with you."

How does this man always say the most perfect things?

"Can I stay close to you?"

Both of us go still when the words come out. Over the weekend, we didn't talk about anything deep after our conversation when I was drunk, but we did chat about small stuff. Favorite foods, birthdays, favorite movies… things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things but were still fun to learn about each other.

Moving at a glacial pace, he reaches out and cups my chin, giving it a firm but reassuring squeeze. "No matter where we go or what we do, you can always stay close to me. You never have to ask, Ana."

"Anastasia," I whisper.

He tilts his head and lifts a corner of his mouth into a smile. "Anastasia?"

"I like it when you call me by my full name. No one ever has, and I like it when you do."

It's like, now that we've opened this door and started talking, I can't seem to stop. The more I share with him, the more it feels right. It almost makes me feel safer with him. Weird.

"Then, Anastasia it is." He opens the front door for me and leads me to the elevator to go down to the parking garage. Just as he steps in, he glances back at me. "Well, that and babygirl."

I'm a bundle of nerves by the time we get to an enormous estate. I never knew something this size existed in Seattle. The main house is like a castle but with less stone and more warmth.

Patrick told me all about the men's wives. According to him, they are brats, but he loves them dearly. He also said they've been begging him to let them meet me, which means he's talked to them about me. I want to know what he said, but I'm too afraid to ask.

When the car comes to a stop, the driver steps out and opens my back door. I recognize him from the day Patrick took me from my father's house. He tips his head to acknowledge me.

"Careful, lass. Don't want you to fall." He offers his hand to me for balance as I step out of the car. When I don't take it, he gives me a reassuring smile. "It's okay. One day, you'll know you're safe with us."

Then he steps back and looks into the distance while Patrick leads me toward the porch.

"None of my men will ever harm you, Anastasia. I would put a bullet in their heads if they even thought about it."

His words are the balm to soothe my worries. I haven't told him anything about my life at home with my father, but somehow, he knows exactly when I need reassurance that no one will hurt me.

I'm not sure what I am expecting when we walk into the mansion, but peaceful silence isn't it.

After we step into a large office, he closes the door behind us and goes over to the desk. "You can watch TV or read. There's an e-reader all set up for you on the table. I'm sure the girls added a bunch of shit you shouldn't read, but for whatever reason, they love it."

Hmm. Now I want to see what's loaded on the device. Something naughty?

"They aren't here?"

He smirks. "I sent them strict instructions to not all bombard you at once. They can be… a lot."

Even though he rolls his eyes, there's so much warmth in them as he does so. I'm not sure I totally understand the connection he has with those women, but it's obvious that it's special.

I settle down onto the rich-chocolate leather couch and pull a waiting throw blanket over my lap. Then I fumble with the e-reader for several minutes before I find a book with a hot-looking man in a crisp black suit on the cover. I'm not sure why, but the model reminds me of Patrick.

Before I know it, there's a plate held out in front of me, along with a bottle of water. "It's lunchtime. You seemed to be enjoying that book."

When I glance at the clock to confirm the time, I can't believe it. I was completely unaware of what he was doing all morning.

"It's a really good story," I murmur.

"Yeah? What's it about?"

The corners of my lips curl into a grin. "The Irish mafia."

His eyes widen, and then he starts shaking his head while saying something under his breath in another language.

We're interrupted by a knock on the door. Before Patrick even has the chance to stand, a woman comes bounding in with an arms full of random stuff.

"Hi! I'm Cali!"

She's small, but her personality is big. It's like there's a cloud of happiness that hangs over her and travels to everyone else in the room.

"Cali, this is Ana. Anastasia, this is Declan's wife, Cali."

I don't miss the way heintroduced me as Ana but used my full name when he addressed me. Gosh, I think I'm falling for this man.

My captor.

My hero.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you. I brought some snacks." She holds up an enormous bag of Cheetos, then a bag of sour gummies, and another one of Swedish Fish. In the other hand, she holds up a DVD. "And I brought Beauty and the Beast . It's my favorite movie. Have you ever seen it? You're gonna love it. Oh, I also brought wine!"

* * *

The following day, after lunch, a different woman bursts into the room. She reminds me of Cali, but a little quieter and less bouncy.

"Anastasia, this is Scarlet. She's Killian's wife."

Scarlet flashes a gorgeous smile. "I'm so glad to meet you. I brought some Diamond Art for us to do if you feel like hanging out. I also have a bracelet-making kit with me."

I'm glad I'm sitting on the couch when she says this, otherwise, I think I'd be as bouncy as Cali was yesterday.

Art and bracelets? Count me in.

* * *

On Wednesday, the most flawless woman I've ever seen walks in. Her makeup is blended so well thatI don't know if it's actually makeup or she's just that perfect.

"I'm Chloe. I'm so excited to meet you. I brought you a gift." She holds out a gift bag with the name Fearless Beauty printed in gold on the side. "I own a cosmetic company, so I brought you a bunch of makeup to play with. I wasn't sure what your favorite shades are, so I included a variety."

Panic grabs hold of me as I look at the dozens of containers andthen back up at her.

"Oh," she says as she rushes to sit by me. "I didn't mean to upset you. It's okay if you don't like makeup. It's not for everyone. I shouldn't have assumed."

I quickly shake my head and hold up my hand. "It's not that. I've always wanted to wear makeup, but I've never had any. I don't know how to use it. I'm sure I can figure it out."

Without skipping a beat, Chloe's mouth curls into a huge smile. "Oh my gosh. I'll show you everything. I'm off the rest of the afternoon, so I can show you a bunch of techniques. Oh, I'm so excited!" She claps her hands, and I can't help but giggle.

"Thank you."

She reaches out and pulls me into a quick hug. "Of course, silly. That's what friends are for."

Friends .

It's a foreign word to me, but it comforts me like a blanket. I like the thought of having friends.

* * *

Thursday is the most exciting when, instead of a woman walking into the office, an enormous black bear comes crashing in. Well, it looks like a bear.

And right behind him, a woman, who looks like she should be on the runway, laughs as she enters. "Sorry! Sorry! He got loose. He won't hurt you."

The animal runs toward me, and I leap up onto the couch, ready to climb the wall to get away from him because he's definitely about to eat me.

"Buster, come," Patrick's voice booms and the fluffball comes to a skidding halt in front of me, then turns and runs to him.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I didn't mean for Buster to scare you. He's totally friendly, but he's still a young pup, so he's a bit wild."

I smile nervously while eyeing Patrick who is still controlling the dog. Which I'm not sure can be classified as a dog. It's definitely closer to a bear.

As soon as Patrick reaches down and pats Buster's head, the dog flops onto the floor and rolls over, exposing his belly for rubs. I giggle as Patrick gives in and gives the pooch scratches.

Then a large man enters, and the fear I felt a few seconds ago washes over me again, and I have the urge to climb the wall.

"Paisley May, you need to keep that dog on a leash until he's trained not to run off like that," the man says firmly, giving her butt a swat.

"Sorry, Daddy. I was just so excited to finally come meet Ana." She motions toward me, and when the man turns his attention to me, he freezes.

"Fuck. I'm sorry, Patrick. I forgot. Let me get out of here. I don't want to frighten her." The man offers me a stiff smile. "Sorry, Ana. I'm Kieran, by the way."

Paisley waves her hand in the air. "Don't worry, Ana. He looks scary, but he's a big fucking marshmallow. Like the kind that's already been cooked over a fire and is all gooey and melty inside."

My skin prickles as I look from her to Kieran. Is he going to hurt her for saying that? He doesn't look angry, though. Not at all. In fact, he smiles down at her and winks. "Only for you, little girl. I'm going to leave you to hang out. Keep control of Buster."

Then he kisses her softly, swats her butt again, and disappears from the office. Huh. That was interesting. And why did she call him Daddy?

* * *

By Friday, I'm pretty sure I've made up my mind about Patrick. I think I'm in love with the man. How is that possible in only two weeks? Although in the books I've been reading, the characters all fall in love within a day or two, so maybe two weeks is reasonable.

After lunch, Patrick comes over to me and nudges my foot. I glance up from the e-reader and smile. We've gotten into this routine. It's comfortable and safe, and I'm starting to wonder if he's attracted to me because he rarely touches me. Which is a problem because I find myself wanting to have as much contact with him as possible.

"I have to go to a meeting two doors down in Declan's office. I think Katie is going to come by today. Don't worry, she won't have a beast of a dog with her. Will you be okay, or do you want me to lock the door so you're left alone?"

"I'm fine. You can leave it unlocked." I'm not sure if it's all the time I've spent with the other women this week, but I'm feeling surprisingly less anxious about being here.

"Okay. You have your phone, so call or text me if you need anything. Be good, Anastasia."

I flick my gaze to his and frown. "I'm always good."

Being anything else has never been a choice. It was my way of survival.

Patrick leans down and puts one hand on the arm of the couch and the other on the back cushion, caging me in. Instead of being frightened, I look up at him and meet his gaze.

"You're a very good girl, baby. But you're going to learn that it's okay to be naughty once in a while. That no matter what, no matter how much you might misbehave, you're always safe with me."

Then he presses a kiss to my forehead before he disappears from the office, leaving me gaping at the door.

I kind of wish Cali was here. Or Chloe. Any of them, really. Definitely Paisley. I have questions about Patrick. And about the Daddy thing. One of the books I've read this week, the woman called the guy Daddy—it was hot. I was squirming in my seat the entire time. Thank goodness Patrick was busy because I was practically panting.

It doesn't take long before there's a knock, but no one comes barging in. I hesitate for a second before I go to answer it. When I do, I'm greeted by five women. Four of whom I've already met and one who has a tray of coffee cups and a coffee pot in her hands.

"Care for a coffee date with us?" she asks, smiling sweetly.

Grinning, I step back and let them in.

As Chloe walks past me, she pauses and gives me a hug. "Your makeup looks stunning. Good job! I might have to hire you to be one of my makeup artists if that's something that interests you. You sure have a talent for it."

My mouth falls open, and I can hardly believe what she just said. A makeup artist? I love art. Drawing is the one thing I've always been able to do at my father's. I never realized it could pour over into makeup.

"Our Daddies are all in a meeting, so we thought it would be a good time to come and answer all the questions you must have," Cali says. "This is Katie, by the way. She's Grady's woman."

I smile at Katie, and she returns it with one of her own. I think Patrick said she's the newest to the family and still adjusting to it here.

For the next hour, we drink coffee and I ask every question I can think of. By the time we've finished the pot, my mind is blown, and I have even more questions now. Ones I want to ask Patrick. Like, is he a Daddy? The girls say he is, and it makes sense, but I want to hear it from him. Better yet, I want to ask him if he wants to be my Daddy.