4. Abel

Abel

I had no idea what the hell I was doing.

This had not been part of the plan.

Not that I'd ever been that great at making them. Not with women at least. In the past, I'd dated. Nothing serious, mostly casual relationships that had usually fizzled out. Being in the Navy, I was never in one place too long to build anything serious. I'd been good at making money, seeing opportunities that would pay off in the long run. Usually, that had always and only been regarding fattening up my bank account.

But Abby was different.

My curvy princess brought out a side of me I'd known existed, but not in the way she brought that part the surface. I'd always liked what I liked behind closed doors. Dominating a woman, her handing over her submission, giving you her trust to bring her pleasure? Fuck, it'd always been something I had craved. I'd played at different clubs and with different women. But I'd never had a little girl. I'd never wanted to protect and love and cherish a woman the way I wanted to when it came to Abagail Rivas.

Abby brought out the daddy in me and tripled him.

I'd waited until she had left to follow her home, then sat in my truck parked across the street from the duplex she shared with her sister, Karol, and just waited. I had wanted to take her for a hike in the morning to get some quiet, uninterrupted time alone with her while trying to push her out of her boundaries.

I should have gone home.

I should be in bed.

She should be, too.

Instead, I was driving through Poppy Beach with Abby tucked beside me, thanks to the bench seat in my truck. I'd hated the thing when I first bought it, but now, I loved the fact she was so close. She smelled good, too. She must have taken a shower after the pool since the scent of the chlorine no longer stuck to her skin like it did with me. She smelled like peaches and honey, and my mouth watered for a taste. Her dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders a little more unruly than she usually wore it. Like she'd let her hair airdry, and I fucking loved seeing her this way.

Not to mention the pajamas she wore.

When I'd dared her to check the back gate, I'd been positive she would call my bluff and send me to hell. What kind of creeper would just be waiting around across her street? I'd kept looking around, sure the police would be called and I'd be surrounded.

But when her end of the line went quiet and I heard her footsteps, I got out of my truck and hurried over. I had no idea what she'd been thinking. Part of me had half a mind to pull over and toss her over my lap and spank her ass until it was a pretty shade of pink and my handprint marked her pretty cheeks. I was a stranger to her. What was she doing taking me up on leaving her home, not letting a soul know where she was going and who she was leaving with? But as her daddy, knowing she trusted me that much, believed in me that much when I knew how she overthought and triple-checked everything she did, was fucking humbling. It was a gift I'd appreciate. Always.

Her head rested on my shoulder, my arm tight around hers while my fingers played with the tips of her hair. I pulled into a parking lot, and that had her sitting up, looking around.

"What is?—"

"Relax." I chuckled.

It was a bar. A small biker bar on the outskirts of Poppy Beach that was close to my house. "Abel, I was just kidding about wanting to—" I heard the panic in her voice.

"You trust me?" I asked, and she nodded but kept talking.

"Abel, I do, but I'm not really dressed to go for a drink." Her eyes were wide behind her thick dark-framed glasses.

"Oh, I know, honey." My eyes dropped to the cute nightwear set she was wearing. The scoop-necked light blue tank left nothing to the imagination. The thing was painted on her, and it was more than obvious she wasn't wearing a bra underneath. Not that she needed one with the way the top held her tits in place. Just the right amount of cleavage peeked through and made my hands ache to cup them. To take what she offered and tease her until she was a squirming mess in front of me. The top was paired up with plaid boxer-like shorts that hit above her knees and the cutest pair of bright blue crocs with various little charms stuck to them.

She was like a dream come true.

"Abel…" she whispered. I turned the truck off and moved to look at her, reaching for her hand like I had the right to touch her. You do. She's yours , a possessive voice perked up.

"When I first moved here, this was where I found myself every night," I shared. "I probably shouldn't be sharing this yet. I don't want you to think I'm some kind of drunk."

"I don't."

"I'd just left the Navy and…" I sighed. "It was hard," I admitted. "I missed my brothers, my buddies, the order my life had. And I was in pain."

"Pain?" Her eyes filled with worry. This was where I had to share and hope to god that even though I was slightly damaged, she'd somehow find me worthy.

"I was honorably discharged after a mission went bad and I paid for it with my knee." I patted my left knee with my free hand.

"What happened?" I opened and shut my mouth. I had talked it out in therapy and with Dan, but that was it. I didn't talk about what took me out of doing what I loved to anyone else. Not my parents, not my actual blood brother, no one.

But the thing was, Abby wasn't just anyone. She is the one.

"We were on a mission, and it turned bad. Shit happens." I paused, trying to find the right words. "One of the guys on my team was shot after our tank was overturned. I went after him and carried him to safety."

"Abel," she whispered, the concern in her voice so fucking translucent, so damn genuine it struck right through to my soul.

"I didn't know the pain I felt was because I'd torn my ACL. Maybe it was the adrenaline or whatever." I shrugged. "Either way, after it got checked out, I was put out to pasture." I tried to lighten the mood. But from the way she was looking at me, she wasn't going to let me.

"It hurt you to leave." I was an observation, not a question.

"I loved what I did. I loved serving my country. I'd worked hard to be a SEAL," I shared. Her body turned more toward me, moving closer, like she didn't realize she was almost on my lap.

"You miss it," she noted, and maybe a year ago, I would have agreed with her.

"Not anymore," I answered honestly. "I have my business and friends here. I'm content with my life now." Especially with her sitting next to me.

"So, this was one of your spots? When you first moved here?"

"It was. Anyhow, I got to know the owner, and he asked if I could paint the outside."

"Oh?"

"That's what I wanted to show you. Just give me a sec." She nodded. A soft expression covered her face, and I hurried out, quickly setting up my spur-of-the-moment surprise for her.

A little bit of the shyness I had seen when I'd approached her at the pool had settled into her gaze by the time I returned and opened the passenger side door. Without saying a word, Abby simply took the hand I offered and slipped out of the truck. We walked toward the truck bed, and she stopped mid-step when she noticed what I'd done.

"Abel," she whispered, and the nerves I'd felt started to melt away.

There was no way she could look at me the way she was without it meaning something. Without it meaning she liked what I'd set up, so I shared something I'd never even talked to Dan about.

"Granger grew up in Chicago. He's my buddy who owns this place. I guess there was some local bar in his hood that would do these movie nights during the summer for the families who lived in the area. Anyhow, he liked the idea of giving that back to Poppy Beach. He knew how messed up I was and asked if I could help him out. I think he got how lost I felt because he'd been there when he left the Marines himself. How badly I needed something to do." I shrugged. "So, I painted this and set this whole thing up for him."

"How didn't I know this was a thing?"

"He keeps it quiet. It's more for the families in the area." She looked at me like she didn't get it. "Baby, you're sweet, and I know you were born and raised here, but you also live beachside, and from what I understand, your family's been well off your entire life."

"Oh." I saw her getting what I meant. She looked around to the wall where I had a movie already up and waiting for us. "It's pretty awesome he would do that," she whispered, and I knew the moment she caught sight of the swing on the tree branch. "Did you?—"

"Yeah, baby." Her shy little smile wormed its way through my heart, making me fall deeper in love. Fuck, there wasn't much I wouldn't do for her. "Come on." I tugged on her hand and walked us toward the bed of the truck. I'd never been more grateful for being prepared.

I always carried two duffels back there and a cooler full of drinks. One of the bags had a blanket and a change of clothes in case the weather turned bad while I was on the road. I didn't travel far nowadays, but it was a hard habit to kill. The other was my gym bag. I'd laid the folded blanket out like a cushion, plus a couple of bottles of water and cans of soda next to them.

"Movie night," I announced lamely and inwardly winced at myself. Who the hell was I? I never got nervous. But then again, I'd never been with Abby.

"I owe you popcorn, since this was spur of the moment. But if you want, I bet I could pop into the bar and get some pretzels from Granger, if you're hungry." This look flitted through her soft features. One of appreciation and surprise. Like she wasn't used to being treated this way, and call me an asshole, but I really fucking liked it. I wanted to be the one and only motherfucker to bring that look of softness and surprise back time and time again.

"Oh, no, this is… this is perfect," she whispered. She looked at the tailgate of the truck, then her eyes darted to the ground. Then back up. She chewed on her lower lip. I could see the wheels turning. My princess was tiny, and in those crocs instead of the Chucks she wore that had a platform, she was even smaller.

"I got you." I moved in slowly, caging her in, and when her eyes widened, my hands were already on her full hips and I lifted her up.

"Oh!" she squeaked adorably. "Thank you." She blushed, and I winked.

I sat down right next to her, so close our thighs touched. I was done trying to play it cool. She had me, and I wasn't the kind of man who played games. I'd be damned if I didn't make sure my intentions were crystal clear. When she looked at me, I didn't bother asking if it was okay.

Soon enough, she would understand her daddy was bossy as hell when he was in a mood. And I was. I already missed the taste of her mouth and the feel of her lips against mine. My hand found hers, and our fingers tangled together.

"Ready?" I asked. Her eyes darted down to how our hands.

"Yeah," she breathed when our eyes connected. Good. I winked and turned toward the screen in front of me and hit Play . It was late and midweek. Even for the regulars, there weren't many cars in the parking lot, and the couple of people who trickled out through the night didn't pay us any attention. Not that I would have noticed if they had.

My head might have been turned toward the screen, but I was hyperaware of every inhale and exhale she made. Every time she shifted and turned to look at me. Every brush of her shoulder against my arm. And when the movie ended, I turned to look at her. Her head rested against my arm while she slept soundly.

Any other man might have taken offense, but to me it was a gift.

Whether she knew it or not, my princess trusted me to keep her safe.

Asleep or awake.