6. Hugo

Hugo

I tried to remember the last time I held someone’s hand and couldn’t. Not someone like one of my mom or grandma’s church friends when they needed help getting to their car or to a seat when I was over visiting them. But a woman.

A woman I was actually interested in for more than a hot, sweaty, mutually satisfying night.

Nothing came to mind.

No matter how hard I tried while we made our way to the back door of the market space, I drew a blank. Not when I was in high school or in the Marines. Not when I got back and returned to civilian life.

The only woman I could think of, the only one I could even imagine holding hands with or wanting to be near, was the woman at my side. And fuck me, her hand felt good in mine. After forty-two years of living, I was finally holding someone’s hand. Somone’s I didn’t want to let go of.

I was getting ahead of myself, and I wasn’t that kind of man. I had always been one to plan and calculate everything to a T that could go sour. There were only a handful of times when I had been spontaneous and made rash decisions. Each one had paid off in the long run. Maybe that’s why I didn’t feel the need to put some space between us or why I wasn’t freaking out.

There was something about Piper that drew me in, called to me on a baser, more primal, level. She was mine. I’d tried to ignore it the last week. The longest week of my damn life. But I trusted my gut. She was mine. I just hoped my grouchy disposition hadn’t fucked things up before they even started.

“Okay, here.” I stopped and squeezed her hand. Those beautiful blue eyes met mine, and I nodded. “Just wait here for me, okay?” I winked before dipping my head down and surprising both of us by pressing my lips to her forehead.

It was an innocent kiss, but fuck me if it didn’t feel seriously intimate.

I forced myself to let go of her hand and make the last couple of steps to push on the doors all the vendors left through. I pushed, and nothing. The heavy door didn’t budge. I tried again, and nothing. When I tried the one beside it, it didn’t surprise me to find it locked as well. I sighed and turned around to look at my girl.

My girl. Had I ever thought of someone like that? No. Not even close. There was a reason for that. No other woman would have ever compared to Piper. I’d never felt what I felt when I looked at her, either. Yeah, she was my girl. My princess. When you know, you know. And she was mine, damn it. I didn’t know much about her life or even her last name, but it didn’t matter. I pushed the door again, but nothing happened.

“Locked.” I swallowed and turned back to her.

“What are we going to do?” I could feel the anxiety in her words. Something about her nervousness brought out an overprotective need inside me. I was back to her in a couple of strides, my hand rose, and I touched her jaw.

“Hey, look at me, princess,” I ordered strictly, surprising the two of us. Piper’s blue eyes rose and connected with mine. “We’re not going to stress,” I said calmly. “Bright side is we’re not locked in alone. We have each other, and I promise you’re going to be fine.” I stroked her cheek, loving the way it seemed to get a little brighter beneath her creamy skin.

“But what about food and—“ I shook my head, and her words died off.

“We got this. I promise. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Not while I’m by your side.” I loved the way she leaned into my touch. I wasn’t sure if she realized she nuzzled into my hand or not, but fuck, it made me harder than granite.

“Okay,” she whispered. “What should we do now?” It was on the tip of my tongue to suggest we check the front door. Just as I opened my mouth, a flash of light filled the space and thunder boomed outside, making Piper jump right into my arms.

“How about we go to where our booths are and set up camp?”

“Okay,” she agreed softly, glancing up at me. “I’m sorry I’m such a weenie,” she whispered.

“You’re not a weenie. You’re my good girl.” Daddy’s good girl. I swallowed those words down. Daddy’s girl. I’d done a lot in my life. Explored different kinks and shit that called me in the bedroom. But never had the idea of being called daddy felt so damn right. I winked at her, and then, hand in hand, we made our way back toward our booths, where I got to work on figuring out a spot for us to hunker down for a couple of hours.