Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lulu

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy,” a small child chants.

Mary. They’re back.

My heart jumps. More tears spill out when I close my eyes.

Thank you, God.

Hearing their loud voices does nothing to distract from the waves of pleasure that wreck my body. Another tide hits me at the same time I feel the front door slam closed.

“Mary Louise, you stop right there,” Ajax booms.

“Awww,” Mary says.

All breath leaves my body. Please don’t come in here! Panicked, I wriggle, tugging at my binds .

“You know better than to run into my bedroom, young lady.”

Now they’re both right outside. My eyes widen as I fight off another wave, but just like the others, it’s useless. My body doesn’t belong to me anymore. It belongs to him.

“I think we should have gotten the ice cream before the park.” Ajax sighs. “Go grab a game and then pick a film. “Daddy has a surprise for you.” I can hear the grin in his voice.

“Yay!”

I want to scream in celebration too when the bedroom door starts to open.

Please release me. I’ll be good, I silently beg.

Ajax slips into the room through the small gap before shutting the door tightly.

“Hi, baby,” he greets, joining me on the bed.

Unable to speak, I blink at him over my shoulder. Strong fingers wipe at my wet cheek. My body quivers, and my legs shake as another orgasm hits.

His chuckle drowns out my moan.

Ajax tucks my hair behind my left ear. He’s gentle and sweet. His hand sweeps down the center of my back, tracing the arch. My hips lift when he reaches the top of my ass.

I continue to blink up at him, watching as he leans back, turning his head to look down at where his hands now grip my ass cheek.

I make an alarmed sound that’s muffled by the gag and has zero effect on Ajax. He pulls my ass cheek, spreading me wide.

“Looks like you made a mess.” He tuts.

Craning my neck to meet his gaze, I drop my eyes to his wide smirk.

“Painful?” he asks when I come again.

I blink teary-eyed, then drop my head heavily to the pillow. Humiliation rolls through me.

The vibrator starts to leave me, but my hope is short-lived. The length shoves back in, the vibration jumping up a level.

I cry out in pain as yet another orgasm is forced from me.

“Please,” I beg, the word distorting around the material in my mouth.

Ajax pulls the toy out and shoves it back in again and again. I glance back, more than willing to plead, but his eyes are glued to where he penetrates me.

“One more,” he orders.

My breathing picks up, and my body responds to him without permission. Something tells me it will always be this way between us.

It’s that thought that shoves me over the edge of the precipice. I cry out, a sound that only gets louder when he pulls the toy from me.

My inner walls ripple, and my womb twists, desperate to be filled.

Images of babies and my swollen belly force a sob from me. I turn my face away from him, hiding my horror, pain, and humiliation—but most of all, it smothers my secret.

I want it. I want him. I want a family.

I stay silent, the odd sniffle leaving me as I’m set free.

Ajax straddles my body, taking his time to rub my limbs and soothe the pain, but the deep muscle ache stays.

My legs feel like they’re made of jelly as Ajax helps me off the bed. His lips tease mine after he removes the gag.

“Good girl. You’ll make a great wife, Lulu.”

I feel a thrill at his words. Does he really think that?

I watch as he retrieves a dress from the wardrobe. Frozen, I wait for an order. My mind feels empty, blank. An odd calm consumes me.

“Arms up.”

I do as I’m told. Ajax rewards me with a solid kiss.

“You’re going to give me babies, Lulu. Lots of them.”

His wide grin greets me as my head pops through the dress, his hands gentle as he feeds my arms through the sleeves.

The yellow-flowered material of an old sundress that I haven’t worn for years isn’t soft like I remember. Instead, it scratches at my overly sensitive skin. My beaded nipples hurt at the contact, causing my breath to hitch.

Ajax chuckles and flicks one, making me hiss .

“Stay,” he orders, and I’m more than happy to comply.

Chewing my bottom lip, I try to peer into the bathroom, but I can’t see what he’s doing. The water runs for a second and then shuts back off.

Ajax returns with a washcloth in his hand.

My cheeks heat, and I shake my head back and forth when his intention becomes obvious.

A growl leaves his chest when my foot lifts off the floor, and I lower it immediately.

Shit.

Ajax glares, gathering the skirt of my dress and holding it at my waist. He reaches between my legs and mops up the mess I made.

How humiliating.

My face flames. I rip my watery eyes away from his serious features and pick a spot on the ceiling to focus on.

Maybe it won’t be so bad if I don’t look. But the minute Ajax shifts my dress back into place, I know that isn’t the case.

I push out a slow and steady breath. Ajax swallows it, and his lips consume mine. His tongue teases, his fingers mean as they grip the nape of my neck.

I give as good as I get, but it’s worthless because Ajax was never going to let me win. He devours me.

And I enjoy every second of it.

By the time we separate, I’m wet again. Breathless and needy.

My body is so close. I just need a little push .

I look up at him from beneath my lashes, my arousal openly displayed on my face.

“Not yet. When we put our baby girl to bed, you’re going to crawl into my lap and ride me until I fill you up,” he demands breathlessly.

I nod, more than ready.

“Yes, please.”

Confident fingers smooth my dress over my waist. His hands drop, cupping my ass.

Our panted breaths mingle as our foreheads press together.

“There is a very fine line between pleasure and pain, Louise. You’re mine, have been since I saw you at the store. I decide what you feel, and when and where you feel it.”

“Yes, sir.” I nod, eager to agree.

Ajax gives me one more kiss, and then another. He makes a pained noise as he separates us. Glancing down, a new wave of blush covers my neck and chest, my whole body heating at the sight of his straining erection.

His hand reaches out for me. “You will behave. You will not upset Mary, and you will act like you have always been here . . . Like you want to be here, or the pleasure you want so badly will never come,” he threatens, glancing down at where my thighs try to ease my need.

But his threat isn’t necessary. I want to please him. I want to stay.

“Yes, sir,” I readily agree as he leads me out .

“Uhhh, you took so long, Daddy,” Mary complains from the living area.

I hold Ajax’s hand tighter as we approach the end of the hallway.

Why am I so nervous?

My tongue brushes over my bottom lip.

“Daddy . . .” Mary turns, freezing the minute she sees us, sees me.

Her little round eyes lock on me, and the room fills with silence. And then a scream.

“You did it! You fixed it, Daddy!”

Mary runs at us. I release Ajax’s hand just in time to crouch and catch her. She flies into my arms. Her squeal of joy deafens me, but the look on her face is more than worth the ringing in my left ear.

I glance up at her father. My heart lurches at the way he’s looking at us, and I know without a doubt that I am going to hell.

Holding Mary tighter, I screw my eyes shut and embrace my thoughts.

I love her, and little by little, no matter how much I know that I shouldn’t, I feel myself falling for the man standing watch over us.

“Piglet,” Ajax whispers, “Lulu is going to travel with us until we head home.”

Mary tears herself away from our hug, her face shrouded in panic. “Then I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here.”

Her dad drops to a crouch beside us. “I’m sorry, baby. I should have been clearer. Lulu will be coming home with us.”

Now, it’s my turn to look panicked. My soul might crave this ready-made family, but I watched this man murder someone. I saw what he did to my mother.

My breath hitches, fear and anger flooding me. As if he can sense it, Ajax rubs my back, then pats my ass.

“She’s coming home with us,” he says again, his hard gaze meeting mine. A challenge. One I’m not equipped to deal with.

I stutter a breath.

“What game have you picked, baby?”

“Hungry Hippos.” Mary grins, rushing away to fetch it.

“I’ll play one round, and then I’ll cook dinner. You haven’t eaten today.” Ajax frowns. “A mistake I won’t make again. I’m sorry,” he apologizes, kissing my lips.

Aware of Mary close by, I try to pull away.

“No,” he snaps, gripping the front of my neck. His eyes flick to Mary before his hand slides to the nape of my neck. “You don’t pull away,” he orders against my lips.

Our kiss is softer than before but not gentle.

“Just for that, you don’t come tonight.”

I make a sound of protest in the back of my throat. His thumb brushes over the center of my throat. His pupils dilate more when he feels the vibration .

Even with his words, my pussy clenches for the millionth time today, more than willing to have him fill me.

“I’m yellow,” Piglet declares, interrupting us.

“What color do you want, baby?”

“Red,” I breathe. “Red,” I repeat, tucking my hair behind my ears, then turn toward an overly excited Mary.

Joining her on the floor, I touch my heated cheeks. How far away is bedtime?

Guilt immediately swarms me. I might be hungry for more than food, but as Ajax joins us, I have never felt a part of a family more than I do right now.

How sad is that?

My stomach flutters, and my heart sinks as I remember my mom. Swallowing hard, I look at Ajax.

His blank stare bores into me, and somehow, I know he senses where my mind has gone. Guilt hits me again, making me frown. I’ve done nothing wrong, have I?

“Let’s play.” He smiles at us, but his voice is authoritative, his words an order. And just like earlier, I don’t think, I just follow.

Ajax stays and plays three extra games after the first is over. The man really hates to tell Mary no, but after the fourth time, he annihilates us and loudly celebrates, Mary practically shoves him toward the kitchen island.

“Don’t let her win,” he tells me, picking up a kitchen knife .

“Yay!” Mary cheers, pumping her arms.

Too late.

“Don’t be a bad winner, Mary Lou.” Her dad reprimands, waving the knife in our direction.

Seems she’s very competitive. Like father, like daughter.

“Hey,” he calls.

Shit , I didn’t mean to say that out loud.

I grin sheepishly, and he squints in reply. Mary giggles loudly.

“Let’s play again. I like playing without Daddy because I win.”

“Not this time, Piglet.” I shift to my knees. “I’m gonna kick your butt,” I taunt.

Mary’s jaw drops, but she recovers quickly, her grin wide as she shifts to mimic my pose.

“Three, two, one . . . go!”