“Did something happen?”
I winced thinking of Julian again.
“Nothing to be concerned over.”
“Kotik…”
“Honestly, it’s fine. The boys are taking care of me. I’d tell you if they weren’t.”
I saw Rory smile out of the corner of my eye and wondered what he thought of my side of the conversation.
“The boys? Should that not be Mr Knox’s responsibility?”
“You can call him Quinn, he is my boyfriend and well, you’re my… dad.”
I wanted to get off the subject of what the other boys meant to me. After the weird looks that prison guard had given me last night hearing about me, Xav and Eric being involved with each other, I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk telling Viktor. What would he even think? His only daughter having four boyfriends.
“And the others? Should I call them by their names too as I’m your… dad?”
It felt weird to hear him say that. Then I realised the implications of what he’d just said.
“I guess you can.”
I didn’t want to directly address it. That conversation between us could wait. And now I knew I would have to have it whether I wanted to or not. It shouldn’t come as surprise considering Viktor had dug deep into Quinn’s past. Perhaps he’d done the same for the others.
Don’t ask. You probably don’t want to know.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to call you dad or father,” I continued, wanting to change the subject. “I still feel as though we’re strangers.”
“There is no rush, kotik. This is new for me as well.”
How could I forget that? We were both in the same situation. Him suddenly discovering he had a kid who was now a fully grown adult and me finding out the man I thought was my father wasn’t really at all.
“I should go… Um, will you call me if anything happens to Isabella?”
“I will. And tell those men of yours I’m watching.”
“Uh, I will. Speak soon.”
I hung up feeling a little worried about that last part. I was pretty sure Viktor knew I was involved with Xav, Eric and Rory as well as Quinn. And I had to tell Quinn what we’d discussed now. However, he was still talking with Xav and Eric as far as I was aware.
“Okay, little star?”
I jolted at the sound of his voice and turned to Rory.
“Um, yeah, I should talk to Quinn, but I don’t want to interrupt him.”
He reached out a hand to me. Cautiously, I approached him, placing my hand in his. He smiled down at me, his hazel eyes bright which was very unlike Rory.
“Do you want to stay with me whilst you wait?”
Chapter 5
Ash blinked at my question as if it was the last thing she’d been expecting me to say. After yesterday, I’d thought long and hard about what I should do about me and her. I wanted to try harder. I wanted to let her in. A world without this beautiful girl would leave me floundering in the darkness, all alone without any hope. Ash gave me hope. She gave me starlight. She gave me everything.
My little star.
Was I still terrified as hell of hurting her?
Fuck yes.
But I couldn’t let fear control my life. Not when I had her. Not when she’d been patient. Not when she was prepared to give me it all. Give me her. The only person I’d ever wanted more with. The only girl who’d stolen a piece of me and wouldn’t give it back. She gripped it so tightly, holding on with all her might. How could I do anything but give in?
“I’d like that,” she whispered, her voice so soft and cautious as if she was scared I’d change my mind.
I’ll never change my mind about you, little star. You’re guiding me home.
It was time to brave. Take a leap of faith. And show Ash who I really was.
I led her out of the kitchen and along the hallway. Her fingers shook in mine, but I think she was wondering where I was taking her. We walked up the stairs together and along the corridor, stopping outside my bedroom door.
“Ror…”
“I just want to show you my comic collection and talk…”
Having her in my room would be a struggle for me since I’d never brought a girl in here before. Then again, I’d never had a relationship with anyone so of this this was entirely new to me. The cell where we’d held Ash is where I’d had encounters before. We’d had to change things for Ash’s arrival. It used to be more of a playroom.
This felt a little like I was a teenage boy sneaking a girl into my room under the guise of wanting to talk but really, there’d be some heavy petting involved. Except I wasn’t planning on taking things a step further today. Yes, I wanted to touch Ash, but to actually have sex with her was a different matter entirely. It’d been so long since I’d been with a woman in that way and Ash wasn’t like those women. She meant something to me. I didn’t want to scare or hurt her. And she still didn’t understand why human contact was hard for me. Why I struggled so much when she touched me without warning even as I craved her soft skin against mine.
I opened the door and pulled her inside, not stopping to shut it again. It’d be better if I didn’t give in to the urge to lock her away with me. The beast rattled his cage, but I ignored it, trying to focus on why I’d brought
