I slammed my hand on the seat and cursed the universe for being such a pain in the ass. My mind was spinning on what to do next and how to find my girl. That was the moment I remembered. Today was her last day of finals before graduation. I glanced at my watch and mumbled an apology to the universe. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, so I hit the intercom button to talk to my driver and gave him the address of Faith’s school. I spent the rest of the time making more phone calls to put the rapidly forming plan in my mind into place.

  When we pulled up out front of the school, I exited the car and leaned back against it to wait for her. It wasn’t long before students began to trickle out. Eventually, I spotted Olive pushing through the doors. Knowing Faith was probably right behind her, I stood at attention as the anticipation of seeing my girl after so long practically vibrated inside me.

  My gaze was glued to the school entrance, but I felt a tingling at the back of my neck like someone was watching me. Tearing my eyes away for just a moment, I met the accusing stare of Faith’s best friend. Then she turned around and said something as the door opened again, and my girl strolled out into the sunshine.

  Faith’s head whipped up, and she scanned the area until she saw me. Even though I expected her to be resistant at first, I still hated that her first reaction was a frown. Her lips pinched angrily, but the hurt I saw swimming in her blue eyes squeezed my heart.

  She took a step toward me but stopped when Olive grabbed her arm and said something. Faith shook her head, and when Olive released her, she marched toward me with a determined glare.

  When she stopped right in front of me, I gave her a lopsided smile and said, “Happy Birthday, blue eyes.”

  It was the wrong thing to say. At first, she softened, but then her posture went rigid. She folded her arms over her chest, pushing her tits up and momentarily distracting me. But she regained my attention when she snapped, “My birthday was nearly a week ago, Mr. Baldwyne. Clearly, you forgot. I suppose I misinterpreted what you said right before you left.” The hurt bled into her tone at the end, and I wanted to take her in my arms so badly, but I had some explaining to do first.

  “I didn’t forget, baby.”

  Olive harrumphed, making me realize she’d walked up to us and stood just behind Faith. “Don’t you ‘baby’ her, you big jerk. Not after you broke her—” Olive slapped a hand over her mouth, and Faith turned crimson, looking like she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

  “I’ve got this, Olive,” she sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow for coffee.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” I muttered.

  Faith raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”

  “Never mind.”

  Olive started to say something else, and my patience reached its end. I opened the door to my Town Car and growled, “Get in.” Faith opened her mouth, and I knew she was about to object. “We need to talk. In private. Get in the car, Faith.”

  “I don’t think—hey!” Her voice squeaked when I scooped her into my arms and bent down to put her on the seat.

  “What you think is wrong, and if I need to kidnap your sexy ass to set you right, then that’s what I’ll do.” I stood and shut the door, blocking it so she couldn’t climb out. The car didn’t have an exit on the opposite side.

  Spearing Olive with an intense stare, I stated bluntly, “I have a perfectly good reason for not being at her birthday like I promised. But she deserves to hear it first.” Fishing in my pocket, I pulled out a small robin’s egg blue box. “I love her. And I won’t let anything stand between us. So feel free to run to Jonah, the police, or anyone you want, but don’t expect them to find her without a ring on her finger and my last name. Is that clear?”

  Olive studied me for a moment before nodding. “I want updates from her so I know she’s okay. But dude, if she’s not your wife the next time I see her, you will wish it was Jonah coming after you. Unlike him, I have no balls and therefore no empathy for what it would be like to have them cut off and shoved up my ass.”

  I couldn’t help the grin that curved my lips, and I shook my head. “You know what, Olive? I believe you.” There was just something about her that told me she wasn’t bluffing. “And thank you for taking care of my girl until it was my turn.”

  Her expression softened just a fraction, but it was enough to know that I’d win her over eventually, as long as I made Faith happy.

  I decided to extend another olive branch—no pun intended—and give her my trust. “We’re headed to Paris. I’ll text you the number and have Faith call you as soon as we’re settled.”

  “Thank you.” She gave me a soft smile and turned around, walking away without a backward glance.

  Taking just a moment to collect myself, I sucked in a deep breath and let it out, then opened the door.

  8

  Rush

  I slid onto the bench seat and shut the door, then picked up the phone that contacted my driver to tell him to take us to the private airport I’d just landed at a few hours before. I was careful to keep my voice low so that I didn’t have Faith fighting me about where we were headed before I could tell her what had happened while I was away.

  After sending a text to Lake, the pilot I used when Ginger and Dean weren’t available, I pivoted to see Faith had moved to the seat that ran along the side of the limousine. She was fuming. Her arms were crossed, her skin flushed, and her angry breaths made me think about how she’d sound when she was working herself hard while riding my cock.

  Licking my lips, I tore my gaze away and tried to calm the tidal wave of desire trying to pull me under. My dick was full and heavy, aching for release. Back the fuck off, I snarled at it in my head. After another slow inhale and exhale, I felt in control enough to return to my conversation with Faith.

  I opened my mouth to start talking but found that I couldn’t handle the distance. Without warning, I grabbed her around the waist and yanked her onto my lap.

  “Hey!” She wiggled around, and I hissed as her delectable ass ground on top of my erection.

  “Sit still, or I will tie you up,” I rasped as I halted her movements by gripping her hips so tight, she would probably have bruises in the morning. And there would be a few more from holding her while I fucked her young, untouched pussy tonight. Knowing she was fertile and ready to accept my seed was making it even more difficult to keep my head on straight.

  Faith gasped but didn’t fight my hold. “What could you possibly say that would explain why you disappeared and didn’t bother to contact me again until today?”

  “If you’ll close that pretty little mouth and listen, I’ll explain.”

  She glared at me but pressed her lips together, indicating that she was doing as I asked.

  “Are you familiar with Worlds Together?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “Are you aware that it’s one of my charity foundations?” Faith’s cheeks turned pink, and I couldn’t help smirking. “Did a little digging on me, huh?”

  “I was just curious,” she muttered, her plump lips forming a cute pout.

  I put exploring that information on my to-do list for a later time, like after we’d used up all the reserves of sexual tension and desire from the past eleven months.

  “We build up communities all over the world, and right now, we have a huge project in Greece. It’s a small town, surrounded by even smaller villages, right on the coast.”

  Faith gasped. “Were they affected by the earthquake?”

  “They were only a handful of miles from the epicenter. There was some significant damage, and that’s the call I received right before I told you I was leaving.”

  Her lips formed a little O, and some of the anger seeped out as realization dawned. “Were you there when the tsunami hit?” She sounded absolutely terrified by the prospect, and while it thrilled me to know she cared, I didn’t like seeing her scared.

  I slipped my arms around her and drew her close. She was a tiny thing, especially compared to me, but somehow, she found a groove that she fit in as if it had been made for her.

  “I arrived a few hours after the last wave.”

  I went on to tell her about the experience, and to my surprise, it spilled out as if a dam had broken. I hadn’t intended to give her more than a brief overview, but I couldn’t stop the flow of words coming from my mouth.

  Eventually, I realized I needed to get it all out, and Faith made me want to. She was my safe place, just as I was hers—even if she didn’t know it yet.

  “So when I landed in New York and saw all the messages and voicemails from Grace, I pieced together what had happened. I’m so sorry, Faith. You have no idea how hard it was to miss your special day.” I leaned back and took her chin between my fingers, dipping her head back so I could see her face. “You can ask Cano. I was a grumpy motherfucker all day. He had to banish me to a job that didn’t require working with others.”

  Faith’s mouth curved a little, and her eyes were brighter than they’d been the last time I’d looked into them.

  My control was shredding little by little, and one thread suddenly snapped. The temptation to fill those blue pools with more heat and feel her plush lips sliding against mine was too much. Lifting her face with my hold on her chin, I brought my mouth down to cover hers.

  She tasted like coconut and lime, and it made me ravenous, desperate to take in as much of her flavor as possible. And to know if she tasted like that everywhere.

  My hands had a mind of their own, and they quickly shifted her to straddle my lap before palming her ass cheeks. Irritation spiked at how easy it would be for any asshole to flip up this ridiculous skirt and get an eyeful of what was mine. But I consoled myself with the fact that she was wearing panties, and that from now on, no one else would ever see her in this naughty little getup but me.

  Images of flipping up her skirt to find her bare ass begging to be spanked while I filled her teenage pussy with eleven inches of hot, hard dick bombarded my mind. I had to stop. I was seconds away from tearing off her underwear and taking her cherry right there in the car. That triggered the memory of my dreams about fucking in the car while she was pregnant and dripping with milk.

  Shit. Shit. Damn fucking shit.

  All of my energy went into ending the spectacular kiss. Our first. We were both struggling to pull in oxygen, our chests heaving with the effort. But after a minute, my pulse evened out, and I could think a little clearer.

  “Will you forgive me, blue eyes?” I asked softly. “Because if you don’t, your birthday present will be very awkward.”

  She pretended to mull over her answer, and I gave her a swift smack on her bottom, making her yelp with surprise. “You spanked me!”

  “Yep.” The heat that had sparked in her eyes made me grin. “Did that get you hot, baby?”

  “Umm…” Her cheeks bloomed with dark crimson circles, and her eyes darted away for a second. “What did you mean by awkward?”

  I contemplated forcing her to admit the spanking had turned her on, but we could get into that the next time she earned herself a red ass.

  Since we’d arrived at the tarmac and my jet was fueled and ready to go, I waited to answer until I opened the door and stepped out. Offering her my hand, I gave her a boyish grin and spoke as I helped her exit the vehicle. “If you don’t forgive me, then the flight to Paris won’t be nearly as fun.”

  “Paris?” Faith parroted as she looked around and took in our surroundings. A gorgeous smile lit her face when she spotted the plane. “You’re taking me to Paris?”

  “Not just Paris,” I said with a grin. “Somewhere very special in Paris.”

  “Where?”

  “Nope, birthday girl. You’ll have to wait until I’m ready to give you that present.” I bent down one more time and reached into the car to grab her backpack. I handed it to my driver and thanked him for being patient with me today, then linked my hands with Faith’s and guided her to my private jet.

  When we reached the stairs, she glanced back at me, then gazed up at the door to the cabin. After a few beats, she inhaled deeply as she ascended the steps and entered the airplane.

  I was only a few seconds behind and chuckled when I saw that she’d already claimed one of the plush seats and snuggled down into it. “Make yourself comfortable, blue eyes.”

  She gave me a cheeky grin and kicked off her shoes before curling her legs under her. “Done.”

  Another laugh rumbled in my chest. “Almost.” There was a closet to my left, near the entrance to the galley, and I opened it to retrieve a soft, plush blanket. She hummed happily when I spread it over her legs.

  Fucking hell. That sound went straight to my cock, and though I’d been hard since the moment I saw her earlier, it swelled even more, becoming somewhat painful. I cleared my throat and tried to think about anything but the sounds she’d make when I made her come. “I’m going to toss our things in the bedroom, then I’ll join you. We’ll take off in a few minutes.”

  I walked to the back of the plane and into the room where I set her backpack on the bed. Since I’d already been planning to take Faith to Paris—although I hadn’t expected to leave quite this fast—my bags were already packed and onboard. Not that I needed much. The flat in Paris was stocked so we could go there at a moment's notice and have everything we needed.

  I took Faith’s cell phone from the pocket I’d often seen her stash it in and almost took it with me when I returned to the cabin. But right now, I wanted all of her focus on us and no outside forces getting in my way.

  Her phone was well protected thanks to her father, but she’d set it on our table at the coffee house unlocked a few times. During one of those incidents, I kept her busy talking while I cloned it. Which meant I knew her password and was able to unlock the device. I sent a quick text to Olive with the information I’d promised to give her, then I was about to turn it off when another, slightly devious, idea came to me. I hadn’t clarified to Olive in the message that it was me, rather than Faith, sending it.

  Faith: If my parents ask, would you tell them that I’m staying with you for a few days? SHF and I need some uninterrupted time alone.

  I’d never intended to hide my intentions with Faith once she was eighteen. Hiding wasn’t my style, and I wanted the world to know she was mine. However, her dad would be a major problem if he thought she was missing or suspected I’d taken her against her will. So I figured it was best to put them off for a few days until Faith was well on her way to being in love with me and wearing my ring. And hopefully, pregnant.

  Olive: If that’s really what you want, you know I will.

  Faith: It is.

  Olive: Should I guess as to what you’ll be using your “uninterrupted time” for?

  Another bubble quickly popped with kissy faces and eggplant emojis. I chuckled, not surprised to see something like that come from Olive. She always seemed very mature and reserved in person, but once I started checking on Faith through her texts, I quickly learned that Olive had a lot more spunk than people realized. Although, neither of them ever said anything that could get them in trouble or hurt someone if their phones were stolen and hacked. Jonah had taught all his kids to be cautious with technology. So while I would have liked to get insight into Faith’s conversations with Olive about me, I understood why the only references were cryptic and rare. It took me a while to realize she was referring to me when she used SHF. I was pretty sure that it stood for “Smoking Hot Fireman.”

  However, I’d read enough of their exchanges to guess how Faith would respond, but then I needed to shut this down.

  Faith: Wouldn’t you like to know.

  Olive: Fine. Be that way. I’ll be your alibi.

  Faith: Thank you! Gotta go.

  Next, I pulled up a text window for her mother, Penny.

  Faith: Hey, Mom. Olive and I are going to have an impromptu graduation celebration now that we’re done with finals. I just wanted to give you a heads-up because we’ll be gone for a few days. I’m not sure where we’re going yet, but I promise we’ll be safe.

  Penny’s reply popped up in seconds.

  Mom: Sounds like fun! Have a great time!

  Mom: Just let me know when you decide where so we don’t worry.

  Mom: I know you’re nervous about your dad’s reaction, but I’ve got this, honey. Just go have a good time. Love you!

  Faith: Thanks. Love you more!

  I shut down her phone and tucked it back into the pocket before stowing the bag in the closet. Then I strolled out to the main cabin, took two bottles of water from the bar, and carried them to where Faith had settled.

  9

  Rush

  I handed Faith a bottle of water, then sat in the seat beside her just as a man in a pilot’s uniform walked in through the airplane door.

  “Sorry I’m late, Rush. Got stuck in traffic.” Wade was Lake’s preferred copilot and another good friend.

  “No problem,” I said with a wave. “I certainly didn’t give you much notice, moving the trip up over twenty-four hours.” I gestured to Faith and put my arms around her, pulling her in close and smiling when she melted into my side. “Wade, this is my Faith. Wade’s our copilot.”

  Lake walked to the door of the cockpit and smiled when he spotted my girl. “Wow, Rush. You sure know how to pick ’em.”

  My eyes narrowed in warning, making his grin grow.

  “Faith, that asshole is Lake. Ignore him.”

  Lake laughed and greeted Wade, who was putting his stuff into a cubby in the galley. “Hey, Wade. Okay, Rush, we’ll take off in about five minutes.”

  “Thanks,” I said with a lift of my chin.

 

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