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Yeah, but that had nothing to do with it.

“Do you mind if I ask why you were in a position to be rescued while Boone was on a mission?”

And there it was. She’d known the questions would come as soon as Kenzie had told Maggie how she and Boone had met.

“Boone came to the island where I was being held to kill Nico Midnight, a Cosa Nostra boss. When he found me, he ditched his mission and got me to safety.”

Maggie nodded. When Tildi didn’t offer any more information, Maggie asked, “How long were you held captive before he found you?”

“Not that long, relatively speaking. Nico is a sex trafficker. I’m one of the lucky ones. Boone rescued me after just a year. Most women are never heard from again.”

Maggie showed a reaction to Tildi’s words for the first time. “Maybe. I mean, you were abducted by the Cosa Nostra and kept prisoner for a year? That must have been terrifying. How are you coping now that it’s over?”

That was the million dollar question, now wasn’t it. Not how she was coping, of course. She was coping fine, right? She had made it out of hell and found the love of her life and the Daddy of her dreams. It would be selfish to feel anything but grateful.

The real question, the one that kept her awake at night worrying about stupid texts, was the fear that it wasn’t over at all. She'd give anything she had to know the answer to that.

Before she'd started getting those texts, she’d have said yes. But now? Now, she wasn't so sure. Now she needed to put the wonderful people here first and at least come up with a plan for leaving if Nico turned out to be behind the threats.

Luckily, she didn't have to answer Maggie’s question because Boone and his brothers entered the kitchen, stomping their feet on the rug in front of the door to knock the snow off their boots.

Boone scanned the room until he saw her. Fire lit his gaze, and he headed straight for her. Scooping her up, he tossed her over his shoulder and kept right on going.

“Daddy!” she shrieked. “Where are we going?” Thankfully, since Mother Nature was in her frigid biatch stage, Tildi had opted for leggings today instead of a skirt.

He answered without breaking his stride. “Some place private so I can give you a proper greeting.”

Ducking into the laundry room, he lifted her to sit on the large oak table in the middle of the room. Before she knew what he was about, he’d pulled her toward him until his hips spread her legs wide.

His normally sage green eyes darkened to a deeper emerald. Catching her hands in his own, he pinned them to her hips, rendering her immobile.

Her lungs decided breathing wasn’t important as everything in her stilled in anticipation of what he would do next. Desire tickled her abdomen before sliding lower to tickle much more reactive parts of her body. The rest of the world went silent as she narrowed her focus to the man standing before her, invading her space.

Leaning into her, he feathered kisses along the soft curve of her cheek. When he reached her ear, he whispered, “Close your eyes for Daddy, babygirl.” The caress of his breath on her sensitive ear pebbled her nipples as she obeyed.

As soon as she did, his lips glided across hers. The moan that drew from her parted her lips, and without hesitation he deepened the kiss. More than that, he took control of her mouth and possessed it without mercy. He dominated her without her offering a single protest.

A current of need traversed from her breast to her core at the speed of hummingbird’s wings. She relaxed her fingers so hernails didn’t carve grooves in the tabletop. Her clit pulsed to life, throbbing with such intensity it bordered on pain.

He took the kiss deeper still.

She forgot where she was. She forgot who she was. Her mind became nothing more than a whirlwind of sensations and emotions.

And just when she thought she would burst into flames that would consume them both, he gentled his kiss and released her mouth.

He stared at her, his need still apparent as it pressed against her pussy. She was so wet her panties had probably soaked through to her leggings. If he didn’t move, she was going to leave a wet spot on the fly of his jeans, too. The thought of that both thrilled and mortified her.

He ran his thumb along her swollen lips and grinned. “Now that’s a welcome home kiss.”

For a moment, it was all she could do to try and normalize her breathing. He’d promised her a riding lesson this afternoon, but she was ready to skip that and ride him instead.

Before she could suggest doing just that, his phone rang. She wanted to growl and throw it into the trash. Whoever it was, they could call back later.

Releasing her hands, he pulled out his phone and frowned. “It’s Sev.”

She untucked his shirt so she could run her fingers along the ridges of his chiseled abs. Catching her hands before she could touch his warm skin, he shook his head and frowned, though his eyes still twinkled.

“Hold on a second, babygirl. I need to find out what he wants. He wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important.”