Page 7 of Gavin

How odd. “You don’t want me to call you Gavin?”

“I won’t forbid it, Little one. But when you’re ready, you’ll call me Daddy with more frequency. It will come naturally.”

That was hard to fathom. Everything about this situation was surreal. She felt like she was out of her body, watching this unfolding of details.

“I can feel your stress level, Little one,” he said against her ear. “I’m going to touch you with my mark to help center you. It will be powerful, but it will help you understand how strong our bond will be.”

She watched as he lifted one arm from around her waist and held his marked wrist in front of her. “Touch it, Molly.”

She held her breath as she lifted one shaky hand out. She had no idea what to expect. Nervous energy filled the room like a living being. It was palpable.

It was so odd leaning into him like this. No one had ever been this close to her, and she felt the sizzle of power. She didn’t understand it, but what she did know was that she never wanted him to let her go. And she badly wanted to touch his mark. She was drawn to do so.

Everything around her faded as she set her fingertips on his mark. Her breath hitched. An electric current flowed between them. That was the only way she could think to describe the sensation.

But there was more. Something awakened inside her. Something she couldn’t identify. A need. It was so odd. A tightness in her stomach. She started panting.

She wanted to turn in his arms and flatten her front to his. She wanted to press her mark against his. She was drawn to do so as if by a higher power. And that’s exactly what was happening. Fate was nudging her.

She started trembling and couldn’t remove her fingers from his mark.

Finally he pried her loose and brought those fingers to his lips, kissing them.

Molly turned in his embrace, wrapped her arms around his neck, and honestly would have crawled up him like a monkey if the dress hadn’t been in the way.

She didn’t have to get quite so extreme, though, because he tucked his forearm under her butt and stood, taking her with him. He was so large that her feet were nowhere near the floor. If he dropped her, she would probably break a bone.

She held on to his neck, partly to ensure she wouldn’t fall but mostly because she wanted to touch his skin. She could feel his pulse. It seemed to be in sync with her own. Was that a thing? And why did she know it?

Gavin carried her out of the strange room.

She wanted to look around and familiarize herself with his home, but she couldn’t break her gaze from his. There was a magnetic pull between them. Her mother never mentioned anything like this. Then again, apparently her mother never knew this would happen.

Molly was freaking out inside. Her heart felt like it would beat out of her chest. Fear and curiosity were at war. Neither was winning.

The sound of a door opening and closing was all she registered before she realized they were outside. The cool evening breeze hit her face and whipped her hair around.

Gavin set her butt on some kind of ledge, but he kept his arms around her. “Take a deep breath, Baby girl.”

She nodded.

He chuckled. “Molly… You have to breathe.”

Was she not breathing? She inhaled deeply.

“That’s my girl. Maybe the cool mountain air will help.”

She scrunched up her face and shook her head.

He chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not helping, is it?”

She gripped his neck. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s the bond, Little one. It’s intense. It will increase with every passing moment.”

Molly took another deep breath. “I want…” She had no idea how to finish that statement.

He set his forehead against hers. “I know, Little one. I do too. There are a lot of things I need to explain to you. Can you focus enough to listen to Daddy?”