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COLLINS

Never in a million years would I have expected to find Penelope Hoffman at Limit-X. I mean, technically she found me—but that’s beside the point.

This refuge is for people who want to get their rocks off in a safe environment, and often without being bogged down by commitment. It’s meant for people who have demons to exorcize and for those that want a space to explore fantasies that aren’t societal norms.

It’s for people who have been background checked, vetted, and held to the high standards of a club’s contract.

This place is not meant for sweet girls like Penny Hoffman, who happen to walk in and suddenly fill the space with more warmth than it has ever seen.

Darkness and Penny do not go together. Seeing her here, on my turf, in my safe place, is fucking with my head.

Dammit.

Has she lost her ever-loving mind?

What was that girl thinking?

And to stop a scene mid-act…

Yes. She most definitely has lost it.

Every time I think of the way she looked at me, I feel my blood boil. Of all the places to come trotting inside, why did she pick my one and only refuge?

Sure, I haven’t visited in a while. But this place is definitely more mine than hers.

Yuri prides himself on keeping the venue off the radar of outsiders. It has an invite-only membership protocol. Yet, Penny comes waltzing in, looking like a beautiful flower in a field of weeds.

I hope she enjoyed the establishment while she did, because I sure as fuck never want to see her here again. Yet, it’s going to be impossible for me to erase the image of her standing innocently in front of me, wearing the sexiest outfit I’ve ever seen, from my mind.

Does she even have a sliver of self-preservation in her body? So many bad things could have happened tonight from her reckless behavior, and I never warned anyone here to stay the fuck away from her.

She’s going to be the death of me.

And if her brothers were to find out… They may put her on house arrest and conveniently lose the key.

I throw on my shirt, not even bothering to turn it the right side out. I just need to get to Penny before she hails a cab or does something equally as stupid— yet again —putting herself in harm’s way.

Where the hell was Chris, who I hired to watch her for the night?

That man prides himself on being able to handle anything and literally went into battle during our military days, but can’t handle the princess for a few hours?

How did she even get inside?

“Do you want to talk about it, man?” Yuri asks me, while tending to the redhead, who seems unfazed by any of this.

I mean, she shouldn’t be fazed. I’ve seen her make her rounds multiple times in this place. I just never bothered to learn anything more about her. I know she likes things rough and is good at following directions. By the glazed expression I elicited from her, I know she was having a damn good time under my control, as most women that enjoy this kink do.

I was giving her what she craved, and in exchange I got to release some endorphins. It was a win-win exchange of power that was mutually agreed upon. I came here tonight to blow off some steam and relax. And I was, until a fiery blonde flower got in my way. Now she’s the only thing I can think about as I shove my guilt into the back of my head.

My motive in accepting to have a scene with the redhead was strictly a logical one—and definitely not an emotional one.

I lead with my brain, not my heart.

The heart gets you hurt.

So I wanted someone who could handle my moodiness, while still getting off. And I also owed Michael a favor.

Doing this “public” scene was the favor.

And I’m pretty sure I’ll be owing Yuri one just to keep the princess from this establishment in the future.

“She’s going to need aftercare,” his voice cuts through the silence.

“Then give it to her,” I snap back. Sighing, I glance to the redheaded girl who is coming down from her high, in need of the comfort I can no longer provide to her.

It makes me feel shitty. But I need to get to Penny.

Turning my frustration to Yuri, I bark. “When did you start letting in nonmembers, and doesn’t that shatter the entire privacy clause?”

“She got an invite from another member apparently. I just don’t know who extended one to her when clearly that breaks the rules.”

What the fuck… I shake my head at his smirk. “And you couldn’t resist telling her no? You always had a thing for strays. Always wanting to rescue some baby butterfly who has hurt her wings.”

Yuri chuckles, obviously not fazed by my momentary lack of respect. He might own the place, but we always treated each other as equals. And with that comes a certain level of filters that get taken down when we are around each other. “Take that up with Michael. You know how he loves trying to control things.”

“Well, he chose to let in the one girl who can’t be controlled. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

Yuri’s eyes narrow. “So that’s what this is about? Some domestic dispute?”

“Just shut it.”

I’m not so unattached from my emotions not to realize how moody I sound. It’s just that I never got the release I came here for and am still teetering on the edge of simmering need. I’m so tightly wound up that going to Penny now would not be my best move, yet it’s the only one I can think about making. I need to make sure she’s okay and cannot count on anyone to have her best interests in mind like I do.

Dammit.

I had everything lined up so I could have a night to clear my head. Now things are cloudier than ever. The only thing tonight accomplished was making Penny distrust me even more, which shouldn’t matter now that I’m stepping down from being her bodyguard.

Yet, how can I trust anyone to watch her when I can’t even take a break for one evening and have the fill-in have success?

I mean, what are the fucking chances she would be here? She’s never come here before. How did I miss this necessary information?

Ever since we shared that kiss outside of the coffee shop, I’ve been reliving that scene over and over in my head on repeat. Which is good, because prior to that I was reliving the devastation all over her face when I rejected her at the apartment gym.

Since then, I have questioned my decision to pull away from her and to step down from being her bodyguard.

That’s why I showed up here tonight.

Being here was about throwing myself into a scene and trying to forget how cruel life’s circumstances can be.

I was trying to forget the fact that Penelope Josephine Hoffman would never be mine.

But she showed up tonight and completely flooded my brain with tantalizing images of taking my own sexual aggression out on her—the cause of all my agony.

I’ve never been this tightly wound up.

When Graham and Nic hired me to watch over their little sister, it was never meant to be twenty-four seven surveillance. Yet, with her track record so far, I don’t know how it won’t turn into something of that nature.

It’s not like I can even bring the topic up with them without causing alarm or their curiosity to flare, and I’ve been unable to convince myself that anyone other than me would be perfect to guard Penny.

The Hoffman brothers may take overprotectiveness to the next level, but I’m worse when it comes to protecting those I care about. And Penelope Hoffman is currently under my care, no matter how many times I’ve contemplated over the last few days of passing her off to someone else.

Clearly, I can’t trust anyone with her if she managed to infiltrate my once safe haven and scattered my thoughts even more.

So she will yield to me.

Her brothers need to know no part of what happened here tonight.

Airing out her dirty laundry would in return air out mine. While I respect Penny enough not to share this little discovery with others, I’m banking on the notion that she’ll give me the same courtesy.

“I need to run,” I say simply, earning a nod from Yuri. He knows I’m not overly empathetic. I turn to the girl. “Sorry the scene ended.”

She’s shaking, and I can’t tell why other than she may have hit her happy place faster than I would have expected from the average scene. We had barely gotten into the action before we were interrupted.

“Get her another blanket and a snack, man,” I say to Yuri.

He shakes his head at me but goes to tend to the girl.

A shiver runs through her. “Just make sure Penny isn’t mad at me.”

Of course the two of them would be buddy-buddy. Penny has that small-town charm and girl-next-door appeal.

“Got it.”

“I didn’t know you guys were?—”

“I’m sure someone will gladly step in and take over where I left off if that’s what your body still needs. Perhaps…”

She waves a hand at me, a blush hitting her cheeks. “No worries.”

I know the girl is making assumptions about Penny and me, but that isn’t anything I can control or have the patience for right now to set her straight.

With only one mission in mind, I take off into a jog, exit the room, and then weave through clusters of people. It’s getting pretty late, and the club goes from mild to wild rather quickly, thanks to alcohol and bad decision-making skills. I take two steps at a time on the descent, propelling myself forward toward the locker room to grab my belongings.

How did I not see this coming? Seriously. This could have all been avoided if I had my head on straight and not trying to pawn Penny off on someone else while I used my own needs as a distraction to cope. I’m more disciplined than this, and yet I have no one to blame other than myself.

When the warm summer air hits my face as I exit out through the main doors, I scan the premises in hopes I can find Penny. Then I hear it—her scream.

Not having any time to retrieve my gun from my car, I take off running toward the panicked sound of Penny’s high-pitched voice.

“Let me go!”

I will carve the skin off anyone who dares to hurt her.

My calves burn as I charge toward her attacker, feeling the air flying in and out of my lungs as I pick up the pace.

When I make it to the scene, I stop dead in my tracks. Chris is dodging blows coming from Penny’s fists like he’s a blow-up punching bag, while he squeals like a little baby.

Granted, she’s extra violent tonight.

Sheesh.

I made her this way. It’s me who set her into a feral tailspin as she distanced herself far away from me.

She’s repulsed by me and who could blame her?

Turning to shoulder some of the force, my hired henchman looks to be stressed and shocked over her outburst.

Not even war prepared him for anything like Penelope Hoffman.

Poor guy.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Says every freaking kidnapper”—she smacks him with every spoken word—“that has ever existed.”

SMACK.

Shit, she can be fiery.

“I mean it.”

SMACK.

“I mean it too, you brute!”

“Owww, you have heels on! Stop!”

Chris’s eyes connect with mine, silently begging me to bail him out of this shitstorm, as he tries to keep Penny off of him. He better the hell not let her hurt herself. Then he’ll be sporting more than just bloody shins and some bruises.

That’s the thing though with men like Chris. They are trained on how to deliver pain, not prevent someone from getting hurt while attacking them.

“Penny, I hired Chris,” I call out, trying to catch her attention before she gives him a broken nose.

I wish I could take credit for her self-defense moves, but I can’t. Besides, this is a full-blown attack. Her life isn’t at risk, but my ex-military friend’s is.

When my words finally register to her, she stops suddenly and whips her body around to glare at me. She hasn’t changed her outfit, and I can’t help but feel jealous that the entire club has seen her like this.

She is a vision in white.

The sexy scraps of material are in contradiction to her purity. I know Penny hasn’t had a chance to fully date. She’s barely been out of the facility to make deeper connections. Plus, the few guys that she was interested in while there didn’t pan out. And by that, I mean they were shut out fast and efficiently.

Penny can do better than them.

And she can do better than coming here to prowl for who the fuck knows what.

She points behind her but keeps her eyes trained on me. “ He is your hired guard?”

“Hey!” Chris scoffs. “I’m standing right here. I take offense.”

I ignore his hissy fit, having eyes only for Penny.

With her foot tapping against the pavement, Penny props her hands on her slender hips, which only elevates her breasts even more. Her gaze rakes over me, while her temper flares. And then she charges toward me, fists blazing.

“Calm down,” I snarl, actually concerned she’s going to get hurt this time.

She smacks against my chest. “You are a barbarian!”

“And you are defiant!”

“I can’t be defiant if I don’t answer to you!” She hits me again, but this time I catch both fists into my hands, immobilizing her.

“But you do answer to me,” I say simply. I glance back at Chris who is rubbing at his sore leg. Surely he’s been through worse, but the way he is pouting like a pansy, I’m really questioning if he can handle sweet Penny Hoffman.

Based on tonight, my instincts say no he can’t.

“I’m mad at you.”

“Did you bruise your hand?” I ask, ignoring her anger. I rotate her wrists, looking her over.

“What about my body?” Chris whines from the sidelines.

“Quit being a baby.”

“I need a Band-Aid.”

He’s a tulip.

“Penny, did you get hurt during your tirade?” She seems fine, but I want her verbal verification. “And what did I tell you during your lesson about where to keep your thumb’s location during a punch?” When she doesn’t answer, I remind her. “Well, you don’t tuck it in unless you want to break some bones.”

Chris makes eye contact with me. With a nod to my chin, he retreats and moves away from us, happy to get away to sulk and nurse his wounds, I am sure. He may be trained for stressful situations, but Penny takes everything up a notch. And nothing about tonight has gone to plan.

“I hate being followed.”

“I warned you that I would have eyes on you. You should not have tried to sneak away. It’s unsafe.”

“No,” she snaps. “Having a guy jump me in a dark parking lot is wrong.”

I sigh. “I told you that I’m vetting a potential guard for you, since we aren’t working out.” Granted, said guard is acting like he can’t handle a paper cut.

“That’s very fastidious of you.” Anger bubbles in her eyes as she comprehends my train of thought.

“Seemed like the most logical next steps.”

“You followed me here?”

I shake my head. “I had no clue you would be here.” I glance toward the mansion. Even if she had no clue what happens on the inside, why would she risk going into a new place alone? This is equivalent to going into someone’s van because they are claiming to sell cheap designer purses.

“Okay. I didn’t know you’d be here either.”

“I hired Chris just for the night. He probably saw you leaving Sky View and followed you. He probably got stopped at the doors here and prohibited from entering—just as you should have been.”

“That is so beyond creepy. And the fact that you don’t see it as such makes me extra angry. But please, keep enlightening me. Maybe if you throw me enough crumbs, I’ll be able to paste them all together to actually understand the inner workings of your damn mind.”

Shit, she is pissed. I take in a deep breath, slowly exhaling. “I came here to let off some steam, Pen. I had Chris monitoring you while I took time off to figure out my next steps. He’s probably been in his car waiting for you to exit the building most of the night. It’s not like he had a good way of contacting me, when I too don’t have access to my devices. But why are you here, Penelope?”

“It’s not your concern.”

Her sass is giving me the start of a migraine. “If I’d known you were coming here, I would have surely stopped it.”

She lets out a huff. “Of course you would, Mr. Always Knows Best.”

“This isn’t a place for you, Pen.”

“Is that so?” Her eyes look back at the building that is buzzing with vibrating energy. “Seems very double standard-ish, if you ask me. But that’s the thing, Collins. You never ask me. You just assume to understand how I’m feeling or what is best for me. And you are slowly and methodically driving me to my breaking point. So, tell me, Collins. When did you develop a kink for beating up defenseless women?”

My teeth clench together. “It was consensual, Penelope.”

“That’s what any abuser says.”

She’s pushing me, and if she does it any harder she will find out what darkness lurks at the end of my threshold.

“Why Daphne?”

“Who’s Daphne?”

Her hands fly upwards. “You don’t even know the name of the person you were striking?”

“It was consensual spanking, Pen.” Why do I need to keep reminding her? “I would never do anything to someone who wasn’t begging for it.”

Her hands get animated again. “Don’t you dare try to twist what I saw to suit your narrative. As if you were doing her some grand favor. My goodness, do you even hear yourself?”

“I was doing Michael a favor. And in return he better grant me one with never allowing you to step foot back into that building.”

“Well, if I wasn’t welcome here tonight then they shouldn’t have been handing out invites.”

“Penny, whoever told you this venue was open to nonmembers lied to you.”

I watch impatiently as she paces back and forth, teetering on her sky-high heels. She’s going to twist an ankle. Why does she continue to wear such impractical shoes? I mean, they look sexy as fuck, but they are dangerous.

Then, without warning, she starts walking farther away from me.

It’s my eyes that chase after her first, because my brain can’t get my feet to cooperate.

“Where are you going?” I call out.

“Home.”

“Penny!” I yell, forcing myself to move.

“Collins,” she mocks in an obnoxious voice that has never been used with the saying of my name in the past.

I break out in a jog in order to catch up with her. “I’ll drive you home.”

“Nope. Not interested.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

“I’m still not accepting.”

“Let me give you a ride,” I try again.

Turning, she shoots me a disgusted look. “I don’t take rides from strangers.”

“Except you do, literally every fucking time you need a ride.”

“I thought I knew enough about you, but it’s all been some deluded construction of false details I construed in my own head.”

Her words sting. It’s true that there’s a lot about each other neither of us know, but if she thinks I’m going to let her walk home, then she doesn’t know me at all.

“Penny, be reasonable.”

Rounding her shoulders, she stands tall. “It’s a beautiful evening for a walk.”

She can’t be serious. She’s testing me. There’s no other logical explanation as to why she thinks walking right now is appropriate. “It’s fifteen miles. At least.”

“I’m in the mood for some exercise.”

“Then I’ll drive you to the gym. Oh, and what do you know? We have one at our apartment building.”

“Oh, and some peace and quiet that the dark night can offer me.”

She is pushing against my patience, seeing how far she can take me before I lose it.

I reach for her arm, at the exact time her body whips around. Her eyes hold all her secrets, and right now, she’s not being shy about how angry she is at me. I get it. Neither of us expected to find the other here tonight. I’m still in a bit of shock. And I’m sure—once I’ve had time to process everything—I’ll be a bit embarrassed that she caught me in a compromising position…with her new friend, nonetheless.

It’s one thing being confident in yourself. But it’s another thing allowing people who are present in your life to witness those insights—especially when it’s of the sexual nature.

Her hands grip the hem of her halter top, tugging it down to conceal some of her abdomen, and the only thing it does is give me a better view of her perfect breasts. I hate how exposed she is and am thankful that we seem to be the only ones out here.

I’m sure Chris is lurking somewhere. He’s three times her size, and he couldn’t stop her from beating him up? The first sign of tension, and he folded like a first-timer gambling in Vegas.

I shouldn’t be surprised. Penny has a long running history of ditching her guards and causing chaos, and I’m starting to wonder if she would do this reckless behavior with anyone that wasn’t me.

Because pulling these stunts with me won’t fare well for her… And maybe deep down, she knows it.

“You’re going to get blisters walking anymore in those deathtrap shoes.” I gesture to her feet. Her ankles look so small and feminine. “And your outfit is?—”

“Slutty. Just say it,” she calls to me, her words slurring a bit. “No need to sugarcoat your feelings now.”

“I wasn’t going to say that, Pen.”

“But you sure were thinking it.”

Feeling like my patience is dwindling, I try again. “Come, I’ll give you a lift.”

Turning, she continues to walk away from me, making her way to the edge of the parking lot near the access point to the road. Her hips sway, as she takes long strides, stumbling a bit as she tries to separate herself from me.

Sassy little thing she is.

Dammit.

She has some nerve thinking she can openly defy me.

Without thinking, I run to catch up with Penny and scoop her into my arms, cradling her to my chest. Her protests are adorable, making it difficult for me to resist laughing. She would not like that I’m finding humor in this situation.

“L’me down!”

How much has she been drinking? “I will when we get to my car.”

Her hands smack at my back. Without any hesitation, I take long strides to my car, open the passenger side, and deposit a flailing Penny inside. Reaching across, I snap her into her seat, despite her trying to escape. In the confined space, I smell the telltale signs of alcohol on her breath. That’ll be a chat for another day. This girl could use a lesson in respecting some limits.

Penny mutters under her breath. “Ever the gentleman.”

“You seem angry,” I state the obvious, stifling a laugh, as she flips around to shoot me with her volatile temper.

“Angry?” She points to herself. “Who, me? Nah, this is just my ’ormal perwonality.”

Yup. She’s slurring.

“You haven’t seen anythin’ yet. You er kidnappin’ me and holdin’ me hostage.”

I let out a growl. “Call it whatever you want, but if you move from this seat, we will have problems.”

Her nose flares. “Is that so?” she huffs out. “What’ll you do, spank me like you did Daphne?” She exaggerates the name into more syllables than it has.

Bending down, I look her straight in the eyes. “No.”

“And why not?” she challenges.

“What I will do to you will actually be punishment. Besides, call me old-fashioned, but when I spank someone, I prefer it to be consensual and with agreed-upon terms.”

Her eyes widen and fill up with tears. “You would hurt me?”

“Of course not, Penny. How could you ever think that?”

“So what you were doing with Daphne was for both of your pwea”—she stumbles with the word—“pleasures?”

“Yes.” Why are we dwelling on this—again? “But mainly hers. I’m actually not big into the impact play.”

“Well, then what’ll you do to me as punishment?”

“I will just tighten security on you. Embed a tracking device under you?—”

“NO!”

I smirk. The last part was a joke to test out how drunk she really is and to cause a healthy amount of fear into her if she thinks she can dictate to me how to keep her safe. “Okay, Penny.”

“Besides, isn’t that what you’ve already done by hiring that baboon who manhandled me?”

I have had enough of this conversation. I’m not going to stand here outside of a sex club and go ten rounds with Penelope Hoffman on how I value her safety, despite how little regard she has for her own well-being.

Double-checking that her limbs are safely inside, I shut her door, round the front, and am about to open my driver’s side door when I catch movement from my side.

It’s Chris.

“Should I run anymore surveillance?”

Looking back through the window, I see Penny stewing. “Nah, I got it covered tonight.”

“Oh my goodness…”

“What?” I hiss. He looks too smug to have anything of value to say.

“I never thought I would see the day.”

“Just get on with it, you fucker.”

“You have no freaking clue how to control her. Your entire adult life you have learned to read people, study them, and anticipate their actions. Except her… She is the free-spirited woman who is going to drive you insane. And it’s all because she is unpredictable.”

His tone is laced with amusement. He is enjoying himself, and I am planning out how I am going to recover after I pummel his ass into the ground.

“Just go back to your car.”

“Aye, aye, Redeye.”

I roll my eyes and watch him walk along the shadowy border of the parking lot back to his vehicle. And he’s fucking humming, having way too much fun.

Reaching for my door, I feel the car shake and see the flash of blonde hair whisking through the air, moving toward the front of the mansion.

“Dammit, Penny!”