Her Protector

Chapter Four

I held her in my arms as she fell asleep. I glided my hand up and down her arm with the memory of a couple hours ago. When she allowed me to f**k her. She is mine now. I have stake my claim in that shower. No one can touch her again. I looked up at Ted, "Find anything about this Walter guy?" He looked up in the mirror as his hand gripped the steering wheel as his knuckles turned white. 

"Boss, he is not a good guy." He said in a low husky voice. I know he didn't want to tell me what he found. I fear that he found something that will get me to the edge, "What did you find?" He sighed as he tilted his head, "According to the source there is some suspicious that he r***d…" he looked down to Ariel as she had her head on my lap. My hand stopped moving on her arm as I squeezed her arm as she moaned, "Are we sure if he did or didn’t." He shrugged his shoulders, "Only she can tell us that but her father sent her to live with him for six months when she was sixteenth." 

My eyes got wide, "She was f*****g sixteen." He nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the road, "The story is that she thought her father was the only one that knew what Walter did but sent her anyway." He sighed., "Walter bragged to his friends about the sixteen years old redhead that he f****d for six months. And how he was going to marry her when she was legal." I looked down at her, "She got away from him." He nodded, "But not before the damage was done. He beat the s**t out of her before she could get away."

My blood started to boil. This poor woman has been through hell. The last thing I want to do is what I am doing. Keeping her against her will. I will keep f*****g her as long as she wants me too. I am weak to her. I will kill every man to make sure she is safe. I have been watching her for weeks. I couldn't help but to fall hard for her. God damn it I know better than this. I couldn't help it. She was my weakness. f**k. I am screwed more than one way. 

Several hours later we pulled up to the house as the day turned into night. I helped her out of the SUV, "Welcome home, Kitten." She looked up at the house. There was a high fence that surrounded the property. Cameras were set up a year ago all around the house. You can see the ocean from behind the house. Ariel looked up at me and smiled, "It is so pretty here." I stared at her, "It is a sight for sure."

Slate placed his hand on the small of my back to guide me into the house. I stood in the foyer when the man that forced me into the SUV appeared. I walked up to him and smacked him in his face without thinking. Slate grabbed me and held me back, "You got to stop beating up my men." The man chuckled, "Told you she is a fighter." That made my blood boil as I yelled back at him, "Once he let me go you find out how much of a fighter I am." Slate chuckled as he picked me up; swing my legs around his waist, "Put the claws away, Kitten. He was following my orders." 

The man eyebrow raised as Slate placed his lips in the dip of my neck and shoulders, "Why don't we get you freshen up from the drive then we can have dinner." He pulled his head away from my neck, "Do I need to carry you up to keep you from beating up my man." I smirked at him, I can't promise anything." He laughed as Ted whispered something to the man when he cracked a smile, "Is that so?" 

Slate carried me up to a massive room as my head went to his shoulders. I laid my lips on his bare neck, "Why do you make me feel safe when I should fear you?" He chuckled as he placed me on the bed, "Only you can answer that one, Kitten." He sighed as he leaned over to place his lips against my forehead, "The problem is that you should fear me." I looked up into his eyes as he placed his fingers along my jawline, "I don't know. I don't know what to feel." 

I turned my head to see that there was a fireplace that was lit, "This house is beautiful." He smirked, "I know. It was mine designed." I chuckled, "Who are you?" He shook his head as he took my arms and lifted me off the bed, "Truthful, someone I wish you never had to meet." My blood drew away from my face as he tilted his head, "Shower then I will meet you downstairs." 

I nodded as he walked to the door. He looked down, "There are clothes in the closet for you. Everything you need is here." I tilted my head, "How long have you been following me." His fist tapped the wall next to the door, "You don't want to know that Kitten." My mouth closed as he left the room. 

I went down the stairs after I left Ariel in the room to get washed up when I walked into the kitchen as Derek was preparing something for us to eat. He tilted his head at me. s**t, Ted told him that I f****d my little kitten. He sighed as he cut the carrot, "You know getting that involved with your mark is not good, man." I shook my head as I sat at the island when I placed my head into my hand, "Trust me I know. I couldn't help myself."

I heard a familiar chuckle from behind me, "This is not his usual mark." I turned my head and smirked at Timothy, "When did you get here?" He smiled as he sat next to me, "Yesterday." I nodded as Derek handed me a beer, "Any findings on my little kitten?" He tilted his head at me as he chuckled, "You have been with her for a f*****g day and she is your little kitten. Man, you got it bad." I sipped my beer, "No clue what you are talking about." He shook his head, "Heard that you staked your claim on her. That you have made it very clear that she is yours." 

I shrugged my shoulders as I looked towards the stairs. He leaned towards me, "Where is your little pet?" I turned back to sip my beer as Derek forced on dinner, "Taking a shower." Timothy nodded, "There are a lot of rumors of her father losing his control on what she does." I nodded my head, "I know. She is not someone that you tell to lay down. Eventually, she will but she will fight." Derek snorted as he pointed to his eye, "This nice little black and blue is a prize from her right foot." Timothy looked at him and laughed, "Damn, Derek she got you good." Derek flipped his off as Timothy sighed, "She had to fight. Her whole life. Against her father, men that her father sent after her and now from this asshole that she has no clue about."

I looked down at my beer as I slid my finger across the label, "Are we really going to hand her over to him?" Timothy smirked, "Not a chance in hell. You know that is not how we operate. But I can't tell the client that." I tilted my head, "Then why did we take it on, What am I missing here." Timothy sighed, "When he was explaining to me who she was, I started to dig. Saw that she is not dirty like the assholes we deal with. There is no reason for him to go after her beside her connection to her family." I snorted, "But she cut that off." 

Timothy nodded, "I took it on and gave you to her to protect her. The story I told you a couple days ago, I just had found out. I pressured him into telling me why." I looked up at the ceiling, "We can't keep her locked here forever. She will never go for it." Timothy nodded, "I know. I am working an exit plan for her. That's why this little vacation came in handy." 

I sniffed up when she walked into the kitchen in a long dress with flower patterns that fit her body, "Kitten?" Timothy turned his head as she walked towards me. I held my hand out to her as I placed my hand on her hip. My hand gilded around to make sure she didn't place any panties on. I smirked as I whispered into her ear, "Good girl." She blushed as Timothy studied her, "Ariel. I am Timothy." 

She turned towards him as she leaned against me as I sat on the stool, "Nice to meet you." He chuckled, "And here I am starting to feel left out." She tilted her head as I took a sip of my beer as Timothy whispered to her, "I have yet been slapped by you." She smirked as she lifted her hand, "That can be arranged." I shook my head as I placed my hand on her arm and pulled it back, "Behave Kitten or I will have to tie you up." 

Timothy wiggled his eyebrow as she stiffened up, "That sounds like a fun time." Her fingers clenched forming a fist as I growled to her, "Don't, Kitten. It will not end the way you want to." She relaxed her fist as Derek pulled the pot roast out of the oven as he sniffed the air, "Dinner is done."

We sat around the table in silence when this Timothy guy looked at me, "You're a vet?" I nodded my head as I placed a piece of roast on my mouth, "I own my own shelter." He nodded, "And you were able to get it off the ground without your father's help." I nodded at him, "I did. I wanted to make sure my father had no control over my life, anymore." He smirked as Slate lifted his eyebrow at me, "Your father placed you through hell." I turned my face away from them, "I don't know what you are talking about Slate." 

His jaw clenched, "We have seen the reports from the hospital and the pictures, Kitten." I looked down, "No one believed me that he did it." Timothy nodded, "We know." He reached out and placed his hand on mine as I quickly pulled away, "We do. We believe you." I adjusted in my chair as Slate leaned closer to me, "Want to share what Walter Jones did to you?" My body tensed up as I looked at him as he tilted his head, "Kitten one way or another we will find out. We are good at what we do and that is digging s**t up on people." 

I stood up from the table as they all looked up at me, "I am going to bed." Slate got up from the table as I shook my head to him, "Slate, alone." His eyebrow raised at me, "For now. But I will be in there later on. I can't have you getting ideas like our little game in the woods, Kitten." Timothy and Derek looked at Slate puzzled as Ted laughed, "She had to take track in her younger years."

I smirked at Ted and gave him a wink, "All state Champ." I walked away as I heard them groan and Slate said softly, "Fuck." I slightly turned my head as I saw him adjust himself. I swayed my hips knowing he was watching me walk up the stairs as he yelled, "She is going to be the death of me." The table broke out in a roar of laughter. 

She went to bed as I couldn't stop thinking about the sweet ass swaying. I couldn't wait to get upstairs and have her lay next to me so I can touch her again. My god this is not good. She has been pushing my self control. I could usually maintain it but with her I threw caution to the wind. I looked at Timothy as he tilted his head, "She was able to get away from you." I shrugged my shoulders, "She didn't get far." 

Timothy chuckled as he ate, "Who is Walter Jones." I looked up at him as I clenched my teeth, "I had Ted look into him. He came up in a nightmare she was having." Timothy's fist hit the table, "What the f**k? What did he do?" I sighed as I looked at the stairs, "From what we gathered, he r***d her for six months of her living with him and her father was trying to see her to him." 

Timothy's jaw clenched hard, "This is a f*****g mess. I try to find some dirt on her to make the this all seem like we are not doing something we will regret  but she is clean as a whistle." I shook my head, "Doesn't it really matter if she is or isn't. What her father did to her no one should have gotten through that." Timothy shook his head, "No but it makes me want to make sure that you protect her more." I nodded as I ate when he stood up, "You are not going to stop f*****g her, are you?" I looked at him and smirked as I sat back, "I couldn't stop if I wanted to." He shook his head, "Just make sure your head is in the game when I need you to be." 

I nodded as he walked back to the kitchen shaking his head. I know why. My head needs to be ready. Once this is all over I may have to let her go. Right now I don't have to. Ted left the dining room and after a few minutes he came running down, "Slate, She is having another nightmare." I jumped up from the table as Timothy and Derek came out of the kitchen puzzled. 

I threw the door open as I heard her screaming. God damn it. When I get my hands on Walter, my face will be the last face he will see before he dies. I sat on the bed next to her as she tossed and turned. She was sweating to death. 

I looked over to Timothy and Derek as they watched her flare around in the bed. I picked her up as her body tightened up and placed her head against my chest when her hand went to my shirt. She clenched tight as she painted, “Ariel, wake up.” I placed my hand through her hair as she trembled. “Come on, Kitten. I got you.” She jumped up as her eyes popped open, “Don’t touch me!” I held her closer, “It is me, Slate.” Her breathing started to slow when she looked up at me, “Slate?” 

I nodded as I smirked at her, “I am here, Kitten.” She sniffled as she looked over to see Timothy and Derek standing in the doorway with a burning anger in their eyes. The three of us have done some f****d up s**t but there is one thing that we don’t take lightly is someone raping any women. 

I placed my chin on her head as she held on to me for dear life, “Kitten it is okay.” She lowered her head as she was ashamed. Like this was her fault. It pisses me off on how society makes the victim all over again. They are not the ones at fault. It is the person that did what they did. 

I placed my fingers under her chin as I lifted her face up. There were tears coming from her blue eyes, “Kitten, This is not your fault. You never have to feel ashamed. There is nothing you did would make someone do this to you.” She tilted her head as she lifted to my lips. She kissed me with power. I can tell that she was trying to take control. Making it happened not allowing someone else to take it from her.  

I looked up as Derek winked at me and the door shut. She pulled away when she looked over to see that they were not watching us anymore. She placed her hand on my face as I looked forward as she said, “Slate. Take me.” I shook my head, “Not like this, Kitten. Not when you just woke up from something like that.” 

She looked down towards the floor as she shook her head. I held her closer to me as I whispered to her, “It is not that I don’t want to. It is just you woke up screaming and sweating to death.” I paused then sighed, “I understand that you don’t want to feel his touch anymore after waking up like that but I can’t take you when you are like that.” I placed my chin on her head, “I want to. So bad. I want to f**k you until you scream my name in your dreams and not allow you to have those nightmares anymore.” She snorted, “Thank you.” 

I understood what Slate was saying. He didn’t want me to feel like he was taking advantage of me. I wanted to feel him inside of me. I hate waking up like this. I've been waking up like this since I was sixteen. They are like clock work. I am sweating and screaming. My next store door neighbor has called the police one time because she thought I was being attacked. 

I looked up at Slate, “I understand what you are saying. I.. I…” He looked down at me as his hand glided on my chin, “Why don’t you take a nice bath?” I nodded as he had me leave his warmth. He got up from the bed, “I will get it running for you.” He stared at me for a moment then shook his head and walked to the bathroom.

I heard that tub fill up as I got up and grabbed something to wear, “Slate?” He walked over to the door frame, “Kitten?” I sighed as I picked out a lace nightie out of the closet. I held it up as I tilted my head, “Why do you do this?” He smirked as he walked over. He took the nightie, “Why do I do what?” I sighed, “This. Kidnap people?” He chuckled, “I don’t normally kidnap people.” I shook my head, “You know what I mean.” He shrugged his shoulders when he took the nightie to the bathroom, “It pays the bill and with my time in the military gave me skills that are useful in this line of work.” 

I followed him as he turned off the tub. He placed his fingertips into the bubble bath as I stood in the doorway, “Why kind of skills?” He took a deep breath and shook his head, “I prefer that you never find out.” I turned my head, “Do you f**k all the girls that you are assigned, too.” He looked up at me with a straight face, “No, Kitten. You were the first woman that I have f****d that was my mark.” I nodded as he lifted from the tub and walked over to me. He placed his hands on my hips, “You are the only woman that has made me feel like this.” His lips brushed against my lips. 

I closed my eyes, “Have you ever been in love before?” He pulled me into him, “Once.” His finger glided my dress into his hands as I asked him, “What happened?” His fingers clenched as he reached the hem, “She was murdered.” I looked at him to see the sadness in his eyes, “I am sorry.” He shook his head, “That was three years ago.” I lifted my arms so he could pull my dress over me then he threw it down to the ground, “I may have once loved but I still stand by that I never had a woman make me feel the way you do. And so quickly.” 

She tilted her head to me, “Why me?” My hand went around her waist and up her back to unclasped her bra, “What do you mean?” She sighed as her lips touched my shoulder, “Why are you falling for me?” I guided her bra off of her as her beautiful and perky breast was free, “I don’t know. I just did. I can’t explain it.” She pulled back as she tilted her head, “When did you start to fall for me?” I chuckled as I placed my lips against hers, “The moment I saw you.” 

I guided her to the bathtub. She got into the tub and sunken into the water and bubbles as she giggled. I love the way she laughed, “What so funny?” She flopped her hands on the bubbles, “The fact that you have bubbles for a bubble bath.” I chuckled, “I had to make sure you had everything here.” I leaned down and placed my lips on her forehead, “When you are ready to talk to me about your nightmares, I am here. It may help.” 

She looked down as her voice cracked, “Thank you, Slate.” She sighed, “Tell Timothy that I said thank you, too.” I placed my hand through her wet hair, “For what?” She looked up at me, “For believing me. No one has or they just didn’t care.” I smirked, “Of course I will tell him but you can tell him, yourself when you are done with the bath.” I got up and found a robe for her and placed it on the counter.

I left her in the bath when I walked downstairs as Timothy was yelling over the phone, “I want him. And I want him dead.” I looked up as he placed his finger up to give him a minute. I walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer when Timothy’s hand slammed on the counter of the island, “I want Walter to suffer.” I lifted my eyebrow at him with a smirk on my face, “He can’t do it. He is preoccupied. He is taking care of something for me.” I handed Timothy a beer when Derek and Ted entered the kitchen. 

Derek looked at me as he lifted his eyebrow when he whispered, “How is she holding up?” I shook my head as I took a sip of my beer, “Confused, Frustrated in more ways than one.” He chuckled, “Why don’t you take care of that frustration. I know you want to.” I punched his arm, “You are an ass. I wouldn't do that when she is like that.” He placed his hand on my shoulder, “I know.” 

I looked up as Ariel came into the kitchen, “Hey kitten, Want a beer?” She nodded her head as she walked over to me in her bathrobe hiding that sweet little nightie underneath. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and handed it to her as Timothy hung up the phone. He winked at me as I placed my hand onto her waist and settled my hand on her ass. I so wanted to squeeze it at that moment. It was hard to use self control around her. She took a sip of her beer as her body started to relax when she looked at Timothy, “Tim, I wanted to thank you.” 

Timothy lifted his eyebrow as my hand clenched around the fabric of her silky bathrobe, “Usually I would kill someone for calling me Tim. But for you Princess. I let it pass.” He let out a chuckle. My hand relaxed knowing that Timothy was not going to make a big deal. I tilted my head at him and wondered why is she the only one that can get away with calling him Tim. His wife doesn’t dare to call him Tim. She smirked, “Well, I am honored.” 

He winked at me then his face fell, “Princess, I need to know what Walter did to you. From your own words.” Her body tense up and pushed into my body as she was trying to hide behind me as he sighed, “I may be able to help you.” She sighed as she turned her head away from my face, “On my sixteenth birthday, He came over to my sweet sixteen party.” Her body tensed up more, “He showed up early. Like three hours early.” I could feel her starting to tremble but avoiding looking at me, “I just got out of the shower and I was in my towel.” Derek shook his head, “Where was your father.” 

She shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know. He told me that he ran an earn when he showed up.” Derek stared at her. He was pissed that she gave him such a fight and had slapped him but he could let that go. This is what she is telling us, I can see his blood boil. My blood is boiling. She shook her head as she started to tear up, “He r***d me. He said that he was taking a sample.” Ted’s fist hit the wall, “A f*****g sample.” She nodded, “He told me that he was going to have me for six months to see if I was wifey material.” 

My eyes widened, “That is why your father sent you to live with him for six months.” I nodded, “My father told people that he was going to be away for business but didn’t want to interrupted my schooling so he was sending me to my ‘uncle’s house.’” I placed my lips on her shoulder as she tensed up to my touch, “Then Walter r***d me everyday for six months.” 

She looked up at the ceiling, “My father arranged for me to be married to him when I turned eighteen.” Timothy clenched his beer, “What happened?” She took a deep breath, “The night before I was set to marry him, I was able to run away. I disappeared for six months and got myself in school for veterinary.” She turned towards me as I wrapped my arms around her, “It is okay, Kitten. I got you.” Derek and Timothy looked at me with anger as they nodded their heads. 

There was a touch on my back that I knew wasn’t Slate’s as I heard Derek whispered, “Don’t worry, Princess. He will never hurt you again.” Slate’s arms tightened around me as I buried my head into his chest as I dropped the beer when it splattered all over the floor behind us. Slate bent down as he lifted my legs around him as he walked on the glass as I placed my head on his shoulder, “It is okay, Kitten.” I sobbed into his neck as I just told him, all of them what happened to me. This was the first time I have been able to place it in words on what happened.

Slate walked up the stairs then went into the room. He placed me on the bed as he leaned over, “I got you.” He lifted up and took off his shirt. He unbutton his pants then leaned forward to place a kiss on my forehead. He lifted up then got up off the bed when his pants dropped. Slate then climb over me onto the other side without breaking eye contact with me. 

He got under the blankets then placed them over me, “Come here, kitten.” I moved closer to him as he untied my bathrobe and pushed it off my shoulders, “Take it off.” 

I slid out of the bathrobe as his fingers touched the fabric of my nightie. His hands guided over my hips and on to my back as he pulled me into him, “Slate.” He kissed my forehead then glazed into my eyes, “Kitten.”  I whispered softly, “I need you.” His arm tensed up around my hip, “I know but it will need to wait until tomorrow. Once you had a moment to process that all just happened.” I smirked at him, “Promise.” He chuckled as he pulled me as he rolled over, “You are seriously trying to kill me, Kitten.” I placed my head on his bare chest as my fingers traced his tattoo that sat on his chest.