Page 33 of Biker's Babygirl

“You said you wanted to go. I’m going to call my brother, explain the situation to him, and give you some privacy to get dressed.”

I swallow hard, over the sudden lump that has sprouted in my throat. “Wait, Duke, please.”

He looks back at me long and hard before softly closing the door. He doesn’t walk back to me, though. He leans against the doorway, scrutinizing me. “Well? Which is it, Ginny? Hospital, or…?”

“I… I want you to do it,” I mumble, burying my face immediately after the words leave my mouth.

“I can’t hear you. What was that?”

Groaning, I pick my head up and look at him, my hands tightening on my knees. “I… I’d like you to do it, please.”

“Why?”

The question shouldn’t come as a surprise, but for some reason it does. I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I… I trust you, Duke.”

“Really?” He cocks a brow. “It didn’t seem that way a few minutes ago.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper pitifully. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I feel my eyes filling with tears.

Duke closes the space between us in three long-legged strides. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry.” He reaches up and smooths the tears that have fallen with the pad of his thumb. “Listen, I care about you, Ginny.”

The words cause hope to flare beneath my breastbone. He does?

“I just want to take care of you. Can you let me do that?”

My eyes lock with his and my teeth dig into my bottom lip. “What… what does that mean, exactly?”

Even as I ask the question, there is a part of my brain setting off alarm bells. I’ve done this before. Trusted a man who promised to protect me. Can I do it again? My brain says no, but the way he’s looking at me is slowly turning my insides to liquid jelly, and despite my better judgement, I really want to.

“Well, first of all, it means I’m rescuing that poor lip.” He reaches over and tugs my lip out from under my teeth. “There, isn’t that better?” With the pad of his thumb, he soothes the hurt, and my heartstrings are twisting up in knots for this man I barely know.

Maybe… maybe he means it. Maybe it’ll be different this time.

“It also means that if I tell you to do something, you need to trust that it’s for your safety and well-being.” His eyes regard me seriously. “I go to some dangerous places, and I encounter some dangerous things. Hell, walking out your front door can be dangerous, right in your own neighborhood, on any given day. I want to protect you, but in order to do that, I need your help.”

His voice, equal parts serious and soft, calls to something deep within me, and I find myself nodding. “What would I need to do?”

“Well.” Duke reaches over and takes my hand, gently smoothing his thumb over my knuckles. “It’s a small-sounding thing which is actually a very big thing.”

“O-okay.” Somehow, I know what he will say next is important, and that my agreement or lack thereof will change everything. I don’t think I’m ready for that. I duck my head, wanting to avoid his scrutinizing gaze and just enjoy the feeling of him holding my hand.

Duke tips my chin up, and I’m looking into his eyes whether I like it or not. “I need you to obey me, Ginny.”

I suck in my breath sharply, and yet, I’m not really surprised. This is what it always comes down to, isn’t it?

Run.

But I shake my head to clear my inner cynic. She always gets me into trouble.

You need to tell him.I let my breath out slowly. I know it’s true, but I’m just not ready.

“Well? What do you think?”

Looking deep into his blue depths for a long minute, I decide that words are useless. Letting go of his hand, I stand up and push my panties down. Then, before I can chicken out, I lie down on the table, pushing my ass out toward him.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Duke

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