Sophie Oak - Siren Enslaved

His head turned, and he arched an elegant eyebrow as he looked at her. The left side of his face tugged up slightly, and the sweetest dimple formed in his cheek. “We’re going on vacation. You should be glad I packed light, little one, since I seem to have found a bit of extra baggage along the way. My name is Julian Lodge, though I suspect by the end of the night, you’ll just call me Sir.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Dani had no idea why, but it seemed to fit him.

She sat back and let Julian Lodge take the reins.

Julian turned the Audi down the long gravel drive that led to the Barnes-Fleetwood ranch. A warm sense of satisfaction poured over his system. Jackson Barnes was a man he admired. Jackson had done well. He’d come from less than nothing and truly built a life for himself. The house in the distance was lovely. He could see a large main house and a guesthouse. From Jackson’s descriptions he knew there was also housing for something Jackson had called the “hands.” It was his first visit to the ranch, and he suspected his former protégé would teach him all about ranching. Despite having been born and raised in Texas, Julian had never been close to a cow that wasn’t sitting on his dinner plate and cooked to medium rare.

“You know Jack Barnes?”

Danielle sat up straight in her seat now. It had taken roughly ten minutes to get from that tiny town she was fleeing to the ranch. He’d been amused at how quickly she’d relaxed and allowed her eyes to drift closed. She trusted quickly. It could be a dangerous thing if she met the wrong person. He had the feeling the woman beside him was a true submissive. She’d probably been taken advantage of all her life for that reason. She needed a strong, dominant partner. It was a good bet she wouldn’t find one here.

“He’s a friend,” Julian replied simply. She didn’t need to know that Jackson Barnes used to be the Dom in residence at the sex club Julian owned and operated. The Club was his own personal haven. It was for experienced Dominants and their submissives. This soft little thing was obviously submissive, but she would never see the inside of a BDSM club. It simply wasn’t her world. Despite her attempt at freedom, Julian knew she would end up right back in that church marrying the yokel next door. People didn’t change.

He studied the curve of her porcelain cheek. She wasn’t a delicate girl. She was all curves and breasts. And the ridiculous gown she was wearing still overpowered her. If he had been dressing her, he would have kept it simple. He would have put her in a tailored simple gown that showed off her perfect skin and what looked to be an hourglass figure. Julian was surprised at how aroused he’d been at kissing the woman beside him. She’d gotten to him, and he wasn’t sure how. Somewhere between making the decision to calm her down and that moment when she sighed and went languid in his arms, she’d flicked a switch on. Julian wasn’t sure he wanted it switched off again. His cock certainly didn’t. He was still hard.

“Are you staying here, or just saying hello?”

He had an almost irresistible urge to reach out and place his hand on her hair. He wanted to smooth it down and calm the panic he could see was clearly rising in her. He forced his hand to stay on the steering wheel. “I told you I was on vacation, little one. I’m spending the week here with my friends.”

He had to admit it felt good to want someone. He would really enjoy peeling back her layers and getting to the woman underneath. A smart idea? Perhaps not. Danielle seemed to be trouble. The tight feeling in his groin told him he might not mind a bit of trouble. He would have to ponder it. He never made snap decisions. Getting involved with the woman next to him carried certain risks he would have to carefully consider. He would sit down after dinner and give the decision the consideration it deserved. She obviously needed kindness. He needed to decide if he could give that to her.

She was staring at her hands. It seemed to Julian that she was trying to make a decision. Perhaps she needed a bit of space. “When you’re ready, come inside and find me. If you choose to stay, I’ll have Jackson make up a room for you. If you choose to go, I will arrange transportation. Is there anything you need right now?”

She shook her head and didn’t look at him, instead staring at her hands as they twisted in her lap. He thought briefly about kissing her again. It had worked the first time. He discarded the idea as dangerous. He set the parking brake as the door to the ranch house opened. Jackson was suddenly in the doorway, a wide smile on his face and something odd attached to his chest. It moved, then appeared to yawn.

“Julian! Damn, man, it’s good to see you.” Jackson Barnes’s voice carried over the huge front lawn. He was a tall, broad man with dark hair. It wasn’t covered with a cowboy hat this afternoon. Julian had rarely seen Jackson without a Stetson on his head in years.

Julian slipped out of the car and had his hand out as he crossed the yard. “I thought I would never get here. This is a beautiful place you have.”

“That’s all Abby’s work. She’s whipped this place into shape. She has your room all fixed up.” Jackson’s face split in a wide grin as he shook hands with Julian.

Julian studied the contraption Jackson was wearing. It looked like someone had tied a large scarf around his neck and back and formed a pouch. It was not what he had expected his tough cowboy friend to wear. The small child on his chest opened its eyes. Emerald green orbs studied him carefully. A tuft of dark hair sat on top of the baby’s head.

Julian stared at the small human. “Well, there is no question who fathered this child, Jackson.” He was the spitting image of his father. He yawned like a little lion.

Jackson flushed slightly. His big hand came out to cover the baby’s belly, holding him close. “They tricked me. Abby wanted one more baby. I agreed. What I didn’t agree to was Sam getting a vasectomy while I was away on business. Let me tell you, that was a whipping he won’t forget.”

“Why on earth would Samuel do that?” The very thought made Julian’s blood boil. If one of his subs had done that, he would have dismissed them immediately. Any decision like that should have been cleared through the sub’s Dom. But of course, Jackson couldn’t dismiss Sam. They had a family together. This was why marriage could never work for Julian. “If Abigail wanted another child, why should Sam cut out half of her chances?”

“They wanted this baby to be mine.”

The black-haired baby smiled, his sleepy green eyes were barely open. He really was a cute thing. “I thought the three of you decided you wouldn’t do a paternity test on Olivia unless it became medically necessary.”

Jackson’s hand gently smoothed the baby boy’s hair down. “Yeah, well, sometimes you don’t need a paternity test. Look at little Josh here.”

“But Olivia looks like Abigail. You can’t know which one of you fathered her.”

There was a tremendous crash as the front door slammed open, and a small ball of energy ran out of the house at breakneck speed. Julian had a brief glimpse of a red-haired girl in overalls and sneakers.

“Look, Daddy!” the girl screamed at the top of her lungs. “I’m running. I’m running, Daddy!” She motored across the yard and then began sprinting in circles, giggling madly. Her small face was turned up to the sun. “Watch me, Daddy.”

Jackson watched the girl with the softest look in his eyes. “We’re watching you, baby girl. Josh and me wouldn’t want to watch anything else.” He kept his eyes on the three-year-old. “She has Sam’s smile. She might look like Abby, but everything else is pure Sam.” Jack turned, and his whole face was lit up. “She is hell on wheels. Keeping her alive is a full-time occupation. She’s already climbed the bookshelves, tried to surf in the pool, and tried to ride a bull. She’s only three. I can’t wait to see what she tries next.”