Yes, Masters (Book 2 of Desire's Den)

Chapter 29 - Gideon

It should've been me, but...I was glad it was one of us.

I observed our girl—though staring would've been a more accurate description of how my eyes fucking devoured her. My gaze tracked her movement with a ferocious fixation. There wasn't anything I missed; not the way her forearm rippled as she shook the mixer, readying a drink; not the way her eyes strained from a headache; not the way her smile never reached her eyes or how her shoulders were unnaturally tense; especially not the way her skin-tight uniform highlighted how she'd lost some weight. I didn't miss the way her long hair shone in the very lights I hated, but somehow liked on her. Though, no matter how much I noticed those details, it wasn't those my eyes wandered to the most. It wasn't the smile of her lips, but the shape of them—plump and deliciously soft. It wasn't her tense body, but the curves which I knew all too well how they felt like beneath my hands; round, heavy tits that were made to be sucked on, a flawless ass I could spank for days, and a body that fit so perfectly with mine. It wasn't the way her hair looked like in the strobing lights, but the way the strands would look like wrapped around my fist. She was a sensual creature, impossible to ignore.

Everything about Emma spoke to the beast in me. I wanted to make her submit to me, to make her mine. I wanted to own her and everything that she was. I wanted her pleasure and her pain, her happiness, and her sadness. I wanted it all. She'd become an obsession, a craving I couldn't look away from. It wasn't the healthy kind of want, this craving I had, but when had I ever had any sort of healthy feelings?

This was what I did whenever she had a shift. I was watching, always watching. I couldn't concentrate on work, knowing that she was this close. It didn't matter if Callan kept me company or not; I could hardly say I noticed him at all when she was my focal point.

Finally managing to drag my gaze from her, my eyes landed by chance on a guy off to the side near the bar, half-hidden in a shadowy corner. I didn't know why I took my time scrutinizing him, but there was just something that felt off with the guy. Maybe it was his stiff posture, when the people around here were normally too drunk to stand still. Maybe it was the position, where he stood, away from everyone else, yet close enough to monitor the club. But when I took in his eyes, I knew why; his gaze was firmly locked on our girl.

"See that man?" I asked. "By the wall. One o'clock."

Callan found the guy easily. "Yeah, I see him." There was no question he picked up the same as me from the hard tone in his voice.

"He's planning something," I said, probably unnecessarily. I tried looking for the security guards stationed inside and was pleased to see that they too had noticed him. I didn't hire guys with shit for brains.

After some talk with Callan, we decided to wait and see if he would make any moves, which he did just ten minutes later. Emma was relieved by a server, who'd take care of her duties while she had her break.

My nostrils flared as we watch her head to the lunchroom, walking past the guy on her way. When she was a few steps ahead, he pushed himself off the wall and walked after her.
We agreed that Callan would get the security guards to stay behind and contact the police while I went after them. Both of us moved with a purpose as we cleared right through the crowd before we separated. Callan would join us shortly—I was sure he didn't want to miss this.

Adrenaline flooded my veins, and I was ready to let this pathetic space of a human being feel every inch of my rage. There was no doubt in my mind that he posed a threat to my baby girl.

Opening the door to the employees only area, I let out a sigh when the music was shut out as the door closed behind me. I really did hate the dreadful music.