Opening the back door, Hope yells, “Good morning!” to Ellie, who is standing in the kitchen, wearing my shirt as she runs past her to the living room, followed by both puppies barking at her feet as I close the door behind me.

“Three years, huh?” I say, and she gives me a knowing smile then places her hand to my abs and leans up, kissing my jaw, pressing her tits against me, making me want to lift her to the counter and tell her good morning in a completely different way. Fisting my hand in her hair, I tip her head back and dip my mouth closer to hers.

“Daddy Ax, Chocolate Chip is eating the couch!” Hope yells, breaking the moment and making me groan.

“Definitely three years,” Ellie says, letting out a breath against my mouth and dropping back down to her feet.

“Three years,” I mutter, kissing her once before leaving the kitchen and heading to the living room, where I find Chip eating the edge of the couch. Luckily it’s leather, so the damage is minimal.

Going upstairs after making a phone call, I stop and frown as I watch Ellie hang up clothes in the closet of the room she chose when she first came to stay with me…a room she hasn’t slept in for weeks.

“What are you doing?”

Jumping, she turns to look at me then holds up a shirt on a hanger. “Putting away my laundry.”

“Why the fuck are you putting it away in here?” I frown, looking at the closet and seeing it’s full of her clothes.

“Um…”

“What the fuck, Ellie?”

“I—” she starts, but I hold up my hand, walk over to the pile of laundry on the bed, and pick it up, carrying it down the hall, where I toss it on the bed then turn to face her.

“You sleep in here. Your shit should be in here.”

“Are you asking me to move in?” she asks quietly.

“Jesus, Ellie, what the fuck? Did you think you were going to move out?” I growl, watching her eyes narrow and her hands go to her hips.

“I don’t know.” She flings her arms out then swings them around. “You never asked me to live with you. I’m not a mind reader!”

Placing my hands on my hips, I lean forward, getting in her space. “You already fucking live with me. I didn’t think this was something we needed to fucking talk about.”

“Well, we did. I mean, you haven’t said anything about it until now, how was I supposed to know.”

“You live here, Ellie; you sleep in my bed, in our bed. Hope sleeps in her bed down the hall from us, and will until she eventually moves out to go to college, so go get your shit and hang it in there,” I say, pointing to the closet in our room. “Or wait until I get home in a couple hours, and I’ll help you move it.”

“You could ask me nicely if I want to live with you,” she grumbles.

“It’s not something I need to ask you. It’s already done. Now I gotta go, so stop being difficult and give me a kiss before I leave.”

“I don’t feel like kissing you now.” She frowns.

“To bad,” I rumble, closing the distance between us, fisting my hand in her hair, taking her mouth in a brutal kiss that has my cock pushing hard against my zipper and her nails digging into my scalp before pulling away.

“Hang your shit in the closet,” I command, pressing one last kiss to her mouth before stepping away, smiling as I leave the room and head down stairs where I find Hope hanging over the edge of the couch upside down.

“Daddy Ax,” she says when she spots me standing in the doorway.

“Hey, sweetheart, I have to leave for awhile, so help your mom out while I’m gone, okay?”

“Okay,” she says, flipping over then standing.

“Be good.”

“I will. Wuv you,” she says, wrapping her arms around my legs, and fuck me if that isn’t even better than her calling me daddy.

“Love you too, sweetheart,” I murmur, running my hand over her hair, kissing her forehead then placing my hat on my head and heading through the front door.

Chapter 12

Ellie

After hanging the last of my clothes in the closet, I walk down the hall to check on Hope, when I hear the puppies barking. I know they were asleep with her the last time I checked in on them, so I have no idea what’s gotten them so riled up. Entering the room, it takes a second for my brain to register what I’m seeing, but when I do, adrenaline and fear floods my system.

“Put down my daughter,” I say, but I’m not even sure if the words are loud enough to hear as I stand across the room from the man I met briefly at the zoo, holding a crying Hope in his arms.

“Mama!” Hope cries, bringing my attention to her as she holds out her hands to me.

“It’s okay, Angel baby. It’s going to be okay,” I choke, reaching out for her, but I drop my hands back to my sides when his hand moves up to wrap around her throat.

“Do you ever wonder how children can be so innocent, even when growing up in a life of sin?” he asks, kissing the top of her head while his eyes roam over me from head to toe.

“Please, give her to me. I’ll do whatever you want, just please let her go.”

“Such devotion; to a child who’s not really yours.” He shakes his head.

“She’s mine,” I whisper, wanting so badly to rip her from his grasp, but knowing there is no way for me to do that without getting her hurt in the process.

“Now she belongs to me, and so do you,” he states calmly then looks over my shoulder and lifts his chin to whoever is behind me, but there is no way I’m taking my eyes off my daughter, not when he still has his hand wrapped around her tiny neck.