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Savannah clenched her jaw. “I don’t need a lecture from you. Jax already gave me one.”
Anger flashed across Blake’s face, replaced by a hurt expression that cut through her like a knife. "What did my brother say to you exactly?"
“We just had a chat about how I was feeling,” she said quietly.
He scowled darkly. “You spoke to my brother about your feelings instead of me?”
"Blake, it wasn't like that," she tried to explain, her words stumbling over each other. "We talked about Chloe, too. I understand why you're so protective, but I need to make my own decisions sometimes. I’m not Chloe, you know."
"Is that what this is about?" he asked, his voice strained. "You think you’re some kind of replacement for my sister?” He shook his head. “I don’t think of you as my goddamn sister for one second.”
Savannah felt ashamed of herself. Clearly, Blake didn’t have brotherly feelings for her. She was getting this all wrong. “I just don’t want to lose my independence,” she said quietly. “Before I met you, I did everything by myself.”
Blake snorted. “And look where that got you.”
"Blake, please," Savannah pleaded, starting to sob. "I need you to trust me, to believe that I can handle myself."
"Trust goes both ways, Savannah," Blake said, his voice tight with emotion. "How can I trust you when you sneak off behind my back?"
She bit her lip, the bitter taste of guilt flooding her mouth. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Blake. I just needed some space to figure things out."
"Figurewhatout, Savannah?" he asked, his tone softening ever so slightly.
"Us," she whispered, her eyes locked onto his. "I liked what happened between us. Very much. But I also felt very lost when you’d gone. I needed to find myself again. To see if I could still do things on my own terms."
Blake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to take away your independence, Savannah. I just want to give you a set of guidelines to operate within. A structure that keeps you safe. But within that structure, I promise that you’ll feel more free than you ever felt before. In fact, I brought a contract over for us to go through. We haven’t even talked about boundaries yet. You’re in control of a lot more than you think.”
Savannah stared at the contract, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew signing it would solidify her commitment to submit to Blake, but it also meant giving up a part of herself—the fiercely independent woman who had fought tooth and nail to survive.
She went over to her cot. Her fingers trembled as she reached for Mr. Whiskers, clutching the stuffed animal to her chest like a lifeline. The soft pink fur against her skin provided a small measure of comfort amidst the storm of emotions raging within her.
"Blake," she whispered. "I don't know if I can do this."
"Look, Savannah," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I'm trying to protect you. I care about you. Deeply."
"I understand that," she replied, her grip on Mr. Whiskers tightening.
Blake stepped closer, his blue eyes searching hers. "It’s my job as a Daddy Dom to keep you safe."
Savannah hesitated, her eyes darting back to the paper in Blake's hands. It felt like a precipice, a point of no return that would change everything between them. She wanted to trust him, to believe that they could navigate this uncharted territory together. But as she stared at the words on the page, doubt gnawed at the edges of her resolve.
"Give me some time to think about it," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "Please, Blake."
He nodded, the pain in his eyes evident as he folded the contract and handed it to her. "Of course. Take all the time you need, Savannah. Just remember that I'm doing this because I want to help you feel more free, not because I want to control you."
As he turned away, Savannah clutched Mr. Whiskers even tighter to her chest. Was she being brave standing her ground like this? Or was she letting fear dictate her future?
Chapter thirteen
BLAKE
The morning sun cast a warm glow over Savannah's face as she slept peacefully in her cot.
Blake lay beside her, overwhelmed by how vulnerable he felt right now.
She was so precious. So sweet. So bright.
He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.
