The Pucking Wrong Man (Pucking Wrong, #4)

by C.R. Jane

Calling them “mom and dad” felt like ash on my tongue. His parents had never been those words. They’d given me a roof over my head, yes, but they’d also let their monster of a son torture me for years. They’d turned a blind eye to everything he did to me...and others. I hated them almost as much as I hated him.

I couldn’t control anything that happened in my life, but I could control my reaction to it. Or at least that’s what I always tried to tell myself. I didn’t think any part of me actually believed it.

It would be easy to let that first tear fall, maybe it would even feel good. But it was what came after that first tear that I was truly afraid of. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop once I started.

Perfect. Grabbing the bin, I limped back out to the dining area—my leg past the point of cooperation for the day. I’d danced for seven hours, cleaned the studio for an hour, and then hustled my way to Charlie’s Diner to do this job—with the unfortunate interlude of Michael along the way. I needed a break.

A saner woman would have just quit. But I didn’t know how to give up on the only dream I’d ever had.

I tried to get up, but my leg buckled with pain, sending me smacking back down to the floor. Blood filled my mouth as I bit down on my lip, trying to stop the cry that wanted to escape. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of hearing me.

Pushing up, I tried to baby my leg, and something sliced my palm. Fuck, one of the glass shards had embedded itself in my hand. This was the moment I broke, right? This was where I just...gave up?

“Let’s get you up, little dancer,” a deep, familiar voice murmured. There was a soft caress against my cheek and then a strong pair of arms was literally lifting me off the ground like I weighed nothing. I blink...

Yes...I’d remembered his name. Like it was tattooed in my brain as a matter of fact. Like it had melded itself to my ribcage, destined to never be forgotten or ignored. I’d also remembered that beautiful face. Obsessed over the fact that something so perfect existed and it didn’t belong to me. As if someone li...

His gaze searched my face, that same look there as he’d had at the community kitchen when I’d passed through the line. Something that almost looked like shock...or awe. Obviously, that was just wishful thinking.

Then I remembered. He’d seen me getting food at the community kitchen last week. Now, my cheeks were even hotter with embarrassment. There wasn’t anything wrong with needing extra help sometimes, but I didn’t exactly want Mr. Dreamboat McDreamy Pants seeing me there.

It made me feel...exposed. Like he was seeing all of my struggles. I’d been burning with nervousness when he’d come up to me at my table to talk to me. I was worried he was going to mock me, or worse, pity me. I knew I needed to get away before I saw either of those reactions on his handsome face. But right now, he w...

Instead, I saw something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite name. It evoked a different kind of heat. This o...

Wow. I’d never seen that eye color before, like the green sky before a tornado—flakes of gold whipping in the wind in that crazy, bright-green sky as the storm rolled in. His fingers stroked across my skin, and it was all I could do to hold in a whimper. I’d never been touched like that before—I’d never reacted to anyone’s touch like that.

“But I promise I’m fine. I can take care of myself.” He didn’t look like he believed me, and there was a frown on his full lips as he took a step away, creating a distance I instantly wanted to fill. “I’m sure you can, baby girl,” his voice a low, soothing murmur. “But it’s okay to have some help every once in a while.” Oooh, this man was dangerous. One “baby girl” in that smooth southern drawl, and I was rethinking my whole life...that’s how powerful it was.

Especially that word coming from a man who looked like he knew how to take care of someone. His “daddy” energy was off the charts. It made me want to curl up against him and feel him wrap those muscled arms around me protectively.

From the Knights!” he finally said excitedly, an edge of awe in his voice. It was obvious they’d been to games before because there was also the appropriate amount of fear that followed. I was six-four and shoved men around for a living—they should be scared.

I hated bastards who hurt women. I especially hated men who hurt my women. Anastasia just happened to be the only woman who fell under that category anymore.

The way she looked when she fell...that flare of pain in her eyes. Should I go back there and insist I take her to the hospital to get checked out? The fall didn’t look too bad, but maybe it was worse than I thought? No, no. I couldn’t just fucking kidnap her. Yet.

Seeing her tonight had been the same religious experience it had been when I saw her on that stage. Even clearly exhausted and done for the day, with dark circles under her eyes that had me wanting to punch something—she was, without a doubt, the most stunning creature I’d ever seen. I’d also found out that my girl was incredibly kind.

The mysteries just kept coming. Why was my gorgeous little dancer, with one of the most decorated dance companies in the country, cleaning up tables after dancing all day and then sleeping at a shelter at night? Where was her family? I was truly flabbergasted at this point.

Flabbergasted...and chomping at the bit to step in and take care of her. The way she’d stared up at me with those otherworldly eyes, soaking in the slight touch I’d given her even though I was practically a stranger—I couldn’t wait to spoil her. Couldn’t wait to put that dreamy look in her eyes every day because her life was so fucking good. My dick hardened at the thought.

That’s how the rest of dinner went. Me living for glances of my girl...and her doing her best to avoid me. An encouraging sign really, the more she ignored me, the more I knew I’d gotten under her skin. She was skittish, trying her best to stay away. But she couldn’t fool me. I saw the way she snuck looks in my direction. The way her cheeks blushed. She was as attracted to me as I was to her. That was a good first step.

“Me?” she whispered. “Yeah, you. And you’re hurting my feelings, baby girl. It seems like you don’t want to be my friend,” I said, and then I took a chance and reached up to push a strand of hair behind her ear. She let me, and I had to stop myself from wrapping my arm around her and pulling her in. A shiver passed over her at my touch as my fingers brushed against her neck before I pulled away. My grin only widened.

Wait until I’m touching every inch of you, sweetheart. With my tongue. It was dangerous to be this close to her. Anastasia blinked up at me, her face a little dazed.

I definitely did not want to be just her friend. I wanted to own her, crawl under her skin, protect her forever, become a part of her so she could never leave me. Wow...had I really just thought that? A flicker of unease slipped through my gut. I was starting to not recognize myself. What was this girl doing to me?

“Why would someone like you want to be friends with someone like...me?” she asked, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. “You saw me...the other day. We don’t live in the same world.”

“I saw you. At your performance the other night. I should be the one asking why you would want to be friends with someone like me.” Her eyes widened, her lips opening again in shock, and now I was

She was so fucking young. At least ten years younger than me I was pretty sure. I should feel like a dirty old man right now as I brushed her bare shoulder, pretending like there’d been something there just so I could touch her again. But I didn’t, not at all. Because I knew she was mine.

“You saw me?” she gasped, her gaze filling with suspicion and something that almost looked like...desperation? “I’ve never seen something so beautiful in my whole fucking life,” I said, my voice sounding hoarse all of a sudden. I hoped she knew I wasn’t just talking about her dancing—I meant that she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life too.

And there really wasn’t anything I could do at this point. It was impossible to explain to a normal human being that they’d done something to you. That one look at their face and you’d come undone—become obsessed. You couldn’t tell them that you now lived in the space between their breath and their heartbeats. I certainly couldn’t assure her that the last thing I ever wanted to do was to hurt her because I wanted to make her mine forever.

“I promise you, there’s no joke here. I happened to be passing by tonight and saw you through the window. But I didn’t come here to mess with you, or whatever got you so upset just now. It’s just…I saw a literal angel performing on that stage, and I couldn’t help but want to meet you properly. Since I didn’t do such a good job of that the other day.”

I had no problem with working hard. In fact, I relished it. I was quite sure that nothing in my life would compare to the reward it would be when I finally got her. When it came to Anastasia, I knew she was worth every bit of effort. I was going to figure out exactly what my baby girl needed. She had demons and struggles, I could see that clearly. But I was going to fucking fix all of it for her. She just didn’t know it yet.

Camden James was the new donor? And the Dallas Knights? They were a professional hockey team, right? So that meant Camden was a freaking NHL player? The room suddenly seemed to be spinning around me.

“It’s just…I saw a literal angel performing the other night, and I couldn’t help but want to meet you.” From the second I’d seen him, there’d been something about him that had made me feel safe.

A famous hockey player…and me. That was the biggest joke I’d ever heard. Nothing about us went together. Everything about me was broken. It was a good thing that I’d pushed him away, just like I pushed everyone away. It was the best thing for him. And me. I’d survived a million terrible things in my life, but I wasn’t sure that I could survive him.

A little thrill ran through me thinking about seeing him play. He was so big…so strong. I could only imagine what he would look like out there on the ice. But, it probably wasn’t a good thing for me to go—seeing as I’d decided to stay away from him. Considering Madame Leclerc saw me as a liability and a burden to the Company...I wasn’t going to be telling her that, though.

Fuck, she was beautiful. That tight spandex thing she was wearing should be illegal. What was that outfit called again? A leotard? I was a big fan of leotards, I decided. But I nearly ground my teeth down to dust when I noticed a group of guys following behind her. I saw them also notice how good her ass looked.

“Hi, little dancer,” I said, leaning back in my booth and raking my eyes over her like a man who’d been dying of thirst and finally found a pool of water. It had been eighteen minutes and thirty-two seconds since I’d seen her last. I was fully aware that my obsession was getting out of hand.

Anastasia cocked her hip out and gave me a bratty look that had me wanting to push her to her knees and fuck her mouth to straighten out her newfound attitude. Again...where the fuck had that instinct come from? I smirked. Her attitude was cute. I had a feeling that she didn’t show that side of herself very much, and I loved that something about me made her feel comfortable enough to do that.

Anastasia’s eyes widened, that dreamy look spreading over her features, like me getting stern was an aphrodisiac for her. She liked when I took charge. It turned her on. I fucking loved that.

I was finding more things out about her every day that I was attracted to, but up close...her features were spellbinding. I was having a little trouble concentrating. Camden James, pull yourself together.

“Of course. I already told you how your dancing made me feel. Like I was dying and desperate and changing as I watched you because I’d never known beauty like that could actually exist.” Her face softened as I spoke, her eyes growing suspiciously shiny, like she was trying not to cry.

My gut tightened at her admission. It made me feel absolutely feral thinking about her being alone all this time. I was more than happy to step up, though, and be the first person to fill that role.

I leaned in instead, unable to stop myself from brushing my lips across hers in a kiss that only fed the fire of the longing throbbing through my veins.

I’d take it. I’d just sit here while I waited for her, bathing in the memory of what her perfect lips had felt like.

It was the longest two hours of my life, made worse by the fact that I’d touched her. I’d kissed her. And now I wanted to do it over and over again...and much, much more.

All I could think about was him. How he’d looked. What he’d said. The way he’d touched me. The feel of his lips against mine.

“Please get me away. Please. Please. Please.” I was trembling—shaking so hard that I bit down on my tongue, blood filling my mouth. “Holy fuck,” Camden muttered, adjusting my body so he was cradling me against his chest as he started walking. I kept my eyes squeezed shut, holding onto his shirt for dear life as a few more barks sounded from nearby. My breath was coming out in gasps.

I’d eventually passed out from fear. And I’d been terrified of dogs ever since.