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Princess stared at him for a long second. “You don’t even know me,” she said quietly. Maybe she was right. He didn’t know her, but it didn’t change anything.

Butcher stepped closer before he could overthink it. “I know enough,” he said. Her breath caught slightly, and that worked for him because he was done pretending this thing between them wasn’t real.

Princess searched his face carefully, like she was looking for a catch. Probably because men in her life always came with conditions attached. Butcher hated that thought immediately. “You keep looking at me like you’re waiting for me to change my mind,” he said roughly. “But that’s not going to happen.” Her expression changed, and he saw the fear that she had been hiding. She wore a mask around him most of the time, concealing it, but right now, he saw everything that she had hidden away from him since they met.

“I don’t know what to expect from you yet,” she admitted softly. That honesty nearly gutted him. Butcher reached up slowly, brushing his knuckles against her jaw, and she leaned into his touch before she could stop herself. And that nearly destroyed him.

“Then let me make this easy for you, Princess,” he said quietly. “Nobody’s taking you anywhere you don’t want to go.” Emotion flashed across her face so fast that he almost missed it. It wasn’t relief. It was something worse—hope. And hope was dangerous as hell, because Butcher already knew something Princess didn’t yet. If her father came looking for her, this wouldn’t be simple. Men like Butcher didn’t know how to love halfway, and men like him definitely didn’t protect halfway either. He’d burn down the entire fucking world to protect her—and that included her father.

PRINCESS

Nobody’s taking you anywhere you don’t want to go. Butcher’s words followed Princess around the rest of the day like a ghost. She heard them while he worked on her car, and while she sat in his office pretending to read one of the ancient magazines that he had in there.

She watched Butcher move through the garage with grease-stained hands and that same quiet intensity that made every man around him instinctively step aside. Nobody’s taking you anywhere you don’t want to go. She should’ve known better than to let words affect her this much. Promises were dangerous, and men were dangerous. She had learned that lesson well over the years. And hope was the worst of all, because hope made you stupid. Still, every time Butcher glanced toward her like he was checking to make sure that she was still there, something inside her softened in ways she didn’t know how to stop. Which was exactly why she needed to get herself together—fast.

Princess leaned back in the office chair with a frustrated sigh, staring out through the garage window while Butcher argued with Wade near one of the bikes. He had shown up a few minutes prior and didn’t look very happy about something. To say that they were arguing was generous. Wade was the one doing thetalking while Butcher looked one minor inconvenience away from homicide. She inched closer to the open door so that she could hear what they were saying.

“You’re glaring at me again,” Wade informed him cheerfully.

“Well, that's because you’re still breathing,” Butcher shot back. Princess hid a smile. God, these men were ridiculous. Wade laughed loudly before his eyes drifted toward the office window and caught her watching them. His grin immediately turned smug, and she could tell that he was about to cause trouble, which was the last thing that this situation needed.

He pointed between her and Butcher dramatically, and Princess mouthed, “Don’t you dare.” Wade looked delighted by the threat and seemed to accept her challenge. Butcher noticed the silent exchange immediately, and his eyes narrowed as he stared them both down.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Wade said instantly.

“That’s a lie,” Butcher insisted. Princess looked down quickly before he could catch her smiling, but it was too late.

“You’re both annoying,” Butcher muttered under his breath, and somehow the roughness in his voice only made warmth spread through her chest, because there was no real anger behind it anymore. She only heard familiarity and comfort, and that realization scared her enough for her mood to sober instantly.

“Sorry that I interrupted,” she breathed. “I’ll just be in your office if you need me.” Princess walked away from the two men and back toward the small office. She sat down at the desk, her expression dimming slightly as she noticed a framed photo that sat tucked near the corner. She realized that it wasn’t there yesterday when she was in his office. Curiosity tugged at her immediately as Princess stood slowly, walking closer to it before she could stop herself.

Three men stared back at her from the picture; they were young and covered in tattoos. One of them was obviously Butcher. He was ten years younger, maybe, but still unmistakable. He looked bigger somehow, and wilder around the eyes. He was standing beside another older biker with a hard expression and dark hair streaked with gray. The third man looked younger than both of them, grinning directly at the camera while the other two looked annoyed to be there.

Something twisted low in her chest, because even through the faded picture, she could see it—brotherhood, family, and even love. Somehow, it made Butcher’s loneliness make even more sense to her. Those men were people that he lost, and now, he was alone in the world, and that thought broke her heart.

“You found the ancient history section,” he said from the doorway. Princess jumped slightly at Butcher’s voice behind her. She turned slowly, still holding the frame.

“Who are these men in the photo with you?” she asked. His eyes dropped to the picture, and for one brief second, real emotion crossed his face completely unguarded. She was sure that she saw pain behind his eyes, but it was gone in an instant.

“They were my friends,” he said quietly. “My brothers.”

Princess looked back down at the photo. “You looked happy.”

The silence that followed felt heavier than it should have. Butcher leaned against the office doorway, arms folded over his chest. “We were happy, but those days are long gone. That’s when I was a part of something. I was in the Royal Bastards, back in Huntsville, until I left.”

Her eyes lifted to his again. “What happened?” she asked. She was surprised that Butcher didn’t shut down her question. He didn’t walk away, as she half expected him to. Instead, he stared at the picture for a long moment before speaking.

“I stopped agreeing with my Prez about certain things,” he admitted.

Princess blinked up at him, feeling a bit confused. “That’s it?” she asked.

A humorless laugh left him. “No, that was just the beginning.” Something in his voice made her chest tighten painfully, because she understood that tone. It was the one people used when they talked about losing everything.

“I was the Enforcer for my club, and my Prez, Savage, wanted me to do something that I wasn’t comfortable doing. I told him no, and well, nobody told Savage no—ever. We fought, and I left. That was ten years ago, and Savage is gone now.”

Princess set the frame down gently. “You still miss them.” It wasn’t a question.