Free Licorice Whips by Bridget Midway

seat.” He hovered over her, awaiting her answer.
    “Please, I can drive my own self home. I’m okay.” Nikla started to hand him back his bag that offered her salvation.
    Sweet refused to take it. Instead he bent over, wrapped his arms around her legs, and stood so that she rolled onto her back. When he got her legs into the car, he closed the door, then hopped into the front seat.
    Although she would never admit it out loud, Nikla breathed a sigh of relief to be in the reclined position.
    “You can’t do this.” Nikla took a deep breath. “Kidnapping.”
    Sweet glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Taking you back to your home is not kidnapping.” He leaned over and looked in her glove box. He picked up a receipt she’d had in there for her last oil change she’d had done about two weeks ago.
    “Cat O’Nine Tails Drive is where you live?”
    Nikla hesitated before finally nodding her head.
    Sweet started her car. “Interesting. Okay, buckle up. I’m taking you home.”
    With the devil in her house, what the hell would Nikla do?
     
    ****
     
    Sweet hadn’t intended on helping Nikla or even offer to take her home. As soon as he recognized the signs of her attack and had seen the sheer panic in her eyes, he saw so much of himself in her and knew he couldn’t leave her.
    In that moment, Sweet felt bad for all the times Masaun had to lift him up when life had gotten too much for him, just like it had happened to Nikla. For Sweet, he figured out his root issues and solved his anxiety problems. Each time he glanced in the rearview mirror and spied on the weakened yet defiant woman, his heart melted. That didn’t mean he wanted her in front of his store.
    Sweet pulled up in front of her apartment building. It looked like a nice area. He noticed a lot of cars missing due to residents being at work. The few cars left looked like upper middle class foreign cars. Nikla looked like she lived in a pretty nice section of Virginia Beach.
    He parked, then went to the back door and opened it.
    “I can make it from here.” Rebellious as always, Nikla got out of the car and held out her hand for her keys.
    Sweet backed up and stood in the middle of the sidewalk in front of her car. “Walk to me and get the keys, and I’ll leave you alone.”
    Nikla slammed the back door and shook her head. As soon as she took one step, he noticed her eyes getting wide as she struggled to stand upright.
    When Sweet saw her going down, he ran to her and managed to catch her before she touched the ground. He’d caught plenty of submissives during some hard play. Catching Nikla proved to be an absolute pleasure.
    He pressed her soft body against his. “I got you.” Her jasmine scent wafted up to his nose.
    Sweet wanted to bury his face in the side of her neck and kiss it, lick it, drive her crazy with passion. As soon as that thought hit him, he pushed it away.
    “Just a little unsteady on my feet.” Nikla held onto Sweet’s arms as she tried to walk.
    “No shit.”
    Nikla glared at him.
    “You said that first.”
    Sweet watched Nikla screw up her kissable lips as though trying to suppress a smile. A warm tingle went over his body as he walked her to her door.
    “I shouldn’t have used profanity. I usually never curse.” Nikla’s low voice forced Sweet to listen to her.
    Through deduction, he figured out which key went to her front door. Once inside, the alarm chirped. Nikla disabled it.
    “Just get me to a couch and you can go.” Nikla tried heading toward one, but Sweet held her waist tightly.
    “Not so fast.” He kicked the door closed with his foot. “I’m getting you to bed.”
    Sweet felt a hard jab into his side before he felt Nikla trying to squirm out of his grip.
    “You are not going to rape me! I know who you are and where you work. People know where I’ve been today.”
    The wild look in her eyes let him know that she would do whatever she could to defend herself. It also gave him insight into the amount of