Page 24

Story: Chance

She hadn’t known him long, but he struck her as the kind of man with a long fuse before his anger exploded. How did she always seem to set it off? This was the point in the conversation most people would run.

But, hey. Show no fear, right?

She notched up her chin and ran her finger across the side table. Thinking her butt might be more in need of protection than anything else, she did her best to appear casual as she baby stepped closer to the couch.

Feeling the need to establish a boundary, she said the first adult thing that came to her mind. “You may be the boss of the ranch, but you still aren’t the boss of me.”

"Sit down." He didn’t raise his voice, but that had definitely been an order.

A full-on, deep, rumbly Daddy voice order if she’d ever heard one. She lost all semblance of poise when she slipped on the wooden floor and plopped down on the sofa.

Stupid footed pajamas. She’d forgotten she still had them on. Wearing pajamas when he was fully clothed left her feeling vulnerable and exposed. And Little.

Why hadn’t she taken the time to get dressed? Oh yeah, because she’d been on the way to take a shower. But she couldn’t project a woman of the world and in control persona in footed onesie pajamas. Not that she presented that image well with all her clothes on.

Besides, she liked how her pajamas made her feel pretty and Little. Especially now that he stood in front of her, all growly Daddy Dom. And didn’t that just say everything?

How did he do that? Command her body so completely itfollowed his orders without her permission. Lucky for her, her body and her mind were two different things. She shot to her feet.

"Not smart, sassy girl." He stepped closer until he was in her space. The heat of his body warmed her. A feeling she liked way too much. “You should have stuck with your gut. That attitude ain’t going to do anything for you except make sittin’ way less comfortable.”

"I don’t have to do what you say." Yeah, her mouth had a mind of its own, which always landed her in a world of trouble. She and her mouth were going to have a talk. If her Daddy didn’t kill her first. The look in his eyes made her take a step back, pressing her calves against the couch.

Not that stepping back did any good. He followed her, continuing to invade her space. With a thick, rough finger, he lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "One of us is going to take care of you, babygirl. And that one’s gonna be me. So, as long as you’re here, you damn well do have to do what I say, when I say it."

Her anger battled with her desire, not to mention a healthy dose of her self-preservation. Self-preservation won, and she would have taken another step back if the couch hadn’t stopped her. She would have toppled back down if he hadn’t caught her. All that did was make her madder.

She stomped her foot, wishing she were brave enough to stomp on his. “Step back."

He grinned with anything but humor as he answered her demand. "No."

Her nipples hardened from the heat in his gaze. There was more than anger there. Now she was the one with reddening cheeks.

Bad nipples. Down.

She turned away from the couch, continuing to back away from him until her back pressed against the window. The cold window pane chilled her even through her pajamas.

He followed, flattening his palms against the window, capturing her. "I think it’s about time to have that discussion I told you about, Calliope Joy Joplin. We obviously need to get a few things straight. Now go sit down on that couch where I told you to."

She sucked in a breath, cool air filling her lungs. That was probably the cause of the wicked tingling dancing through her body at his words. She released the breath she hadn’t meant to hold and tried to breathe out slowly, trying to control herself.

She'd been around men like Chance all her life. Okay, not as gorgeously sexy, but still. She knew what Daddies expected. Unless he was around, she was a good girl. Giving in and keeping the peace was her go-to strategy. She could easily say the right words and make everything better.

She considered this option. For two seconds. But something inside her wouldn’t let her do that. Not now. And not with him. Something about him drove her to push the limits to see what would happen.

Maybe it was because she knew she’d have to leave soon, and the unfairness of it made her mad. She wanted more from him. Wanted more with him. And sometimes that meant giving as good as she got and worrying about the consequences later.

So, she said the one thing guaranteed to push him over the edge. "Make me, Chan?—"

He grabbed her arms, pulled her to him, and crashed his lips down on hers before she finished saying his name.

It was a good thing he held her because the fire in his kiss weakened her knees. Pressed against his chest, her nipples scraped against him, and the fire that stirred completely consumed her. Forget the blizzards of Wyoming and the thunder and lightning of Texas, his kiss created the fiercest storm inside her she’d ever known.

All thought disappeared as her body took control.

She would have said she’d been kissed before. But if this was what a kiss could be, she had not. She was swept up in the tumult of want and need. No, she hadn’t known kisses like this existed.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss, but then Chance wasn’t a gentle man. This kiss was firm, angry, and filled with more passion than she ever could've imagined.