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What he had not imagined was his current assignment as babysitter for a group of the world’s tamest Littles. Instead of bringing a woman to a reluctant, yet shattering climax, he was currently at the playground where a dozen Littles were politely taking turns pushing one another on the swings, or going down the slide, laughing when their skirts flew up.

His eyes scanned the crowd once more, making sure everything stayed calm and orderly. He wasn’t a daddy, but he could acknowledge that every single one of them was beautiful. Adorable, even. But adorable wasn’t the thing that lit his fire.

Though he hadn’t been willing to admit it to himself at the time, when he’d come to Discipline Ranch just over a year ago he’d hoped he might find her. The elusiveherthat every man, even a slightly sadistic dom like him, wanted to find. The woman who would awaken every nerve ending in his body and make life feel fresh and new again.

Even before taking the job here, he’d been very active in the BDSM scene and he’d topped plenty of women. Gorgeous, unique women, every one of them. Now he was beginning to face the fact that the woman he sought only existed in his mind. It was just something he’d simply have to accept, like the fact that he’d never quite top six feet, and that hearing a woman plead for mercy while he wielded a whip over her delicious, quivering ass was the quickest way to a hard-on.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he turned his full attention back to the girls. A couple had wandered over to the large oak tree. They were sitting under it in a line, the first one making a flower crown while her hair was braided by the girl behind her, and the girl behind her was braidingherhair.

It was cute. Idyllic. But definitely not the scene for him.

“Hey.”

He turned and tried to hide his relief at seeing Daddy Dane, back to claim his Littles. “Hey.”

“How’ve they been?”

He grinned at the other man. “Perfect.” Even he couldn’t miss the monotony in his voice when he said it.

Dane arched his brows. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

He didn’t plan to open up to Dane—it wasn’t something he did often—but he couldn’t help but wonder if another man would understand. “I guess. But don’t you ever wish that someone would… I don’t know. Come along and shake things up once in a while?”

The other man chuckled. “You haven’t been here very long. Give it time. Trust me, there’s plenty of ‘exciting’ stuff that happens around here.” But he didn’t sound like excitement was something he craved. “Thanks for your help.”

“Sure. No problem.” As he walked away, he realized he didn’t have anything else to do at the moment. No assignment, and his chores were done, so he headed for his apartment. He was only halfway there when he heard a shrill scream.

Instinctually, his head jerked up. He saw a flash of red and wide eyes just before he opened his arms and felt the impact of a body in his arms.

His arms tightened in a firm hold as he gave her his sternest, most commanding glare. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. And as he looked into her pale, freckled face framed by wild, auburn hair, he couldn’t help but feel like his wish had just been granted. His pulse picked up speed as he waited for an answer.

“If you’ll just set me down, I’ll—”

“Run?” Aaron supplied, his voice silky.

Her eyes widened ever so slightly. “I… no. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Just like you wouldn’t jump out a window?” he quipped.

“I didn’t jump, exactly.” And then before he could respond, her deer-in-headlights expression vanished and she speared him with a glare. “And I don’t owe you an explanation, either! Put me down!”

He didn’t. Nor did he feel concerned with her change in demeanor. “You got a name, sweetheart?”

Her green-eyed glower was her only response.

Aaron shrugged. He didn’t let many things bother him. “So, mind telling me what you think you’re doing?”

He was good at reading faces. Always had been, and it was a skill that he’d honed during his time at the ranch. He could see the barely concealed panic as she tried to come up with an answer to his question, and he could see the second she decided to lie.

“There was, an, um, bee in my room. I’m deathly allergic.”

Slow to start, but she sounds convincing, gotta give her that.“I see. So, you opened the window thinking the bee would fly out?”

Her red head nodded sagely in agreement.

“And when it didn’t, you just said to yourself, what the hell, one of us has to go?” He lifted both brows as he looked down at her.

Her face flushed until her skin was nearly as red as her hair. “Look, you don’t have to believe me, but—”