Page 17 of Chance (Wild River Ranch #3)

B y the time he reached his room, Joy had completely withdrawn into herself.

The haunted look in her eyes gutted him.

He was willing to do whatever it took to remove that expression from her eyes and never see it again.

Sitting her on the edge of the bed, he took her hands. Ice felt warmer than her skin.

“Gypsy,” he said, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. “Babygirl, I need you to focus on Daddy.” When she didn’t respond, he spoke in his sternest Daddy voice. “I said, look at me, young lady. Do not make me ask you again.”

Her eyes locked onto his, brimming with rage and sorrow. He preferred that any day over being dull and empty. “Can I have Puggles?” she asked.

“Absolutely, Gypsy. Let me get her.” He pulled Puggles from a pillow close by and placed it in her arms. Her arms wrapped around Puggles as she hugged her friend to her chest. “Is there anything else you need?”

Suddenly, she struggled to get off the bed. “Dodger! I’ve been so sick, I hadn’t thought about Dodger. We need to get him. ”

He had no idea what she was talking about. “Who is Dodger, darlin’?”

“Dodger is my puppy. I found him in the woods outside the cabin.”

The last thing he needed on the ranch with livestock was a stray dog. “I don’t remember seeing a puppy at the cabin, Gypsy. But we’ll have new puppies here soon. You can have the pick of the litter.”

“No, we have to find Dodger.”

He didn’t want to upset her again by telling her the chances of finding the pup after a week of winter weather were not good. “All right, babygirl. Once you’re feeling better, we’ll try.” That was the best he could promise.

She whimpered. At first, he thought she was upset about the puppy. But then she let go of her stuffie and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. Hard.

“Hey,” he said, pulling her hands away and holding them. “Hey now, little girl. Don’t do that. You’re going to hurt your eyes.”

“I have to,” she cried, trying to pull her hands away from him. “I can’t get the pictures out of my head.”

“What pictures, Gypsy?” he asked, but he already knew.

“The pictures of Eddie shooting that man. Of him trying to shoot me. I was so scared. I can hear the click his gun made. Over and over. I can’t make it stop.” She turned her gaze to him, eyes brimming with tears. “Can you make it stop, Daddy?”

He could. He knew he could. He just wasn’t sure she would find his solution any better.

“I have something we can do together that will give you something to focus on other than the past. Some people find it similar to meditation.”

She would enjoy it if she could get past any preconceived notions she might have.

She had never fallen asleep faster in the past week than during the times he tucked the sheet around her so tightly she couldn’t move.

Her response to his ropes when she’d been delirious with fever was more than he could have asked for. She had calmed beautifully.

“What is it, Daddy? I’ll try anything.”

He hoped he wouldn’t have to remind her of those words.

Holding out his hand to her, he was pleased when she took it without hesitation. Leading her to the door he always kept locked, he grinned. “You said you wanted to know where this door led. Now I get to show you.”

After entering the key code, he opened the door and ushered her into the room. “We can stay or leave, it’s up to you. There is no pressure either way. This is something I enjoy, and it helps me to clear my mind and relax. Take a second to look around, and ask me any questions you think of.”

He imagined the room where he practiced his Shibari, sometimes inviting a woman to spend the night.

Usually, he went to The Red Barn. He intentionally kept the lighting in the room low.

It was hard to relax under a spotlight. The room had subtle aromas of lavender, frankincense, and sandalwood to encourage relaxation and tranquility.

Releasing his hand, his Little gypsy turned in a slow circle, taking everything in before speaking. “Why are the walls all mirrored?”

“Shibari is an art, Gypsy. Like a lot of art, it’s a visual experience. I want you to see how beautiful you are in my designs.”

She nodded. He liked that she listened to his answer and considered it thoughtfully. Bracing himself as she crossed to his rig in the center of the room, he studied her, watching for signs of distress. She appeared calmer already.

Running her hand along one of the brace poles, she asked, “What is this for?”

“It’s called a suspension frame. We aren’t using it tonight. But if you enjoy our floorwork, we can discuss using it in the future. ”

She tilted her head and stared at him, as if trying to muster the courage to tell him something. His heart sank. She didn’t want to try rope play with him. He understood. It could be intimidating. Couldn’t she at least try it, explore the idea with him?

“You keep using those words,” she said.

What was she talking about? He hadn’t used any Shibari terms she couldn’t understand. “What words, babygirl?”

“The future,” she said. “You keep talking about the future, acting like I will be part of that future with you. It isn’t nice to say things like that if you don’t mean them. It’s too easy for people to misunderstand and get their hopes up, and—Daddy!”

He crossed the room to her before he realized his feet were moving. Then she was in his arms. He had wanted to distract her. This was better than anything he had planned.

His girl would be disappointed if his future didn’t include her. He had decided a week ago that wasn’t going to happen. She was his, both in the present and definitely in the future.

“Gypsy, you aren’t in my future. You are my future.” And then he was kissing her. Deep. Wet. Hard. She wrapped her hands behind his neck and kissed him back. It was beautiful.

He reached for the zipper of her tracksuit, pulling it down so he had access to her skin. He needed to touch her. Feel the warmth of her. The softness.

He ran his finger along the edge of her bra, dipping underneath to tease increasingly sensitive skin. His other hand snaked into her hair, wrapping the long, silken strands around his fingers. As he tugged, she tilted her head back, giving him access to the column of her neck.

She tasted like the sweetest strawberry wine. His tongue explored her neck, searching out each and every sensitive spot. Raking his teeth along the cord of her neck, he reveled in her every response.

Her nipples, taut and diamond-hard, pebbled against his palm. As he drew his thumb across the sensitive bud, he waited for her gasp of pleasure, and she did not disappoint him. His cock strained against his zipper to the point of pain.

Pulling back, he drew in a ragged breath, willing himself to slow down. He was not going to make love to her for the first time by pounding into her on the floor of his playroom.

With considerable effort, he gentled his kisses. She wasn’t making it easy, pressing her body against his and making the most delicious whimpers and moans of pleasure.

She pulled his head down to press kisses along his jaw. When she reached his ear, she caught his lobe between her teeth and bit, gently, but enough he damn near came in his pants on the spot.

“Naughty girl,” he rasped, scraping the shadow of his beard along her neck. “Gypsies who bite their Daddies get punished.”

“Mm,” she hummed in his ear, then gently bit him again and whispered, “Daddy, show me how your ropes work.”

Fuck. His babygirl wanted to play.

He cupped her face in his hands, searching her eyes for any sign of fear. He found nothing but desire.

“All right, babygirl. I need to collect a few things. I want you to stand right here and be very still.”

The first thing he did was grab Puggles from the bed for his Little gypsy to hold. “I thought you might like company while you wait for Daddy to gather his things. It won’t take long.”

It took only moments for him to gather the ropes he wanted to use along with a pair of safety scissors. “Good girl, Gypsy. You did exactly what Daddy told you to. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she said. “Are we going to start now?”

“Yes, babygirl. When it is just the two of us in this room, I will want you naked. But if you aren’t comfortable with that yet, I understand.”

Her eyes widened, then she grinned. “I think once you’ve wiped someone's bottom for them, modesty is a thing of the past. ”

He stared at her, then threw back his head and laughed. Would she ever cease to surprise him with the things she said? “Fair enough, babygirl. Let’s get the rest of those clothes off.”

He helped her with the rest of her clothes. God, she was gorgeous. Perfect for him in every way, from the top of her head that barely reached his chin to the tips of her toes with the fire engine red polish.

“Before we do anything, I want you to pick a safeword. Do you already have one?” She shook her head. “That’s okay. Let’s pick one now. What’s a word you can remember, but not something you regularly say?”

He waited while she thought about it. “How about tambourine?”

“That’s a great word. What made you choose that?”

“Well, I figured if you were going to call me gypsy, that would match.”

With yet another grin, he agreed. “That’s good, Gypsy. I like it. Now, if you feel uncomfortable at any time… physically, mentally, or emotionally… you say tambourine, and we will stop and talk through what’s going on. When it comes to rope play, you make the call. Got it?”

She nodded. “Got it.”

“Good. Now hold out your hands.” As he bound her wrists, he made sure to tell her exactly what he was doing.

He wasn’t doing anything elaborate that would take too long.

“I’m putting this knot in your hand, and this loop in your other one.

This is a quick release. If you ever need to get out fast, pull the loop and the knot unties. ”

She smiled, as bright a smile as she had at the Friendsgiving celebration. He hadn’t realized how much he needed that smile until she gave it to him. Something in his chest loosened. “I want to play with you once you are wrapped up like my pretty Little present. Is that something you would like? ”

Her cheeks reddened at his words, but she nodded again and gave him a soft, “Yes, Daddy. I’d like that.” His girl was fuckin’ adorable.

He talked her through what he was doing each step of the way.

When he finished, her arms were bound to her chest in a way that left her pretty pink nipples on display.

He bound her calves to the back of her thighs and secured legs to her waist in a way that prevented her from closing her thighs, giving him access to her glistening pussy.

Oh, yeah. His Little girl liked rope play.

Lifting her, he carried her to the bed and laid her on her back. Her glazed eyes and dreamy expression told him all he needed to know. His babygirl was headed deep into subspace.

“You just lie back and enjoy, little gypsy. Daddy wants to open his present.”