Page 62 of Coiled Tight

Even though his explanation had made sense. I didn’t fully lose consciousness. It was more like my eyelids grew really heavy, and I didn’t have the strength to stay fully present. When I focused on it, I could remember hushed voices between Daddy and Damian, and cuffs unclasped, and wrapping myself around Daddy like an octopus while he moved us to a bed with way too many cushions for Mr Gothic House.

I had so many questions about Damian.

“There’s a glass of milk on the nightstand when you’re ready.”

Huh?

Oh, right.

I nuzzled his skin. I’d told him about wanting milk after a scene while I was out. It made sense that he had it all under control.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, darlin’?”

I really, really liked how he saw that word. My entire body responded to it like a spark was warming me up from the inside out.

“Do you promise you’re not going to be mean?”

I felt my eyes water before I could do anything to shield them from him. He knew I regressed, and I could feel it in the new softness that attached to my voice, but I didn’tknow.

What if he wasn’t actually?—

This was why I didn’t do this.

“I have no idea what makes you ask, Cam, but I solemnly swear I’m not going to be mean.”

His grumbly voice made it sound so silly. I pressed my lips together so that I didn’t end up laughing. The last thing we all needed was him thinking I’d lost the plot.

I hadn’t lost the plot.

The plot had lost me.

Whatever that meant.

“Um.” I fidgeted where my fingers met around his back. “I’m not good at pretending shit hasn’t happened.”

Evidenced by the fact that I kept referring to him as Daddy in my head—shit that should’ve stopped the second I was out of the swing.

Daddy snorted. “Doesn’t surprise me.”

“What’s that supposed to—” I shook my head. It didn’t matter. “If things get awkward, you think the others will let me move with them to the other house?”

Three seconds passed. Three seconds of the loudest silence. It didn’t make my heart pick up back to its baseline anxiety, but it was close.

“Sure.”

There had to be more to it, but I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t want to ruin whatever was happening here. I’d already come close enough.

“Daddy?”

I blinked up at him when he tucked my chin up. “Hmm?”

Can we burrow under a blanket so I can suckle on your chestand stop talking and pretend there is nothing else to concern myself with?

“Can I have my milk now?”

I didn’t know what made the words stick to my throat. Things were different with Daddy, and I didn’t know what to do to untangle everything so that I could come close to a solution or an answer of some kind.