Page 8 of Hayes (Alpha Daddies #7)

Chapter Six

Rylee was shivering as her Daddy dried her off.

She didn’t know how to tell him that his scent was still driving her to want to climb back into his bed, so she held her tongue.

He didn’t seem quite as affected by her essence even though it had to be at least as strong in the bathroom.

Maybe he was simply able to control his lust better. How embarrassing.

The bath had helped. His semen had nearly driven her out of her mind. It was leaking from the tip of his erection again—which was just as large as it had been from the moment she’d first seen it. Surely it wasn’t always that size.

He lifted her chin with a finger, and she found him grinning at her. Her face heated, realizing she’d been caught staring.

“You’re precious, Little one.” He bent to give her a quick kiss. “I better put shorts on so you don’t trip over your feet from distraction,” he teased.

“Daddy…”

He chuckled as he took her hand and led her into the bedroom, and she watched as he opened a drawer, pulled out a pair of shorts, and made good on his word.

She pushed out her bottom lip in a pout. “Poop. I’d hoped you were kidding.”

He laughed. “I don’t mind being naked in front of you, Little one. We can spend the next month naked if you want, but tonight I need to help you prepare for your first shift, and that’s going to require some focus on my part.”

When he headed for the bedroom door, she followed. “What about me? Can I have clothes?”

“Nope.” He turned to wink at her. “I like you naked.”

She groaned. “I like you naked, too.”

When he suddenly bent down, lifted her off her feet, and swung her into his arms, she squealed.

He nuzzled her neck with his nose. “Mmm. You smell so good.”

She squirmed to wrap her arms around him and ran her nose along his neck, too. And groaned. Good didn’t begin to describe his scent. It was heavenly, addictive.

When they reached the kitchen, he stood her on her feet next to the fridge.

She watched as he opened it and pulled out a bottle.

All the air left her lungs as she noticed that not only were there about a dozen bottles of what she assumed was the formula he’d spoken of, but he’d meant that literally.

Bottles. The kind with nipples. Not the screw-top kind that she was used to drinking through a straw.

“Daddy…” she murmured.

He removed the nipple, popped the bottle in the microwave, and turned toward her. “What’s wrong?”

“When you said bottles…”

He smiled and swept her off her feet again. This time, he brought her to his hip so that she was forced to open her legs and wrap them around him. Wetness was leaking out of her. It hadn’t ever stopped this entire day. Her sex pressed against him.

He kissed her briefly. “Alpha Protectors like to feed our Little girls, Rylee,” he explained.

“I’m not a baby,” she argued as she watched him remove the bottle from the microwave and twist the nipple back on.

“No, you most certainly are not. I’m well-aware that you’re a full-grown adult. Twenty years old today. I was at the mating ceremony,” he teased, “And I’ve since had my cock inside you twice. Your age has nothing to do with the ways I will pamper you, Little one.”

She was hesitant as he carried her into the living room and sat in a recliner. “We Alpha Protectors like to coddle our Little girls, Rylee. I know it’s not something you’re used to seeing in the valley, but you’ll learn to let me pamper you because it pleases me.”

The room seemed a bit too warm all of a sudden as he leaned her back in his arms and brought the bottle to her lips. Maybe her temperature was rising.

Daddy stroked her lips with the nipple. “Try it, Little one. I bet you’ll like it.”

She wasn’t sure if he was referring to the formula or the method or both.

She didn’t really have a choice but to give him the benefit of the doubt.

For one thing, she was both hungry and thirsty.

For another thing, she didn’t want to defy her mate.

Her Daddy. The endearment had a lot more meaning now than it had earlier.

He meant to Daddy her in every sense of the word.

Opening her mouth, she let the nipple slide in.

It took a few moments to get her lips situated just right, and then she took a tentative sip.

She’d been nervous about this ever since he’d first mentioned the formula with such confidence, and she was beyond relieved when the first suck didn’t gag her.

She swallowed and tried again, closing her eyes this time. Another sip, and she settled. It was good. Really good. Better than the protein shakes her mother made, in fact.

Suddenly starving, Rylee suckled heartily. The hole in the nipple was large enough that she didn’t have to draw too hard on it but small enough to keep her from sucking too fast and choking.

Daddy stroked her cheek. “See? It’s good, isn’t it?”

She hummed, not looking at him. A lot of things were going through her mind. One was that his scent was still driving her arousal through the roof. He didn’t seem concerned, but he had asked her a few questions about it.

She was beyond relieved to think that he wouldn’t force her to eat foods she didn’t like. She’d spent most her life learning to cook so she could be the perfect mate, and she could do so without gagging over the smell of foods by now, but it wasn’t her favorite thing to do.

Her parents had worried that her mate wouldn’t be as accommodating to her weird eating habits as they had always been.

They’d hoped she would have eventually grown out of her odd aversion to most foods, but it hadn’t happened, and she’d come here prepared to choke down whatever her mate required of her.

The bottle feeding unnerved her, but it was overshadowed by her unbelievable relief that the content was delicious and the man holding her seemed pleased to do so.

By the time the bottle was empty, she was definitely feeling too warm and restless.

Daddy set the empty bottle on the end table and rose, cradling her in his arms. “I’m going to take your temperature again, Little one.” He headed toward the bedroom.

She cried out and shot upward in his arms. “No, Daddy…” She reached out to grab the doorframe, trying to stop him from entering the room.

He hesitated, glancing at her and frowning. “What’s wrong? I told you I would have to do this several times. You were such a good girl the first time.”

She shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s… Can you do it out here?”

He frowned. “Why?”

She glanced at the bedroom, feeling like something was terribly wrong with her. It was becoming more and more obvious that he wasn’t experiencing the same thing she was.

Hayes backed away from the room, though. In fact, he turned around and carried her toward the back of the kitchen. When he opened the back door and stepped out onto the deck, she inhaled deeply several times.

“Is that better, Little one?” he asked, stroking her back.

“Yes…” She glanced at him.

“My scent is too strong in the bedroom, isn’t it?”

She blew out a long breath. He understood. Thank heavens. “Yes, Daddy.” She slumped against him, wrapping her body around his. Even though his scent was all around her, and she was obviously breathing him in constantly, nothing was as potent as his semen all over the sheets in the bedroom.

Now that they were outside, his pheromones were not as powerful. But then she gasped and curled into him, covering her nose. A new thought took hold. Why had he brought her out here naked? Someone was going to see her.

Hayes held her closer. “Rylee, talk to me, Little one. Tell me what’s bothering you now.”

“Someone’s going to see me,” she mumbled against her palm, not wanting to remove it. He was going to think she was the biggest freak on Earth any second.

“No one is going to see you, Little one. My brother’s home is the closest, and it’s almost a mile away. There are Alpha Protectors surrounding the area to keep us safe, but none of them are close enough to see you, either, Baby girl. I promise.”

She lifted her face from his neck and stared at him. Surely he was mistaken.

Hayes opened the back door, stepped inside, and closed them from the overpowering scent. “What did you smell, Rylee?”

She lowered her hand, trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, but she hated to disappoint him.

He carried her to the island and set her bottom on the surface. Cupping her face with both hands, he held her gaze. “No need to cry, Baby girl. I’m not upset. I’m just trying to understand. Tell me what you smelled.”

He didn’t look angry at all. His brow was furrowed in concern, but his voice was calm and steady.

“Steak,” she whispered.

He kept one hand on her as he reached to grab his phone from the kitchen counter. After tapping the screen a few times, he brought it to his ear. “Hey, Isaac. Are you by chance grilling steaks?”

Rylee bit her lip while she waited. Surely Hayes was about to lose his patience with her. She was growing perplexed herself. She’d always had a strong nose for the scent of food, but nothing like this and nothing that people were cooking in another home let alone far away.

She listened to her Daddy as he said, “Thanks. That’s all. Yes. Apparently. Talk to you later.” He hung up and smiled as if the mysteries of the universe were solved in that one phone call.

“Isaac is indeed grilling steaks.”

“A mile away?” she asked, shaking.

“I assume you weren’t quite as affected by scents as you suddenly are today, huh?”

She shook her head. Definitely not.

“And you don’t like steak?” His brow was deeply furrowed.

She shrugged. “I don’t eat it, but I never minded the smell before.”

“Everything smells stronger to you today, doesn’t it, Little one?”

Rylee nodded slowly. “Is that…normal?”

He took a deep breath, keeping his hands on either side of her. “It’s normal for mates to be affected by each other’s scent. It’s normal for pheromones to drive us bonkers with the need to fuck over and over, especially during your transition. However, what you’re experiencing is outside the norm.”

She swallowed, unable to respond.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her to the edge of the island, stepping closer so he was between her legs. “I can smell your panic, Little one,” he said gently, “and there’s no need for it. The truth is that lately several new mates have found themselves having odd powers we’ve never seen before.”

Rylee’s breath hitched. “Powers?”

“Yep. I’ll tell you all about them later when you’re not feverish, but trust me when I say a strong sense of smell is not even remotely weird. I’m kind of relieved that your superpower is seemingly so inane.” He smiled broadly. “Wrap your legs around me.”

As soon as she did, he lifted her off the island and carried her over to the living room, where he set her on her feet next to the sofa.

“Wait right here. I’m going to grab some supplies and shut the bedroom door.

For the rest of the day and into the night, when you need me inside you, we’ll head for the bedroom.

We can keep our sex in there and block off the overpowering scent by shutting the door. How’s that sound?”

For the first time in a while, she managed to smile. She didn’t understand what was happening to her, but Daddy didn’t seem to be worried about it, nor was he upset, so she wouldn’t fret over it for today either.

She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy.”