Page 14 of Hayes
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 hardon 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?”