Page 24 of Hayes
“I had a doll like her when I was a child. Her name was Emmy.”
“What happened to the first Emmy?” he asked.
Rylee shrugged. “I got too old for her. I guess my mother gave my toys to another family.”
Hayes let out an exaggerated gasp. “Too old? You’re never too old for toys.”
She bit her lip again, blinking at him. Eventually, she released it and said, “I’m not a baby.”
He smiled and stroked her cheek. “Rylee, you’re definitely not a baby as far as age is concerned. You’re clearly a woman. My woman. But you’re also my Baby girl. Mine to protect. Mine to worship. Mine to pamper. I know it seems strange right now, but you’ll learn to relax and enjoy life under my care. Play with toys. Read books. Have playdates with your friends.”
“My friends?”
“The other mates in the area. They’re anxious to meet you. When we’re ready to leave the house, we’ll set up a time when you can get together with them.”
“I have a question,” she said.
“What’s that, Little one?”
“My best friend is also marked. She’s sixty-seven days younger than me. Do you know who she will be mated to?”
Hayes smiled. “I might…” he teased as he rose and kissed her forehead.
“Daddy…” she whined.
He chuckled as he removed his shorts and stepped toward the shower. He would need to bathe both of them often to keep her overly sensitive nose from driving her batty.
She lowered her gaze to his erection and licked her pretty lips. It pleased him that he could so easily distract her. He took himself in hand as he answered her. “I know who Amber’s mate is, Little one. Don’t you worry.”
She gasped and jerked her gaze up to his. “You know her name?”
“Yep.”
“So you knew my name before yesterday, too?”
“I did. I knew a lot about you.”
“That’s not fair.” She pushed her lip out in a pout. “I didn’t know anything about you.”
He stepped into the shower. The only thing between them was the glass wall, so they could continue looking at each other while they talked. “Sometimes Alpha Protectors prefer not to know much about their mates. We’re often in our teens when we find out our mate was born. Twenty years is a long time to wait. It’s usually easier not to be too informed.”
Hayes grabbed the shampoo, but he kept his gaze on his Little girl while he washed his hair.
She twisted to watch him. “But you knew about me?”
“I didn’t know everything about you, Little one. I knew who you were and what your name was. I sometimes watched you playing on the playground at school from a great distance so you wouldn’t see me.”
“How come I couldn’t see you?” his inquisitive Little girl asked.
He rinsed his hair and grabbed the body soap. “For one thing, your vision will be sharper now that you’ve shifted. But it will never be as sharp as mine. Alpha Protectors have far more visual acuity than even their mates.”
“Oh. Did Amber’s mate watch her?”
“Sometimes. Not as often as me.” Hayes rinsed off, turned off the shower, and stepped out. As he grabbed a towel to dry off, he continued, “Don’t read anything into that fact, Baby girl. Every Alpha copes with the waiting in their own way. I preferred to learn some things about you so I could be better prepared when you arrived.”
“What did you learn about me?”
He hung the towel up on the rack, not the slightest bit concerned about being completely naked in front of her. His nudity kept her slightly off-balance, and he liked that fact. Hell, her naked body affected him just as strongly.