Page 25

“ D rop the slime, Cherry.”

Immy let out a scream, turning to glare at Tobias who was leaning against the door to the mudroom.

“Where did you come from?” she asked, straightening. “I thought you were outside.”

“I’m sure you wish I was. Drop the slime, Little girl.”

Urgh.

Why did it always send a shiver of longing through her when he called her ‘Little girl.’

“This has nothing to do with you,” she said, putting the slime behind her back.

She’d thought everyone was gone and Tobias was outside.

This sucked.

“No point in putting the slime behind your back at this stage, Cherry,” he told her. “Seen it.”

She pouted. “Are you going to tell him?”

“Now, that might depend on whose shoes that slime was going in.”

“Sampson’s! He’s being so grouchy and bossy at the moment. He told me that I have to stay in the house at all times. I’m not going to do that. I’m going stir crazy! And he’s making me do self-defense lessons with him.”

Tobias frowned and nodded. “I’d like you to stay inside the house all the time too, but I get that you can’t do that.”

“We don’t even know if there’s a threat to me and I can’t live my life . . . wait, you agree?”

“I agree. Within reason. You can’t go anywhere alone, I have to be with you.”

“All right, I agree with that. You’ll tell Sampson?”

He snorted. “Tell Sampson? Yeah, I’ll tell him.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief. “And you’ll tell him I’m not doing any more self-defense lessons?”

“That, I’m not going to do. You’re going to keep doing those, if not with him, with me.”

Yikes.

She wasn’t sure doing lessons with him was a good idea.

“Can we go out this afternoon?” she asked, bouncing on her toes. “Please? I need ice cream. And more emergency handbag M&Ms.”

“You have emergency handbag M&Ms?” he asked.

“Of course. You don’t?”

“Can’t say that I do. Why can’t you just do a grocery order for them?”

“Because the store doesn’t have the tube ones I like. They fit perfectly into my handbag. Only I’ve eaten the ones from my handbag. And I’ve eaten my spare ones. It’s an M&M emergency.”

“I can see that. I’ll text Sampson. But give me the slime.”

He held out his hand.

Immy pouted. “But it’s my slime.”

“Immy,” he said sternly.

She heaved out a breath. “Fine. But I’m really gonna need those handbag M&Ms. Soon.”

Little did he know that she could make her own slime and she had plenty of ingredients to do just that.

“It’s raining!”

Tobias glanced over as Immy rushed into the kitchen. She was wearing a yellow rain jacket with a large hood and had a huge smile on her face.

“Ah yep, it is.” He wasn’t sure why that would make her so excited.

The weather was a bit crazy at the moment. The other day, they’d gone out for ice cream and to get her emergency M&Ms and today, it was stormy outside.

“I did a spell for rain and now the rain is here!” she cried before rushing out of the kitchen and into the mudroom.

What was she talking about?

A spell?

Confused, he followed to find her grabbing an umbrella which was clear with daisies printed on it and had a frill around the edge.

She now had yellow rubber boots on.

“Cherry, you goin’ out in this?” he asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s raining!” she cried. As if that should tell him everything.

She rushed out the back door, and shaking his head, Tobias walked out after her. He stood under the back porch as she ran around, jumping in puddles and laughing in delight.

Tobias hadn’t had a lot of happiness in his life.

He’d been a single child, with a mom who had worked all the time to feed and clothe him. And a deadbeat dad he’d never met.

Everything he had in this life, he’d had to fight for. He’d done things that would likely make other people fear him. He didn’t always follow the law. But he had always been someone who’d known what he wanted.

And when he desired something, he did everything in his power to get it.

Watching this girl . . . her beauty, her innocence, he knew that he shouldn’t desire her. He could easily corrupt her. But he also knew he could protect her.

Physically. And emotionally.

It would just take more care. He’d have to take baby steps with her. Insert himself into her life so much that she wouldn’t see where she started and he ended.

And that would also avoid her friends stepping in and separating them.

They wouldn’t notice the serpent in the grass until he was wound around her so tight that nothing could come between them.

“Come join me!” she cried.

“Haven’t got a rain jacket,” he replied.

“So? Have mine!”

She started pulling hers off. Nope. He wasn’t having that.

“Put that back on,” he ordered.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

The brat poked her tongue out at him.

Oh yeah, did he mention he liked the sassy side to her as well? He was going to have so much fun with that. Especially when he got to put her over his knee.

She needed some discipline. But not too much.

Delicate. Delicate.

“You’re a party pooper!” she cried.

“Keep your jacket on or you’re coming back inside.”

With a squeal, she ran and jumped into a rather large puddle. It sent water flying up and she giggled.

How the fuck did she not know that she was a Little?

How did anyone else in this household not know? They were clearly Daddies. And they clearly Daddied her.

It was . . . weird.

“What the hell? Immy, what are you doing?” Jenner rushed out of the house from behind him.

“Playing in puddles!” she cried.

“It’s raining,” he said.

Rather obvious.

“You’re going to get ill playing out here in the wet and cold,” Jenner told her, running out to where she was.

“But I have my jacket and boots,” she said. “And my umbrella. It’s raining! It’s fun!”

“You need to come inside where it’s safe and warm.” Jenner reached for her, picking her up in his arms.

Tobias watched them curiously. This seemed to be overkill. She couldn’t jump in puddles for a short while? And she was dressed for it.

He waited for Immy to protest again. For her to tell Jenner off or to put her down. But she just sighed and let him carry her inside.

He followed them in. Jenner was undoing her rain jacket. “You need to warm up, baby. I’ll run you a bath.”

“With bubbles?”

“Of course,” he agreed as he crouched to help her take off her boots. “Is there any other kind of bath?”

“Sampson never puts bubbles in the bath. He says they’re slippery.”

Bubbles were slippery?

Jenner shook his head, then took her hand and led her into the kitchen. They disappeared upstairs and Tobias helped himself to some coffee. Jenner returned about fifteen minutes later.

“She okay?” Tobias asked.

“Yes, she is. Listen, I know you don’t know her well, but Immy can be impulsive and sometimes she forgets that she has limits. She can’t go dancing in the rain and letting herself get too cold or wet. She could get ill. Next time, just stop her, will you?”

Jenner grabbed a cup of coffee and headed back upstairs.

To give it to Immy?

In the bath?

Why couldn’t she go out in the rain? He didn’t like not knowing everything about her. Although he had noticed that Jenner tended to fuss over her health. A lot.

He wanted to know everything.

Because one day she was going to be his.