Page 10 of Koa’s Little Girl (Soldier Daddies #8)

T he complex was quiet when they pulled into the parking lot. Koa parked his car in her spot. Light still shone from a couple of windows, but most were dark. He scanned the area as they walked to the building. Neatly trimmed bushes and trees sat away from the locked entrance.

Giana grabbed her mail from her box in the small lobby before leading him up the stairs to her third-floor apartment.

He took her keys to open the door and deadbolt.

So far, he was pleased with her choice of living space.

Koa ushered his little girl inside. Her apartment had revealed a lot.

Sparsely decorated, the living room area looked like anyone could live there.

“How long have you lived here, Flame?”

“About five years. I’ll go grab a bag and Tiger.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“No. I mean, that’s not necessary. I’ll just be a couple of minutes. Could you check the fridge for anything that will go bad in a few days?” Giana requested, obviously coming up with something to occupy him.

“Of course.” Koa headed for the small kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he stared at the glare of the light on the empty shelves. One lone withered apple sat in a bin. Shaking his head, he closed the door.

He walked down the hall to her bedroom. Koa scanned the room in amazement.

Here was where his little girl lived. Her queen-size bed had a pink upholstered headboard in the shape of a crown, complete with jewels at the elevated points.

Giana crammed clothes into a suitcase open on the mattress, obviously rushing.

“Let’s fold those clothes, little girl,” he suggested, walking forward.

“Oh! You can wait for me out there.”

“Not happening.” Koa pulled a wad of clothes out of the suitcase and selected a pair of jeans to straighten.

“I can get these. I didn’t want to delay you,” Giana said quickly, grabbing the jeans from his hands.

“I’m a competent packer, Giana. What are you afraid of?” he asked.

“Um, I’m not afraid of anything. It’s just these are my private things—my private space.”

“I don’t think there are many secrets between us now, little girl. What’s going on?”

Her mouth opened and closed several times. Finally, she whispered, “I don’t know.”

Koa stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. He held her close, rubbing her back.

Under his hands, he could feel her heart beating quickly.

“You’re safe with me, Flame. I would rather cut off my own arm than hurt you.

Take a deep breath with me,” Koa instructed.

He inhaled audibly and felt her follow his lead.

“Now, exhale. That’s my good girl. Let’s try it again.”

On their third breath together, tension ebbed from her muscles. “That’s better. Should we take Tiger and go? We can come back another day.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head and clutching him tighter.

“You know I’ll hold you as long as you need my arms around you, Flame. Are you scared of something?”

She nodded, hiding her face in his chest.

“Talk to Daddy, little girl. What are you afraid of?”

“No one’s ever seen this side of me. What if you decide I’m too much or too much work? I mean… Look at this room. It’s way over the top.”

“And you love every minute you spend in here, don’t you?”

Giana peeked up at him and nodded.

Damn, she’s the cutest. The impact she had already on his heart rocked him. Koa cupped her jaw and lowered his lips to hers. He kept the kiss sweet and reassuring. She relaxed against him.

When he lifted his mouth from hers, Koa captured her gaze with his. “I want to see all of you—the little side and the sassy adult side. You’re safe with me, Giana. I’m going to prove that to you, but for now, will you trust me?”

“Yes, Daddy,” she whispered.

“Thank goodness, because I really want to know where you got that,” he asked, pointing to the remote lying next to her bed. A plastic shell surrounded the traditional black device, transforming it into a magic wand. Whoever had designed that was a genius. And Koa bet either a daddy or a Little.

“On the internet. It’s over the top, isn’t it?”

“No way. I want one for my house. We’ll search for it tomorrow and order one.” He squeezed her and winked. “I can’t wait to discover all the magic you’ll bring to my life.”

“Can we take my headboard?” she asked.

“Let’s move any furniture you want tomorrow so we don’t wake up the neighbors. Can you sleep one night in my boring bed?”

“It’s not boring.” Her face turned a delightful shade of pink.

“Definitely not with my cute little girl in it. What do you say? Shall we pack a few things and take Tiger home?” Koa suggested.

“Yes, please.”

He kissed her lightly before stepping back to pick up the jeans and fold them. When Giana joined him, Koa glanced around the room. He couldn’t spot Tiger anywhere.

“Tiger’s not going to stampede over me, is he?”

Giggles filled the air, making him smile. “No, Daddy. Tiger is stealthy, though. He hides under my covers because he catches neck colds easily.”

“A neck cold, hmmm?” Koa couldn’t wait to see this stuffie. “Would you introduce us?”

Giana leaned over the bed, showcasing her sweet ass. Koa grabbed a pair of shorts and folded them to keep his hands busy. He’d squeeze that delectable derriere later.

“Here he is,” Giana announced, pulling a foot-tall giraffe stuffie out from under the bedspread. She held him to her chest with one hand as she levered herself up with the other. Koa dropped the material in his hands to lift her back to her feet.

“Thanks, Daddy. This is Tiger.”

“Hello, Tiger. I am very pleased to meet you.” Koa could see from the worn plush how much Giana loved her stuffie. She’d dressed the giraffe in what appeared to be a red knee-high sock that stretched from under his chin to his shoulders.

“Red is Tiger’s and my favorite color,” she said.

“Tiger looks perfectly dashing in crimson.”

“Do you like red, Daddy?”

“I do like red. I spend a lot more time wearing green or tan camouflage.”

“Maybe they make red camouflage?”

“They should. Tiger, would you like to come visit my house? Maybe stay for a while?” Koa asked.

Giana bent her head to confer with her stuffie. After a brief pause, she asked, “Can we free all the giraffe animal crackers from the box they’re in?”

“What would Tiger like to do with them?” Koa asked.

“He would like to take them to the zoo to visit their relatives.”

“Of course. We can do that.”

“Perfect. He’s excited to come with me now,” Giana admitted.

“I’m glad. Shall we get these clothes packed? Is there anything else you’d like to take with you?”

“We have to get Tiger’s suitcase, too. It’s on the dresser.”

Koa turned and spotted a good-sized satchel on the dresser. It had an official tag that announced the name Tiger. “I see that. It will definitely need to come with us.”

He scanned the items in her suitcase. “I see jeans, shorts, T-shirts… What about panties? Work clothes? Do you have a nightie and slippers?”

She scurried around the room, adding more things to her suitcase as he folded the items in the original pile. Giana hesitated next to one nightstand. “Can I bring my reader?”

“Of course. We can read together sometimes. I have several on my tablet I wish to read.”

“You don’t read aloud, do you?”

“I do. Do you like listening to stories?”

She nodded and pulled open the drawer just enough to slide her hand inside. Something rattled inside, and then a very distinctive hum sounded. She fumbled around in the drawer desperately trying to silence that noise. Finally, she yanked it open and grabbed the vibrator to switch it off.

“Shall we take your toy as well?” Koa suggested, loving the red blush that colored her cheeks and throat.

“Daddy!”

“Daddies like to play with toys as well, little girl.” He set down the T-shirt he held and walked around the bed to hold out his hand. “Maybe I’ll like yours.”

She hid the toy behind her back. “It’s… It’s broken now. I broke it.”

He didn’t answer, but moved his hand closer to her. Koa held her gaze. “Hand it to Daddy.”

Ever so slowly, Giana drew her hand back in front of her body. She hesitated and then placed the wand vibrator in his hand.

“Thank you, Flame.” Koa sat on the side of the bed and set it next to his thigh. “Now, let’s deal with your lie.”

“I didn’t lie.”

“If I check it, your toy won’t hum?”

“Well, maybe now. It… It overheats and stops working.”

“I don’t think I believe you. Want to try another excuse?”

She shook her head slowly.

“Come here, Giana.” Koa guided her faltering steps until she stood between his legs. “You’ve earned your first spanking. I will never allow lies to separate us.”

“I didn’t know that was a rule,” she protested.

“I never mentioned that it was a rule. Perhaps you suspected lying to a daddy was a bad thing to do?”

Giana hesitated and nodded. “All the little girls and boys in my books get spanked when they lie.”

“Sounds like your bottom needs to learn the lesson your brain already had memorized.”

Koa didn’t wait for her to answer or protest. He simply unfolded the top of her borrowed shorts and untied the string holding them in place. With a gentle push over her hips from Koa, the borrowed garment tumbled to the floor. Giana moved her hands to shield her mound.

“No hiding from Daddy. Move your hands to your sides, please.”

He waited for her to choose to obey. After a second, she slowly followed his directions. “Good girl.” Koa ruffled the silky hair that guarded her cleft. “Perhaps you would feel littler if we removed this.”

She shivered in front of him. He could see how hard she was trying to be brave.

Koa threaded his fingers through her thick brown hair and tugged slightly, drawing a moan of arousal from her lips.

“Stop thinking from here, little girl, and,” Koa leaned forward to press his lips between her breasts over her heart, “feel from here.”

When he leaned back to check her reaction, Giana nodded. Her shoulders dropped away from her ears.