Page 6 of Koa’s Little Girl (Soldier Daddies #8)

F or the first time ever, Koa regretted having to leave for work the next morning.

He followed Giana’s truck out of the neighborhood when she’d insisted on leaving with him.

His only consoling memory as he watched her turn left while he headed to the right was that she’d programmed her address into his phone before kissing him goodbye. Today was going to creep past.

Heading into the base, he accepted the good-natured ribbing from the guards at the gate. The word of his special delivery had spread among those staffing the entrance. He shook his head and drove to his normal parking area. Totally worth it .

Once inside the large gathering area, Koa stowed his phone and keys in his locker.

He’d just closed the metal door when a special tone rang from his device.

Rolling his neck in disbelief at the crappy timing, he ripped the door open and grabbed his phone to read the message.

Blindly finding his keys as he scanned the notice, Koa ran for his truck to grab a go-bag he always kept ready to go as he sent a message to Giana.

Flame,

My team has been activated. I don’t know when I’ll get back in town. You’ll be my first phone call. I’ll miss you.

Daddy

As he ran back inside, he found Jerico texting a message to Aspen and Zale disconnecting from a phone call. Both looked at him and understood immediately that Koa was in the same boat—having to notify his little girl.

Jerico walked forward and extended his hand. “The fire captain?” he asked. When Koa nodded, Jerico said, “Congratulations on finding your Little. Want Aspen to reach out to her if we’re gone for a while?”

“Thanks.” Koa thought about the second question for a minute. He didn’t want to scare Giana. He didn’t want her to panic if someone else knew she was little. His phone buzzed in his hand, displaying Giana’s name.

“I’ll ask her.”

Koa stepped away. “Giana, I don’t have much time. Do you want me to give your name and number to my team leader’s little girl for her to contact you if we’re gone for a while?”

“Koa, I don’t want you to go.”

“I know, little girl. My team and I are determined to finish the job we’re sent on as fast as possible and get home safe. Would it help to have another little girl to talk to?” he asked.

“Is… Is she nice?”

“She’s very sweet. You’ll like Aspen. I’m sorry to rush you, Flame, but I have to get off the phone.”

“Yes, give her my name and number,” Giana said quickly. “Tell her I need this to be confidential.”

“Aspen will guard your secrets,” he promised without hesitation. “I’ll see you soon, little girl. Take care of yourself.”

“You, too, Daddy.”

Koa disconnected and sent Jerico Giana’s contact information. Jerico passed it along to Aspen with a message. Hanging his head, he allowed himself to lament the timing of this deployment. He’d just found her.

“Koa!” Caden called him from the doorway to the briefing room.

Fuck! Koa allowed himself to be pissed for a few seconds before forcing his brain into gear. Rule number one, don’t let anything mess with your mind. That was a surefire way to get yourself and your team killed. He shrugged off his worries and headed to find out what they’d face.

Three long weeks later, Koa walked back to his locker to grab his keys. The single members of the team joked and laughed, but Koa noticed he, Jerico, and Zale were quiet and focused. His only thought was to find Giana.

Walking out the door, he watched Aspen run to Jerico and Pippa smother Zale in a million kisses. His heart sank. No Giana.

“Jerico, I need to tell Koa something,” Aspen said, stopping her daddy from carrying her away.

She ran to his side. “We couldn’t get Giana on the base. She’s waiting for you outside.”

Koa’s energy skyrocketed, and he raced for his truck. Risking the MPs fining him for speeding, he drove as quickly as possible through the gate.

“Welcome home, soldier,” the guard called and pointed to the left.

Squinting into the late afternoon sun, Koa spotted her truck parked at the side of the road. He pulled behind her and jumped out of the cab. Gravel flew as he ran to her.

“Flame,” he whispered, gathering her into his arms. “I missed you so much. Are you okay?”

“I’m good, Daddy. My heart is so happy to see you,” Giana told him with tears in her eyes.

Koa pulled her against him and kissed her sweet lips. Instant heat swelled between them, pushing away the exhaustion from his mind. He forced himself to lift his mouth from hers. When she cupped his cheek with her hand, he turned his head to press a kiss to her palm.

“I’m sorry for the bad timing. Tomorrow, I’m getting you a base pass, little girl. I never want you to have to wait alone.”

“Aspen and Pippa are awesome. They wanted to stay with me, but I sent them inside to greet their daddies and tell you where I was. I have Jellybean with me for protection,” Giana explained, nodding at the stuffie sitting in the passenger seat.

“Hi, Jellybean. Aren’t you pretty? I’m glad to see you’re helping Giana. Thank you for keeping my little girl company,” Koa told her.

Giana wrapped her arms back around his neck and hugged herself tighter to him. “I think the guards were concerned I was up to no good, but when I told them I was waiting for you, they were super nice.”

Koa laughed. Those guards knew everyone’s business. “They must have guessed you were the one who left a note for me with the day crew. Will you come home with me, Giana?”

“I’d love to, but my shift starts in an hour. I’m really glad you got home in time so I could see you. I’m so sorry I have to rush off.”

He pulled back slightly to scan her. “I didn’t even notice you were wearing your uniform. How long’s your shift?”

“Twenty-four hours. Then I have some time off because I grabbed some extra shifts while you were gone. As the captain, I work with all the shifts on a rotation, so I see how everything is going with each crew.”

“You have a lot of responsibility, Flame.” He couldn’t rip her clothes off here and show her how much he cared for her. Resigned to celebrating with her in twenty-five hours, he asked, “How did you get to be the captain so quickly?”

The guys had posed that question while they were deployed, and Koa hadn’t known. That had earned him some ribbing about what they did other than talk when they were together. Good-natured teasing, of course. The team knew exactly how long he’d known Giana.

“A combination of knowledge, skills, and luck, I guess. I have a criminology degree. I did a stint as a parole officer, but it quickly became too dangerous,” Giana admitted, shaking her head.

“Unfortunately with the increasing violence endangering first responders of all kinds, my degree moved me up the chain of command in the fire department as a needed resource.”

“And that’s safer for you?”

“Definitely. I mean risks are everywhere, but I’m out with an entire team instead of meeting with dangerous individuals alone now.”

“An excellent reason to make a switch, little girl. Were you hurt?” Koa kept his tone steady, despite his urge to take care of anyone who’d lifted a finger against her.

Judging by her expression, there was more to the story than Giana simply taking a bit of time before starting a different career.

Instantly, he was concerned about her safety, even if something had happened a few years ago.

“No, but several close calls. I lost my nerve, giving off the wrong vibe to bad guys. I had to make a change.”

“I’m glad you did, Flame.” Koa forced himself to relax. He didn’t ask any more questions. His little girl was brave to face the truth head on.

She nodded and continued, “Anyway, I needed a break when I left criminal justice, so I went to my relative’s farm to relax for a while.

My grandfather had worked as a volunteer firefighter years ago.

When I was sulking around, he set up an obstacle training course.

To his complete surprise, I was a natural.

He decided I must have inherited his side of the family’s strength. ” Giana laughed and flexed her biceps.

“Being a firefighter has a huge physical component,” Koa agreed. He’d very definitely noticed her toned muscles.

“He said my butt’s big to store all my power,” Giana shared with a laugh that contained a bit of self-consciousness.

“Funny, I thought your adorable butt was made for me to spank.”

Her face blushed pink, and she dropped her forehead down to his shoulder. “That really turns me on,” she admitted.

“A good girl spanking should turn you on. A bad girl spanking—not so much.”

“I don’t plan to be bad. I mean, I know there are Littles who brat. Aspen and Pippa admitted they sometimes deliberately do the wrong thing. I can’t see myself doing that.”

“A spanking can be a release if you’re stressed or upset. Crying effectively releases all those pent-up feelings. Can you tell me if you need some extra discipline?” Koa asked, leaning back to scan her face.

Giana pressed her nose to his shirt and shook her head.

“Daddy needs to see you, Flame. I want to make sure you’re okay,” Koa said sternly. He cupped her cheeks and tilted her beautiful face up. She chewed on her bottom lip. Koa guessed she was fretting about his answer.

“This is a tough conversation to have in a few minutes. Would you feel better if I tell you I will give you whatever you need: a spanking, a hug, tender lovemaking, urgent sex, time as a very little Little. We’ll experiment with everything and see what works for us.”

Giana’s breath gusted from her lungs. Her features softened as the tension drained from her expression. “I would enjoy experimenting and knowing that I don’t have to do it again if I don’t like it. Or you don’t enjoy it,” she added quickly.

“I’ll be honest. I have some hard limits. How about if I send you a list of activities anyone might explore in a BDSM relationship, and you can check it out if you have free time and privacy at work?”

“Hard limits mean those things you don’t want to do?” she asked.

When he nodded, Giana hesitated. Helping her, he clarified, “I’m not a fan of knife or blood play, strap-ons, and humiliation. Can you live without those?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t like those either,” she agreed with a shudder.

“There may be some others you’d like to take off. Be honest. Daddy will pick up if you lie about something you don’t want because you think I am into it,” Koa warned.

A honk drew their attention as Aspen and Jerico drove past followed by Pippa, Zale, and the rest of the team heading home. Koa loved Giana’s enthusiastic waves at her new friends. He loved that she’d already bonded with the other little girls.

Koa tightened his arms around her waist and kissed her soundly. “I’ve missed holding you as I sleep, little girl.”

“We only shared a bed once,” she said.

“We did. Somehow, the amount of time wasn’t important. My heart has already decided you’re mine. I don’t plan to let you go, Flame.”

“Do you call me Flame because I’m a firefighter?”

“No, Giana. Because I’m drawn to you like a moth to a flame. You’re irresistible,” Koa told her.

They both looked down at her arm when a beep sounded.

“Oh, no. I have to go, Koa. I’m so sorry.”

“Call me Daddy and I’ll forgive you,” he told her before pressing a soft kiss to her irresistible lips.

“I’m so glad you’re home, Daddy,” she whispered.

“Will you come to my house when you get off?” he asked. “We have three days off before our training starts again.”

“In less than twenty-five hours, I’ll pound on your door,” she promised.

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Koa stepped back and helped Giana into her truck. He didn’t move from that spot until she had disappeared from sight. Then, he dragged himself back to his vehicle and climbed inside. He’d go get some sleep to revitalize while he waited for her.