Page 10

CHAPTER 10

F uck.

Lovie cried all the way to the warehouse because he was a colossal dick. When she’d asked him if he was a Daddy, something inside him froze. The present disappeared, and all he could see was the past.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to be a Daddy. Hell, he’d moved to Darling at the age of fourteen. That was when life smiled on him for the first time in his entire existence. The foster care system had placed him with a man named Liam Thomas, but he’d insisted everyone call him Sarge.

As a former Marine, Sarge was as tough as they came. He refused to take any shit from a snot-nosed teenager with a chip on his shoulder from his hard-knock life. Sarge didn’t care about the past. All he cared about was the future of a kid he considered valuable.

Sarge was all bite because he thought barking was for pussies. And he taught Law everything he knew about living a meaningful life and being a good Daddy to a Little. And if he’d been looking down from wherever he was now and seen what Law just did, he’d come back to Darling and kick his ass.

But when Lovie had asked him if he was a Daddy, he choked. All he could see was Little after Little, who’d said they understood what he liked. Who’d told him they liked it, too. Those same Littles soon changed their minds when they realized he’d meant what he said. And it never took long before they wanted out of the relationship and told anyone who would listen what a depraved Daddy he was.

He got it. He was too possessive, too protective, and too primal. They weren’t wrong. That was who he was at his core. He had enjoyed softer, more gentle variations of play, but that never mattered. The rumors they started spread. Soon, he had the reputation of being a dangerous Daddy. At that point, he could choose to fight the rumors or move on.

He’d moved a lot in the past thirty years. So, when circumstances called him back to Darling, he’d vowed not to bring that part of himself with him. He still wanted it, wanted a Little who’d like to play his kind of games, but he’d never acted on those desires. He’d never even spoken about it.

If he were ever to break that vow, it would be for Lovelyn Reese. She was everything he loved about being a Daddy.

Back when he was reconning the Society’s compound, He’d watched her for four days. Four entire days. When the need for sleep overcame him, he’d sneak back to his truck and sleep for a few hours. Then he’d be back at his spot, resuming his vigil.

He couldn’t explain it. And he knew if anyone found out, they’d think he was insane. It was like his watching her was some kind of protection. The only kind he could give. If anyone had harmed her, he would have scaled that fence and made it to her side in a minute, plan be damned.

He wanted her, but it was more than that. He was drawn to her in deeper ways than he’d ever been drawn to a woman before. It wouldn’t take much for him to fall over the edge for her and throw away every other relationship he had here in Darling.

That would sound crazy to most people. To be that connected to someone you’d only known for a few days. He wouldn’t be able to explain it to them, either. But it was real.

And yet, when she asked him if he was a Daddy, he’d choked. Her tears, even though she hid them from him, made him feel like the worst Daddy in the world. The ways she was trying to hide the fact she was upset had him thinking maybe all the things the Littles from his past had said about him were true.

He had to do something. Treat her the way he’d seen his brothers treat their Little girls. If they could do it, it couldn’t be that hard.

He needed to do something. “Lovelyn? Sweetie, can you look at me, please?”

What was that voice? All soft and cajoling. Where had it even come from? Because it wasn’t him.

But this wasn’t about him. It was about her. This was what she needed. What she deserved. After everything she’d been through, she should have someone who would shower her with love and affection, a soft Daddy.

Lovie scooted closer to her door and didn’t so much as glance at him. In direct defiance of what he’d asked. That was… irritating.

But he’d hurt her feelings. He couldn’t expect her to just obey him blindly. She needed his patience and understanding. Focusing on how he needed to behave, he tried again.

Soft and gentle. Calm and understanding.

You’ve taken down entire terrorist cells before. You can get one Little to listen to you without upsetting her.

Clearing his throat, he placed his hand on her shoulder and tried again. “Lovelyn, I want to talk to you. To explain?—”

That’s all he got out before she exploded.

Without turning around or missing a beat, she shrugged his hand off her shoulder. “Well, I don’t w-want to talk to you. I g-got your message. I don’t need you t-to explain anything. Just leave me alone!”

For a second, he stared at the back of her head, slack-jawed.

For a second.

Soft and gentle his ass. She may not have much experience being a Little, but she sure as hell knew how to be a brat.

Fortunately, he loved taming brats.

He placed a hand between her neck and the seatbelt, then hit the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. He thumbed open the lock on her seatbelt with his left hand and drove his fingers into the back of her thick, soft, tousled mane of hair. At the base, where he could maneuver her as he wanted, he fisted her hair. Not too tight to hurt, but firm enough that she knew he meant business.

As she attempted to dislodge his hand, he turned her to face him. Her eyes widened with that tantalizing level of fear that tugged at his cock. It matched her elevated heart rate and breathing.

But as he watched, her eyes told the rest of the story. It wasn’t the response he was accustomed to. She was cautious but curious. And if her dilated pupils were any indication, more than slightly turned on. Perfect.

She reached back to grab him as if she could dislodge his hand. The movement caused her tight nipples to pebble against her shirt. When her hand found his, she didn’t try to make him release her hair.

Instead, she placed her hand over his and watched, waiting for his next move.

Fuck. Him. That wasn’t a Little’s usual response, either. Could she be different? The throbbing in his cock had him hoping so.

He should let her go. Nothing in any rulebook granted him the right to do what he was doing right now. But her eyes did. He would never hurt her. He didn’t want to frighten her. Not in a bad way.

But he loved the tension. Loved the feeling of teetering on the edge of control without falling over. Loved this .

He deliberately kept the growl out of his voice, maintaining a deep, stern tone. “Let’s try that again, naughty girl. When I say I want to talk so I can explain, what do you say?”

She didn’t hesitate. Not for a second. “Yes, sir.”

“Almost, little fairy cat. That’s one. Try again.”

He was a bastard. He should let her go, move back to his side of the truck, and drive them to Sabre as fast as possible. But he wasn’t going to.

Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and it was all be could do not to pull out his dick and give her something much bigger to lick.

He tugged her hair, and she released a whimper of need. “Y-yes, V-Viking?”

“Closer, naughty girl. That’s two. You know the word I want spilling from your lips. Who am I?”

He was pushing her hard, but he needed those words. Needed to know he hadn’t lost the chance to be who both of them needed him to be for her. He should stop, but he couldn’t.

No, that was a lie. He’d meant what he’d said to Zane four days ago, just like Sarge had meant when he’d said them to Law. Real men don’t lie. Especially to get what they want.

But he had to hear it. Just once, he had to hear her call him what she’d almost called him earlier. He wouldn’t tell her what to say. If she didn’t come up with it on her own, he’d let her go, and they’d head for Sabre.

She ran a nervous tongue over her bottom lip again, and his cock almost exploded. But he waited.

In a soft voice, she gave it to him. “Yes, Daddy.”

Fucking finally .

He couldn’t hold back his growl of approval. But before they talked, he needed her to remember she held power. “What do you say if you want our talk to stop?”

“Red?”

That deserved a reward. “Good girl.”

She closed her eyes and caught her lips between her teeth. If she didn’t stop playing with her lips, he was going to join in the fun.

That’s not the purpose of this conversation.

He knew that. What he found hard to do was care.

“I’m going to let you go, and we’ll talk.”

Her eyes shot open. The disappointment they held slapped him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he pressed his finger to her lips. “I’m going first, and then I’ll listen to you. Do you understand?”

She nodded, but that wasn’t enough. He needed the words again. She’d only said them once, and he was already addicted.

Because he was a masochist, he slid his thumb across her plump lip. “Words, little fairy cat. Use the words I want to hear. The ones you want to say.”

“Yes, Daddy, I understand.”

He should do the right thing. Even if this was the right thing in the end, it wasn’t the right thing at the moment.

He should, but he wouldn’t. He didn’t want that, and neither did she.

He wanted to taste those pouty lips to see if they were as soft as they looked. He wanted to pinch the rigid nipples of her full, generous breasts —the kind he loved to squeeze— and suck them until she cried out with pleasure. He wanted to yank off the jeans down over the curving swell of her hips and taste just how much she loved what he was doing to her. And then he wanted to shove his cock balls deep in her tight pussy and pump her full of his cum.

He wanted to, but he wouldn’t do that, either. They needed to talk. Was what he wanted even something she’d be willing to explore? He had to slow them down. Okay, he had to slow himself down.

He might be primal, but being a Daddy came first. Always. If he followed his impulses and desires, he could hurt her. He wasn’t sure how old she was, but she was a fuck of a lot younger than him.

She was young and inexperienced. That meant he had to be doubly careful. Despite his proclivities, he wasn’t actually a fucking animal. His impulses didn’t rule him unless he wanted them to.

You need to practice some self-control.

So, they’d talk. She said she’d listen. That’s all he could ask. Then, she could decide if she wanted to move forward.

He released her hair, but he couldn’t stand the thought of not touching her. He needed to feel her, to connect with her on a physical level, so he slid his hand down to rest on her thigh.

“I want to explain why I stumbled over the answer to your question. It had nothing to do with you or my feelings for you. The short answer is, yes, I am a Daddy. But there’s more to it than that. Are you willing to hear me out?”

Again, no hesitation. “Yes, Daddy.”

He loved those words on her lips. If she ever said them to another man, he’d kill him and then spank her silly.

That doesn’t sound like slowing down.

Fuck. This was going to be hard. He scanned her body language to see if she was stressed. She seemed relaxed and ready to listen. He made the mistake of looking at her face. She was so damn beautiful. And her tawny eyes, so filled with hope, swept him away. Her tongue darted out again to moisten her lips.

And he was lost.