Page 11

CHAPTER 11

L ovie stared into Law’s eyes and lost herself in molten gold. She’d never seen eyes the color of pure gold or with such large irises. He looked like a cat. When he moved, his gait was more of a prowl than a stride.

Shivers whispered over her entire body when he placed his hand back on her thigh. Like everything else about him, his hands were huge. A blush crept over her face as she remembered those hands carrying out his threats to spank her. The memory sent quivers through her princess parts.

He had to know what he was doing to her. It was probably evident on her face. Glancing down, she grimaced. It was certainly obvious on her chest.

When she attempted to cross her arms over her chest to conceal her very evident nipples, he growled at her, snarling with a low, animalistic rumble.

And sexy. Ridiculously sexy. Instinctively, she knew it wasn’t an angry growl. Oh, no. That growl was all about dominance. And it shot straight to her core.

The newness of this experience, and this man in particular, wasn’t lost on her. It wasn’t as if she could read him like a book. But something in his eyes made her nervous. It could be because he was nervous.

Based on her experiences with him so far, Law was a follow-my-lead, take-charge kind of guy. She recognized the trait. She’d been raised by one.

Phillip Thorne did whatever he wanted. The only thing you could count on was that it would benefit him because that was the one person he cared about.

Law was different from her stepfather. She didn’t question how she knew this. She just did. The things he told her to do were for her good, not for his own. With him, it filled her with a sense of being protected rather than smothered and controlled.

She had a sixth sense about people. She always had. Her impressions were almost never wrong. She was safe because deep down, Law was a good person. Scary, but very good.

Was it a coincidence that Lovelyn Felina meant to love kittens? Probably. It wasn’t as if her name meant they were destined to fall madly in love. But the name she went by now wasn’t even her birth name. Her birth name had been Phillipa Elsabet Thorne. Phillipa, after her stepfather, Phillip, of course. Zane’s first name was Phillip, too, but he refused to answer to it.

Her stepfather was a despicable person. He didn’t name his children. He labeled them so everyone knew they came from good stock. That was a direct quote.

The man had no desire for a connection. Not with her. So, as soon as she could, she legally changed her name to Lovelyn Felina Reese. And now she had a Viking telling her to call him Daddy.

What would it be like to have a Daddy who valued her that much? Her tummy did cartwheels at the thought of anyone wanting her that much.

Don’t get ahead of yourself, Lovelyn. Just because he wanted you to call him Daddy once doesn’t mean anything .

Daddy might not even mean the same thing to him. She didn’t know. The only way to find out was to listen to what he had to say. Even if it hurt. She’d been hurt before and survived. She could do this.

Whatever he said, she would not cry.

“I’m ready to listen… um, D-Daddy.”

Her world brightened when he smiled at her words. She needed him to stop doing that. It was too hard on her peace of mind. And her panties.

“I’m proud of you, Lovelyn. You’re a very brave Little girl. Thank you for your trust.”

His words, the deep, praising tone of them, sent a steady beat of longing straight to the apex of her thighs. He was right. She did trust him. She’d learned not to give her trust quickly, but something about him called it out of her.

He cleared his throat. “First, I meant what I said the other day about honesty. I will never lie to you. I’ll do my best to answer any questions you have, but if I can’t, I’ll tell you that. And I’ll answer your question as soon as I’m able. Do you promise to be that honest with me?”

“I promise. I don’t like lying. Maybe that’s what makes me not very good at it. Trust me, if we’re out somewhere and you need to know if something’s stuck in your teeth, you find me because I’ll tell you.”

His lips quirked, and she marked another tally on her imaginary scorecard.

“That’s good. When you asked me if I was a Daddy, it caught me off guard. I was, am a Daddy, but I haven’t had a Little in a very long time. The times I did have one never ended well, so I stopped looking. Why are you patting your pockets, fairy cat?”

“I need a pencil and paper. Oh, I have some in my backpack. Hold on.”

“Why are you looking for a pencil and paper, little girl? ”

Her gaze shot to his eyes. “I need them to write down all the names of those Littles who hurt you. I’m going to find every one of them and give them a piece of my mind. They can’t treat you like that. I won’t stand for it. Can you reach my pack?”

His lips twitched. “There’s my wild fairy cat. Sheath your claws. You don’t need to contact them. Are you so sure it’s their fault? What if the problem was me?”

“Don’t be silly. How could you be the problem? Nope. No. Not happening. I need my pack. I have to write their names down, once I see them on paper, I’ll never forget.”

His eyes twinkled before he turned serious again. “Tell you what, you let me finish what I have to say. If you still want your backpack after that, we’ll talk.”

She allowed herself an aggrieved huff. Her Daddy— no, strike that. He wasn’t her Daddy. But if he was, she’d protect him.

Every Little should be able to protect her Daddy when the situation called for it. Even if they didn’t precisely ask for it.

“The truth is, fairy cat, I’m not what most people expect when they think about having a Daddy.”

What did that even mean? “I don’t understand.”

“Well, for one thing, ‘Daddy’ to me means twenty-four hours a day, every day, all year role. That’s not what’s different. Lots of Daddies and Littles want that. The way I’m different is my level of attention. I’m more than the Daddies you’ve read about in those DDlg books. I demand more of my babygirl, and I give more. Most Littles quickly decide what I want is too intense. It’s too constant. It’s not what they’re looking for.”

So far, she didn’t understand the problem. To have someone who wanted their Little all the time? Who expected things of them and from them, but promised to give what they expected to receive? How could that be bad?

All her life, she’d longed for that. She’d been the one in charge of everything since she was ten years old. Phillip didn’t have the time or the inclination to be a real father, much less take care of the things a mother would do.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it. She could. She had. From the time Zane was ten months old until that horrible day four years ago, she’d been the only mother Zane had. Thankful didn’t begin to describe how she felt. But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be nice to have someone now who could take care of her.

Those other Littles were crazy. They had the chance to have a Viking, and they wasted it.

Law watched her closely. What did he think she was going to do? Yell at him and tell him to take her to Zane? She desperately wanted to see Zane, but she’d never do that. Not if what he’d told her was everything.

“Well? Are you going to say anything, Lovelyn?”

“Is it a lot different from how we’ve been the past few days?”

Her question caught him by surprise. “Not a lot, no. However, everything will continue to intensify. Now do you understand why I hesitated?”

She searched his eyes to see what she was missing but found nothing hidden there. Slowly, she shook her head. “No, I don’t understand at all.”

Hope flared in his eyes before he set it aside. Boy, those Littles had done a number on him.

“I’m still going to need my backpack. I want the names of those Littles. I’m glad you told me because now I know just what to say to them. They are going to be a bunch of pansy Littles, and they are going to be a very sorry bunch when I get through with them.”

He stared at her, stunned. Poor Daddy. Aw, her Viking needed a hug. Lunging forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He stiffened and didn’t move.

Okay, maybe she’d been a bit overenthusiastic. But everyone needed hugs. Even a Viking Daddy. So she hugged him tighter.

Slowly, he put his arms around her. And then he squeezed. Wow, he was a tight hugger. Not that she was that experienced. That must just be the way Vikings hugged.

She rested her cheek on his chest. His warmth comforted her. His heart beat thumped, strong and steady. That was a good heart. She could tell.

His hug grew tighter, and wait, was he growling again? It was almost like a purr, but deeper and more dangerous. It awakened all the longings she’d had before he started talking.

It was exciting. Thrilling. And it made her feel powerful. She’d caused him to make that sound.

It burned through her. Her chest almost ached with it.

No, wait. She did love his hold, but it occurred to her she couldn’t breathe.

She struggled, and he let her go. Sucking in deep gasps of air, she grinned. “Now that is what I call a Viking hug.”

Tucking her hair behind her ear, he ran his thumb along her cheekbone, pausing when it passed over her tattoo. “That’s an unusual tattoo. I like it. How does the daughter of a high-priced lawyer get away with having a tattoo on her face? That’s pretty daring.”

Daring and necessary. But she didn’t want to discuss her past. Not yet. “Can Littles say they don’t want to talk about something, too? Because I’m not ready to talk about that.”

It turned out, curiosity could light a Viking’s eyes as much as any other emotion. Hadn’t she read somewhere Vikings like riddles and really wanted to solve them? Hmm.

After a pause, he nodded. “That’s only fair. But I hope you’ll be comfortable enough with me one day to share that story. I find myself wanting to know more about you.”

That was a good thing. She wanted to know more about him, too.

She didn’t tell him that. “So, is there anything else you want to tell me? ”

This time, his smile was slow. It started small and spread until it reached his eyes. “No, I think that’s all for now. Let’s go see your brother.”

After ensuring she was buckled back in, Law pulled back onto the road. Lovelyn stared down at the seat between them, where his hand rested atop hers. His calloused hand felt like it belonged there. Staring straight ahead, she tried not to squirm, but the pulsing in her pussy was making it hard.

It didn’t take long for the silence to move from comfortable to awkward to oppressive. She should think of something to talk about. What on earth would a Viking Daddy want to talk about? Law didn’t strike her as the chit-chat type.

Thankfully, he must have sensed the same thing. “So tell me about yourself, fairy cat. What was growing up in the Thorne household like?”

Uh, next please. There had to be something happier to discuss than her life with Phillip. Say, the bubonic plague or world hunger.

“Normal, I guess. I lived with Mom and Phillip, went to school, did all the expected girl things.”

“Expected girl things?”

“You know, dance lessons, music lessons, etiquette lessons. That kind of thing.”

His eyes narrowed. Had she said something wrong already? That must be a record. Only she could mess up something as simple as talking about growing up.

Only it hadn’t been simple at all. Her childhood had been like spinning around ten times and then walking through a minefield. Blindfolded.

“Did you want all those lessons?”

When did that ever have to do with anything? She did what Phillip wanted. They assumed it was what she wanted, too, and she’d never corrected them.

She shrugged. “I guess. ”

His brows scrunched. “I thought we weren’t going to lie to each other.”

Darn it!

With a sigh, she tried again. “Not really, but no one ever asked me. It was just what was expected, so it’s what I did.”

“What did you want to do? And don’t lie. I want to get to know you. And I’ve got the feeling you are used to changing yourself to fit whoever you’re with. Don’t do that with me.”

“The honest answer is I don’t know. I never had to think about it. And after Zane was born, there wasn’t time for much else but him.”

Did she sound bitter? She didn’t want to sound that way. She’d loved every minute she spent with Zane. Well, maybe the stinky diaper changing wasn’t her favorite, but she’d do it all again if she had to.

What would she have liked to be doing? She had no idea. When he remained silent and waited, something popped into her head. “I love to be outside. Does that count? I want to go mountain climbing. And I like roller coasters. Especially the ones that flip you upside down. Ooh, and laser tag. I never got to play that, but it always sounded fun when the kids at school talked about it.”

Maybe she did have some ideas. She needed to make a list so she wouldn’t forget anything.

The expression on Law’s face was hard to define. Viking Daddies could do that. He was studying her like she was a bug. “What are you thinking?”

“Honestly?”

“Always.”

“I’m thinking my childhood was adulthood in disguise. And I’m thinking the first thing I want to do when we get to Sabre is spend time with Zane. But the second thing I want to do is meet the… what was it you called them? The Musketeers? ”

“Close. They call themselves the Musketiaras. You’re going to love them.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

Law reached out to her again and ran his finger through her hair. Such a simple thing, but it felt amazing and somehow intimate. The tenderness of his gesture robbed her of the ability to sit still. Instead, she angled her head and rubbed her cheek against his palm like a cat.

Oh. Good. Lord.

What was that?

Just shoot me. Please, shoot me now!

With his hand still wound in her hair, she braved a glance in his direction. Her breath caught as he introduced her to yet another of Law’s smiles. This one brought her nipples back to points and wrecked what was left of her panties.

The intensity of his gaze stole her breath. His lips parted slightly as he shifted in his seat, leaning toward her. His muscles tightened, and she waited, unmoving, for him to pounce.

But he didn’t. He blinked slowly and shook his head. The moment seemed to last an eternity, though it was only seconds. He turned back to the road, hands gripping the steering wheel so hard it groaned.

Without turning his head, he tried to pretend what had just happened was ordinary. “Let’s get you to Sabre.”

She faced the front as well, mortified, confused, and squirming to calm her lady bits down. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed she wasn’t the only one squirming.