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“ Get out of my fucking way!”

Lovie tried to open her eyes, but they were just too heavy. She was expending all the energy she had just to keep her heart beating. Could she do that? Will her heart to keep beating?

Then hands were beating at her. Scraping against her clothes, her skin. Really? What was the deal? Was it not enough that she was so tired she couldn’t move?

She tried, but it was as if her limbs belonged to someone else’s body. One she couldn’t control.

Then someone forced something that smelled like plastic over her mouth and nose — as if it wasn’t already hard enough to draw breath.

And if these people didn’t get their hands off her and stop swiping at her, she was going to scream. She sucked in a deep breath. At least she tried. Her lungs were moving, it was just they weren’t taking in air.

Probably because someone had put a mask over her face .

Suddenly, it was too much. She was still so tired. Tired of the cold. Tired of the hands swatting at her. Tired of waiting for her Daddy to come.

Well, that wasn’t true. She’d never get tired of waiting for her Viking Daddy. Not ever.

Hands worked their way under her armpits and lifted her from the cold ground. Large, rough hands. Her Viking’s hands.

She tried to call his name, to wrap her arms around him. But her body wouldn’t cooperate.

“Get the hell out of my way.” Her Viking Daddy was running? Why was he running? It hurt. She didn’t like the jostling.

She really wanted to open her eyes. It wasn’t fair they wouldn’t do as she said. If her Daddy told them to open, she bet they’d do it then.

And then she was floating down. Her Viking’s hands became his arms. Hmm. That felt nice. Her Viking was like a furnace. Maybe he could make her warm.

A hissing filled the air, and the mask on her face came to life. It smelled even funnier, and she didn’t like it. With all her remaining strength, she did her best to shove the mask off her face.

Her Viking held her hand. That was sweet. He could be so romantic when he wanted to be.

“I need you to focus on breathing, babygirl. This is oxygen. It will help you feel better. Take a deep breath for me, sweet girl. Try hard, babygirl.”

After a few minutes of breathing with him, she slowly began to feel better.

“Can you feel it, little fairy cat? Are you breathing?”

She did her best to nod, but it came more as a bobble.

“Bones, her lips are still blue, and her fingers. Is that normal? Do I need to get her to the hospital?”

Oh no. She didn’t like going to the dentist. She didn’t like going to the doctor. And she especially didn’t like going to the hospital .

Bones answered her Daddy first. “I think that’s a good idea. Just so we can monitor her for a day or two.”

She needed to discuss this with him. She wanted a vote. But to do that, she needed to open her eyes. It took all her concentrated effort to open her eyes, but she managed to do it. Her Viking was right there. Holding her and taking care of her. She wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes open for long.

She gave him her brightest smile, even though her lips felt cold and stiff. She had to tell him… something. It was very important.

The fog in her brain was getting thicker. She had to tell him now.

“Daddy.” Her word came out as a whisper. That was okay. “I love you, Daddy. I knew you’d find me.”

That wasn’t what she’d meant to say. But it was way more important.

Then her Viking’s face was buried in her neck. He nuzzled her there before pressing kisses all over her face around the mask.

Oh, yes. That was much better.

Lovelyn sat on the floor in front of the fire, working on a puzzle, trying to project an air of innocence. She may have gone a bit overboard. She’d drawn a family portrait on the wall with her new watercolor markers. It should be the first thing he saw. She’d turned the alarm system to play her metal Disney playlist at the loudest volume when he opened the front door.

And then there was that last prank. If that didn’t do it, she wasn’t sure what would. She was desperate, and desperate times called for desperate measures.

There was a reason for her brattiness, though. It had been weeks since her unfortunate near-death experience. She’d told her Viking she was fine now. The doctor had also told him that. But he was still treating her like she was sick and fragile.

Well, she was neither sick nor fragile. She wanted her Viking Daddy back. So, she created her own game, one that followed her own rules. She had her best running shoes on and a robe she would be leaving on the steps once the game began.

Now she just had to wait for her game to start.

The rumble of her Viking’s truck set her heart racing. He was home a bit earlier than she’d expected, but that was all right. Before he got too close, she pressed the button on the remote that turned the glass walls from white back to clear. Grabbing a ponytail holder and her tanning oil from the bathroom, she made her way out the back door, leaving the door ajar behind her. She needed to be able to hear his reactions, after all.

When the truck door slammed, she put her hair up in a ponytail. Sure, it would make her easier to catch, but she was okay with that. When the music began to blare, she smiled and took off her robe, placing it on the table. Moving to the spot she’d chosen to stand, a place she was sure he'd see her, she watched, laughed, and oiled down her skin.

And see her he did. Hmm. He didn’t look very happy with her. That was fair. She wasn’t very happy with him, either.

Deciding prudence was the better part of valor, she changed her rules as he headed out the back door. He really should have paid more attention to that cord.

He shoved the door open, steam practically pouring from his ears. Her heart kicked up several notches and her pussy clenched as the cord tugged at the bucket of water and dumped on his head.

It wasn’t her fault she burst out laughing. He shouldn’t have made that shocked expression. Anyone would have laughed at that. She snagged her bottom lip between her teeth as he joined her. Only, his laughter seemed to be filled with less humor than hers .

He laughed as he slowly walked down the back steps, managing to say, “I see you’ve been a busy girl this morning.”

She took a step back. “You know what they say, Viking. I was left unsupervised.”

He nodded, his eyes deepening to the shade of a predator as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. God, he was gorgeous. Her thighs softened and her pussy pulsed. “That's all right, little fairy cat. You are about to have all the supervision you could ever want.”

Lovelyn took another two steps back. “I don’t want you to overdo it, Daddy. At your age, you have to be careful of your heart. Maybe you’d rather watch while I play with myself.”

He lost the grin and growled, slipping out of his shoes and pants. “If I catch you playing with yourself without permission, naughty girl, I’ll edge you for a solid week without letting you come.”

Good lord! It had been too long. She was going to orgasm from his words alone. She backed up another three steps. He prowled toward her, and her nipples drew tight. He was gorgeous.

She’d missed this. She needed it. And she knew he did, too. A picture of a conversation they had the day they met rolled through her mind. They'd been through a lot in the short time they’d been together.

He never stopped prowling toward her, stealthy and intense. She knew when he caught her, she’d pay for her pranks in the most deliciously wicked ways. The hunger in his eyes did wicked things to every erogenous zone she had, and a few she hadn’t known existed. She was on fire for him, for the chase, for her new life.

“Should I run now?” she asked, her voice husky and breathy. “I should run now, right?”

He answered, growling like the alpha predator he was. “Yes, you should run, little fairy cat.” He sped up his steps. “Now.”

And so she did. Let the games begin .

THE END