Page 5

Smoke

Ashley was a mess in my arms. Her loud sobs filled the small space and I wanted to tell Elliot to just let me take her home, but I trusted his judgement.

I patted her back and tried to rock her in the oversized chair.

“I w-want to g-go home,” she sobbed.

Elliot gave her something in her IV and she seemed to calm a bit. “That’s just a little bit more medicine to help you relax, honey,” he said.

Feeling a bit helpless, I did the only thing I could think of and started to hum. Humming helped babies, right? She was my baby. Close enough.

It took until the second verse of the song before she started to settle. I felt like a fucking king. Finishing that song, I moved onto another one from the eighties.

Verse by verse she relaxed more and more, and eventually gave into her exhaustion.

Once she was sleeping, Elliot left with a promise to be back in the morning.

Half an hour later a soft knock on the door annoyed me. I’d just gotten comfortable, but I was thankful when I saw it was Bash and Blade.

“How is she?” Bash asked, his tone gruff.

“I was going to text you when I got her settled, I’m sorry,” I apologized, feeling guilty I’d not updated them sooner.

He shrugged me off.

“We know you’ve got your hands full,” Blade said, sitting on the unoccupied bed.

“Literally,” Bash said, sitting beside him. He set a bag on the floor in front of me.

“Hands full of his Little one,” Blade added like I didn’t get the joke the first time.

“She was upset, I’m just comforting her,” I argued.

“Yeah, but the way you almost killed her mom today told me just how much you care about her, even though we already suspected it,” Bash said.

“I wasn’t there to see it, but Kay told me all about it,” Blade added.

“I’ve killed for less,” I said.

“You’re such a bullshitter.” Bash laughed.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know how this is going to work,” I admitted.

“It’s not hard. You, Daddy. Her, Little,” Bash said, meshing his hands together.

“Do you need a diagram?” Blade teased.

“You two are a pain in my ass.”

“Eh, we’re feeling a bit cocky since we won the bet about you two having feelings for each other,” Bash said, shrugging.

“What. The. Fuck?”

They laughed.

“Dude, come on. Someone from your past shows up, who happens to be a Little, who could benefit from your protection and you expected us to not believe you’d be her Daddy?”

“She’s my stepsister,” I argued. Honestly, I had no idea why I was arguing. I’d claimed her the minute I saw that monster swinging a chair at her. Hell, probably before that.

“Not really, your dad and her mom got divorced before you’d even gotten out of prison,” Blade said.

“And you lurveeee her,” Bash sang. He really was a complete menace.

“Yeah,” I agreed. There was no point in hiding it anymore. “What did you win?”

“Three dinners at Kay’s house,” Blade said proudly.

Damn. Kay was a good cook, that was a score.

“And two sessions each with Leland,” Bash added.

“Leland was in on it?” That was surprising. Our boss was more no-nonsense than we were.

“Oh yeah, he started it all.”

Shaking my head, I laughed softly, not wanting to startle Ashley.

“We also don’t know that she’s a Little.” I quoted her own lie.

“Bullshit.” Blade laughed, sharing a look with Bash.

“Yeah, I’m not buying that and I’m sure you’re not either,” Bash said.

I shook my head. I wasn’t.

“Anyway, we stopped by your house and brought some stuff you might need. Toiletries, your charger, some things for Ash. Let us know if you need anything else and we’ll bring it by before visiting hours end,” Blade said, nudging the bag he’d set by my feet.

“Thank you. I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Don’t make it mushy, man,” Bash said, standing and stretching.

“Besides, you’ll want to thank us after you talk to Jasper,” Blade said, standing and grinning like a loon.

Jasper was my boss, not for Daddies Ink, but for a side operation we helped him run.

Jasper was… what some would describe as morally gray.

I would describe him as a fucking nightmare, a nightmare I never wanted to cross.

He was a crazy cyberstalker who could locate anyone you ever needed to find and have them killed with one call.

Thankfully, he only went after bad people, the worst of the worst. He’d been the only witness when I killed my father, but instead of turning me in, he'd invited me to join him in helping him fulfill his plan of ridding the world of as much scum as he could. I’d joined, thankful to have a place to direct all the rage I felt.

Fast forward several years and Blade, Bash, and I all worked with Jasper.

Jasper'd brought us into his crazy, but gave us a family in exchange. Weird, but it was how he operated.

“What did you do?” I asked, sliding the burner phone I always kept in my pocket and checking for messages.

Don’t worry about Diamond. After what my men will put her through in prison, she’ll wish she were dead.

Grinning, I tucked my phone back into my pocket. Jasper had contacts everywhere, I wasn’t surprised to discover he would reach Diamond even in jail.

“I’m so damn glad that bastard is on our side. He’s scary as fuck,” Bash said with a shiver.

“Now your Little one won’t have to face any more monsters from her past,” Blade said before looking down at her scarred arm. “Well, at least no monsters in the form of people.”

***

Ash twisted fitfully in my arms. “Shhh, baby, you’re okay,” I soothed.

She’d been tossing back and forth for a while.

I knew I should lay her in the hospital bed but I selfishly couldn’t make myself let her go.

She looked so small and frail in my arms—her face was a myriad of blues, the fingers on her broken arm were so swollen, and her legs and thighs were covered in bruises and scrapes.

I just wanted to put her in my pocket and keep her safe forever.

Sleepy eyes raised to look at me. “Mm, okay,” she mumbled.

“You’re nice and safe. Do you want to get in your bed? Would you be more comfortable?”

“No!” she protested, trying to dig down deeper in my arms. Unfortunately all of her wiggling was directly on my cock which was always semi-erect around her.

I tried to lift her gently to reposition her, but she mistook the action for me trying to put her in her bed, so she only fought more. “Don’t put me down!”

“Easy, baby, I’m just trying to get you more comfortable,” I tried to reason, but it was too late. She stilled completely when my hard rod rubbed against her backside.

***

Ashley

Oh. My. Goodness.

Dawson was… that was… Holy shit, that was Dawson’s dick. And it was massive.

My cheeks burned and I ducked my head, but I couldn’t stop the twitch of my lip. I made Dawson’s cock hard. Me. Ashley Emery.

Ducking my head, I tried to hide my blushing cheeks, but I couldn’t stop the corner of my mouth from tipping up. As quickly as it lifted, it fell. Maybe it was just a natural reaction because I was wiggling around. Defeat settled on me like a soggy blanket.

“I can see that big brain of yours working hard, Little girl, so before that negative thinking gets you into trouble, I want you to know this is all for you,” Dawson said, thrusting his hips into my backside.

“I’ve been rock-hard since you moved in and I’m sure that makes me a terrible person, but I can’t help it, I can’t stop it.

Knowing you’re under my roof, in my house, just a few doors down from me drives me crazy.

I’ve been fucking my hand every night with thoughts of your delicious body.

Those thick thighs are begging to be laid over my shoulders while I worship your cunt and your boobs.

I love your fucking boobs. They look like they’d be heavy and full in my hands and wondering what color your nipples are haunts me at night. ”

Gasping at the zing of electricity that shot through me, I leaned against Dawson, grinding his erection against me. His words had me dripping and he hadn’t even touched me.

“You’re playing with fire, baby,” he whispered before kissing my neck.

I didn’t care, maybe I wanted to be burned. “I’ve always dreamed of being a firefighter,” I sassed. A low ache filled my belly and I knew I was going to leave a wet spot on his pants if I didn’t get up. That thought sobered me a bit, and I shifted on his lap, trying to stand.

His thick forearms locked around me and he held me in place. “Where are you going, baby?”

“I’m worried… Your pants…” I tried.

“What about my pants?”

Damn him. “I-I don’t have on panties.”

“And?” he asked, teasing.

“Dawson,” I whined, still trying to stand.

“Relax, baby. I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” he said, easing me back down.

Once I was settled back onto his lap, he shifted me a bit so I was facing him. My face was so heated, I knew I must look like a tomato.

“Are you trying to tell me your pussy is wet and you’re worried about leaving your sweet cream on my pants?”

I nodded, biting my lip. He was so damn sexy. His five-o’clock shadow covered his sharp jawline. Reaching up, I ran my fingers over the stubble, wondering how it would feel against my mound. Would it be like I’d read about in romance novels? Just the thought made me clench my thighs together.

“I’d like to know what you were just thinking,” Dawson said.

Licking my lips, I shook my head. A girl needed to keep some secrets.

His gaze flickered to my mouth. “I’ve wanted you since I picked you up from the airport that day.”

I nodded. “Same.” It wasn’t smooth, but what else was I supposed to say?

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’ve kinda always had a tiny crush on you, but I didn’t expect to be so attracted to you when I got to Strickland.”

“Thank fuck,” he said before lowering his mouth to mine. It was a gentle kiss—barely there, soft brushes against my lips.

I whined when he pulled back and he chuckled.

“I want more.” I pouted.

“I’m not sure I can kiss you any more without hurting you, baby.”

“I don’t care,” I argued.

“I do.” He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“Well, hopefully we can get Elliot to release you and then we can go home and get you comfy.”

Laughing, I winced. Ouchie. I did hurt. “No, I meant about us.”

Smoke’s eyes were full of compassion and he stroked my back gently, ignoring the question. “I’m sorry you’re hurt, baby.”

Resting my head against his shoulder, I took his hand in my good one. “It’s not your fault, not even a tiny bit. Not yesterday and not the day Phillip hurt me.”

As expected, he tensed at the mention of his father’s name. I brought his hand up to my lips and kissed it. “I’ve never blamed you, Dawson. You’re the only one who's ever been there for me.”

“I wish I could have stopped him that night,” Dawson admitted.

“I know.” I squeezed his hand.

“But to answer your question, I think we could explore our relationship. I would love to pursue you, spoil you, and taste you.”

Squeezing my legs together again, I nodded. “I’d like to do all of those things.”

“I’d like to meet your Little too,” he said, raising his brow at me almost as if to challenge me to lie to him again.

“I’ve never introduced her to anyone,” I admitted.

“Oh, honey, that must be so hard for you.”

“Yeah. She’s just… she’s so tiny and I didn’t want her to get hurt.”

He kissed the top of my head and repositioned me on his lap so that we were belly to belly. My knees rested on both sides of his lap.

“I love that you protected her so well, baby, but it’s not healthy to keep her locked up like that either.”

“I know. I let her play in...” I trailed off, embarrassed.

“You let her play where, Ash?”

“In the closet in my bedroom. She has a cozy little nest in there.”

Dawson didn’t look judgemental, his eyes were soft when he spoke. “Well, I am so glad she has a safe place to play. Maybe we can give her a bit more space, yeah? We can turn your room into a playroom or nursery. Whatever you both need. I think the other Little girls would love to meet her.”

I thought over his words.

“A-rre… is…” I struggled.

“What do you need to ask me, baby?”

“What does she call you?” I asked instead of what I really wanted to ask.

“Well, I really hope one day you both will call me Daddy, but she could call me Uncle Dawson if she wanted. There’s no rush to figure things out, baby, but I want you to understand that you both are safe here.

Even if we don’t work out, which I really doubt, that doesn’t mean you won’t live with me, that doesn’t mean you would lose your friendships with Rogue, Eloise, or Ally or your relationships with Blade, Bash, or Leland. ”

Smiling, I felt a lot lighter. He was right. We would still have a family in Strickland. It was time to let her be free. “Can you help me?” I asked. I knew how hard it would be.

“I would be absolutely honored, baby.”