Page 19

CHAPTER 18

T his afternoon, Caroline had gotten horribly frustrated with the characters in her work in progress. The novel had lots of twists and turns she hadn’t planned, but the hero and heroine kept getting into tough situations. By the time Wraith arrived home, she had given up and climbed on a stepladder to grab his bourbon.

“What are you doing, Little girl?” he asked from the kitchen doorway.

With the bottle in hand, Caroline spun around in surprise and wobbled in her position with a foot on the ladder and one on the countertop. Wraith rushed forward to catch her as she tumbled. “Whoopsie!” Caroline said with a giggle. “I saved the bottle.”

“I’m glad we don’t have shattered glass to deal with, Caroline, but I wouldn’t want you in pieces.”

“Probably not my favorite thing either, but a few more sips of this and I’d be okay,” she anticipated.

“New rule. No climbing on ladders while Daddy’s out,” Wraith proclaimed and set her feet on the floor. He confiscated the bourbon and took a drink.

“Now. Why are we drinking?” he asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically at her.

“No one will do what I tell them to do.”

“I hate it when that happens. I usually knock a few heads together to put an end to that silliness. That stops the rebellion quickly.”

“If only I could try that.” Caroline grabbed the bottle back and swallowed again. “Bourbon helps.”

“Until your head hurts in a few hours. I have a better suggestion for dealing with frustration.”

“Really? What?”

“A bubble bath.”

“How is that going to help?” she asked.

“There are magical properties in bubbles and warm water. I can prove it in fifteen minutes.”

“You’re not lying, are you?” she asked.

“Come on, Precious. We’ll let the proof be in the pudding. Or in this case, in the bathwater.”

A few minutes later, Wraith helped her undress as a cascade of water flooded into the tub. She loved his kisses and even the slap on her bottom to encourage her to settle into the fragrant water. Bubbles floated inches thick on the top. She had fun coaxing them into shapes and even blowing them across the tub.

“Hey, Little girl. I forgot to show you these.” Wraith opened a small tub and dumped the contents into the water. Yellow duckies, a turtle, seashells, and even a mermaid floated on the surface of the water and hid in the foam.

“Daddy? Toys?”

Immediately, she started a search and rescue mission to round up everything. A flash of tan skin made her glance at the side. Her Daddy stood shirtless on the rug. He unfastened the button and zipper on his jeans.

“Are you going to take a bath with me?”

“Why not? Maybe I had a frustrating day too. I had characters not doing what I told them to.”

She loved watching her Daddy get naked. His chiseled frame was all hard shadows and bulging power. She’d never met anyone in that type of shape. Wiggling on the tub floor, she enjoyed her reaction to his attractiveness.

“You have to be the strongest man in the Devil Daddies MC. Make a muscle for me, Daddy.”

Wraith winked and curled his fist up to show off his massive biceps. “There might be bigger arms in the Devils.”

“Like mine?” Caroline flexed her arm and piled a mound of bubbles on top of it.

“That’s impressive,” Wraith said, stepping into the tub. “I’ll sit over here so you don’t beat me up.”

“Aw, I wouldn’t do that, Daddy. Just like you wouldn’t punish me for climbing on the counter, right?”

“Oh, that deserves a spanking. But you’re going to promise me you’ll never do that again.”

“Of course, Daddy. I’d never…. Wait, did you disappear to hide the stepladder?”

“You’ll never find it,” he promised.

“Daddy!”

“Come here, Precious. Bring your toys. Let’s play and forget about the rest of the world, real and fictional.”

In a flash, she sat next to him. “Here, Daddy. You can have this duck.”

“Thanks, Little girl. You’re so generous,” he told her, eying the dozen floaties she kept for herself.

“I know. I’m an angel. That’s the gang the Little girls should be in. The Devil’s Angels. We could have leather cuts just like yours.”

“That won’t happen, Caroline.”

“Why not?”

“No chance in hell,” he elaborated.

“Wait until everyone finds their Littles. Then we Angels will band together and rise up!” Caroline thrust her fist out of the water, scattering suds in all directions.

“What if the Devil Daddy has a Little boy instead of a Little girl?” Wraith asked.

Slowly, Caroline’s rigid protest arm deflated and plopped back into the bathtub. “He might not want to be called an Angel?”

“Maybe not.”

“Fine. Those leather cuts are too heavy anyway. I’d be hunched over like an old lady in a year,” she said, demonstrating. When she sat up, she had bubbles on the end of her nose. Caroline could barely see it if she concentrated.

“Let me help you before your eyes get stuck like that,” Wraith said and wiped her nose clean.

“Thanks, Daddy. I don’t think I could type like that. Oh! I’ve got it figured out. I have to get out now,” she said, scrambling to return to her computer as a solution ricocheted into her brain, ending her roadblock.

Wraith grabbed her around the waist and held her in the tub before calling the assistant on his phone. “Hey, Siri. Open a Word document and write this down.”

He had the best ideas. Caroline spoke quickly, outlining the simple solution she’d come up with to the assistant. Taking care of that before she could forget it helped her stop worrying.

“I’m done, Daddy.”

“Siri, end recording.”

Caroline leaned back on his chest, playing with the mermaid on her tummy. “I’m so much better now.”

“I’m glad. By the way, how much bourbon did you drink?”

“I got trapped up there about fifteen minutes before you came home.”

“Trapped?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t figure out how to get to the floor without falling.”

“So you kept drinking bourbon?” he asked, sounding incredulous.

“Hey, it’s good bourbon.” She snickered at his expression. “I’m teasing. I’d only had a couple of sips.”

“That bourbon may have to disappear as well.”

Her giggles filled the bathroom, and she turned to lever herself over Wraith, straddling his hips. She tickled him until he laughed along with her.

“Kiss me, Precious. Maybe you can convince me to put the bourbon on a lower shelf,” Wraith suggested.

“Really?”

“Not ever going to happen,” he confessed.

She gave him a few hundred kisses anyway. It turned out he was right. Bubbles did have a rejuvenating effect.