Chapter One
Annika Voss clutched her stuffie tightly as she sat on top of the tall stucco fence, trying to sneak a peek into the fun and mysterious grounds that lay before her.
Auntie Athena’s West Hollywood Nursery.
Every Little around Los Angeles knew about the place. At least, Annika figured they did. There were lots of people chatting about it on the various ageplay forums she visited when she was lucky enough to have internet access at the library.
The nursery was famous! She’d even read about people who came to California from all over the world just to visit it.
That was part of the irony for Annika. She didn’t even have to travel far to get there, yet she still couldn’t go past the tall wall that surrounded the property. There was no way they’d want her in there, though. Not as she was now.
The other Littles were cute and giddy. But she was… dirty. Her clothes were tattered. Besides, she didn’t have any money to pay. Even one single day at the nursery was not a luxury Annika could afford.
There weren’t any luxuries she could afford, actually. She couldn’t even afford necessities.
So, she’d have to settle for watching from atop the wall. Thanks to the trees and thick growth that lined the back of the property, she couldn’t see much. But every now and then, through one of the branches, she caught a peek—nothing more than blurs as Littles ran by. They were gone as quickly as they appeared. But the sounds of their laughter and conversation reached her.
Oh how she wished she was down there with them!
She’d run, play, and forget about her troubles for just an hour. It would be glorious.
What would such freedom be like? She couldn’t really imagine letting go for even such a short amount of time. It would feel wonderful not to worry about… well, everything.
Clutching the dirt-streaked stuffed bear, she smiled as she listened to the others giggle. Someone became visible as they moved a little closer to the back of the yard and Annika tensed. If she could see them, could they see her?
Thankfully, they just retrieved a red ball that had rolled back there and then moved on.
She breathed a sigh of relief. It was short-lived, though.
Two more people appeared, this time even closer.
“Hey, Iris. Want to climb a tree?” a woman’s voice called.
“Uh-huh,” someone—presumably Iris—replied. “Race you to the top!”
Oh crap! They’d be able to see Annika for sure if they climbed up very high!
She slid back and began to swing her legs around so she could turn to face the other way. But she misjudged how far back she was on the fence. Her bottom scooted off the edge. Panic gripped her. She desperately tried to claw at the stucco, but her fingers couldn’t find purchase.
Annika tumbled backward, headfirst toward the hard ground below.
Chapter Two
It all happened so fast, but she had the vague notion that those on the other side of the high fence probably heard her scream.
Would they come to check on her? Did it matter? She might break her neck and be dead by then!
Fear seized her as the world somersaulted around her.
She closed her eyes and braced for impact.
And then she hit. But not the ground. Something hard but not painful. Something… comforting.
She opened her eyes to see the hottest man she’d ever seen looking down at her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
It took the dazed Annika a moment to realize she was in this man’s arms.
