He leaned forward to kiss her hard, showing her the emotions inside him—passion, caring, and most of all, love. When he lifted his mouth from hers, Brooklyn lifted a shaking hand to press her fingers to her lips.
“Brooklyn, I don’t have to think about tumbling head over heels for you. You’ve already carved a spot in my heart. I love you, sweetheart.”
“Really?” she whispered, searching his face as if to ensure he wasn’t making something up. A tear rolled down her cheek, and he kissed it away.
“I think you stole my heart when I met you on base. You were petrified, but you’d stepped in to help a stranger.”
“I know what it’s like to have a predator after you and be alone.”
“You aren’t alone anymore, little girl.” He wondered if she would be brave enough to tell him that she loved him. Caden didn’t doubt that she cared deeply for him as well. Their connection was too strong for her to feel any other way.
“Thank you for loving me, Daddy. I… I need to tell you something,” she confessed.
A flare of panic zinged through him. Had he misunderstood her reaction to him? He could see the concern etched on her face. “You’re safe here, little girl. You can tell me anything.” Mentally, he crossed his fingers. Caden would be crushed if she chose to stay with him simply to remain safe from Brent.
“I knew you loved me. My heart told me you did.”
“How did your heart share that news?” he asked, completely charmed.
“Your heart beats slowly and steadily. When I’m with you, my heart tries to match yours. If I’m close to you, our heartbeats synchronize. You try.” She grabbed his hand and pressed it between her breasts.
Focused on his hand, Caden waited for her heart to settle after her motion. His gaze rebounded to her face after a short time. “That’s amazing. How did you ever notice this?”
“Because my heart goes pitter-patter when I see you. Then when I’m in your arms, it either goes crazy,” she waggled her eyebrows suggestively, “or it gets calm. I think my heart has decided I’m safe with you.”
That last statement told him all he needed. Brent had made her life hell for way too long. “I’m glad you’re happy with me, little girl.”
“More than happy. Being with you feels right for the first time. I love you too, Daddy.”
Caden cupped her face with his hand and drew her lips to his. He kissed her with the love in his heart, and her pulse quickened. Drawing back slightly, he whispered, “I’ll need you to tell me you love me a lot, Brookie.”
“A thousand times a day,” she promised.
“That might be enough.” Caden hugged her close. How had he gotten so lucky to find Brooklyn?
CHAPTER 13
“Not fucking now,” Caden cursed under his breath when his phone blared a loud alarm. Answering the call, he said, “Got it, Jerico. See you in fifteen.” He rolled out of bed and grabbed a duffel bag from the closet.
“What’s that?” Brooklyn asked, propping herself up on one elbow. Being jerked out of a deep sleep had completely disoriented her. Almost immediately, she realized what had happened. “That’s the alert you told me about?”
“Yes, sweetheart. They’ve activated the team. Jerico’s going to pick me up soon. Come talk to me while I shower.”
Brooklyn wrapped the comforter around her nudity and followed him. Caden hadn’t waited for the water to warm. He already stood under the spray, rinsing off the traces of their lovemaking. “Do you have to go?”
“Yes, Brookie. This is my job, sweetheart,” he told her before dunking his head under the showerhead. When he emerged, he shook his head and continued, “Drive my truck while I’m gone. That way Brent won’t recognize your car.”
“I won’t go anywhere,” she rushed to reassure him as he stepped out to dry off after the quickest shower she’d ever seen.
Caden dried himself off with rough swipes of the towel. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, little girl. You may need to get some supplies. Remember that I have the emergency credit card in the drawer. You’re okayed to use it. You can order food, too, through the app we put on your phone.”
“There’s a lot of food in the kitchen. Do you think you’ll be gone that long?” Brooklyn’s stomach rolled at the thought of being without him for a long time.
“When I get on base, they’ll share intel with the team. Sometimes, the mission is a quick in-and-out task, and I could be back in a couple of days. Everything can change rapidly. Depending on how things go, it could be fast or extended.”
He threw the towel in the laundry hamper and walked forward to hug her tightly to him. “I need you to stay safe. You have the base emergency line if anything happens, and I put Brent’s case number on the fridge if you need to call the police. Remind them of that incident if anything suspicious spooks you.”
“I have the other Littles’ phone numbers as well,” she said.
