That sexy, throaty chuckle of his would also be my undoing. He enveloped me in his strong arms and his warm breath brushed against my scalp. “Baby, this is why we need this time together, and why you need these classes. I’m not saying I have all the answers, either. But I’m farther along in the process than you are.”
“Does me wearing Hello Kitty onesie PJs make me a Little?” I mumbled against his chest.
Because I totally did that on chilly nights.
Another chuckle. “Not if you don’t want it to be. You don’t have to be ‘a’ Little, sweetie. You can do things that make you happy that happen to also be common Little activities, and still be Daddy’s little fucktoy.”
I whined. “Please stop saying that unless you want me to cream right through all my panties this weekend.”
“If you’re a very good girl, maybe I won’t let you wear panties.”
I had no idea that would be such a hot thought, but it was. “Then you’d better carry a towel with you for me to sit on or I’ll be leaving snail trails all over the place. That’s probably against a rule or two.”
That made him roar with laughter and he pulled back enough to smile down at me. “I love laughing with you, baby. I’ve laughed more in the past several weeks than I have in the past several years.”
Come to think of it, so had I. “Me, too.”
We had just enough time to unpack and for me to freshen up—and change my panties—so we could grab a quick lunch before we took the elevator upstairs to the classroom on the second floor. There were already a couple of people inside, including someone I guessed was the instructor based on her pullover shirt with the Ranch’s logo embroidered on the chest.
Jack took my hands in his and kissed them as he looked me in the eyes.
Did I mention that was hot as hell, too?
“Do you want me to come up and get you when class ends?”
I thought about it.
Reeeeally thought about it. According to the schedule, it’d last nearly three hours.
“That’s okay. I’ll probably need a few minutes to… digest.”
“Fair.” He kissed my forehead and patted my butt to get me moving. “Have fun, baby.”
I nodded, nervous, and turned to focus on the instructor’s welcoming smile.
I can do this.
Even though, honestly?
It scared the fuck out of me.
Chapter Six
Jack
I’ve been in plenty of life-threatening circumstances throughout my professional life and nothing terrified me as much as watching Emmy walk into that classroom.
But she was an adult, not a child.
I wouldn’t push her to reveal all her old pain to me because it wasn’t my job to force her to do that.
No matter what form our relationship took, I had norightto force her to do that. Not unless she asked me to.
And yet I was aware enough to know her healing had to start somewhere, and all she’d done throughout the years was slap an increasingly thick layer of temporary bandages over her emotional wounds so she could continue functioning. I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to assume Lilah did the same, but my suspicion was that she had.
Did I want to fuck Emmy’s brains out?
Duh.
