Her head snapped up. “Good?”
“Means I get to fixeverywhere. Instead of just one place.”
I stepped into the tub first, then guided her in, one careful leg at a time. She hissed when she tried to lower herself too fast.
“Easy.” I caught her under the thighs and hips, doing the work for her, easing her down until she was seated, water lapping high over her stomach. “There we go. That better?”
“It’s warm.”
“Exactly how I want you. Warm and relaxed and not thinking about anything except Daddy’s hands.”
Her cheeks flushed. She settled back against the edge, muscles tight with the effort of not tensing.
I moved behind her, sinking to my knees so I was taller, arms braced on either side before I slid one hand into the water to rest on her abdomen.
“Is this okay?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Words, baby,” I reminded gently. “You know the rules.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
Every time she called me that, something in my chest snarledmineand refused to calm down.
I ran my hand over her stomach in slow circles.
“Breathe with me,” I leaned close enough that my mouth brushed her ear. “In… and out… nice and slow. That’s it. My good girl.”
She followed my pace, breath syncing with mine. When she’d evened out, I started washing her.
“You’re so good for me,” I murmured. “Letting me see you like this. Letting Daddy take care of my girl.”
“I don’t feel good. I feel… pathetic.”
I gritted my teeth for a second at the word. Pathetic was the last thing she was. Pathetic men didn’t get girls like this. Pathetic men didn’t get chosen for firsts.
“You feel vulnerable,” I corrected. “You feel sore. You feel like your body is telling the truth about what we did and you’re not used to anybody seeing the truth.” I let the cloth trail down her arm. “That makes you brave, angel. Not pathetic.”
She exhaled, shaky. “You’re very… intense.”
“Yeah. No point pretending otherwise. Tell me if anything spikes above a six,” I said quietly. “I want it manageable. Not heroic.”
She swallowed. “You and your numbers.”
“My numbers keep my girl safe.” I kissed the back of her shoulder, just once. “Your Dom watches the numbers. You don’t have to.”
I kept going. Down her ribs. Over her hips. The water shifted with each stroke, ripples chasing my fingers.
When I reached her thigh, she tensed.
“It’s worse there,” she whispered.
“Of course it is.” My voice stayed gentle even as my chest clenched. “That’s where you took me for the first time. That’s where you opened up for Daddy like a perfect, greedy little sub.” I let the pride bleed into the words. “You did so well, baby. Better than I had any right to expect.”
She made a strangled noise. “Don’t say it like that. I’ll die.”
“Say it like what?” I faked ignorance, even as I softened the cloth, barely skimming her skin. “Like I’m proud of you? Like you made me the luckiest bastard walking because you chose me for something you only had once to give?”
