He wanted to be her Daddy, even if it was only a scene. At least, that’s what he told himself. But she had to want it, too. She had to agree with open eyes. He wouldn’t be another man who took from her.
Now, her heels alternated bopping the carpet as if she were gearing up to march in double time. Curling his arm around her, he pulled her back to his front and placed his palm over her heart.
Her heartbeat felt small and frantic beneath his hand, like a trapped bird. He wanted to cup it gently. Keep it safe.
“There is no wrong answer, babygirl. Would you like me to give you a hint of what I’d like the answer to be?”
This had all the elements of a bad idea. If he were her Daddy, even just for a scene, it could affect her relationship with Winnie and the other girls. Hell, it could affect his relationship with them, too. But walking away from her now would cost him more. But then, he had never been good at walking away from something that mattered.
He wouldn’t do anything that made her life uncomfortable. His goal was to relieve her of the pressure to be in control for a time and, hopefully, to teach her to make better decisions. Show her she didn’t have to survive alone anymore.
Her heels stopped moving. Was that a good sign?
When he stepped to her side, she cut her eyes toward him. She still kept her nose pressed in the corner. His dick hardened at the idea of her being his good girl. Beneath the arousal was something deeper, something he couldn’t afford to think about right now.
The vulnerability on her face had him itching to take her in his arms and assure her everything would be all right. All she needed to do was ask, and he would burn the world down before he let it hurt her again.
“I’d like a hint, please. I don’t know what I want.”
Oh, but she did. If the longing in her gaze was any indication, she knew exactly what she wanted. But life had taught her some hard lessons. As far as he knew, no one had wanted her enough to make her their priority in a long time.
That was going to change. He would make sure of it. Starting now.
“I know what you want, babygirl. It’s the same thing I want, I promise. I’ve wanted it since you trusted me to catch you when you jumped from that bathroom window at the truck stop. Maybe longer. If you’re brave enough to tell me what you want, I’ll give it to you.”
He let the promise hang between them.
She stared at him as if he held out a priceless treasure, but feared he would snatch it away when she reached for it. She needed more from him. So he gave it to her. “You can do this, little girl. I’ll catch you this time, too. A Daddy would never let his Little girl fall.” His voice dropped to a rough whisper.
Not again. Not ever. Not if he had anything to say about it.
Bliss searched his eyes, and whatever she saw had her squaring her shoulders, even as her legs trembled. His babygirl was brave. She was a fighter, and she was choosing him. And that choice struck him straight in the heart.
Notching her chin, she gave him what he’d asked for. “I want a Daddy. And I want that Daddy to be you.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The words were a vow to be Connor’s, at least for now. Her declaration settled deep in his bones. Connor wasn’t a man who claimed a Little casually. If someone fell under his protection, he carried that responsibility like armor.
And Connor never walked away from someone who was his. Not ever.
He ran his thumb down her cheek and along her jaw before leaning closer and pressing his lips to the pulse fluttering in her neck. Her gasp went straight to his cock.
The sound wasn’t just a breath of surprise—it was a surrendering. It branded him, staking a claim on the most primitive parts of him, the parts that had already decided she was his.
“I would be honored to be your Daddy. Here’s what that means to me. I am in charge until you tell me you no longer want that. Period, end of statement.” Before she could protest, he continued. “I’m not a dictator. I will discuss everything with you, but as your Daddy, I have the final say. If we get back to Darling and want to continue our relationship, we’ll talk through that then. Does that sound good to you?”
He forced himself to stay measured, steady. This wasn’t about lust. It was about structure. Safety. About building something that wouldn’t collapse the first time she panicked. Because Bliss had lived too much of her life in chaos. If he was stepping into her world, he intended to give her something solid to stand on.
Her face scrunched into the cutest expression of concentration. Her eyes were fixed over his head, darting back and forth as if she were reading something he couldn’t see. He knew the second her choices became overwhelming, so he broke into the conversation she was apparently having with herself.
He’d seen that look before. It was the spiral of too many options, too much freedom. Littles didn’t always need more choices. Sometimes they needed fewer. And sometimes they needed someone to hold the line when their own thoughts ran in circles.
This wasn’t his first rodeo, and he knew better than to move forward without her consent. He placed a finger over her lips. She deserved clarity. So did he. “The next word out of your mouth needs to be either yes or no. No wiggling. No maybes.” Hopefully, the gentle pressure of his finger would draw her focus back to him.
Her eyes rounded. It took a minute, but her shoulders slowly relaxed, and she smiled. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, whether she smiled, frowned, or cried. Hell, even her breathing did things to him at this point. And that realization alone should be enough to make a sane man nervous.
“Yes, I would like that very much,” she said.
