“Of course you can. On one condition.”
“Hmm?”
“Wear some pants next time. You’re going to freeze.” I don’t mean to sound as gruff as I do.
Este rolls her eyes and turns away. “Yes, Daddy.”
My vision goes black as all the blood in my body rushes south.
What. The. Fuck.
I reach out and grasp her arm, my fingers twining with hers before she fully turns. Fuck, her hand is soft.
“Don’t call me that.” My voice is barely a rasp.
She raises a brow, stepping back until she’s leaning against the side of the cabin. “You don’t like it?” The words coil around me, the sweet cadence of her voice going straight to my head. That’s probably why all it takes is her lightly tugging my hand to propel me forward, to make me close in around her, our bodies less than an inch apart.
I press my hand against the wall, bracketing her, forcing myself to focus on the woodgrain on the wall. Because if I look at her, I’m going to lose it.
“I like it. I like it far too much.”
Her breath catches. I know because I’m standing close enough to feel the way her chest stills. Close enough that all I’d have to do is shift forward slightly to be completely pressed against her. Something Este must realize, too, because she does just that.
“You seem nervous. Do I make you nervous?” she asks,and my whole body tenses as she drags one finger down the zipper holding my jacket and my resolve together.
“You scare the shit out of me, angel.”
I close my eyes and let out a long, ragged breath. What the fuck am I doing?
Not what I should be doing, that’s for damn sure. I push back from the wall, and though I refuse to look at her, my gaze catches on her shoulder, and I’ve spent enough time staring at her that my brain can fill in the gaps.
Before I do something I shouldn’t, something I’ll regret, I turn and walk inside without looking back.
9
ESTE
So.
Not my best attempt at seduction. But not my worst.
Have I ever made a guy storm off, looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders? No. But have I ever undone someone with a simple five-letter word? Also no.
Daddy. Of all the kinks I’ve been drawn to, this one hasn’t been on my radar. I have one more dad than your average person, and a great relationship with both Pops and Dad. It’s never even occurred to me to call a man “Daddy” in a sexy way. But something about Nico… It just felt like the right thing to say. And I liked it. A lot.
And Nico liked it, too. A lot. Which would be a good thing, if he didn’t clearly hate himself for it.
I lean back against the cabin wall and close my eyes, letting out a long sigh.
He wants me. But that doesn’t mean much if he won’t let himself have me. And I would very much like to be had.
I pull my phone out of my boot because this ridiculous outfit doesn’t have pockets, and pull up Sloane’s contactbefore stopping myself. What am I doing? I do not need to call my twenty-three-year-old sister for sex advice.
Sloane was right that I need to have more fun, but Nico does, too. I push off the wall and square my shoulders. I can do this.
My legs are freezing as I scuttle back up the stairs, checking on the dogs to make sure they’re not ready to come in, and push through the front door. I don’t expect to find Nico sitting on the edge of the sofa bed, his head in his hands.
Shit. Maybe I can’t do—no, I can.
