That almost undid me.
Because, yeah, I was aware of everything. The warmth. The softness. The way she fit. But more importantly the fact that my body was very much awake, now.
But underneath that was something steadier.
I wanted her safe and protected.
I want her tochoosethis instead of whatever spiral dragged her to it, so she was forced to give in to it rather than accepting it.
And I wanted—selfishly—to be part of the reason she felt safe enough to try.
She shifted again, thigh brushing mine, and I had to swallow hard.
Focus, Perry.
This wasn’t about me for once.
I dipped my head slightly, brushing my nose against her shoulder.
“Hi, pretty girl,” I murmured, voice rough with sleep and need.
Her lashes fluttered. The pacifier bobbed gently between her lips.
I grinned at her before I could stop myself.
“What a pretty binky you have,” I whispered, as if we were sharing the best secret in the world.
Excitement bubbled in my chest at the tentative smile she sent my way from behind the pacifier.
She looked shy about it.
Like she expected me to laugh.
Instead, something protective and soft swelled inside me so fast it almost knocked the breath from my lungs.
But just as quickly, worry flickered back in.
Because this softness hadn’t come out of nowhere.
I hadn’t been here when it happened, but I’d seen enough of the aftermath. I hated that I didn’t know what had caused it. Hated that she’d felt cornered enough to crumble.
My gaze traced her profile. The pacifier moving slowly between her lips. The way her shoulders were relaxed now instead of drawn tight like when Daddy and I first showed up, even in sleep.
This time when she shifted, she brushed against me, bringing all my focus back to the ache between my legs. The low throbbing of an unmistakable erection begging for attention.
To be fair to myself, it was one of my favorite things in the whole wide world... waking up from a nap and then conning Daddy into giving me special Big time and letting me erupt all over his hand, or when I was really lucky, down his throat.
My gaze zeroed in on her face, and I was awestruck at the expression I found there.
She looked just as hungry as I felt.
Slowly, deliberately, I moved closer. It wasn’t enough to startle her. Just enough that there was no mistaking it. My hipsaligned more firmly with hers beneath the blanket and my hand tightened slightly at her waist to keep her there.
Her breath caught and the pacifier stilled for half a second.
Heat flared up my neck. There was no taking it back now. I dipped my head again, brushing my nose along her shoulder, letting my mouth hover near her skin.
“How you doing, pretty girl?” I murmured.
