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Again, with the little reference. “Well, you won’t get that.”

“We’ll see,” he said mysteriously. “If everything is all right then how come we’re out here on your porch? Can we go inside?”

“No!” She jumped forward, in front of the door.

He raised his eyebrows. “Everything is fine, huh?”

Shit. Way to act cool, Abby.

“Yes, it is. But the house is a mess. I’m spring cleaning. I don’t want you going in there right now.”

“Baby, your house is neat as a pin, you don’t have enough stuff to spring clean.”

Why did she like it so much when he called her baby?

“Well, I’ve pulled everything from the cupboards and it’s a pigsty.”

He gave her a disbelieving look.

What to say to keep him out? “I’ve been sorting through my bras and I don’t want you to see them.”

She winced. Hell, where had that come from?

He grinned. “Your bras, huh? Sweetheart, I’m far past the age where the sight of a bra sends me into a lust-filled craze. Now, I’m pretty fond of taking bras off,” he ran his gaze over her ample chest, “but I can assure you that you don’t have to be embarrassed about me seeing them.”

Her heart raced. His eyes grew hot. Hungry. She had to be wrong about that, right? He wasn’t interested in her. He’d made that perfectly clear the other night when he’d told her how much he regretted that kiss.

It was a mistake.

“Abby, let me in,” he said in a low, commanding voice. She actually moved before she caught herself. Damn, his voice was potent. She wished she had that superpower.

She shook her head.

He raised both eyebrows this time. And the look on his face...well, she was surprised she was strong enough to refuse him. Only the thought of Max sitting on her sofa and what he might do to Kent kept her from capitulating.

“Why are you here, Kent?” she asked quietly. “I thought with the way things ended the other night...” Her gaze slid away, unable to meet his eyes.

He tipped up her chin. “That’s why I’m here. I made a mistake.”

“Another one,” she said before she could stop herself.

Kent sighed. “I confess, I’m not a man used to making mistakes often. In my line of work a mistake can be a dangerous thing. But I did make one the other night with you. I reacted badly when I called myself daddy and I—”

“Wait. What?”

Red filled his cheeks and she stared at him in amazement, unable to believe that he could blush.

“Are you...are you saying that’s why you stopped? Why you said all that stuff about the kiss being a mistake? Because you called yourself my daddy? But isn’t that just something some men say during...well...”

Like she’d know with her lack of experience.

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “For some men, sure. But for me it had a deeper sort of meaning. It meant a role that I wasn’t sure that I wanted to take.” He sighed. “I’m messing this up. Have you ever heard of a Daddy Dom?”

She frowned, shaking her head.

“All right. So, you kind of know what a Dom is.” He raised his eyebrows and she nodded. “Well, a Daddy Dom is a certain type of Dom. They take on a more nurturing role with their submissive partner. There is no one type, of course. Each relationship takes a different path. A Daddy Dom isn’t a father, but they can take a parental role. They can be a protector, nurturer, can guide and love. They can set rules and boundaries for their Little to help them.”

“How little is a Little? Did that make any sense?”