“Hold onto my shoulders while you step out,” he commanded.
Probably a wise idea. She’d been known to trip and fall while getting dressed. Then she found herself standing in front of him, only wearing a pair of panties.
He reached for the top of her panties, slowly pulling them down. She swore she heard him groan, but he didn’t say anything and his touch didn’t linger.
When she was completely naked, he sat back on his heels and ran his gaze over her. She covered up her tummy and pussy, feeling exposed.
“Hands to your side,” he commanded.
“Can I get in the bath?”
“No. Not yet. Daddy’s not finished looking. Turn around and grasp hold of the counter and bend over. Legs spread.”
Crap. Crap. Crap.
She knew he could see everything. Could likely see her pussy lips glistening in arousal.
“Fucking beautiful. Never seen an ass more beautiful than this. Makes me wonder what it’s gonna be like to see my handprint on it.”
She squealed as he smacked his hand on her right cheek. Then he did the same to her left.
“Daddy!”
“Yep. Fucking beautiful. Christ, woman, the things you do to me.”
He stood up behind her, grabbing her hips and her imagination went straight to what it would be like to have him enter her. To thrust deep inside her while she watched in the mirror.
Holy. Hell.
“And these breasts. Fucking amazing.” He reached around and cupped each breast. “Straighten. Watch yourself.”
She couldn’t do anything but stand there, transfixed as his large hands cupped her breasts. He lightly twisted her nipples and her heart raced. She leaned back against him.
“Look how pretty you are. Face flushed. Eyes sparkling with arousal. Too. Fucking. Much.”
He pressed her hair to one side and kissed his way down her neck. “Creamy skin. Smell so good. Eat you up.” The words were mumbled between the kisses he laid on her skin. But she heard him. A shiver ran through her.
“Spike,” she groaned.
“I know, woman. Feel it too.” He leaned back and slapped her ass again.
“Hey!” She reached back to rub the offending spot. “Why?”
“Like I said, teasing me. Supposed to be getting you clean and you’re distracting me.”
She was distracting him? Was he insane? If anyone was doing the distracting it was him.
“You got any hair ties? Or you want me to wash your hair?”
“It takes too long to dry. I’ve got some in my toilet bag.” She reached for the bag on the counter and drew some out, raising her hands to tie back her hair. But he held out his hand and she gave him a curious look.
“Give them to me. Please.”
She raised her eyebrows at the ‘please.’ That sounded almost foreign coming from his lips. But she passed him the hair ties.
He drew her hair back and braided it. He must have done this for his wife. She felt sad at the thought of how much he must have loved her. How much he must miss her. She wondered how she’d died.
He twisted the braid into a bun and then secured it with the second hair tie. Then he took hold of her hand and led her to the bathtub.
“You need to keep your injured foot out of the water.” He helped her sit while laying her foot on the outer edge of the tub. She sighed as the warm water soothed her muscles.
Spike grabbed a clean washcloth from the cupboard and then walked over to crouch beside her. She foolishly reached for the cloth.
He drew his hand away, giving her hand a light tap. She flushed even as her insides danced. He really was going to wash her, wasn’t he?
Sliding the cloth around in slow circles, he had her sit forward to do her back and arms first, then he moved around to her front. To her surprise, he didn’t linger on her breasts.
“Lie back, baby doll.”
She lay back so her neck rested on the edge of the tub. Then he tapped her shoulders. She opened her eyes to find he’d rolled up a towel. She sat up slightly and he put it behind her head before guiding her back.
Wow.
She hadn’t realized men this thoughtful existed. Who were protective and caring, who would also find her attractive. Sexy.
Seriously, he was ruining her for all other daddies.
The washcloth went lower down her stomach and she stiffened slightly. Having someone touch her stomach wasn’t her favorite. But he must have sensed what she was thinking, because he rubbed the cloth back and forth until she relaxed.
Then he moved to her feet, cleaning them more thoroughly than she ever would have, avoiding her burn of course, before moving up her legs. He slid the cloth over her pussy lips. She let out a small groan. Opening her eyes, she saw the way he was bent over the tub, concentrating on his task.
Oh, she knew she shouldn’t.
But she just couldn’t resist.
He was so serious all the time. He needed a bit of messing with, right? She put her hand under the water, cupping it then quickly pushed it forward, splashing a whole lot of water up into his face.
Far more than she’d meant to, actually.
And she’d been aiming for his shoulder.
Whoops.
He froze. Almost as though he couldn’t believe she’d just done that.
Truth was, she couldn’t believe she’d just done that either. She sat there, staring at him, her heart racing. Either she’d made a huge mistake and she was in a world of trouble . . . or he’d find the funny side.
Somehow, she thought it might be the first.
When he turned to face her, water dripping off his face and down onto his T-shirt, she squealed and slid under the water.
Oh Lord save her.
Strong hands slid under her arms and he drew her up with a stern look.
“Don’t do that. You could drown.”
“In a bathtub? I don’t think so. I know how to swim, or you know, sit up.”
“You want to watch your sass right now, Millicent Margaret.”
Uh-oh. Two names. Definitely in trouble.
“How do you know my full name?”
“Looked at your license.”
He’d looked at her license?
“When?”
“When you went to the bathroom at Pinkies the other night. Needed to check you were who you said you were.”
Leaning back, he whipped off his T-shirt, putting all those muscles and abs on display.
Had she ever seen a man so ripped before? If she had, she’d certainly never been close enough to touch. Leaning up, she ran a finger down his abs.
“Wow.”
“Like?”
She pulled her hand away, blushing. Doofus. Way to make an idiot of yourself. She attempted to submerge again, but he grabbed her, drawing her back up.
Then he pointed at her. “Stay there.”
Drat. She really thought it would be better if she could just hide at this point.
“Want to explain yourself?”
“Umm. I thought you looked hot, Daddy.”
He gave her a skeptical look. Yeah, he wasn’t buying what she was selling.
“Hot?”
“Uh-huh. Like you needed cooling down.”
Although she hadn’t factored in him removing his shirt. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She wiped at her chin, making sure she wasn’t drooling.
“Little girl, splashing is naughty.”
“Sorry, Daddy. I won’ts do it again.” She could feel herself regressing further and tried to pull herself back.
“Wish I believed that.”
“I’m good girl, Daddy. Perfect little princess.”
He snorted at her silliness but she thought she saw a hint of a smile. Maybe.
He helped her out and dried her off as she stood on the fluffy bath mat. That feeling of being taken care of flooded her again. Then he helped her get dressed in a clean pair of panties and these soft, flannel pajamas she’d made for
herself with dinosaurs on them.
Finally, he cleaned up while she brushed her teeth then he checked her bandage. Her burn looked really good so he left it off. He grabbed her hair brush and led her back to the bedroom. His bedroom. She eyed the hair brush worriedly.
He wasn’t really mad over her splashing him, was he?
“You look worried,” he murmured as he drew her over to the bed. “Concerned about going across my knee and getting a well-deserved paddling?”
“It is not well-deserved. I is a good girl.”
“Uh-huh. Splashing Daddy should come with consequences.” He stood in front of her and smacked the smooth side of the hair brush against his thigh. “Wonder what that should be.”
Her eyes widened. He wasn’t being serious, was he?
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I won’t do it again. Promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
He sat on the bed and leaned back against the headboard, then he pointed to the mattress between his open legs. “Sit.”
But then he undid her braid and dried it with the hairdryer before brushing it. By the time he was finished, she was so relaxed and sleepy that she was barely able to hold herself up. Spike helped her into bed and then kissed the top of her head.
“Sleep, baby.”
See? She was a good girl because she obeyed him straight away.
* * *
Help me.
Help me, Millie.
Please. I need you.
She cried out, sitting up with a gasp. Her breath came in sharp pants, the panic from the nightmare still clinging to her.
“Hey, what is it? Did you have a nightmare?”
She let out a scream, turning to find a huge man sitting beside her, almost looming over her. A dog let out a small bark as she shrank back.
“Millie. Millie, it’s me. Spike. Daddy.”
Spike. Daddy.
Oh shit. She suddenly realized where she was. She ran a shaking hand over her face then lay back on the bed with a sigh.
“Sorry. Sorry. Confused. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Shh. Calm down. Can I touch you?”
She liked that he asked. “Please.”
Lying on his back, he gently pulled her over so she was on top of him, her cheek against his chest. She tensed slightly.
“Shh,” he told her, running his hand up and down her back. Gradually, she started relaxing. She’d move before she went to sleep so as not to get too heavy for him. But damn, this was nice. Especially when he started rubbing her bottom.
“Nightmare?”
“Yeah. And then I got confused about where I was.”
“Poor baby,” he crooned. He ran his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp gently.
Ohh. So good.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked, his voice still low and calm.
“Not now.” There was nothing that talking could do. She started to tense up again as she thought of the nightmare.
“Shh. Close your eyes. You’re safe. Daddy has you. You’re safe in my arms.”
If only she could stay there.
Before she could remind herself to shift, she found herself slipping off to sleep.
24
She stared down at the omelet the next morning. Were those vegetables in there? Eww. Seriously what did the man have against carbs?
Another bottle of fairy juice was placed in front of her. This time it was a light green color and had slices of cucumber in it. She gave it a doubtful look.
“Try it. Don’t like it, I’ll make you the strawberry one.”
Well. Okay. She took a small sip. That wasn’t too bad.
Spike had already left the bed when she’d woken. She still couldn’t believe she’d fallen asleep on his chest. Shockingly, the man was a damn good cuddler. Like sleeping with a giant teddy bear, except harder. After brushing her teeth and getting dressed, she’d walked downstairs to find him. When he wasn’t in any of the obvious places, she’d given Mr. Fluffy a sausage link from the fridge to keep him occupied while she’d searched the rest of the house.
And she’d found him in the gym.
Holy. Hell.
She was still hot and bothered from watching him work out. That man could make sweat look good. She’d never thought that was possible.
A buzzer interrupted her musings. She gave Spike a startled look, but he didn’t seem concerned as he checked his phone. He’d already showered and eaten most of his breakfast. He tapped her plate. “Want to see most of that gone by the time I return.”
She sighed, but nodded as he got up.
“Where are you going?”
“Some packages have arrived. Will be the stuff we ordered for you. Gonna go down to the gate and grab them. Stay here. Eat. Drink.”
She waited until she heard the front door open and close then she stood.
“Mr. Fluffy, want some omelet?”
Spike had already cut it up into bite-sized pieces. She pushed them into Mr. Fluffy’s bowl. He waddled over and stuffed his face into the bowl while she ran upstairs to where her stash of sugar was. She ate a Twizzler and some M&Ms.
Racing downstairs, she was nearly at the bottom before he opened the door.
“What are you doing running down the stairs!” he barked.
She cried out and tripped. Tensing, she brought her arms up to her face to try to prevent it from being smashed against the wooden stairs.
To her shock, she didn’t hit hard stairs, instead she smashed into a firm chest. A pair of arms surrounded her as he grunted at the impact, slamming into the railing.
She shuddered, her breath coming in pants at her near-miss.
Shit. Spike was quick.
“Little girl,” he growled at her.
“Yes?” She risked a glance up at him.
Oh, he was really not happy.
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Umm, good catch, Daddy?”
“What were you doing, running down the stairs like that? Damn foolish thing to do.”
She’d come to understand that his grumbling was because he was concerned.
It was all just part of his charm.
He carried her into the kitchen and set her down on the counter. Then he ran his hands over her, checking for any injuries.
“I’m fine, Daddy.”
“Could have hit your head. Broke your neck. Smashed your nose. Twisted your foot. Banged your toe.”
Banged her toe? She’d done that twice this morning already.
Although perhaps she wouldn’t tell him that. He seemed stressed enough as it was.
He leaned his hands on the counter on either side of her. “You took ten years off my life, baby doll.”
“Bet you’re glad you don’t have hair to pull out huh, Daddy?”
“No more running up or down stairs. No more running at all.”
That she could happily agree to. She nodded.
“Swear, I should’ve bought damn shin pads and a helmet for you,” he muttered.
She shrugged and went to slide off the bench. He turned and pointed his finger at her. “Stay.”
She waited until his back was turned to poke her tongue out at him.
“Saw that.”
Oh, he so did not.
“Ate it all?” He moved to where her empty plate was and gathered it up, placing it in the dishwasher. Shoot, she should have done that. She was becoming lazy.
“Sorry, Daddy.”
“For what?”
“Not tidying up.”
Way to be a terrible houseguest, Millie.
“Hey. Are you allowed to touch things in the kitchen?” he asked, placing his finger under her chin to raise her face up.
“No.”
“Then don’t apologize for following Daddy’s rules.”
She didn’t exactly follow them, though, did she? She hadn’t eaten the omelet and now her tummy was empty except for some licorice and chocolate.
Please don’t
let it growl.
Maybe she should ask for something else to eat. But then it would make it obvious she hadn’t had breakfast.
See the mess you’ve gotten yourself into, Millie?
“Can I get down now?” she asked as he tidied up the kitchen.
“No.”
“But—”
“If you stay there, you’re out of trouble. Don’t move.” He gave her a firm look then disappeared out of the kitchen. With a sigh, she sat there. What was he doing? Where were the packages?
She’d just slipped off the counter when he walked back in. Drat. “Where are you going?”
“Nowhere, Daddy.” She gave him her best innocent look.
“What did I tell you to do?” He gave her a stern look.
“Stay put.”
He took hold of her hand. “Need to start tying you down to get you to stay put.”
“Daddy!” she said with a mock gasp of horror. “That’s illegal.”
He gave her a sharp slap on her ass that made her squeal and glare at him.
He led her down to the study. As he opened the door, his phone rang.
“Go in. No touching.”
She walked in to find some boxes in the middle of the room.
Movement caught her eye and she saw Mr. Fluffy jump off Spike’s desk to one of the boxes. He must have used them to climb up there. Cheeky monkey.
“Mr. Fluffy, you shouldn’t be in here.”
He waddled over to her and she picked him up, scratching his belly. His very full belly.
Guilt flooded her. She shouldn’t have fed him that whole omelet.
Bad puppy mama.
Bad Little girl.
Her shoulders hunched. How awful was Spike going to feel when he heard what she’d done? And after he’d bought her all this stuff? She didn’t deserve it. Not any of it.
Setting Mr. Fluffy down, she crawled behind the sofa and sat there, her legs pressed to her chest, her arms wrapped around them.
Bad Millie.
“Millie? Where are you?” Spike’s confused voice called out. “Playing hide and seek?”
No. Although that sounded like a lot of fun. She could have been doing that, if she hadn’t been so naughty. Spike was so good to her.
Protector Daddy Page 18