“What is it, Daddy?” She moved closer, curiosity filling her face.
Instead of answering, he unfolded open the blanket, revealing the small crockery tea set inside.
“This was Nan’s when she was a little girl,” he explained, unwrapping the tissue from around the first piece. Which was a small tea cup with roses painted on it.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Here you go.” He held out the cup, “I’ll unwrap them and you can set up the tea party for you and your friends.”
“Oh, no, I can’t, Daddy.”
He stared at her in confusion. “Why not? Don’t you want a tea party?”
“Yes, but don’t you have any plastic cups and plates and things?” Her fingers twisted together, her worry clear.
“Little one, what’s the matter?”
“I might drop them,” she whispered worriedly. “What if I break one? They’re special and you’ll get mad and Penny will be disappointed in me.” Tears welled in her eyes, dripping down her cheeks.
“Hey.” He placed the cup down on the floor and reached for her, pulling her onto his lap. She actually shook in his arms. Jesus. “It doesn’t matter if one of them breaks.”
“Yes, it does. They’re old and precious. And I’m stupid and clumsy.”
God, if he ever met her father. . .well, probably better that he didn’t ever meet him. He didn’t want to end up in jail. He’d pretended he didn’t know that her dad hit her when she’d told him about the asshole the other day. He didn’t want to confess he’d read an old entry in her diary. He wouldn’t normally have done that. It was an invasion of privacy, but he’d been desperate to find her.
He gave her a firm look. “You are not stupid and clumsy. That’s something your dad used to say to you because he wanted you to feel small and it made him feel big to hurt you. But that doesn’t make it true.”
“It feels true.”
“I know it does, sweet pea. But each time you have those thoughts or hear his voice, you need to remember this. You are beautiful, smart and strong. Say it after me. I am beautiful, smart and strong.”
“I am beautiful, smart and strong.” Her voice was so soft he barely heard her.
“Nope. Say it louder. I am beautiful, smart and strong.”
“I am beautiful, smart and strong.”
“Louder,” he prompted.
She said it again.
“Now, shout it.”
She leaned back and yelled the words. Then she started to giggle. He smiled down into her face. So gorgeous. So sweet. “Now every time you start to think bad things about yourself, you say those words okay?”
“Hm, I can just imagine the looks I’ll get in the supermarket,” she teased.
He ran his finger down her nose. “Don’t care. Can’t have my baby thinking bad thoughts about herself. Because my baby is beautiful, smart and strong. She’s also loyal, kind and caring.”
“How can you be so perfect?” she murmured. Then she blushed as though just realizing she’d said that out loud. God, she was adorable.
“I’m not perfect. But you can continue to think that way.” He kissed the tip of her nose. He didn’t know why he had an obsession with it, but it was the cutest little nose he’d ever seen.
“You’re right. Your ego is starting to get out of control.”
He tickled her sides. “You take that back, little miss.”
“Daddy, Daddy stop!” she yelled as he placed her on her back. “Stop! I’ll pee myself!”
He immediately drew back, his breath coming fast but not from exertion. Christ, he wanted her. Without giving it too much thought, he leaned in and kissed her. He kept his touch light for a start then deepened the kiss. By the time he drew back, they were both breathing heavily. He sat back and helped her sit up.
Calm, man. Chill. You’re supposed to be helping her get better, not mauling her every chance you get.
“Right, baby girl. Let’s get this tea party set up.” He gently grabbed hold of her chin. “And if something was to get broken, then that’s not something you need to worry about, okay? Nobody is going to get angry or grow disappointed with you. It would just be an accident. Accidents happen. Okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
“Good girl.”
* * *
It kind of amazed her how easily she slipped into Little space. She never thought sitting and playing with a tea set and some stuffed toys could be fun. She thought she’d feel self-conscious or silly, especially playing in front of Macca. But when he sat down for his own cup of tea and pretend slice of cake, she realized he didn’t think it was funny at all.
“Oh, thank you for my cup of tea,” he said in a British accent. He took the cup and stuck out his little pinky as he took a big slurp. “This is, quite frankly, the best cup of tea I’ve ever had in my life.”
She giggled. “Daddy, it’s not really tea.”
“What?” he said with mock-horror. He placed his hand against his chest. “You gave me fake-tea? How dare you! Off with your head!”
She laughed so much, she had tears dripping down her face. “Daddy! You put the water into the teapot.” She gestured at the delicate, pretty teapot. She still couldn’t believe he was letting her play with something so beautiful and special. It filled up her bucket, as he’d told her his nan liked to say.
“Well, I thought there was some sort of tea party magic that turned it into real tea.” He winked at her. The sound of his phone ringing made him frown. “I have to take this, sweet pea, you keep playing.”
He stood and grabbing his phone, walked out into the corridor. She wasn’t sure how much time passed until he returned. “Sorry about that, sweet pea.”
“Everything okay, Daddy?” she asked. She wondered if it was a call from home. If he missed Montana and his friends? It sounded like he was close to the people who lived on Sanctuary Ranch. How would it feel to have so many people care about you? She couldn’t even imagine.
“Everything is fine, little one. Thank you for asking. But right now, it’s time for your nap.”
“Nuh-uh,” she told him.
“Excuse me?”
She probably should have heeded the stern note in his voice, but she was too busy playing.
“Little girl, put away your toys now. Daddy is going to put you down for a nap.”
“I don’t need no nap, Daddy. Naps are for babies, I is a big girl.”
“You’re a little girl who only got out of the hospital a few days ago. Daddy isn’t even certain you should be out of bed at all. I’m only going to say this once more. Time to put your toys away and have a nap.”
She let out a big sigh. Then looked up at his stern face. She gave him her biggest eyes, pleading with him. He just folded his arms over his chest.
“Fine,” she sulked as she started placing the tea set back in the suitcase.
“Little girl, you might want to correct your tone of voice before I do something about it.”
She’d never heard him sound that strict. Then again, she’d never spoken that way to him before.
“Sorry, Daddy,” she told him.
“That’s better. Come on, I’ll help you. You don’t need to wrap them back up in the tissue, I’m sure you’ll want to play with them again. Let’s just put them in with the blanket. That’s it.” He stood and held out his hand, helping her up. She grabbed hold of Bunnykins and Kiki and followed him into the bathroom.
“Go potty while I shut the curtains in the bedroom.”
“I don’ts gotta go potty, though.”
“Hm, how much water did you drink?” He turned and walked out and she could have kicked herself. Why did she go and say that? She knew she hadn’t drunk as much water as he wanted her to. When he returned, that stern look was back and he was holding up a nearly full bottle of water.
Whoops.
“I can see I’m going to have to try something different, aren’t I? Maybe Daddy needs to get you a special bottle and feed it to you himself.”
She wasn’t entirely sure whether she felt more horror or interest over the idea.
“I’ve ordered a few things online for you. The post office just called to tell me I had a package waiting that they couldn’t deliver. So we’ll see what you think about them.”
What had he ordered? Oh hell, she had a feeling she was in trouble. She chewed her lip. “I’m not a baby. I don’t need a bottle.”
“Then you better prove how much of a big girl you can be and start drinking your water. I even put some lime in this one.”
“Sorry, Daddy. I just got busy playing. It was Kiki and Bunnykins’ fault. They are very demanding. Maybe you should spank them.” She gave him a serious look.
He returned her look with one of his own. He tapped his chin. “Hm, you make a good point. Perhaps you are right, they also need a good spanking for not reminding you to drink and for taking up your time.” He reached for Bunnykins and she snatched the toy rabbit back.
“No, Daddy, don’t spank Bunnykins! That’s mean!” To her shock, her eyes welled with tears. She clutched both toys to her chest protectively.
“Sweet pea, it was a joke.”
“It wasn’t a very funny joke.”
“Baby, you were the one who suggested it in the first place,” he reminded her calmly.
“I didn’t think you would do it though,” she wailed. A few tears slipped down her face.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. What can I do to make it better?” The look of desperation on his face would have been funny, if she wasn’t so upset.
“I don’t know.” Her lower lip wobbled.
“Sweet pea, I don’t want you so upset. I promise, I would never spank Bunnykins and Kiki.”
“You hear that, guys? It was just a joke. Do you forgive him?” she asked her toys. She listened to what they had to say.
“They say you gots to give them both a kiss and tell them you’re sorry.”
She thought he might get impatient or tell her to stop being silly. Instead, he gave a serious nod and then kissed Bunnykins’ head. “I’m sorry BK.” He kissed Kiki next. “And Kikster.” Then he kissed Gigi’s forehead. “Are they okay now?”
She sighed, feeling relieved. “They feel much better.”
“Good.” He tilted her face up. “But just so you know, I might not spank them but that doesn’t mean your bottom is safe, understood?”
“Yes, Daddy.” She pouted.
“Now, I want you to sit on the potty and try to go, while I get the bed ready. You’re late for your nap.”
She sighed, setting her toys on the counter. But she got on the toilet and to her surprise, she did need to go. After washing her hands, she picked up her toys and walked into the bedroom.
“Take off your shorts, sweet pea,” Macca told her. “You can sleep in your panties and t-shirt. Do you want your bra off?”
Her bra was basically just a glorified crop top since she didn’t exactly have much to support so she just shook her head with a yawn. She climbed into bed, settling a toy on each side of her and he settled the blankets after her, tucking her in.
He set the bottle of water beside her. “Daddy has to go out for about an hour to run some errands. I want you to stay in bed while I’m gone. Sleep. If I’m going to be longer, I’ll send you a text. If you wake up before I get home, I want you to stay inside the house. No answering the door, no going outside and no using the oven, understand?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
He was so overprotective. And she loved it. But she was glad he no longer insisted of having Everly in the house while she was alone. She closed her eyes. She had no idea how she was supposed to nap when she wasn’t even tired.
That was her last thought before she fell asleep.
* * *
A loud knocking woke her.
She sat up, startled. “Daddy?”
No answer. She looked around. The curtains were shut but sunlight crept through the cracks. She grabbed her phone and looked at the time. She’d been asleep about an hour.
Another knock on the door. Obviously, Macca wasn’t back yet. With a yawn, she got up and slipped her shorts on. She wasn’t supposed to open the door while he was gone, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t peek out and see who was there.
“Come on, girl. Open the door. I have other things to do today.”
She jumped at the harsh, deep voice. Shoot. She knew who that was without peeking. She bit her lip worriedly. When Macca had told her not to open the door, she didn’t suppose he’d meant that she shouldn’t let his dad in. After all, he had more right to be here than she did.
She was still undecided as another knock rattled the door. Then she heard some muttering. Steps thundered along the porch. He must be going away. She peeked out the window and saw him lifting flower pots. Shoot. He must know that Penny kept a spare key out there. Soon he’d be coming inside no matter what and he’d realize that she had been standing here, ignoring him.
She quickly unlocked and opened the door, despite the feeling of misgiving in her tummy.
“Mr. McKenzie. Sorry I took so long. I was asleep.”
He stood up with a scowl. “Sleeping? I don’t pay you to sleep during the day, girl!”
Actually, he didn’t pay her at all. She kept her frown from her face, though. She didn’t want to antagonize him. Not after learning more about him from Macca.
“Can I help you?” she asked politely.
“Where’s my son?”
“He’s out. He’ll be back any minute.”
He muttered something under his breath. Then he stormed his way inside, knocking her back. She winced as her hip banged into the side table in the foyer. A vase on top of the table rattled.
“Careful!” he snapped at her. “That vase is expensive. It will be coming out of your paycheck if you break it.”
She steadied the vase, not bothering to point out that she wouldn’t have knocked into the table if he hadn’t pushed her. Men like James McKenzie liked to blame everyone but themselves. She knew that. Her father had been that way. Everything had been her fault, never his. There was no reasoning with people like that.
She followed behind him, wondering what he was up to. She’d lived here for eight months now and he’d only visited once. And that was to threaten her. He’d spent some time arguing with Penny in her study then he’d found her on her own and told her that if she thought his mother was an easy mark then she was mistaken and if he learned she’d stolen anything from his mother or taken advantage of her, he would make her life hell.
She’d taken him at his word. Not that she would ever have used Penny. In any way. But people like him didn’t get that. They didn’t understand that people might care about each other without any sort of gain, monetary or otherwise, being involved. They only saw people for what they could use them for.
Again, he had a lot in common with her father.
When she got to the doorway leading to Penny’s study, she stared in shock. Macca’s father was like a wild man, pulling open drawers and dragging out documents. He went through them quickly then threw them to the ground.
“What are you doing?” she asked, walking forward. “You’re making a mess. You can’t do this.”
“I can do whatever I like,” he snarled back at her, the contempt in his face flaying her insides. There was something else in there. A look she’d seen in other men’s eyes. She was all too aware that she was on her own, in an isolated house, with a man who was more than capable of violence. “This is my house.”
“Actually, it’s Penny’s.”
“Yeah, well, we both know she’s not going to last much longer.” He stepped towards her and she had to fight hard not to back away. Never show the predator you were scared of him. “You know, I should have kicked you out as soon as she went into care. You haven’t been working, after all. Way I see it, you owe me, girly. And I’m sure we can work out a way for you to pay back your debt.”
She froze at his word
s. Shock and horror making everything around her go blurry.
But she made a big mistake. She took her attention off the evil in the room.
Idiot.
As soon as he grew close enough, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. His grip was so tight that she cried out in pain. He slammed her back against the wall and moved in close, grinding himself against her.
“Feel that?” he murmured, his hot, garlicy breath making her gag. “That’s all for you. After dear mama has gone, you’ll be working for me.”
“I-I won’t!”
“You will, you little bitch. Don’t pretend like you don’t want it. We both know what gutter you crawled out of. You should be pretty damn good at sucking men’s cocks, yeah? Maybe I should get a demonstration of that right now.”
She wasn’t able to breathe as he took a step back and reached for the zipper of his pants, tugging it down. Did he know? How did he know? Had Penny told him? No, she wouldn’t. It was probably just a guess.
“Get down on your knees,” he growled. “Show me what you can do with that mouth.”
She glanced down, horror filling her as she saw he had his pants and underwear pulled down, his cock was standing firm and erect out of the thick patch of pubic hair.
She gagged.
“No!” she screamed then acting on instinct, she shoved at him. She was barely aware of him tripping on his pants and falling back on his ass as desperation and horror filled her.
Run, Gigi. Run.
It was the only thing she was truly good at. Running. She took off, unaware of where she was going, not even hearing the roar of rage he let out.
She had to run. She had to get out of here. Now.
14
Macca drove towards his nan’s place. He’d picked up the package from the post office, and he’d also stopped to buy her a smoothie. She needed as many good nutrients as he could get into her. He’d bought some fresh fruit to make her some more drinks at home as well. As he turned onto the street towards his grandmother’s house, he was shocked to see a slight figure running towards him.
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