She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "What happened to your friend? Won't she miss you?"
He furrowed his brow. "Friend?"
"The blonde."
James smiled and looked down at his hands. "You saw that, did you?"
She nodded and turned to look at him. "I did."
"She's fine. Off to her own adventures."
Ashley snorted at that but couldn't help the rush of pleasure that flooded her chest at knowing he was here and not with that woman. "What now?" she asked, finally meeting his eyes.
"Can we talk?" he asked, moving to sit beside her on the couch. Natasha and Silas watched from the foyer. It was obvious the couple needed their space, but where they were supposed to go without ruining the moment was anyone's guess. As such, they remained where they were, eyes on the couple and not saying a word.
"I guess so." Ashley stood from the couch and tucked her hands behind her. "You know where my room is?"
He shot her a smile that was tinged in something like regret. "How could I forget?"
She nodded, making sure to keep her eyes averted from the man now standing beside her.
"This okay?" Natasha asked softly from where she still stood by the foyer entrance. "You don't have to talk to him if you don't want."
Ashley hesitated. The temptation of throwing James out and not having to face him or have this less than comfortable conversation was overwhelming, but she shook her head and shot Natasha a reassuring smile. "It's all right. We won't be long." She was a big girl. She could do tough things, and right now, that meant talking to a man capable of making her feel very small, but that, Ashley reminded herself, had been an entirely different situation and she was no longer as naive as she had once been. It was hard to believe everything that had happened in the span of a week, but she was grateful for the growth and discovery. So much made sense in her life now, and for better or worse, she owed it to this man. To James.
She turned, looking over her shoulder at him, and felt like she'd been sucker punched by the image the man cut. He was still ruggedly handsome, still the type of man who was enough to make her forget herself, but she saw something new. In those gray eyes that had looked at her with lust, there was gentleness; a softness she hadn't anticipated seeing, and it shocked her to her core. She cleared her throat and forced herself not to be affected when all she wanted to do was lean into him and claim a measure of that gentleness for herself.
Ashley wrapped her arms around herself and tucked her chin into her chest as they walked down the hallway toward her room. She was proud of herself for not faltering, not even when he pressed in close to her when she stopped to open the door. The warmth of him at her back made her knees weak, but thankfully, she was able to stay focused and entered the room without incident.
She crossed the room and claimed the space in front of the big windows. The city was lit up like a picture perfect postcard, and she fixed her eyes on the people and cars rushing past on the street below. It was easier to let herself get lost in the cars and random people than to process the fact that she was alone in her bedroom with James. The door clicked shut behind her, and her face heated up at thoughts of the last time they had been in the space. Ashley's eyes closed briefly and she willed herself the strength to turn and face him, but the sound of James' voice shocked her into stillness.
"I'm sorry."
Ashley's eyes popped open and she stared at her reflection in the window pane. Behind her, she could see the outline of him, hands tucked into his pockets and head down as he stared at his feet. It was so unlike the confident man she'd met at the party only a week ago. When she didn't say anything or move, he said, "I'm sorry, Ashley. You deserved better."
She turned then to look at him. "Did you know what I was?"
He sighed and looked at her. "No," he admitted in a voice that was thick with an emotion Ashley didn't quite understand.
"How didn't you?" she pressed, hands going to her hips.
'I'm not proud of it but," he paused and licked his lips, "I haven't been taking the lifestyle very seriously lately."
"What's that mean?"
"It means that I've been playing far too much with women I shouldn't be with. I've been," he waved his arms, letting out an exasperated breath, "going after women who look good but don't understand me or what I want."
Instantly, the image of him with the leggy blonde was in front of her, and Ashley felt her chest tighten. Women who looked good.
"And what is it that you want?"
"I want substance. I want something that grounds me and gives me peace. What I've been doing is not who I am, what I did, with not seeing who you were, is not who I am as a person, and it's sure as hell not who I am as a Daddy Dom."
Ashley worried her bottom lip, eyes darting to meet his when he said that last part. Daddy. The word pulled at her, made her want far too much from a man she didn't even know, but it was hard to deny that she was pulled to him. Even after her tumble through sub drop, there was a need to be close to him, to give him what he wanted, but this time, she would only do it if he gave her what she needed. That much, she was sure of. She'd learned her lesson.
"And who are you as a," she faltered then, voice wavering and making him take a step closer to her, "Daddy Dom?" Ashley managed to choke it out under James' watchful gaze. He was poised for movement, hands at his sides slightly raised. and fingers reaching so that if she moved toward him, she knew he'd be there.
"I'm patient. I'm kind. I give guidance and care, and I know how to treat a little girl, especially a sweet one like you."
"I'm sweet?" she asked, unable to stop the question.
He nodded, hair falling into his eyes and making her heart skip a beat. "Little one, you're the sweetest I've ever tasted. Like honey and peaches."
A shiver ran up her spine, and she licked her lips. "What are you doing here, James?"
"I came to apologize, honey. To fix what I did."
She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him. "And how do you propose to do that?"
"Will you let me take care of you?"
Her lips pursed. The worst of her predicament had passed and all under the attentive care of Natasha and Silas. What did he think he could do for her that they hadn't? "I'm through the woods now, I think," she clipped out.
"But not entirely," he replied in a voice that made her go still. It was soft, like gossamer and silk, and it had her full attention.
"No, not entirely," she admitted, rocking back on her heels. Tonight had been a blow to her fragile peace, but she didn't want to tell him that, not when they were still in the early stages of whatever this was.
"Will you let me help you? Let me take care of you?"
Ashley hated that it was all she wanted, to be taken care of by this beautiful man, but it was undeniable. "Yes," she whispered.
The tightness in James' body abated at that one word. He flashed her a smile that warmed Ashley through better than any cocktail beverage could ever hope to.
"You made the right choice, princess."
Her heart sped up at the term of endearment and she gave him a shaky nod. "I hope so." Then, she bit her lip and asked, "I don't have to call you Daddy, right?"
He shook his head. "No, of course not. I haven't earned that title."
She hummed in agreement but said nothing. Instead, she fixed him with a curious look and asked, "What now, then?"
"Now, we relax, you get comfy, and I take care of you." He looked around the room and frowned. "Why don't you have any stuffies?"
"I do, but they're in there." She pointed to her closet, and James shot her a questioning look.
'Why?"
"I don't know," she replied, walking toward the closet and opening it to look down at the small collection Natasha had gifted her. One for every day that she'd stayed with her, which meant she had six lovely, fluffy stuffies ranging from ones she could barely fit her arms around to smaller ones that would fit in her hand. The bigger ones were her favorites
and she bent to pick one up with a smile.
"This one is my favorite," she told him shyly. It was a technicolor penguin that sported a cape and was soft to the touch. Ashley had spent more than one night with it in her arms, and she smiled, hugging the penguin to her body.
"That's a good one. Does it have a name?"
She nodded, fingers playing with the soft plushy. "Rupert."
"That's a good name, little girl," James praised, and Ashley felt herself light up. It wasn't hard to go soft under the gentle tone and warm smiles the man was sending her way.
"Are you thirsty? Hungry?" James asked, coming to stand in front of her. He lifted a hand to touch her but dropped it at the last second and Ashley hated that he hadn't touched her. She reached out, catching his hand in hers, fingers wrapping around his pointer finger and nodded.
"I didn't eat or drink anything before the party."
"You need to be more careful," James said, and his voice had a note of sternness she hadn't heard before, "Taking care of yourself is important. You can't forget to eat and drink water. Get in bed; I'll get you something."
When she didn't immediately move toward the bed, James placed a hand at the small of her back and guided her. All the while, she still held on to him and only let go when he pulled the covers back and urged her to sit. Once she was sitting, arms wrapped around her stuffie, did he drop to his knees and pull her flats from her feet. He looked up at her from where he knelt, and Ashley momentarily forgot how to speak and think. He was beautiful.
"How long are you staying?" she asked him, fingers toying with her stuffie's fur.
"As long as you need me to. I won't go until you tell me to, understand?"
She nodded, a pleased grin on her face at his answer. James reached out a hand to her and helped her to lie down. "Now get in bed, doll," he said, before rising from the floor and nodding at the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
"What are you going to tell them?" Ashley asked. Them, meaning Silas and Natasha. She had told them it would only be a moment, a short while away with this stranger in her room, and she'd intended to keep it quick. But that had been before he'd asked to take care of her and before she'd lost the ability to process all logical thought and agreed to it.
James paused, one hand on the door, and gave her another thousand-watt smile. "I'll tell them the truth."
"Which is?"
"That I have a little girl to take care of."
Ashley's cheeks warmed. "Oh."
"Oh, is right, now get comfortable, and I'll be back soon, understand?" James asked, opening the door.
Ashley managed a quick nod before he was out the door. Only when she was alone in her room, did she exhale the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding in.
"Holy shit." She shook her head, arms squeezing the stuffie closer as she scrambled to pull the covers up and around her, anything to give her a measure of security in the face of what she'd just agreed to. She had not only let James back into her life, into her bedroom for Christ sake, without a second thought, but she'd agreed to let him take care of her. Not only that, but he wasn't leaving until she gave the word.
"Fuck," she whispered, falling back against the pillows with a groan. What the hell had she been thinking?
Chapter 4
The short answer to Ashley's momentary bout with lunacy was that she had been thinking. She'd been impulsive and driven by her need to be close to a man who most likely meant far more to her than she did to him. It was unsettling to say the least, but that didn't mean she wasn't eating up every minute of it and with a silver spoon, no less.
She glanced up at him and had to bite back a grin at the sight of him fussing over the tray of snacks he had appeared with. Natasha must have had some hand in it; there was no way James could have guessed correctly on so many of her likes and dislikes. There were sliced strawberries sprinkled with sugar, brie cheese, pear drizzled with honey, squares of dark chocolate, and last but not least, pizza. Cold pizza because there was nothing better than that. A glass of juice and a can of Coke were there, too, but Ashley didn't miss the two bottles of water tucked under James' arm. She hated water, often foregoing it in favor of coffee, to the point of headaches, so she eyed the bottles suspiciously.
James uncapped a bottle and held it out to her. "Drink," he said.
"I'd rather have the pop," she said, pointing to the soda on the tray.
"Water first, then soda," he replied, nonplussed at her answer, and nudged her hand with the water bottle again. "Natasha says you don't drink enough water."
She frowned. "Tattletale."
He shrugged, fighting back a smile at her sour expression. "She cares about you."
Ashley sighed and took the water bottle and, before she could change her mind, took a healthy swig of it. "Now can I have the pop?"
"Now you can have some pizza, but, no, you cannot have the soda. Not until you have more water."
"Fine, fine," Ashley huffed in a feigned disgruntled sigh as she took another drink, but her cheeks were warm with a flush under the dutiful gaze of the man beside her. James was watching her every movement like a hawk, and when she moved to set the bottle back, he gave her a tsk that had her tipping it back until she had drained more than half of it. Only then, did James relax slightly and set the tray down on the bed next to her.
"That's better," he murmured, popping the top of the soda can and holding it out to her. "Don't you feel better, too?" he asked, pulling the can away at the last second when she reached for it.
"I mean, I guess…"
He chuckled and set the can in her outstretched hand. "Silly girl."
Ashley sipped her soda and toyed with the plate that held the cold pizza on it. What was she supposed to do now? She cast a furtive look at James to see that he was looking at her with that soft look in his eyes again, and her pulse sped up, which was concerning because the last time she'd let herself feel that for James, she'd been burned, left alone to pick up the pieces and trying to understand exactly why she'd shattered.
But still, as James lifted a bite of cheese to her mouth with an encouraging look in his eyes, it was hard to remind herself not to enjoy the attention too much, not to want to fall for the handsome man with the scar who seemed to only have gentleness in him for her now. The rest of the night passed in a cocoon of comfort and care. James put on her favorite Disney movie, ran a luxurious bubble bath, and showered her with snacks and praise for nothing at all more than letting him be there.
"You're being so sweet for letting me take care of you," he crooned, fingers combing through her hair as he fixed it into a braid while she sat in the tub. It was perfect, and Ashley never wanted it to end, although she knew it was inevitable. Her normal wasn't this, it wasn't normal for either of them, but that didn't mean she didn't greedily snatch up the hours and tuck them safely away for her to remember when she was alone.
At the end of the day, James had tucked her into her bed, a whisper of how sweet she was falling from his lips against her forehead as he pressed a light kiss there. When he went to move away, she caught his hand, fingers tugging at his wrist and stopping him before he could turn to the door.
"Don't go," she whispered, looking up at him in the moonlight shining in her bedroom window. "Please?"
He nodded, stepping back toward her and sitting down on the bed. "I'll stay if you want me to. Do you want me to?"
She nodded and lifted the covers up in offering. "Yes."
A heavy sigh escaped his mouth at that single word, and he slipped into the bed beside her. "Thank you, princess." He kissed her temple, but Ashley only turned her face away from him, feeling embarrassed at the attention. As much as she enjoyed it, she hadn't quite become comfortable with a man like James, a man seemingly from her fantasies, giving her care and affection so freely. She tugged on his shirt lightly, and when he asked, "Off?" she made a disgruntled sound that had him chuckling and pulling the shirt off so that she could feel the warm expanse of his skin beneath he
r fingertips.
God, she had thought of his body so often since their night together that, for a moment, she couldn't breathe. Ink-covered skin and muscles rippled beneath her touch as he shifted into a comfortable position beside her. He lay flat on his back, one arm behind his head, and let her snuggle up beside him, her cheek against his chest and one hand resting lightly on his stomach. Her fingers shook, but she traced out the hard ridge of his abs gently.
The scrape of her fingertips against his skin had James stifling a groan and squirming beneath her touch. "Going to torture me, then?" he asked, turning to look down at her, and he didn't miss the mischievous curve of Ashley's lips at the question. She gave a slight shrug that had him nodding with a husky laugh. "I'll take that as a yes."
She pressed her lips to his pec, and he swore. "You're naughty," he told her.
Again, she shrugged, but this time, a giggle escaped her mouth and she lifted a leg, hooking it over his hip until her body was flush against his.
"Maybe," she whispered, feeling bolder in the dark, and bolder still, when James pulled the covers over them and slipped an arm around her with a sigh.
His palm was warm against her side as he cradled her against his side. His fingers twisted in the material of her top but went no further, and Ashley relaxed against him, content for the arms that held her and the warm body underneath her hands.
Feeling content, she drifted off into a deep sleep, and even if it was just for tonight, she treasured the knowledge that she was taken care of and not alone.
And for tonight, that was enough.
* * *
The next morning, when Ashley awoke, she was alone. She had expected as much, but this time, it didn't sting or leave her feeling bereft like it had that first night with James. She stretched her arms over her head, feeling very much like the cat that had gotten the cream, and let out a happy little sigh. She was happy. Restored. Refreshed. And it was all thanks to James. She sat up and looked around, going still when her eyes landed on a bouquet of daisies and a new plushie that sat beside her on the bed where James had lain.
Ashley: Little Girl - Book Two Page 4