She leaned back, certain that he would hold her. Cupping his face between her hands, she stared up at him. “I don’t know who said that, but they’re an idiot. You’re nothing but gentle with me. And you are not a beast. They didn’t know you. And I don’t want them to know you, because they don’t deserve you. You’re mine.”
Heat filled his gaze. “I’m yours.”
“Uh-huh. And if anyone says anything like that to you again, you tell me, I’ll kick their asses.”
Amusement had his eyes sparking. “Will you?”
“Hey, you don’t think I can defend your honor?”
Now his body was shaking with laughter. “You couldn’t frighten a pixie.”
“A pixie? I could frighten more than a pixie!” she protested. “Have you seen my guns?” She curled up her arms, flexing her biceps. “Meet pow and wow. Pow-wow!” She proceeded to punch him, flying her fists at his face in a one-two motion. “I’ve watched so many episodes of Batman, I could be his side-kick.”
This time, he burst into laughter. Big guffaws that nearly shook her free of his hold. She grabbed onto his shoulders as she squirmed in delight at having made him laugh.
Then he drew her in tight, holding her against his chest. “Silly baby. You don’t need big guns, not when you have me. I’m your weapon of destruction. Point and shoot. I’ll defend you, protect you, and kill anyone who hurts you.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love. It was more.
It was a declaration of utter devotion.
“I scared you the other night,” he said. “In Kassim’s office.”
“I was worried about you,” she countered. “I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Still, you shouldn’t approach Matek when he’s like that, Pippa,” Kassim warned her. “He could have accidentally hurt you and the guilt would have eaten him up.”
“He wouldn’t have,” she countered.
“He might not have seen you. He could have hit you,” Tavi pointed out.
“They are right,” Matek told her. “Don’t approach me next time.”
“But I helped you. I got through to you. You could have hurt yourself!”
“You are more important.”
She huffed out a breath. “I don’t agree.”
“You don’t need to agree for it to be true,” Kassim said in a stern voice. “You disobeyed us when we told you to stay away, Miss Jones. That isn’t to happen again, understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” she said reluctantly, not sure she could obey that one.
“I mean it,” Kassim added. “Disobeying a direct order given for your safety is a serious offence. You wouldn’t sit well for a good long while,” Kassim warned.
She shivered. A mix of arousal and trepidation. Then she realized one of Matek’s hands had slid lower on her ass, his fingers nearly at her pussy.
“I should put on clothes.”
“Please don’t,” Aric begged. “The sight is just too delicious.”
She turned and glared at him. “You’re in my bad books. You don’t get to look at my bum.”
“It’s such a gorgeous bottom, though,” Aric said, his eyes on her butt.
“Hey, my eyes are up here.”
“I know.”
She grumbled under her breath.
“And why am I in the bad books?” Aric asked.
“You pushed Matek into that.”
“I did?” Aric gave her an innocent look. Matek walked to Kassim and settled her on his lap with her back to his chest.
Then he knelt in front of her, placing his head on her lap. His face was close to her pussy, but she could tell this wasn’t sexual for him. He was searching for comfort.
She breathed out a sigh and ran her hands through his thick hair.
“Yes, you did,” Kassim said in a disapproving voice. “And it could have gone wrong.”
“He was worrying about hurting her,” Aric told them. “He didn’t want to touch her intimately because he thought he might be too intense or rough. He needs to trust in himself more.”
“You still took a risk,” Kassim warned. “Don’t do it again.”
“But it worked out, right?” Aric said.
She wasn’t sure. Poor Matek seemed exhausted. She massaged his temples.
“Matek? Why were you so mad the other night?” she asked.
Was it her imagination or did the tension in the room ramp up?
“Worried about you,” Matek finally said. “Hurt. Upset.”
Oh, that was really sweet. But not something she should encourage.
“Next time, instead of wigging out and wrecking the place, come find me, okay?” she urged.
He nodded.
“Are you sure that’s it? I get the feeling you’re all holding back on something.”
Kassim sighed. “There is something more. But we don’t want to worry you. Will you trust us to take care of it?”
“Is it something that affects us?” she asked.
“It doesn’t affect our relationship,” Kassim reassured her.
“Okay, and you’re not in danger?”
“Miss Jones, I have this handled. I don’t want you to worry.”
Hmm, that wasn’t exactly an answer to her question.
“Matek, why don’t you get Miss Jones into the rest of her pajamas then climb into bed with her? You could both use the rest.”
“Don’t you want me to change the bedding?” she asked.
“First, you’re meant to be resting, not making beds and cleaning,” Kassim told her in a firm voice. “Second, what makes you think I want to get rid of your scent?”
She blushed at that.
“Tavi, I need your help to get things ready before we leave. Aric, have you done your shopping for Pippa?”
“Uh, no. We haven’t gotten around to that, yet,” Aric replied as Matek stood and gently lifted her.
Kassim shot Aric a look. “And has she eaten lunch?”
They were all silent.
“She didn’t eat much earlier,” Matek replied as he got her into her pajamas then settled her in the middle of the bed, fluffing her pillows once more.
He could definitely be a champion pillow fluffer.
“I got her a protein drink,” Tavi added. He’d been surprisingly quiet. “But she didn’t want to drink it.”
“Is that so?” Kassim looked down at her sternly as Matek lay beside her. He scooted down so he could rest his face against her belly. She ran her fingers through his hair once more in a way that seemed to soothe him.
“Wasn’t hungry.”
“If you’re not hungry, that’s fine,” Kassim said, surprising her. “But you still need something. Which means you have to have the protein drinks. If you don’t like these ones, we can get you new ones.”
“No, those ones are fine.”
“I’ll get her a new one,” Tavi said, standing. “That other one will be warm.”
“There are likely some that are better for women,” Kassim said thoughtfully. “Aric, will you look them up? We’ll need to check with Jameson about her lack of appetite. He’s coming in the morning to make sure she’s fine to fly. Aric, don’t let her look at the screen and make sure she drinks that. And that she has a nap.” To her shock, Kassim leaned over and kissed her lightly. “Be good.”
“Or don’t be good,” Tavi added, handing the protein drink to Aric. He grinned at her. “We could start filling that notebook up. Might be best to get a second one for this trip.” He kissed her too, although his kiss was deeper, harder. Her heart raced. He drew back, staring down at her hungrily. “I want you in my bed tonight.”
Oh, holy hell. She wanted that too. But what about the others?
She waited for noises of protest, complaints.
Then Kassim shook his head. “Not tonight. She needs rest. Can you tell me she’ll get that with any of you?”
“I can barely keep my hands off her,” Aric admitted. “And definitely not my mouth. She tastes so fucking delicious.”
He did not just say that!
“Aric!” she protested.
“What? It’s the truth. I didn’t even get a good taste. Only Matek did. But what I licked off your fingers? Delicious.”
Lord help her.
“I didn’t even get a taste.” Tavi pouted, straightening. She sent him a quelling glance. He just raised an eyebrow, giving her a very alpha look in return. Her heart skipped.
These guys were going to kill her. But she’d die with a smile on her face.
13
Aric settled in beside her, handing her the protein drink. “Drink, Poppet. You heard the boss man. We don’t want you fading away. You need to keep up your strength.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she groaned but took the drink and started sipping it.
“I’ll look into other protein drinks and order some for you.”
“I don’t need them. I’ve just got a bit of a funny tummy since I managed to knock myself out. So embarrassing. Who does that, right?”
She expected Aric to laugh with her, when he didn’t she glanced over at him. “Everything okay?”
“Hmm.”
Why did she get the feeling he was keeping something from her? Before she could ask, Matek let out a small snore that had them both grinning at each other.
“You’re not really mad at me for what I just did, are you?” he asked, not looking away from the tablet he held in one hand.
“I know you meant well. But it could have backfired.”
He grimaced and glanced over at her. “Yeah, sometimes I don’t always think through things. I just wanted to help the big guy. He’s not the best communicator, but just because he’s big and silent doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel stuff.”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry I upset you. How is your head?”
“It’s fine.”
He gave her a skeptical look.
“Really,” she insisted. “I feel much better today. It’s been three days since I hurt myself. And Jameson said I only needed to stay quiet for a couple of days.”
“Hmm. No lying, remember?”
“So those are my rules? To communicate, not to lie or put myself down?” Somehow, she’d been expecting more.
He snorted. “Poppet, that’s just the start. In case you didn’t realize it already, rules and order are like Viagra to Kassim, they give him a hard-on.”
“Aric!” she protested quietly, not wanting to wake Matek, although he seemed to be sleeping deeply.
“Don’t worry, you won’t wake him. He hasn’t really slept since you were injured. He doesn’t sleep nearly enough anyway. It’s like he can’t settle for more than an hour or two. You’re good for him.”
“I don’t think it’s anything I’ve done.” But she couldn’t resist running her fingers through his thick, dark hair. He looked so peaceful when he slept. So young. Even though she knew he was eight years older than her own twenty-nine years. Kassim was ten years older. Tavi and Aric, six and four years.
“Don’t undersell yourself. It’s entirely down to you. You come into our lives and suddenly, he has focus. Matek didn’t have an anchor before you and we were all scared that one day he would just disappear. Now, you’re where you’re meant to be and suddenly, he’s sleeping. He’s more settled. Well, he’s also slightly crazier. I think you’ll have to work on getting him to understand that you might need space sometimes.”
“That’s why we came up with a safeword.”
“It’s for other things too,” he told her. “We need to all sit down and talk, but you can use it with anyone.”
“Do you guys ever go to BDSM clubs?” she asked curiously.
“Not often. We belong to one here. Matek just watches. Tavi and Kassim mostly used private rooms. I liked to hang out with the Littles. Usually I’m the fun playmate. Never the authority figure. With you, though, that side of me comes out. Do you like it?”
There was a note of vulnerability in his voice that was so unexpected she kind of melted inside.
“It surprised me. We’ve always been friends. Watched movies, goofed around. But yeah, I do like it. I seem to have a thing for authority figures.”
“Good. Because I seem to have a thing for a certain sassy redhead.”
She smiled at him.
Matek murmured something in his sleep and she ran her fingers through his thick hair. He instantly settled.
“You’re good for him. He doesn’t let people in beyond the three of us. Our parents raised him to believe his job was to stand between Kassim and danger.”
“What?”
“They’re good people, but they didn’t realize he would view himself as less important than Kassim. Now he thinks he has to protect all of us. It’s made him a little intense. Do you know that our walk-in-wardrobes double as panic rooms?”
“What? Seriously?”
“Yeah, the door is actually made of steel and lined in wood. When you go in, to your right there is a small red button that shuts and locks the door and an intercom that goes straight to security. Matek and Wolfe set them up.”
“Wow. That’s crazy.”
“He takes protecting us seriously. But we need to protect him too. I wanted him to see that you’re not like the other women who have tried to get close to us over the years. You don’t see him as someone to put up with in order to get to the rest of us. As the brainless brawn. You see him.”
“He’s not violent or dumb.”
Aric’s face softened. “Right, enough of that. It’s shopping time. Now, I’ve found some protein drinks. Flavor?”
“I really don’t need them.”
“Flavor?” he said more firmly.
“Chocolate.” Like that should even be a question.
“Good. And since it seems like you’re going to be fussy about taking your special drink, I’m going to order you a bottle. Drat, they don’t have Batman ones. That’s an oversight. There is a crocodile one, though.”
“A drink bottle?” she asked.
“A baby’s bottle.”
“I don’t need a baby bottle,” she told him, even as she felt intrigued at the idea. “I’m not that young in Little space.”
“How young are you usually?”
“Um, around four or five.”
“Have you ever gone younger?”
“Not exactly.” When she sucked her pacifier she felt younger, though, didn’t she? “Do you want me to be younger?”
“Not about what I want. You sounded younger before. With Matek. When you demanded he lift you.”
“Oh.” She chewed her lip. “Sometimes, when I’m anxious or feeling out of control of a situation, I slip into a younger headspace.”
“Good girl for telling me. What would you do if you were feeling anxious?”
“I have a pacifier. I’d probably put on my Batman onesie and watch something on TV with Cranky.”
“Is your pacifier in your bag? And your onesie?”
“Yeah, Vivi packed both for me.”
“Tell me if you want them. Now, a crocodile bottle?”
“Yes, okay.”
“Good, now that’s settled, it’s on to shop for monster vibrators.”
“Aric!”
He grinned at her. “All right, no monster vibrators. You’re going to need some warmer clothes for England. I’ll just grab enough for the first few days. The shops in town will deliver them quickly for us. Then we can go shopping.”
“I’m sure Vivi has something I can borrow.”
“You’re not wearing borrowed clothes.”
“It seems a waste to buy new clothes.” And she didn’t want to dig too much into her savings.
“You’re getting new clothes. Stop arguing.”
“All right, but you’ll have to grab my handbag for me. Do you know where it went?”
“Yeah, it’s in the other room. Why do you need your handbag?”
“For my credit card.”
He gave her a confused look.
“To pay for
the shopping,” she explained.
“Yeah, that’s not happening,” he said, turning back to the tablet.
“Aric, you’re not paying for my clothes.”
“I totally am.”
“Aric!”
“Keep arguing, Poppet, and I’m putting in an entry in your notebook.”
“No way! That’s not fair.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You cannot punish me for arguing about wanting to pay my way.”
“Watch me.”
“It’s not against a rule.”
“I’ll make a new rule. Actually, we should put the rules in your notebook.” He got up and grabbed the notebook, which she was totally, one-hundred percent going to burn as soon as she got a chance.
Sitting with it on his lap, he pulled out the pen that was attached to the spine. “Let’s see. Pretty Pippa’s Rules. Must not argue when one of her men wants to buy her something.”
He wrote down the others then set the notebook aside and gave her a triumphant look.
“That is not a rule I accept,” she muttered.
“Too late, it’s in the book. You keep arguing and as soon as Jameson gives the all-clear, you’re going over my knee.”
“I’m talking to Kassim about this.”
“Kassim will agree that it’s our duty, as your men, to provide you with whatever you might need. And you know it.”
Drat. That sounded exactly like something that Kassim would agree with.
“Hmm, almost forgot to add. Will not play one of her men off against the other.” He wrote that in. “And will not touch herself without one of her men present.”
Oh drat. She’d hoped he might have forgotten those.
“Any more arguments?”
She gave him a mutinous look, not at all happy with his high-handedness.
“Pippa, look at me.”
She glanced up at him.
“We have plenty of money, more than we could spend in a lifetime.”
“I just don’t want you to think I’m with you for your money.”
He grinned. “I promise, none of us think that. We know you’re not. You wouldn’t be this hard to get if you were,” he muttered.
“Hey!” She whacked his arm with her hand, but she was smiling as she did it. Idiot.
“I like to shop, Poppet. And the others are boring to shop for. Last time I bought Matek a shirt that wasn’t black or navy blue, he threatened to strangle me with it. Let me buy you things. I want to buy pretty skirts and low-cut tops for you to wear around the house, sans panties, of course.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “And then some clothes that cover you from head to feet that even Kassim will approve of for when you’re out of the house.”
Claimed by her Daddies Page 20