Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
But she might need more . . . she might need that from you too.
Can you be there for her Little?
Before, he would have said no. He would have left that part to Steele.
But everything was different with Effie.
33
“Right. That means you need a proper breakfast, young lady,” Steele said firmly.
“But it was a healthy cookie with nuts in it!” She dropped her lower lip out on a pout.
“That doesn’t make it any better,” Steele told her. “A cookie is not proper food. A cookie is a treat.”
“Hey! Don’t be mean to the cookies of the world! I’m pretty sure they think they are proper food. You might hurt their feelings.”
“Cookies don’t have feelings. And if they did, they’d know that they weren’t an acceptable breakfast food. Grady is going to make you breakfast and you’re going to eat it, even if I have to feed it to you.”
“But I’m not hungry.”
“You can’t be full from just a cookie,” Grady said.
“It was one of those protein cookies. So I really don’t need more food.”
A protein cookie?
Yeah. Still unacceptable.
“Grady,” Steele prompted.
“I’ll make some scrambled eggs. I’ve got some avocados too. And berries.”
“I really can’t eat.”
“Keep protesting, baby girl, and he’ll make you a Brussels sprout and spinach omelet,” Steele warned.
“Now that’s just plain cruel. I can’t believe you’d be so mean, Daddy.”
Steele’s entire body froze. She had already guessed they were Doms, even though they hadn’t answered her yet. But he hadn’t thought she’d realized he was a Daddy Dom.
Steele hadn’t even been certain that she knew she was a Little.
Well . . . he guessed he had his answer.
Suddenly, she stood and looked around her. Grady was already heading toward the kitchen, when he paused after he heard Effie call Steele Daddy.
So, neither of them was close enough to catch her as she took off.
“Fuck.” Grady stared over at him. “We should have explained.”
“I wanted to spend some more time with her first. To get her used to the idea.”
“I’m guessing she knows something about Daddy Doms and Littles,” Grady said.
Steele ran his hand over his face. “Yep. Want to split up to try and find her?” If she tried to go outside, the alarm would go off. He’d set it again when they’d entered the house. He wasn’t taking chances with his girl.
“I’ll take upstairs,” Grady said. “You look down here.”
Steele set off. Fuck it. He messed that all up.
You need to act normal, Effie.
People won’t like you if you’re different, dear.
Just try to fit in.
Nan would definitely be horrified if she could see her right now. She was curled up under a desk, with her face buried in her knees.
Why had she done that?
She couldn’t believe she’d called Steele Daddy.
Was she losing her freaking mind? Sure, there were definite signs of him being a Dom. But that didn’t mean that he was a Daddy Dom. Or that he wanted a Little.
Everything had been going so well and she just had to go and fuck it up. Did she have a self-destruct button?
“Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.”
“You’re not allowed to call yourself names.” The voice wasn’t scolding. It wasn’t horrified. Instead, it was soft, gentle. “And if anyone is the idiot, baby girl. It’s me.”
Great. She’d totally given away her hiding place. She couldn’t even get that right.
“Idiot.”
“Was that aimed at you or me?” The chair she’d dragged into place to cover her hiding place, was moved away and Steele appeared next to her.
Well, she didn’t move her head to look, but she could tell he was there. She could feel his warmth, his presence.
“Baby girl, I know that you’re upset and want to hide, but I need you to look at me. I’m worried about you, I need to know you’re all right.”
He was worried about her?
“Baby,” he said warningly. “Look. At. Me.”
Right. He was at the end of his patience.
So she turned her head to look at him as he sat on the floor next to her. Then she realized her eyes were blurry.
“Crap. I’m leaking.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Leaking?”
“Yeah. Stupid eyes.”
“Baby.” That was all he said. But that one word conveyed plenty. Affection. Desire. And possibly that he thought she was slightly bonkers.
“We have to stop you from hiding when you’re scared or embarrassed, baby girl. Instead of running away from us, you should run to us. We want to be your safe place. The place where you can hide. Where you can be yourself.”
Lord, she wanted that too. So much.
“I made a dick of myself.”
“Nope.”
That was all he said. Just nope?
“I did,” she insisted. “I called you Daddy.”
“And I liked it.”
It took a moment for those words to sink in. Then she turned her head to him more fully.
“What?”
“And I’m gonna insist you do it more often.”
“Are you . . . are you saying that to make me feel better?”