Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 22036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
“A Daddy that I’ve always dreamed of finding,” she whispered before a horrid thought flitted through her brain. “I don’t want you to settle for me because you have difficulty seeing. That’s not fair to me.”
“Settle?” Tim recoiled away. He cupped her shoulders and moved her gently away from his body. “I never want to hear you speak of yourself in such a negative light. You, Aspen Summers, are amazingly kind, intelligent, and dedicated to everything you undertake.”
“I sound like Boston,” she whispered.
“I do not wish to trace every curve on Boston’s hairy body with my tongue,” he answered bluntly.
“You… You want to do that to me?” Aspen stared at him, shocked and simultaneously thrilled by his blunt answer.
“Yes. Over and over again. I’ve cursed my accident every day since it happened. I realized the first day we met that had my injury not happened, I would have never met you. My burden has become my biggest blessing.”
“So I should go this evening?” she whispered, not sure if she could believe what she heard.
“Now that I know you’re attracted to me, Aspen, I won’t let you hide from this. Will you be brave and see if our relationship can be as magical as I think it will be?”
“You want me to be your Little girl?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I mean… I’d like to see if this is possible.”
“Thank you for being brave, Aspen.” Tim drew her close before cupping her cheek with one hand. He pressed his mouth to hers, deepening the kiss when she responded with a silent gasp.
Aspen closed her eyes as his tongue swept into her mouth. His taste was indescribable—sweet as the mints he kept on his table, but underlying was his own flavor. One that beguiled and pushed her worries away. Her focus narrowed, shutting out everything around them as she clung to his hard body. Tim became her anchor in a whirlwind of sensations and wonder.
When he lifted his head, she stared into his face. His light blue eyes focused on her as if he could see her clearly. “You are so beautiful,” he told her, “both inside and out, Little girl.”
“I feel pretty when you look at me like that,” she confessed.
“I’m glad. I need to hold you for a few more minutes. Come sit on my lap.” Tim wrapped an arm around her and guided Aspen around his desk. He settled himself in the rolling chair before reaching out to help her settle into place.
Aspen tried to offset some of her weight with a foot on the floor, but Tim swept her legs to the side. “I’m too heavy,” she protested, wiggling on his lap.
“You are perfect,” he reassured her. “Now, dinner tonight. I plan to wear a suit. What are you going to wear?”
“A dress?”
“If you would like. Have you been to Les Trésors de la Mer before?”
“Oh, no. That’s a place for special events,” she pointed out.
“Then it is the perfect restaurant for our first date.”
“Are we dating?” she asked.
“We are way past that, Little girl. My goal is to convince you that I’m the Daddy you need.”
“I’ve never had a Daddy,” Aspen confessed. “Have you had a Little girl?”
“I have had two Little girls. Neither relationship was meant to be in the long term. Both the Daddy and the Little girl need to be a perfect match.”
“Do you think we’re right for each other?”
“I do.”
A rustle sounded in the outer office. Aspen scrambled to get off his lap. Tim helped to her stand before trapping her in place with hands around her hips.
“Take a deep breath.”
He waited for her to follow his instructions. As she exhaled shakily, he squeezed her softly. “Everything is okay.”
“Better than okay?” she asked.
“Much better,” he confirmed with a smile.
Aspen nodded and then remembered he wouldn’t see that. She patted one hand on her side and stepped away. Pausing in the door, she looked back to see him leaned back in the chair watching her leave. She loved the expression on his face. Feeling her heart flutter with happiness, she turned to greet the man at her desk.
Chapter 4
“To Tim! Thank you for coming to join the Edgewater family,” Easton proposed, raising his wine glass.
After taking a sip of the delicious wine the waiter had brought her, Aspen set the beautiful crystal glass on the table in front of her. She’d felt out of place at the gorgeous restaurant for only a short time. Everyone had welcomed her warmly and those nervous butterflies in her stomach had settled down.
She sat next to Tim and had gravitated toward his warmth. Aspen tried to tell herself that his beautifully tailored suit drew her eye, but she knew that was a complete lie. Handsome and fit, Tim wasn’t a mass of strength like Knox, a silver fox like Easton, a cyber-smart triathlete like Pedro, or a tattooed hunk like Fane. His gruff honesty captivated her—not to mention his rock-solid body.