Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
This was silly.
It was just dinner.
Which she’d ruined. When she was trying to do something nice for the guys. Maybe she should have just let them go out for dinner. At least they wouldn’t be starving and the kitchen wouldn’t be a disaster.
You’re such a disappointment.
A whimper escaped her before she could stop it.
“Ahh, there you are.”
No. Nope. She was invisible. And if she couldn’t see him, then he couldn’t see her.
“Little girl, can I move the blanket?”
No.
“Please?”
Maggie knew she was being silly. This was hardly a reason to hide. She just didn’t want them looking at her like she was a failure.
Even though that’s all she saw when she looked in the mirror.
“Please, Little girl. I’m worried about you.”
“I made a big mess.”
“So? You should see when Jack makes pancakes. How he gets batter on the ceiling and walls, I will never know.”
Was he making that up?
“Really?” she asked.
“Yep. Really. I don’t lie.”
She let out a deep breath, then moved the blanket away from her face to peer up at him. “I’m really sorry.”
He raised his eyebrows. “For what? Running off and hiding in a bathtub? Once, one of my brothers tried to run away from home. He hid in a rubbish bin. In summer. He stunk for days.”
She let out a surprised giggle. “Yuck.”
“Yep.” He was kneeling next to the tub, his forearms resting along the side as he smiled down at her.
This was a softer Ian. Almost gentle. Which was something she never thought she’d think about Mr. Grumpy-Knickers.
“How many siblings do you have?” she asked.
“Three younger, hideous brothers. Bane of my existence.”
“I bet.”
“You’ve got a sister and brother, right?” he asked.
She guessed that was in the background check they’d run on her.
“Yes. Both older.”
“You’re not close with them?”
She shrugged. “I mean, I love them. I talk with them quite often.” It was just that most of the time, they called her to complain about her. They’d be horrified at this latest escapade.
“But?” he prompted.
“Can you read minds?” she asked suspiciously.
“Never play poker, Little Misfit.”
“Damn, that was my back-up plan in case this gig didn’t work out.”
“Sorry to burst your dreams.”
She sighed. “It’s hard but I forgive you.”
“Tell me about your siblings.”
Drat. She’d been trying to distract him.
“Nothing much to tell. I guess I’m their annoying little sister who keeps messing stuff up.”
“You don’t mess stuff up.” He frowned.
“Um, I literally just fucked-up dinner. I’m completely useless.”
His face filled with thunder. “First of all, don’t swear.”
Whoa.
“You swear!”
“Yes, but you don’t. And I won’t have it.”
“I do swear.” She just found it more interesting to make up words. Her brother and sister hated it when she did that. They said it was childish.
What was so great about adult-ish swear words, she wanted to know.
“Second of all, if I ever hear you call yourself useless again, you’re getting your bum spanked.”
“We’ve talked about your obsession with spanking me.”
“I’m done talking about it,” he replied. “Do it again, get your butt reddened. End of story.”
“Shouldn’t there be a discussion of limits and safewords?”
“You’ve played before? Have you been to a club?”
“Um. Yes. A few times.” Indie’s brother ran a BDSM club in London which is the only reason she could afford to go. Because it was free. Slade wasn’t talking to Indie at the moment—the big fat jerk. So she hadn’t gone in a while.
Surprise filled Ian’s face. Followed by anger. “What club? Who was looking after you? Did they have monitors? Were you there with a Dom or on your own? Did you tell someone you were going? Give me the name of it right now!”
“Whoa, slow down. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack.”
“I need to know that you were safe.”
“I was safe. My best friend’s brother owns the club I used to go to. He made sure we were protected. I didn’t . . . I never played that much. I can’t . . . I find it hard to submit if I don’t know someone. Mostly, I watched or hung out in . . .”
“In what?”
She wasn’t sure she was ready to go there.
Ian brushed her crusty hair off her face. “I’m a Daddy Dom.”
She jumped, her eyes widening. “You are?”
Well, that’s what she’d tried to say. Only, somehow, her thumb had slipped into her mouth, so it came out all garbled.
“It’s not nice to talk with your mouth full,” Ian scolded, his eyes twinkling with laughter as he removed her thumb from her mouth. “And your thumb is really dirty.”
Yeah. It was. And it really didn’t taste good.
“You are?” she repeated.
“Yep. Have been for a long time. I first discovered I was a Dominant in my early twenties when I was in the armed forces. Jack and I would go to clubs in our downtime. Then I met a mentor who was a Daddy Dom and discovered that was who I really was.”