Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45218 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45218 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Garrett was hoping he might get the chance to be that Daddy. He’d even gone so far as to flat-out ask her if she’d had a husband or a boyfriend, and he’d seen no evidence of either when he’d dropped her off. At least he seemed to have jumped that hurdle.
Ellie hadn’t been overly receptive to the idea of starting something with him, and that made him nervous. But perhaps she’d simply been caught off guard. He hoped if he “bumped into her” in a safe location like Blaze, she might be inclined to give him a chance.
Work had kept him later than he’d wanted, so by the time he arrived at the club, he was frazzled. He needed to unwind. He needed to set his gaze on Ellie.
He had no guarantee whatsoever that she was even a member. Even if she had been at some point and he was right—that he had indeed seen her at the club—that didn’t mean she would be there tonight.
The moment he stepped out of the main room and entered the hallway, he saw her. She was sitting in the daycare with two other Littles he recognized—Daisy, who owned the florist boutique on the same strip as Ellie’s cupcake shop, and Riley, who bartended at Blaze two nights a week. They were coloring. Ellie took his breath away and caused him to freeze in his spot.
Damn. She was more than what he’d seen the other night at her shop. So much more. She had on short pink overalls over a tight white tank top, matching pink knee socks, and white tennis shoes. Her hair was in pigtails high on her head. He knew her hair was about shoulder length, so the pigtails were little balls of hair that looked more like puppy ears.
He jerked his gaze to the side when he noticed one of the dungeon masters approaching.
“Hey, Garrett. How’s it going? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Garrett held out a hand. “I’ve been good.” He’d known Tarson Kirkwood for a long time. The man was a gem and an amazing Daddy when he wasn’t working at Blaze. He went by Bear in the club. He liked to think he was a giant grizzly bear, gruff and no nonsense, but Garrett knew the Littles giggled and called him Teddy behind his back.
Bear nodded toward the daycare. “Got your eye on anyone in particular?”
“Yep.” Garrett turned his attention back to the adorable Little who was intently coloring.
Bear chuckled. “Ellie?”
“Yep.”
“You’ve picked a sweet one. I’ll leave you to it.”
“Thanks, Bear.”
The dungeon master wandered off, leaving Garrett contemplating the Little he hoped to woo.
For a long time, he simply watched her.
He must have stared at her long and hard enough for the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up, because suddenly she turned around and caught his gaze.
Her eyes went wide in that adorable way he’d seen more than once the other night, and she blinked several times before finally pushing away from the table. She said something to her companions he couldn’t hear before making her way toward him.
“Uh… What are you doing here, Mr. Erickson?” She rubbed her palms together.
“I knew I’d seen you somewhere before. I was right.”
She looked down and dragged the toe of one white sneaker back and forth on the floor. Fucking adorable.
He needed to take his time. Say the right things. Handle her carefully. She had every right to be very nervous. Being discovered by someone outside the club was nerve-wracking under any circumstances. Being found by the owner of your building had to be stressful.
He leaned one shoulder against the wall at his side, forcing himself to keep his hands to himself for now. “Please don’t panic. I would never tell a soul about seeing you at Blaze. Rule number one in the fetish community.”
She lifted her face and licked her sweet lips. They were as full and pink as they’d been the other night. He hadn’t imagined that part. Hell, he hadn’t imagined any part. Her eyes were a deep brown that sucked him in. Her skin was soft and golden, but not dark enough to hide her rosy cheeks.
“Can we go somewhere and talk?” he asked, trying to control his voice so he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt.
“You mean like here at the club? Or somewhere else?” she asked tentatively.
“Whatever makes you the most comfortable, Ellie.”
“What exactly do you want to talk about?” She licked her lips again.
He wanted to kiss those lips. He hoped to God there would come a day when he would be permitted to. “Whatever you want to talk about. Anything. Everything. I like you. I’d like to get to know you.”
“Don’t you think that’s kind of inappropriate with you owning the building I’m renting and all?” she hedged. There wasn’t a lot of umph behind her words, though.