Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Really? She sounded like a toddler. She braced herself for any ridicule or scolding.
But all Hayes did was pick her up and then grab Coco, handing the squirrel to her. She hugged her toy tight, burying her face in Hayes’ chest as he carried her back to the bed.
“Here you go, baby. Let’s do your hair, then you can have a nap.”
“Naps are for babies,” she grumbled.
“And Little girls who are recovering from surgery,” he informed her as he settled in behind her with a hairbrush.
Where had that come from?
Had Donovan bought that for her too? Hayes took off the wet towel.
“I’m a big girl, Daddy.”
He sprayed something on her hair that smelled like strawberries.
“What was that?”
“Detangler,” he muttered as he started brushing the knots out of the bottom of her hair.
Had he done this for May? He was good at it. He knew how to brush so it didn’t hurt too much and he even had detangling spray.
Unless . . .
“Donovan got me detangling spray?”
Hayes growled. “I told him to get it.”
She bit her bottom lip, amusement filling her. She felt lighter than she had since waking up in here. He was so possessive.
Wait . . . he was being very possessive.
That was odd, wasn’t it?
Maybe it was because he wanted to Daddy someone.
After he brushed her hair, he braided it.
“There you go, baby girl,” he told her. “Time for a nap. I’ll pull the curtains.”
“No nap. Devi big girl. Big girls don’t nap.”
“How old is baby Devi?” he asked as he got off the bed. “What age do you regress to?”
She didn’t like losing the feel of him against her. She wanted him back with her, touching her. But she resisted begging him to return and hug her.
That wasn’t his job.
So she rested back against the pillow. She really was tired and just from a simple shower which was silly.
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm, are there things you like to do? Or things that interest you?”
“I used to hide with Coco under my bed when Derick was on a bender,” she said without thought. “I’d pull everything in around me under the bed to hide me. So maybe I’d like to make forts.”
“You would hide from your father under the bed by yourself because he terrified you?” he asked in a low, scary voice.
“I wasn’t alone,” she said in a small voice.
“You weren’t?” he asked.
“I had Coco.”
“A soft toy. How long would you stay under there?”
“I don’t know. Until I woke up and felt safe to come out.”
He started pacing up and down the room, swearing.
“You’re going to put a hole in the floor with all your pacing.” It was a sad attempt to make him smile.
He paused and turned to look at her. “That motherfucking bastard.”
“Do you think . . . I mean . . . have you heard whether the police have found anything out?”
“Not yet, baby.”
She could tell that he had attempted to soften his voice, but it still sounded tight, tense.
Then he walked over to her. Reaching out he lightly massaged her head. “Close your eyes, stop worrying about all of this.”
“You’re so bossy. You can’t just tell me to stop worrying. That never works.”
“It doesn’t? We’ll see.” He gathered her up into his chest and held her against him as he lightly rocked back and forth. “Go to sleep.”
Yep. Not going to happen.
Yawning, she snuggled into his chest. This felt so nice.
“That doesn’t work either! You can just order me to sleep. What if I don’t wanna sleep . . . Devi might wanna play . . . Devi . . . don’t . . . wanna . . .”
Gradually, her eyes closed and she stuck her thumb into her mouth.
Hayes smiled with no small sense of satisfaction as she drifted off to sleep. He laid her down, watching her suck on the thumb of her good hand. Then he tucked the blankets around her.
Didn’t want to sleep, huh?
Couldn’t boss her around?
Oh, she was in for a shock. He ran his hand over his face as he straightened.
A quiet knock on the door had him rushing over before Devi was woken up.
Kent stood on the other side with Liam, both of them looking grim. Liam held a battered backpack. It looked familiar.
“Devi’s asleep,” he said. “What’s going on?”
“Leave Donovan watching her,” Kent said. “We need to talk.”
33
Devi woke up with a gasp.
Terror held her in its grasp and she couldn’t breathe. She coughed, choking.
“Devi! Fuck, baby! Breathe. Just breathe.”
Hayes was suddenly there, helping her sit up as he rubbed her back. He grasped hold of her good hand, squeezing it tight.
“Fucking well breathe, Devi!”
And for some insane reason her body actually obeyed him. She took one shallow breath.
“And again. Be a good girl for Daddy. Take another breath. That’s it. Good. Again. Slow it down. In. Hold. Out. And again.”