Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
“How did she deal with that?”
“She just hugged me. She told me that this sucked and I was entitled to have big feelings about it.”
“She sounds like an amazing person,” he told her.
“She was. She died last summer and I really miss her. Grandpa died the year before. After Mama’s death, they were the only people who ever seemed to understand me. I’d go stay there every summer along with my youngest brother, Titus. And I always had the best time with them. I wish I could have lived with them. Most of the time I wasn’t sure why my father even wanted me around. He didn’t seem to care about me.”
“I’m sorry, baby. That’s rough. And I’m sorry your mama died.”
“Wyatt will come to realize that what happened wasn’t your fault. That you love him and are here for him.”
Jeb grimaced. “Have I been here for him, though? I’ve been working long hours and he hates having a nanny. You’re the only person other than my mother that he likes looking after him.”
“You’re not able to take more time off? Get a manager or something? Not to tell you how to do your job or anything,” she added hastily.
Jeb sighed. “It might be something to think about. This looks sore and red. Has it been hurting you?”
Huh?
Oh, her foot. Casey was having trouble keeping up with what he was saying.
“Um, I think I’ll plead the fifth.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “Right. Which is an answer in itself.”
Shoot. She guessed it was.
“Not good enough, little girl. I can’t take care of you properly if I don’t know when something hurts, understand?”
They were back to that.
“You really want to take care of me?” she asked.
He finished with her foot and put her slippers back on while she sat there, nervously waiting for his reply.
“I do.” Jeb placed his hands on either side of her hips on the counter. “But the question is, what do you want?”
Chapter Twenty
What did she want?
It felt like it had been so long since anyone had asked her what she wanted.
“I want to try,” she said quietly. “But I’m kind of scared.”
Would he make fun of her for being afraid?
“I can understand that. I know you’re probably worried that everything will go wrong and that maybe I’ll fire you or kick you out. But I promise not to do that. If things don’t feel right for either of us, we can stop this. No repercussions.”
He said that.
But she wasn’t sure that was possible.
However, it would only be a couple of weeks. Right?
Her car would get fixed soon and she’d be leaving.
And this opportunity might never present itself again. It definitely wouldn’t with him.
This was a once in a lifetime thing.
“I want to do this.” She gave a firm nod. “You know that I’ve never had a Daddy Dom before, though. I might get it all wrong. Mess it up.”
Standing, he gave her a kind smile.
Wow. When he smiled, it lit up his whole face. She really hadn’t thought it was possible for him to get more attractive.
But there he went, proving her wrong.
“You’re not going to mess anything up,” he reassured her.
“I don’t know. Pretty sure if anyone could mess things up it would be me.”
He grasped hold of her chin, tilting her head back. “I don’t like hearing you talk about yourself like that. Understand me? As long as you are honest with me, there is nothing that can be messed up. I just need you to tell me if you’re upset, uncomfortable, in pain, or if you want to stop. All right? I need you to tell me the truth. Can you do that?”
“I think so.”
“I know you can.”
“And will you do the same?” she asked.
“I will,” he replied firmly.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“No. But I was before we had this chat. I thought you might tell me to jump off the nearest cliff.”
She snorted. “Hardly. Can you keep a secret?”
“I think so,” he replied.
“Any woman would jump on the chance to have you take care of them.”
“Is that so? And it’s a secret?”
“Well, I don’t want them lining up down the driveway, do I?” She grinned as he let out a small chuckle.
“Can you keep a secret?” he asked her.
“Uh-huh. I’m great at keeping secrets.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like this. So perhaps I’ll do something to mess up.”
“Not you. You’re perfect.”
“I am far from perfect, baby. But thank you for the vote of confidence.”
She shrugged. She still thought he was perfect.
“So what now?”
“Hmm. Well, you should get to bed. It’s well past your bedtime.”
“I don’t have a bedtime.”
“You do now.”
Yikes.
“Maybe I should have thought more before I agreed to this,” she murmured.
“Changed your mind already?” He raised an eyebrow.
“No. No, I haven’t. I shouldn’t have a bedtime unless I’m Little, though, right?”