Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“You still want me,” she murmured, surprised.
“Yes, Little doll. Always.” They’d been through this topic already. He hated that she’d spent even a minute in that fucking cage thinking he wouldn’t want her anymore. “You’re my mate, Suzette. My everything. No matter what happens ever, you’ll always be mine.”
She lifted up taller, nearly crawled up his body, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She held him so tightly her little arms had to hurt.
Brock wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, trying to calm her. Finally, her heart rate slowed to a more normal beat, and she started to relax.
When she leaned back, she looked at him sheepishly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get away from him.”
“Oh, Suzette. It’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself. He was stronger than you, and he has powers I don’t even understand.”
She frowned. “What powers?”
He hadn’t meant to discuss this with her, especially not in the middle of the night. Or ever. She deserved to be coddled and adored. He’d hoped to take care of the threat without having to worry her.
She furrowed her brow deeply. “Daddy?”
He lifted her up several inches and resettled her so she was straddling his lap. Maybe not his best move since it put her diapered bottom far too close to his cock. Setting his hands on her lower back, he kept her close. “Did you see his face, Little doll?”
“No. He wore a mask.”
“What do you remember about him?”
She shrugged. “Average. Darker skin than me but not as dark as yours. Brown hair. Brown eyes.”
He was surprised she knew so much. He’d assumed she hadn’t seen him. “How tall was he?”
She tipped her head to one side and tapped her lips, thinking. “Not nearly as tall as you. Maybe five-ten?”
“So, almost a foot shorter than me.”
“Probably.”
“Broad? Skinny? Fat?”
“Super average. Not the kind of guy who works out.” She wrapped her hands around his biceps and lowered her gaze to his chest. And then the Little doll licked her lips. Her next words were breathy. “Not like you at all,” she whispered.
She was going to kill him with her sweetness.
Suddenly, she lifted her gaze. “You changed the subject. You know stuff I don’t. Tell me,” she demanded.
He gave her a slow smile. “Caught that, did you?”
“Yes.” She leaned in closer so her face was inches from his. “I may be submissive, but I’m not dumb, Daddy. You brought me into your bed because you’re scared he might come after me, aren’t you?”
He flinched. “How’d you get so smart, Little doll?”
“School. Twenty years of school.”
He chuckled and set his forehead against hers. “I spoke with my father. They haven’t found the man. We’re concerned about who or what he is since he seems to be able to sneak up on people without anyone scenting him.”
She furrowed her brow. “Who or what he is?”
“Yeah, I don’t have any speculations. It’s unnerving. You and I are going to go down to the valley tomorrow morning and officially have the claiming ceremony.”
She slid her hands to his bare chest and focused on it as if it were fascinating. “Why? Wouldn’t that just possibly be asking for trouble?”
He drew in a breath. She really was bright. He shouldn’t have doubted her. He certainly wouldn’t be leaving her out of the loop. “Here’s the thing, Little doll. Ordinarily, it’s customary for a newly mated couple to take some time to get to know each other before consummating the union. We Alpha Protectors don’t like to rush our Little mates into a physical relationship they aren’t ready for. We usually take a month off from pack responsibilities to spend that time getting to know our mates, sort of like a honeymoon.”
She lifted her gaze, nodding. “But…”
He smiled. “My Little smarty pants. But you can’t shift until we’ve been intimate with each other.”
She cocked her head to one side and narrowed her gaze. She might have thought she looked fierce or challenging, but all he could see was cute. “Have sex you mean. I know what sex is, Daddy,” she sassed.
“Okay, Miss Smarty Pants,” he teased.
She sat up taller. “And I already know I can’t shift until after you’ve put your erection inside me. And I already know it’s going to hurt the first time. And I already know it will only hurt for a minute. And I already know it’s inevitable and waiting won’t change a thing and that you’ll worry less about me after I can shift.”
Brock was stunned by her bold revelations. She had been emotionally drained and in shock earlier when he’d rescued her. She hadn’t been herself. Now he realized his girl had a feisty side, and she wasn’t afraid to show it.
“Why do you want to go down to the valley and have the claiming ceremony, Brock?”
He startled at her use of his given name, but he knew this was a serious conversation that required her to be at her sharpest. “I assumed you’d want to have the ceremony before I claimed you, Little doll.”