Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“We met this morning…”
I chuckle. “True. Do you not feel more connected to me than anyone you’ve ever met in your life, though?”
She swallows and nods slowly.
“You’re mine, Little love. I know it’s difficult to grasp, and you’ll doubt it many times in the coming days. But eventually, you’ll stop questioning our bond. I promise it’s permanent and irrevocable.”
“I’m not on birth control,” she blurts out.
I offer her another smile. “You don’t need birth control, Little love. I will be able to scent when you’re in heat. When you’re fertile.”
Her eyes widen. “You can smell that?”
“Yes, Brea. Lion shifters have enhanced senses. The most important one is the sense of smell. I can tell you exactly where all of my pride members who are in the area are located. I can also easily scent your fertility, your anxiety, and…” I slide a hand up her uninjured thigh to cup her pussy. “…your lust.”
She gasps and grips my hand with her thighs. A second later, she shoves at my hand and scoots back on the mattress. “You make my head spin when you touch me there.”
I chuckle. “I know, Little love.” I reach for the brush and rise to standing before sitting next to her. Bending one knee, I face her. “Turn to the side, Brea. I’ll brush out your hair.”
“I can do it,” she says, reaching for the brush.
I hold it away from her. “I know you can, Little love. I’m certain you’re capable of doing just about anything. You’ve been on your own for a long time. But it’s customary for lion shifters to take care of their mates in many ways. It will please me to brush your hair and braid it for you.”
She stares at me. “Is it your custom to cook for your mates, too?”
“Yes, Little love.”
She cocks her head. “I thought you did that just because I’m injured.”
I shake my head. “No. I will always cook and clean for you. Sometimes I will feed you myself. It gives me pleasure to take care of you in every way. It’s instinctive.”
She clenches her thighs again. “You’re not going to make me wear diapers and take bottles, are you?”
I lift her chin. “Little love, sometimes I will diaper you and bottle feed you. You will learn to submit deeply to me as a way of showing your love. You will understand that when I care for all of your needs, it’s how I show you my love. It deepens our bond every time you turn your care over to me.”
She shudders. “That’s a weird custom, Navin.”
“Daddy,” I remind her.
She bites into her bottom lip, her huge brown eyes filled with concern.
Chapter Nine
Brea
Daddy… I’ve called him that several times. It has connotations that make me nervous, but he’s made it clear that those connotations are exactly what he intends. He wants to care for me as though I were younger.
I’m learning that his need to dominate me so totally is innate. It’s part of him. He can’t deny it. But can I learn to accept it?
“Daddy…” I say softly because it pleases him, and I love it when he smiles at me with approval.
He motions with a finger for me to turn, so I obey him, and I don’t regret it. The moment he starts brushing through my tangles, I begin to purr. That’s what it is. Purring. I don’t think I’ve ever made this contented sound before, but he brings it out of me.
I tip my head back and close my eyes, hoping he never stops brushing my hair. I can’t recall when someone last did this for me. I assume my mother did when I was very young, but I don’t remember it.
“So soft,” he whispers. “I could run my fingers through your hair all day.” He’s using both hands now, brushing and stroking.
“I’m okay with that,” I murmur. I’m lulled into a very relaxed state.
“May I braid it now?” he asks.
“You know how to braid hair?” I’m surprised. It’s one thing to brush it out. It’s another thing entirely to style it.
He gasps dramatically. “Of course. What kind of Daddy would I be if I couldn’t braid my Little girl’s hair?”
I giggle. He makes me feel lighter than I’ve ever felt. I’ve carried the weight of the world for so many years. I’ve always had to worry about finances. How I would pay the rent on my trailer. The electric, gas, and water bills. Food.
For the first day in years, I’m not concerned with being warm or eating. It’s too good to be true. How can I possibly trust this to last?
Yesterday, a man who intended to sell me as a sex slave left me for dead in the woods. Today, I’m sitting in a warm cabin being doted on by a lion shifter who says he intends to care for me for the rest of my life in this fashion.