Page 15 of Hunting Little Hope
My cheeks heated at his compliment. “Okay, I’ll take it.”
“Excellent. Perry, face forward,” Tyrell ordered.
“I want T-Rex teeth,” Perry demanded, already scrambling onto Tyrell’s lap.
Tyrell caught him easily, steady hands settling him like this was something he did every day. “You’ll get T-Rex teeth if you manage to sit still long enough.”
“Pffft. That’s impossible, Daddy,” Perry informed him and I had to suppress the urge to giggle.
Perry was a lot of fun. And I could see myself getting into a lot of trouble with him.
I watched them bicker while Tyrell painted careful white triangles along Perry’s cheeks, and something squeezed inside my heart. The way Perry leaned into him and the way Tyrell checked every few minutes that he was still comfortable. To be honest, it scared me a little how badly I liked it. And craved it.
“All done,” Tyrell said, turning Perry toward the little mirror on the table.
Perry gasped like he’d just seen magic. “I’m ferocious!”
“You’re adorable,” Tyrell corrected.
Perry hopped down and spun toward me. “Your turn! And if you like, you could sit on my Daddy’s lap. I don’t mind sharing.”
Oh boy.
Chapter Seven
Tyrell
“Perry.” My tone was calm, but it carried enough weight to make him freeze mid-bounce.
“Yes, Daddy?” he asked, blinking up at me with wide green eyes that were far too innocent for a Little who had just invited a woman to sit on my lap. A Little who was normallywaymore reserved and shyer than this.
“We don’t offer my lap to strangers,” I said evenly.
He considered that. “She’s not a stranger.”
I arched a brow.
He shrugged. “She’s Hope,” he clarified, as if that explained everything.
Across from us, Hope looked like she might actually dissolve into the floor. Pink had crept from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears, and she was twisting her fingers in her skirt like she wasn’t sure where to put them.
Hell, but she was sweet.
I exhaled slowly and looked Perry in the eyes. “It’s kind to share,” I told him quietly. “But we let the Bigs decide where everyone sits. Understood?”
He nodded immediately, biting his lower lip. “Yes, Daddy.”
Then he leaned closer and whispered loudly, “Maybe you should ask her now if shewantsto sit on your lap.”
I suppressed the urge to smile at my naughty Little before giving him a kiss on the nose. “Nuggie, I know you’re excited, but how about you let things progress naturally?”
Perry leaned his head back to look up at the roof as if he was praying for deliverance before letting out a heavy sigh. “Fine,” he muttered. “But if I leave things to go naturally, you might let it takeforever, and I’ll have to wait for a sister for likeyears.”
I playfully pinched his bum before giving him a chaste kiss. “Scoot, dino nuggie, it’s Hope’s turn.”
Hope was still deliciously pink when I turned my attention to her, but she wasn’t shrinking away anymore. If anything, there was a spark in her eyes now. I couldn’t wait to encourage it into a burning flame.
“Your turn,” Perry announced, dragging a chair closer to hers.
