Page 53 of Hunting Little Hope
I went completely still, and if I was being honest, it felt like even my heart stopped at the reminder of where I was.
Her body was pressed all along mine, curved perfectly against me as if she was made to fit there. My arm was resting on her waist, and my leg was tangled with hers. She was warm through the blanket, solid and soft and very,veryreal.
And I?—
Right. Of course.
Because apparently my body liked to wake up before my brain did.
Heat rushed up my neck as awareness settled low in my stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, willing myself to calm down. I was self-aware enough to recognize when I was firmly in my Little headspace. Feeling all soft, sleepy, needy, and clingy in that cuddly way that made me want to hide my face in someone’s chest and never move.
Which, admittedly, was already quite often, because Daddy let me indulge in hiding behind him whenever I felt the need.
Addingthatto the fact that I was pressed against Hope’s ridiculously lush body?
That certainly wasn’t helping.
She shifted slightly, and the movement dragged against me in a way that made my breath catch before I could stop it.
Okay. Okay, Perry. Be cool.
I opened my eyes carefully.
And that’s when I saw it.
The beautiful pink bow.
My brain stalled for half a second before it registered properly.
There was a pacifier in her mouth.
There was a pacifier in her mouth!
A pink one. With a tiny little bow on it.
My chest went warm in a completely different way.
She was awake. Not fully—her lashes were low, and her expression soft and unfocused—but she was sucking on it slowly. That’s when I realized why it looked like she wasn’t quite awake... this must be what I looked like when I let Daddy just take over and gave in to my Little side completely.
She looked… small.
Oh my goodness! I so totally got why Daddy loved looking after me so much now. Seeing Hope so... so... vulnerable was a heady experience and I almost felt like I could be responsible without it sucking big ass monkey balls.
Iwantedto look after her.
And that hit me harder than anything else.
We’d found her wrecked. With red eyes and shaky hands. She’d been clutching at Master Lee like she might fall apart and blow away in the slightest breeze.
Something had really gotten to her.
I didn’t know what exactly. I just knew it scared me.
And now she was here. Tucked up between Da—MasterLee and me. Letting herself have this wonderful moment.
My arm tightened around her waist before I could stop myself.
She made a tiny sound around the pacifier, but she didn’t pull away. If anything, she pressed back a little. Her hand drifted over mine, where it rested on her waist.
