Page 107 of Daddy's Trust
She hated having nightmares of that day she’d been caught by those bullies. She’d been helpless against them. Addie always felt so damn helpless.
Sliding to the side of the bed, Addie grabbed her phone to check the time, only it was dead. Shoot. She should have charged it.
Standing, she realized that she was soaked with sweat, shaking and weak. She needed another shower, a change of clothes, and a drink. Picking up the bottle of water that Cash had left for her, she gulped some down. Then she grabbed the painkillers and took them as well.
Even though she desperately wanted a shower, she didn’t want to wake anyone up. So instead, she grabbed the blanket off the bed, wrapping it around herself. Grasping hold of Snaggles and her squishy, she shuffled out of the room.
Addie knew she wasn’t going to get any more sleep tonight. Instead of turning toward the living room, she headed out the back. Maybe she could sit outside for a moment.
Opening the back door, she saw that there was a small porch with some furniture. Walking along, she sat down in a seat.
It was cold out here, but it helped soothe her overheated skin. And the quiet of the night eased her ragged nerves. It had to be close to dawn. It was far lighter out here, and she could hear the occasional car moving along the street.
She wasn’t sure how long she was there before he found her.
“Addie, shit, baby. What are you doing out here?”
She startled, glancing over to see Cash walking toward her. Where had he been?
Then she noticed that he was dressed in just a pair of shorts and a tank top. Had he been out for a run?
Addie couldn’t help but run her gaze over him. There was muscle everywhere she looked. His arms were thick with it, his chest wide, and his thighs oh, Lord. How was it possible for a set of thighs to be that sexy?
“Addie? Hey, what happened? Did something scare you? Why are you out here?” He crouched down in front of her, resting his hands on the tops of her thighs.
Her whole body gave a shiver, not out of coldness or fear, but out of pure desire. What the hell was going on with her? She’d never reacted to anyone like this in her life. And it had to be this man, this walking sexy god of a man.
She shrugged, grateful she had an actual excuse not to talk. Then she pointed at him and made running motions with her two fingers.
“What are you doing, Stowaway?” he asked, staring at her fingers. “Is there something wrong with your fingers? Did you hurt them? Do you need me to tape them up? I’ll go and get some tape right now.”
Oh dear Lord, this was ridiculous. She needed something to write on.
“Running. You?” She managed to croak out, pointing at him.
“Oh, is that what you were doing? You were trying to make a running motion with your fingers? Huh. I didn’t get that.”
Yeah, no kidding. She rolled her eyes at him.
“Why are you rolling your eyes at me, little girl?” he asked. “That’s very naughty.”
Her eyes grew wide at his words, especially as he reached out to tap her nose.
What was he doing? He was making her Little side stir. And now wasn’t the time for that to happen. She wasn’t in a safespace. Then again, sometimes her Little came out during the most inopportune times.
Cash seemed to sense something was wrong and dropped his hand. “Sorry, Stowaway. I shouldn’t have done that.”
He stood, and sadness filled her. Oh, no, he was leaving.
She didn’t want him to leave, especially like this. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of his hand and clung on tight.
“Hey, it’s all right. I was just going to sit down next to you,” he told her.
She was acting like an idiot. This was embarrassing. Addie quickly let go of his hand, and he sat.
“Yeah, I’ve been running. Needed to clear my head a bit, and a run always helps. It’s painful for about the first two or three miles, and then everything sort of goes peaceful in your head.”
That sounded blissful. Maybe she should take up running.
