Page 30 of Finding Little Fiera

Fiera shook her head. “No, Daddy.”

He gave her his sternest Daddy look. “When you are thinking about breaking a rule. Especially when it comes to your health and safety. Do you understand?”

Her lips formed a perfect “O”. It made him want to forget the lesson she needed to learn and picture the many other things he’d love to teach her. Like taking his cock into her mouth through those luscious lips. His hardening cock approved of that plan.

That wasn’t what she needed now, though. She needed to know Mace was her Daddy who cared about her and cared enough to hold her accountable when she broke the rules he’d given her.

“I get you, Daddy. I’ll try to remember next time.”

She really thought she had him right where she wanted him. “Thank you, babygirl. I promise I’ll help you remember every time you forget. There’s no better time to start than now. It’s time for your punishment.”

She scrunched her brows. “Punishment? But I just explained how it wasn’t my fault.”

“I remember. Are you feeling dizzy or nauseated?”

Fiera eyed him with suspicion, but as he was coming to expect, she answered him honestly. “No, Daddy. I haven’t felt like that for hours.”

“Good.” With a nod, he lifted her from his lap, sat her beside him on the couch, and held out his hand. “Give Hopsicle to Daddy. I want to put him back in the freezer for now.”

Mace returned the bag to the freezer with deliberate care. Then he headed down the short hall to his bedroom and retrieved the wooden hairbrush he’d set aside earlier while Fiera had been bent over the paper he’d given her, carefully writing out her apologies. The smooth weight of it settled into his palm like it belonged there.

When he came back into the living room, he didn’t hesitate. He crossed to the couch and placed the brush on the coffee table directly in front of his naughty girl.

It landed with a soft, final thud.

“Let’s talk,” he said once he was seated beside her again.

Fiera’s wide-eyed gaze never left the hairbrush, staring as though it might leap up and sink its teeth into her. Smart girl. It just might.

Chapter Eleven

“When you had trouble keeping the sunglasses on, why didn’t you come to Daddy for help?”

Confusion flickered across her face, and something inside him snarled. The sight of her uncertainty sent a hard, violent urge through his veins. Erwin was lucky he wasn’t standing there. Very lucky.

“I could handle it. Besides, I wouldn’t want to bother you with something like that.”

That’s what he’d thought. “I want you to come to me when you need something, firefly. You’re used to doing everything for yourself, but that has changed. I’m here to help you. You will never be a bother. That’s not how real Daddies think. That may take some time to get used to, but we’ll practice.”

He gave her a moment to process his words. She shrugged. “I thought I’d be fine.”

“That’s not the point. What did Daddy say about the sunglasses?”

His babygirl wore her heart on her sleeve. Her every feeling shone in her face. And right now, her face said she did not like the direction their conversation was going. Still, she gave him an honest answer. “You said not to take them off.”

“That’s right. And why did I want you to keep them on?”

“So I wouldn’t get hurt running around in the sun.”

“Two for two. You knew that, but you let your stubbornness outweigh your smarts, and that’s why you are in trouble.”

Her bottom lip wobbled. “Are you mad at me?”

“No.” She needed to understand this wasn’t about anger. “I’m worried about you. The next time you break a rule, you may get hurt even more. So what do you think I’m going to do to keep that from happening?”

“I think you’re going to recharge my rememberer.”

That time, he couldn’t keep his grin back. His firefly did have a way of summing up the main point, now, didn’t she?