Page 52 of Finding Little Fiera

Had he forgotten? The silence between them felt heavier now. Glancing up at his face, she tried to read him. His jaw was set, but he looked more focused than angry. The question was… focused on what? The sunglasses or that kiss in the woods.

When they reached the cabin, he ushered her inside first. The quiet enveloped them, broken only by rain on the roof.

He removed his hat from her head and set it on the table. The silence was unnerving, so relief washed through her when he turned to face her. That was, until she saw the look on his face. Then her heart pounded.

She stood in the center of the room, wet hair clinging to her cheeks, medal still hanging around her neck from the first race of the morning.

He stepped closer. As close as he could get without touching her.

“Take off the sunglasses,” he said quietly.

Her fingers trembled as she slid them from her face. She held them carefully in both hands, holding them out to him like an offering. “I forgot,” she offered softly.

“I know.” His tone wasn’t angry, but that almost made it worse. He stepped into her space then, his hands coming to her hips. His hold was firm and secure. “You had fun today,” he said.

She nodded.

“You trusted me.”

She nodded again.

His thumb brushed lightly over her hipbone. “And you scared me half to death runnin’ backward like that.” Her lips parted, but he pressed a finger against them.

“That’s why,” he continued, voice low, calm, and filled with something that was definitely not anger, “you’re not gonna forget again.”

Heat pooled low in her belly. She searched his face. “Are you going to punish me?”

He nodded slowly, but there was something in his eyes. Something heated and almost primal. “I am. It’s not going to be a punishment you’ve had before, but I want you to trust me.”

Her pulse fluttered. What was happening? She knew she could end it with a single word, but her safe word was the last thing she wanted to say.

Tomorrow was their last day. After that, she’d be heading back to Wilder, and he’d be headed... somewhere else. She’d known they were temporary. But right now—right now she was in his cabin.

The rain clattered on the roof. His hands held her hips. And she felt safe enough to accept whatever came next.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She’d developed good instincts over the past several years. She knew angry when she heard it, and his words weren’t that. She wasn’t sure yet what they were, but he’d done nothing except what he thought was best for her since they’d met.

So, she decided to be brave. Looking him in the eye, she nodded. “I do trust you, Daddy. So, okay.”

Chapter Eighteen

The rain should have cooled him off after that kiss. After the way she’d ridden him on that bronco bustin’ contraption, gripping her thighs around him and grinding her hot little pussy against his back—hell, he’d almost come in his jeans like a teenager. How had she attached herself to his heart so quickly? No woman had ever affected him like this.

The rain, which cooled almost everything else off, hadn’t helped cool him off at all. Probably because the burn under his skin had nothing to do with temperature. No, this heat was all about her.

She’d said she trusted him. Did she have any idea what that meant to a man like him? A Daddy like him? And then, when he’d needed a distraction the most, she’d gone quiet. Leaving him alone with his lascivious thoughts. He could really use her antics and wonderful rambling conversations right now.

He couldn’t get the picture of her out of his mind. The way her hair clung to her cheeks. The way her fingers twisted together for a second before she wrapped them around his neck. Her quick glances when she thought he wouldn’t notice while they waited for their turn to ride the bucking bronco.

His jaw stayed tight, but not from anger. He wasn’t angry, far from it. Not about the sunglasses. Not about the backward sprint that had nearly stopped his heart. Not even about the raging hard-on he was dealing with right now, thanks to that damn bronco ride.

Nope. He was tense because, for the first time in as long as he could remember, he had a Little girl taking up space in his head and heart and making him horny as hell. He wanted her, and that was the simplest truth in the world.

He wanted to hear her laugh every day. He wanted to take care of her and keep her safe and happy. Wanted her fire and zest for life. Wanted the way she melted into him, like she’d finally found something steady enough to lean on.

But wanting wasn’t always enough. He needed to figure a few things out. He knew what was going on in her body. He wasn’t the only one struggling for control after that damn ride. What he needed to figure out was what was going on in her head. Was Rawhide Ranch some magical vacation spot for her? A place where she could get her Little fix and be done?

He knew about Wilder and its proclivities. But did she want a Daddy in a long-term, permanent way? Temporary wasn’t what he was looking for. He’d been in that relationship many times before. It was fine for what it was, but now he wanted more. Now he wanted forever.