Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Connor sat in the parking lot behind the courthouse, Bliss crying in his lap, as he did his best to control his rage.
The first day of Bliss’s hearing had been one clusterfuck after another. The only good thing had been that, since this was Darling, the judge agreed to let him take the witness stand first so he could sit next to his babygirl for the rest of that farce.
Every time he glanced down at her, curled up and small against him, his chest tightened.
She looked fragile, like silk caught in a storm.
His jaw clenched. He’d be having words with some of those so-called witnesses who testified today.
No one disrespected his babygirl and walked away unscathed. Not ever.
The only one who had remained calm had been Raleigh. The man was unflappable. He questioned each witness who took the stand and did an excellent job of countering the picture Rochelle Talon and her minions had attempted to paint.
While Connor appreciated the calm and the strategy, nothing could extinguish the fire inside him. He had to sit there with his fists clenched, eager to protect her and to erase the lies that completely misrepresented everything his babygirl was to her children.
Their children, he corrected himself.
But even with all of Raleigh’s efforts, by the end of the day, DCS had depicted his girl as someone out of her depth who couldn't provide safe living conditions for the twins.
Ms. Talon had shown only the things she had found before he moved in with Bliss. She had made it sound like nothing had changed and implied that Bliss had neither the desire nor the ability to care for her children properly.
Bile rose in Connor’s throat. Each insinuation was a dagger aimed at his babygirl, and he’d been powerless to stop it in the courtroom.
Then Sandra Wainwright had taken the stand and cried…
fucking cried… on the stand about how the children came to Bundles of Joy in dirty clothes, soiled diapers, hungry, with no bottles or snacks provided by Bliss.
It was nothing but lies, but it was her word against Bliss’s since Sandra was the only worker in the room most of the time.
The most damning thing Talon had done was show pictures of Sadie with bruises on her legs and arms. They were clearly fake, but Raleigh hadn’t been able to get them thrown out. Connor wanted to storm up to that woman and rip her fucking head off.
He could feel his pulse drumming in his temples, a dangerous heat coursing through him. Rage was a living thing, trying to claw its way out, but he held it back. With clenched teeth, he reminded himself of the promise he made to protect, not destroy.
He had never wanted to hit a woman before. Not once. Until today.
He wouldn’t, of course. Not after the way he’d watched his dad beat the shit out of his mom on a regular basis. It was why he kept such tight control over himself and his emotions. Control was survival. And he needed it now more than ever because no one was allowed to treat his babygirl like that.
That was why he hadn’t trusted himself around Sadie, Sophie, and Nori.
But he was nothing like his dad. He’d cut off both his arms before he’d hurt one of those girls.
Connor’s hands gripped the cold steering wheel, but he could only feel the warmth radiating from Bliss in his lap.
She was his world, his responsibility, his heart beating outside his chest.
He wanted to give them the best life he could, one filled with love and joy and peace. In fact, he’d been working on a surprise for Bliss over the past two weeks. He had planned to show it to her on Christmas Eve, but after the day she’d had, he decided to do it today.
The thought of her smile, soft and genuine, pushed a bolt of need through him that settled in his groin. He’d move mountains for that smile. He’d started working on her surprise in the living room of his house in Arcadian Hills. And maybe, just maybe, he’d started moving her heart along the way.
She hadn’t moved since he’d pulled her onto his lap. Even more startling, she hadn’t spoken. Yeah, this surprise was just what his babygirl needed. Carrying her to the passenger side, he put her in the seat and buckled her seatbelt.
Before he got back in the car, he called Reid and asked him to keep the girls for a few more hours. He needed some time alone with his babygirl, free from interruptions. He would put the world on pause so he could remind her who she belonged to.
Bliss stared out the window on the way back to her house, lost in her thoughts. Trying to think of anything he could do to make her feel better, he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Try not to worry, babygirl.”
She didn’t take her eyes off the window. “I can worry if I want to.” She snapped at him in a tone of voice he’d never heard her use before.
It was like that, was it? That was okay. He knew exactly what his babygirl needed. She needed her Daddy to help her get rid of all the stress and emotions she had bottled up inside.
She’d been so brave today. He was proud of her. She’d stayed calm and still while all those people lied about her. She was no doubt sad, angry, and terrified. But she was stuffing all those feelings down, trying to be brave.
But that was his job now. Another part of his job was to give her a way to release all the pent-up anger and fear.
He could feel the tension in her. The little tremor of contained emotion in her hands The sharp inhale as her body tried to hold itself together.
He would dismantle all of that. Thoroughly.
Using his sternest Daddy voice, he put that plan into action. “I can’t make you not worry, little girl. But if you don’t change your tone, I can give you something new to worry about.”
His words vibrated through the car, thick and heavy, and she shifted slightly under his hand, the pulse in her neck betraying her racing heart.
Her fists clenched as they pulled up in front of her house. Perfect timing. “You aren’t the boss of me.”
With defiance etched in her glare, she dared him to prove her wrong, and he was happy to oblige. His lips curved, dangerous and slow. There was a lesson to be learned. And she would enjoy every moment of learning it.
“That’s two, Trouble. Be very careful what you say next.
” He parked the car, moving toward her door to help her out when she flung the door open with such force that it bounced back toward her, almost knocking her off her feet.
The faint laugh in his chest was nothing compared to the deep rumble of desire heating his blood.
He was on her in two steps. “That’s three. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Taking her by the hand, he led her into the house and straight to the bedroom.
She struggled against him, not really trying to break free from his grip. He kept moving through the bedroom and marched her into the bathroom. He had stashed his bag of toys in the closet, and she hadn’t even known it was there.
Connor’s mind raced through the possibilities, already savoring the way her body would respond, the way trust and anticipation would melt in the heat of what he had planned.
“I know you’ve had a hard day, but that is no excuse to be rude. Nor is it a free pass to treat other people’s things carelessly. Now it’s time for you to remember what happens when you choose to disobey the rules.” He kept his voice low and commanding, thick with the promise of consequences.
“Fine,” she snapped. “I’m sorry I hurt your precious door.”
His eyes glinted, slow amusement and dangerous satisfaction mixed in a potent cocktail. Oh, she was on a roll. This would be good. Very, very good.
He wondered how long it would take for her to regret her choices. His goal was to help her get out of her head and get rid of all the pent-up feelings she’d packed down tight all day. That being said, he had no intention of putting up with a brat.
Time to start step one of the plans he’d made in the car. Turning her to face the mirror over the sinks, he stepped behind her. “You looked beautiful in court today, Bliss. But these pants and jacket are much too grown-up for the way you’re behaving.”
First, he removed her jacket. Reaching around her waist, he worked to unfasten her pants. “I want you looking at yourself in the mirror, Trouble. Let’s see if we can give you something new to think about. Put your palms flat on the counter.”
He slid her pants past her hips, letting them fall and puddle at her feet. The sight of her bare legs under the bright bathroom light made his pulse spike. Vulnerable, exposed, and entirely his… it was intoxicating.
He pressed his cock against the crack of her ass, smiling when she shivered. He’d bet her nipples were pebbled, but he’d find out soon enough. “You won’t be needing these anymore, either.”
Hooking his thumbs in the elastic of the panties, he tugged those down as well. Her flush, hot and spreading, was everything he wanted. Embarrassment, arousal, and submission mixed into a single delicious reaction.
Her face was already flushed. Was that from embarrassment or arousal? He didn’t need to ask her. He could feel her body. Smell the sharp sweetness of her desire.
When her panties joined her pants around her ankles, she slid her hands off the counter to cover her pussy.
He smacked her ass twice on each cheek. “Did I tell you to move your hands, naughty girl?”
She squeaked and shook her head. “No, Daddy.”
“Put them back where they were. If you move them again, your punishment will increase.”
Once her hands were back in place, he took his time unbuttoning her blouse, then removing it and her bra. He’d been right. Her nipples were hard enough to cut glass. Perfect.
Connor’s cock throbbed in response, but he didn’t rush. Every second of hesitation, every deliberate touch, built the tension, the need, the delicious control.
“Step out of your pants, babygirl. You won’t be needing them anytime soon.” When she was free of them, he picked them up and put them with the rest of her clothes. “Now spread your legs wider apart and put your hands on top of your head.”
Her obedience, instant and precise, sparked a need that shot straight down his spine and ended in his cock. Who was being punished here?
“Good girl. Now do not move.”