Chapter 2
Two
Kayleigh rubbed her eyes and then looked around confused.
She had fallen asleep on the couch, but she woke up in her own bed?
She vaguely remembered being carried to her room.
No, she had to have dreamt that. Just like she'd dreamed she'd been kissing Bastian and calling him Daddy! She’d never thought about him taking on such a role before. He always pushed her away from him, at least when she was still in high school, but one memory tightened her belly. Bastian had turned her over his knee after she drove home drunk, and he’d spanked her butt until it glowed pink.
Kayleigh bit down on her lip as she let the memory go.
He spanked her hard, and it had left a lasting reminder as he had promised.
Since then, she never drank without a plan on how to get home.
Her choice had been stupid and irresponsible on multiple levels.
She'd never forgotten the way he'd handled her.
Bastian had been serious about her infraction, and his hand had punctuated the fact.
After college, she'd moved closer to the Catskills, and he'd joined a corporate office specializing in criminal law down in Manhattan.
She smiled as she thought about his lovely face, and those amazing lips.
With how engaged her senses were with the memory of the dream, she could have sworn they had actually kissed, but she had stayed up later than she normally did. Maybe her brain had been on overload.
She got out of bed, relieved herself in the bathroom then padded out to the living room.
Sebastian grumbled as the wake-up alarm vibrated his cell phone.
He had stayed up much later than he'd originally intended, but he hoped the surprise he had in mind for Kay would be well-received.
She had been so adorable last night when he'd taken her to her bedroom, even more so than the last time he had seen her, though his knowledge of her secret desires could have enhanced her appearance.
With a muffled groan, he got out of bed.
There was a lot on his agenda today, and, hopefully, Kay would agree to take part in it.
Kayleigh looked under the Christmas tree as she passed through the living room. Her intention had been to reach the kitchen and make coffee, but she halted in her tracks. Where had those extra presents come from?
“Oh my god!”
She rushed over to the decorated tree and dropped to her knees.
Half a dozen packages, done up in cartoon kittens paper and bows, were tucked in front of the gifts she'd wrapped for her family.
They couldn't be real. Kayleigh fingered the pretty wrapping paper and dared to look at the gift tag.
It said her name! Holding it to her, now a tiny bit concerned, she stood and walked into the kitchen.
Someone left presents and brought breakfast too?
Cinnamon rolls, the makings for hot chocolate, including a big bag of marshmallows, and two boxes of donuts perched on the counter.
What in the world happened last night? Snatching up the letter, she was shocked to see a reply scrawled on it.
Dear Kayleigh,
I trust you have been a good girl this year, even with the unfortunate struggles you have been through. Sometimes what you are seeking is right in front of you. Enjoy the presents I left and be good.
Merry Christmas, S. C.
Kayleigh brushed away tears; her moment of happiness overwhelmed her good senses to check the house.
She carefully set the letter down, then unwrapped the first gift.
To her immense surprise, it contained several hair bows, an ornate wooden hairbrush, and three ribbons.
They were gorgeous. She raced into the living room and set to unwrapping the remaining ones.
Little bits of paper flew off her fingers as she pulled it off.
Coloring books, very detailed, fine-point markers and gel pens, several DVDs about magical princesses, and a few craft kits.
Who on earth could know her deepest secrets and what she longed for?
She'd always wanted someone to pamper her in such a way, but after the unfortunate events this past year, she hadn't dared seek anyone online or in person.
From down the hallway, she heard the guest bathroom door open.
Her excitement waned. Could it be Rhett playing some sort of prank on her?
No, her brother would never be mean, and he would have stayed in his old bedroom which was upstairs.
Besides, he was far away from the cold New York blizzard swirling outside.
Florida seemed like a different world for the moment.
She felt foolish for believing in a miracle, but her embarrassment quickly turned to anger.
In order to get to the bathroom, someone had to walk past where she had been sitting.
Someone saw her admiring the gifts. Gifts purposefully selected with a little mindset.
You wouldn't give a young kid these types of pens–very fine-point for some, and intricate ‘adult’ coloring books.
Her gaze settled on the wooden hairbrush, and suddenly its purpose took on a whole new meaning.
Shit. She hadn't thought of that earlier.
Some littles, particularly those with brattier sides, usually sought physical discipline.
Correction, sought what she wanted. Who knew she wanted a Daddy to take care of her in all the ways it implied and hold her responsible?
Bastian strutted into the living room, and her breath caught in her throat.
Of all of the people who could have been in her house, she'd never expected to see him.
She would have been less surprised if Santa himself came around the corner.
Bastian wore simple black lounge pants and a gray thermal shirt, but his whole body oozed sexiness.
His dark brown hair had grown out a little and salt and pepper specks showed at both of his temples while a few more strands shone throughout his short beard.
Heat flamed her face. She was ashamed he'd found her letter. S.C. didn't stand for Santa Claus. Nope, those were the initials of her long-time crush Sebastian Cruise.
Slowly, it dawned on her, from somewhere way back in her brain.
He’d lived here for a while, during the winters mainly, and kept up the house while her parents were away.
It didn't explain what he was doing here today.
Christmas Eve dinner had been officially canceled by Kayleigh herself.
Plus, an even bigger question remained. Why did he have all of these little presents in his possession?
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.
Sebastian cocked his head to the side, studying the sweet woman in front of him.
Her hair was done in two long pony-tails, and she had on the cutest set of pajamas.
Ones he hadn't observed last night during their brief encounter.
A green and red striped jumper with a reindeer face on the butt. Kay looked so damn cute.
“A storm kicked up out of nowhere last night. Your brother gave me permission to stay.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You seemed happy a minute ago. What's wrong?”
“It's not just a storm, it's a freaking blizzard, Bastian!” Kay threw her hands up, irritated at either him or the situation, but it was impossible to tell which. “So, you didn't come to check on me? Good.”
Sebastian crossed the distance between them and kissed her cheek. He saw a glimpse of sadness in her eyes, despite the defensive posture. Had she thought he was there just for her? He hated to be the source of her disappointment.
“The storm might trap me here for a few days. You think you can handle that?” Something flickered across her face, and he wished he hadn't thrown down such a crazy challenge. He knew better, but then again so did she.
“Pfft.” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but I don't think you can.”
“The last time we spent a few days alone together, I handled you pretty well.”
Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, and she bit down on her lower lip but only for a moment.
“I highly doubt that, Bastian. It's not like you're going to stick me in the corner and spank me if I give you a hard time.”
“Actually, that sums up my plan rather well.” He wrapped one arm around her waist. “Glad we're on the same page.”
“We are not!” Kay squeaked. “I don't even want you to be here, so you can just let go of me and march back to the guest room where you can stay until the snow melts.”
“Are you giving me an order, sweetheart? I don't think that's the brightest move on your part, especially not before I've got some caffeine in me.”
“No, actually I'm a bit overwhelmed.”
Bastian didn’t believe she was acting the least bit overwhelmed, but the gifts might have upset her instead of delighted her. “Are you?”
“No, I just didn’t expect to see you.” She huffed but her body relaxed a tiny bit. “Where were you headed anyway?” she asked.
“Coffee first.” He released her slowly. “Questions later.”
“I'll make us coffee.” She beat him to the kitchen, busying herself with the task. “I picked up different flavored creamers: Peppermint Kisses and Gingerbread Delight.”
The two of them stood at the counter, leaning awkwardly against it without either of them speaking.
Her gorgeous eyes darted to his several times and the sweetest blush tinged her cheeks.
The coffee finished its brewing cycle after what felt like an eternity of silence.
Sebastian grabbed two solid blue mugs with smiling snowmen dancing on them.
“Why didn't you go to Florida with your family?” He handed her a filled mug and she accepted with a smile before sinking down on one of the stools by the island.
“I don't want to talk about it.” Kay sniffed the aroma wafting from her mug and took a long sip. “Did you carry me to bed last night?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn't actually kiss you though, right?”
She chuckled but her pupils were huge. Something seemed off with her question, and he wondered if she were trying to search through her sleepy brain for the next inevitable conclusion about how she referred to him.
“You did.”
“Oh, well, whatever. At least I didn't call you Daddy.”
“Well, Kay, you did that too.”
Her mouth opened and closed several times, and somehow her pupils got even wider.
“Wait. Before you get defensive, listen to what I have to say.” Sebastian reached for her right hand and laced his fingers with hers. “I've been hoping to find someone who I could call my little girl for a very long time.”
“I can't be your little girl.” She tugged her hand, but he clapped his other one over hers. “I was just a stupid woman last night who was hoping for some stupid fucking holiday miracle. I didn't mean to call you Daddy. It won't happen again.”
“Kayleigh Mallory Cavett,” he stated with a growl, and she stopped fighting him. “We can talk about this after breakfast.”
“No, we won't be talking about it at all.
I'm going back to bed! When I decide to come back downstairs, I'll wrap up those gifts, and you can go and give them to someone much more deserving than me.” Her eyes shone with tears, her emotions betraying her actions. He didn’t believe for one minute that she actually wanted to send the pretty gifts away.
“I expect you to stay far away from me.”
“No, I won’t be staying away from you, princess. And you won’t be wrapping up anything. You deserve those presents just as much as anyone. I saw your beautiful eyes sparkling with excitement. They were meant for you.”
She stared up at him with her mouth pressed into a thin line. He wasn’t sure if she wanted to scoop up her wonderful treasures or throw them at him until he forced her to stop this tantrum.
“Let go of me, Bastian!” She started her fight anew, struggling against his grip. He released her, but he wanted to turn her right over his knee for this nonsense. She was hiding one of the most special parts of herself away, and worse, she thought she didn't deserve wonderful things.
“Go on and take a nap then. I'll come up and get you in an hour and we can restart your day.”
“I'll stay in bed as long as I damn well please.” Kay spun on her heel and stomped off, her sassy little hips swinging from side to side as she stormed away.
He decided to give her some space, and poured himself another cup of coffee. A loud thud and sharp cry pierced the silence of the house. He rushed to the landing of the stairs to see Kay sprawled out across several steps.
"What happened, Kay?”
She shook her head, huge tears falling down her cheeks. How she had managed to land face up while going up the stairs was a mystery of its own.
“I was going to come back down and talk to you, and I missed the stupid step.”
He would bet money her ego was more bruised than her body, but he scooped her up in his arms and walked into the living room. “Does anything hurt?”
“My-my heart.”
Sebastian set her down on the couch and brushed her eyes with the pads of his thumbs.
“Stay put. I'll top off your coffee and get us some of those cinnamon rolls.”
“You don't have to take care of me.”
“I want to take care of you, Kay.” He kissed her cheek and strode across the space to the kitchen.