Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Fiera left her shoes by the door and paced back and forth sock-footed in the living area of the cabin, trying to wrap her brain around what the heck had just happened. Master Mace had kissed her. And she’d liked it. She’d liked it so much she’d kissed him back.
What would have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted?
Her pussy pulsed in response to that question.
Her lips still tingled. She traced them with her finger, replaying the way his mouth had dominated hers.
Erwin had never kissed like that. Sure, she wasn’t the most experienced girl on the block, but no one had ever kissed her like that. Ever.
It figured the best kiss of her life would come from a Daddy she’d never see again once her vacation ended. Not that a relationship with him could work out between them anyway. He was so strong and steady, always in control of his actions.
He isn’t always in control, now is he?
She had to get a grip. He would never want to be with a Little like her. Steady and controlled rarely crossed her mind. As far as she was concerned, planning ahead was boring and it was a good thing because she never knew what to expect from her body.
The door opened, letting in a gust of cold air.
She scurried to the fireplace, too flustered by everything that had happened that day to think.
The fire needed tending, so she picked up two of the smaller logs and tossed them onto the glowing charred ones.
Bright orange embers flew out of the fireplace, landing on her hands and sleeves.
She yelped, more from alarm than pain, swinging her arms to get them off her. Master Mace rushed to her side. “Hold still. Let Daddy help you.”
Running his hands over her hands and arms, he didn’t stop until he was satisfied nothing could burn her.
Well, nothing except the heat of his glare.
“What did you think you were doing? You should know better than to ever touch the fireplace. You could have been burned. What if some of the charred logs had fallen out onto your feet? Sit your butt down in the chair by the couch while you still can. I’ll take care of the fire.
Then we need to talk about what happened outside, and about earlier today when you were playing tag.
I believe I told you there were more consequences to come, didn’t I? ”
Eyes wide, she swallowed hard, a mix of nerves and excitement skittering through her chest to her tummy, and then even lower. Was it normal to be excited by those words?
“Yes, Daddy,” she said, trying and failing to keep the quiver from her voice. Not wanting to make things worse, she sat quietly until he had a nice roaring fire.
After taking his coat from the floor where she’d dropped it, he hung it on the front door hook, then sat on the couch. He wore such a serious expression that her heart pounded. “First, I want to talk about what happened outside.”
The idea of talking about anything made her nervous. She sure as heck didn’t want to talk about what had happened in the woods. “I’m not sure what you mean. Can you be more specific?”
His brows rose, creasing his forehead again. “More specific?”
“Well, yes. I mean, we were outside a lot today. There was the lasso lesson and the freeze tag and the bonfire and—”
He cut her off. “The kiss, Fiera. I want to talk about the kiss. But don’t you worry, we’ll get to the freeze tag soon enough.”
Wow. That wasn’t ominous at all. She decided her best course of action was to stay silent. Pressing her lips together, she waited.
He stared at her mouth for a moment, then sighed. “I’m sorry I lost control like that in the woods. I shouldn’t have kissed you. We don’t know each other well enough. If you’d like Master Derek to place you with a different Daddy, I will understand.”
It was the best kiss she’d ever had in her life. Her toes curled just thinking about it. But it sounded like he didn’t feel the same. No surprise he wanted to get rid of her already.
She stared at her lap, biting the inside of her lip and blinking hard to keep herself from crying. The only thing worse than a Daddy who left after half a day was a Daddy who stayed because he felt sorry for her.
She nodded. Looking anywhere except him, she stood and backed away. “Right. That’s fine. I… um, I’ll talk to Master Derek tomorrow. Unless you’d rather have me go back to the guest rooms tonight. I can do that, too, if that’s what you want.”
That would give him plenty of time to find another Little for the rest of camp. One who wasn’t so much trouble and kissed better.
She’d turned to leave when he said, “Just where do you think you are going, young lady? If you know what’s good for you, you’ll sit your bottom back down in that chair.”
She spun around, her temper kicking in. “Can you make up your mind? I mean, either you want to be my Daddy, or you don’t. You just said you wanted me to talk to Master Derek about getting a new Daddy.”
He looked like she’d hit him in the face with one of the logs from the fire. “That is not what I said.”
“It is, too. You said you wished you hadn’t kissed me and that I should tell Master Derek I want a new Daddy.”
He had a scary scowl. Pointing to the chair she’d just vacated, he ordered, “I said no such thing. Now, sit.”
She didn’t want to mind him, but her legs apparently had a stronger sense of self-preservation. As if by magic, she found herself seated back in her chair. Not knowing what else to do, she stared at her lap again and waited.
“Let me try again. I enjoyed our kiss. You have the hottest damn mouth I’ve ever tasted.
What I was trying to say is, I didn’t want you to feel I was rushing into a relationship you aren’t ready for.
That is all. I have no desire for you to speak with Master Derek.
I simply wanted you to know you have that option if you want it. ”
“Why would I want a different Daddy?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
His lips twitched at the corners. “We’re on the same page then. That being said, I don’t want to rush anything. We need to get to know each other much better. Important things often take time to grow. If, hopefully when, we kiss again, it won’t be a surprise. Did I communicate better that time?”
Blushing, she nodded. “Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry I jumped to the worst conclusion. I guess it’s because in the past, the worst conclusion was usually the outcome I got.”
Mace held a hand out to her. “I would very much like for you to sit in my lap, babygirl. Would you like to do that?”
Was he kidding? That was the kind of contact with a Daddy she craved most. The kind she’d never had before.
In answer, she moved onto his lap. With his arm around her, she felt just like a real Little. His thighs were firm and strong. They probably got that way from riding horses most of his life. Lucky horses. She wouldn’t be opposed to him riding her.
And just like that, her pussy pulsed, and her nipples tightened. Great. The last thing she needed to do right now was squirm on his lap.
“You said in the past, the worst conclusion you could think of was usually the right one. What did you mean by that?”
Okay, her squirminess was officially gone. That happened any time she had to think about Erwin the Vermin.
“Erwin, my last Daddy… well, my only Daddy before you, blamed me for everything. It didn’t matter what it was.
Whether it was a big thing or a little thing, if he didn’t like it, then it was my fault.
It took me a long time to realize he was gaslighting me.
Eventually, I just agreed with him from the start because that was easier than arguing with him. ”
He stiffened behind her, his arm tightening around her waist. Did he think she was lying or making excuses? He wouldn’t be the first person who took Erwin’s side. Erwin was two different people. There was the person he showed to everyone else, and the one he showed to her.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. Did he punish you for those things?”
She relaxed against him. He believed her. He didn’t even know her, not really. And he still believed her. “Oh, he punished me all right.”
She didn’t like to think about Erwin’s punishments.
With him, every mistake, or imagined mistake, received a life sentence of punishments.
He never forgot. He never forgave. Even after she’d apologized a hundred times, usually for something she didn’t do, he’d pull something from the past to blindside her.
When she didn’t say anything else, Mace prodded. “Did he spank you? Or give you corner time? What did he do?”
Was his voice tighter? “He never spanked me. He said he’d read some of the novels on my eReader and knew that I liked spanking, so that wouldn’t be a punishment.”
Mace growled out a word that would get her mouth washed out with soap. “I’m gonna go ahead and say your last Daddy wasn’t a Daddy. He was a dick.”
She giggled. For the first time in over a year, she giggled about Erwin the Vermin.
Mace pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to ask you something I know in advance I’m not going to like the answer to. If he wouldn’t spank you, what did he do to punish you?”
Shame heated her face. She didn’t want her new Daddy, temporary though he was, to know what a spineless idiot she’d been. How could she have put up with the way Erwin treated her? She should have been stronger and kicked him out of her life sooner.
Her voice lowered to a whisper. “He liked the silent treatment. Sometimes he didn’t speak to me for days, even though we were living in the same house.
I cooked all the meals, did all the washing and cleaning, and paid the bills.
He sat in front of the television and ignored me.
He called it giving me time to reflect on my poor choices. ”
“Fuck. No wonder you tried to put logs on the fire. What else did he do?”
Fiera was ready to change the conversation.
She shrugged a shoulder, as if what she was about to share was no big deal.
“Stuff to embarrass me in public. Like, you know, telling people all the things I did wrong when we were out shopping or at restaurants, or calling me names and laughing at me in front of anyone who would listen.”
“Hold on. The people in your hometown listened while he mocked you and laughed at you?”
She didn’t want him thinking badly about her friends back home in Wilder, even though he’d never meet them. “Oh, he never talked to the people who live there. But Wilder gets a lot of visitors and through traffic because we’re close to Yellowstone National Park. He talked to them.”
“I think I’m going to look ol’ Erwin up and have a nice long chat with him one day soon.”
His words chilled her to the bone. She couldn’t ever let that happen. Master Mace had no idea what he was saying. But it meant the world to her that he would take her side… be so protective… it eased something deep inside her.
Wait. What had he just said? “How did you know my last Daddy’s name was Erwin?”
Mace didn’t even blink. “You told me earlier, little firefly.”
Before she could ask him when, he shifted her on his lap to face him.
“That’s enough for now. We have other things to discuss.
But before we get to that, there are a few things I want you to know.
First, I never use the silent treatment.
Not for a day. Not for an hour. Not for a minute.
Not ever. Even if you are standing in the corner, I will be there, and you can speak to me about anything that is important or bothering you.
I do not punish with rejection. Do you understand? ”
She understood, she just wasn’t sure she believed it. But he didn’t need to know that. So, she said, “Yes, Daddy.”
He studied her through narrowed eyes. “You don’t trust me yet, but you will.”
Maybe if they had more than a few days. Unfortunately, their time together was limited. That made her heart hurt.
“Now, second, I will never belittle you in public. Or in private, for that matter. I would never laugh at you or say things to hurt you. And I won’t let anyone else do it either.
I promise to keep you safe from that. A Daddy supports his Little and builds her up.
He doesn’t tear her down or make her doubt herself.
I am here to take care of you in every way I can. ”
He paused. Was he waiting for her to say something? Just in case, she said, “Thank you, Daddy.”
How was it possible she already felt safe with him? Confident and steady, he would be there to stand against life’s storms for whatever Little he asked to be with him forever. Too bad it wouldn’t be her.