Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
H er fingers tightened on the tablet as he tried to take it away. He released the corner of the tablet he held and studied the enchanting picture she made. It hadn’t taken her long to fall back to sleep. He’d only been in the shower for five minutes. Turning, he grabbed a soft blanket from the chest at the bottom of the bed and spread it over her.
Zale tiptoed quietly from the room. He worked on getting dinner together. Without a clue to what she liked, he decided on spaghetti. After that workout today, he could eat a few carbs without messing up the normal nutritional guidelines he tried to follow to stay in top physical shape. And everyone liked spaghetti, right?
Just as the water started boiling, he heard a whisper of noise. Glancing up, he smiled at the adorable picture in front of him. “Hi, kitten.”
“Hi. I feel asleep again. Sorry.” Pippa rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“I’m glad you got some rest. You don’t need to feel sorry about anything. You definitely haven’t had a normal sleep cycle recently. It’s going to take time to recharge your batteries and slough off the stress. Come sit down. I’ll get you something to drink.”
“Do you have a soft drink? A cola?”
“Sorry. I don’t drink those. Too many chemicals. Let me get you a glass of milk,” Zale said. He adjusted the temperature under the boiling pot so it wouldn’t run over before grabbing the milk from the refrigerator.
Grabbing two glasses, he poured two tall glasses of the creamy white liquid. He set one in front of Pippa and saw her wrinkle her nose. “Not a milk fan?”
“I haven’t had a glass of milk since I was in school, and they made you take a carton at lunch.”
“Those things were always impossible to open. They were also crazy difficult to keep cold and tasted like cardboard. Try this. If you don’t like it, I have a secret weapon.”
“You’re going to hold me at gunpoint until I drink my milk?” she teased.
“Not that kind of secret weapon,” he said with a laugh before triggering the icemaker on the fridge and dispensing a couple of ice cubes into his hand. He slid those into her glass.
“Ice? Really? That’s going to make the difference?”
“It does for me,” he told her honestly.
Zale watched her take a drink and freeze. When she looked back up at him in shock, he knew she liked it better. He added, “See. Secret weapon. Let me get the pasta in. Everything else is ready.”
“You went to so much work.”
“Not at all. I need to eat, too. I usually cook a big pot of something and munch on it for a few days. What are your favorite foods?”
“I’m easy. I like about everything. Vegetables aren’t my favorite,” she confessed.
“I’ll see if I can change your mind about that, too. Any allergies?”
“Only to fall leaves back home. Who knows if anything around here will affect me?”
Easy conversation filled the time as the noodles cooked. When he pulled the large pot off the stove, Pippa jumped to her feet.
“Let me help,” she requested.
“Sit back down, little girl. This is too hot. I don’t want you to get burnt.”
Nodding quickly, she slid back onto the chair pulled up to the island.
“I feel funny just sitting here while you work,” she said.
“Little girls don’t make dinner. I appreciate your company. And it’s always so much more fun cooking for two instead of for one.”
Zale dished up spaghetti and sauce for them both. Looking up to ask her how many meatballs she could eat, he found her staring at him. “Is everything okay, Pippa?”
“I think I’ll have bruises all over my arms. I keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
“Why, sweetheart?” Zale set the tongs down and moved around the island to her side. Pippa was adorable, with her braided hair and big green eyes. He stroked a hand down her shoulder and arm as he waited for her to answer.
“I survived the worst nightmare of my life, and you appeared. You’re absolutely everything on my list of dreams, Daddy. Hell, I didn’t know daddies even existed until today.”
“Language, little girl,” he warned.
“Like that!” She waved her other arm around. “Who would correct me for using a bad word?” Pippa moved to pinch herself again, and he wrapped his hand around hers to prevent it.
“We’re going to deal with what happened to you—make sure he pays and alert the authorities to search for other victims. Then, we’re going to make sure you’re okay here,” he tapped her forehead before touching a finger to her T-shirt, slightly off-center of her chest, “and here.”
“What’s next after that?” she demanded.
“I’m going to keep you close and do my damnedest to convince you I’m your daddy and you’re my little girl because I plan to keep you.”
He saw the tension ease from her face. The lines at the corner of her mouth and between her eyebrows faded. Pippa stood on the rung of the stool underneath her and wrapped her arms around him. He lifted her up into his arms and rubbed her back.
“I want to be your little girl more than anything,” she whispered against his neck.
“Then let’s make that happen.”
Her stomach growled loudly. Pippa pulled back to look at him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin the moment.”
“You couldn’t spoil anything, kitten. I just need to feed you.” Holding her close, Zale circled the island and picked up one bowl of spaghetti. He carried it to the table and sat down with Pippa cuddled on his lap.
He could sense her gaze on him as he twirled the fork into the noodles. Lifting the utensil to her mouth, he urged, “Let me take care of you, Pippa. Eat.”
Her mouth opened slowly. Zale made airplane noises, making her laugh as he fed her the bite. “That’s my girl. Is it okay for us to share this bowl? I don’t have anything I can give you. It’s the routine that we get tested regularly.”
A blush spread over her cheeks. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “I’m a virgin. Do I have to be tested?”
He kept himself from reacting. What an incredibly strong young woman he’d found. “You don’t need to be screened for anything if you’ve never had sexual contact of any kind.”
“I couldn’t find what I wanted. Until now.”
“Suddenly I feel like the luckiest man on Earth. Have another bite, kitten.”
“It’s your turn,” she protested.
“Daddy will take a bite next,” he promised her, and he did.
They made it through almost two bowls of spaghetti before they were both groaning. While he cleaned up, Zale sent her to potty and brush her teeth. Keeping her eyes open during the movie quickly became impossible. Pippa gave up and listened to the sounds. Waking up when Zale carried her down the hall to the guest room, she tightened her arms around his neck.
“I want to stay with you,” she whispered.
“Daddy’s bed it is,” Zale announced softly and carried her into the master bedroom.
Standing her next to the bed, he stripped off her leggings before tucking Pippa into bed. He knew she was too exhausted to stay awake while he made sure the house was locked up for the night. He smiled as her hand moved restlessly across the sheets and knew what she needed. Zale tucked Toothie into her arms and watched her pull the stuffie to her heart. Her expression relaxed and her breathing slowed.
Zale pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Sleep well, kitten.”
Soft snuffling snores drifted from the lump under the covers when he returned to the bedroom. Pippa was fast asleep.