Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
Z ale’s level of concern rose as he pulled into the driveway. Dusk had fallen, and the house was completely dark except for the light in the living room he had set on a timer. Had something happened to Pippa? Had she left?
He entered through the garage quietly and scanned the room. Pippa wasn’t in view. The family room and the kitchen appeared deserted. The TV was off. He could hear a faint scratching sound. It seemed to come from the area in front of the lamp.
Walking forward, he kept an eye out in every direction while he headed closer to the end table holding the light fixture. His shoulders sagged in relief when he spotted Pippa coloring. “You scared me…”
Her shriek cut off his statement as she scrambled up from the floor. She stared at him in abject terror.
“Kitten, it’s me. Zale. You’re okay. Didn’t you hear the garage door open?”
She shook her head rapidly. She didn’t move. Her eyes appeared unfocused as she rocked back and forth with her arms wrapped around herself.
“Pippa, it’s Daddy. You’re okay.” He walked forward slowly. “Can I hug you?” He stopped a few feet away when she didn’t answer.
“Kitten, Zale’s home. Did you color my stallion today?”
“Page twelve.”
“Yes, exactly, little girl. Did you color my stallion?” he repeated.
“No.” She shook her head again. This time, he saw her focus on him.
“There’s my kitten. Can I hold you? I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“Daddy!” Pippa rushed forward to wrap her arms around his waist, plastering herself against Zale. Pressing her lips to his, she kissed him over and over eagerly.
Zale stroked up and down her spine. “Now that’s a good welcome.”
“Sorry. I-I lost it a bit,” she confessed. “You’re so quiet. I didn’t hear your footsteps.”
“It’s okay, Pippa. Want me to stomp next time?” he teased.
When she nodded eagerly, he squeezed her close. “Why didn’t you turn on another light?”
“I didn’t realize that it was getting dark until that light popped on. That scared the crap out of me, too. I didn’t use to be this jumpy.”
“I think you have a pretty good reason to be skittish. Things should get easier for you. If they don’t, we’ll find someone for you to talk to,” he told her.
“I could talk to you.”
“You can always talk to me.”
“You’re stinky again.” She raised a hand to slap over her mouth. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth. Come on, kitten. Let me jump in the shower while you tell me about your day.”
Taking her hand, Zale led her down the hallway and into the large bathroom. He boosted her up onto the vanity. “Stay there out of the funky zone,” he teased.
Her giggles made him smile as he toed off his boots and stripped off his shirt. He held the material to his nose and grimaced. She was right. He smelled bad.
“What did you do? Did you take a bath?” he guessed, noting the towel on the edge of the tub as he unfastened his pants.
“I did. I love your tub, Daddy. It’s huge. I can straighten my legs and everything.”
“I’m glad. Did it help your soreness?”
She nodded shyly. In the bright light of the bathroom, her blush was adorable.
Zale stripped off his pants and briefs before tugging off his socks. He could feel her eyes on his body. Knowing she was already embarrassed, he didn’t look over to catch her ogling him, but walked to the shower and stepped inside. Zale was used to women finding him attractive—not in a conceited way, but in the way a man who’d always been physically fit was. Having Pippa admire his muscles meant way more than the random women he encountered every day. Her attention mattered more than anyone else.
Her presence was magnetic to him. Something had clicked inside him from the first moments they’d met. Now, with every passing hour they spent together, he discovered more to love about her.
“Daddy?”
Her voice drew him from his thoughts. “Yes, Pippa?”
“I was going to tell you about my day.”
“What did you enjoy the most?”
“The diary. I know it’s stupid, but I had all these worries and emotions jumbled up inside me. Getting them all written out seemed to tone down the noise inside my brain.”
“I’m glad. When you’re ready, maybe you’ll share some of it with me,” he suggested.
“Maybe? For now, I locked it up. It feels better to be able to write anything I want and know it’s private.”
“I’m glad. After a traumatic event, it’s important to have a way to get all that out. Keeping it private is good. I won’t peek unless something life threatening happens and I need to exhaust all possible information sources,” he promised as he finished his shower.
Pippa didn’t respond, and he guessed she was debating whether that was acceptable. He didn’t want to promise never to read it and then have to break that vow. Grabbing his towel and drying off, Zale stepped out of the shower to check on his silent Little. “Are you okay with that, Pippa?”
“I like having it private,” she answered stubbornly. “There’s a lock on it and everything.”
“And I will never read it unless there’s an emergency. That’s not likely to happen, but I don’t want to make you a promise I might not be able to keep.”
She studied his face before nodding. “Okay. That makes sense.”
“I’m glad.” He changed the conversation as he tied the towel around his waist. “You colored. Anything else?” Walking forward, he lifted her from the vanity and took her hand to move into the bedroom.
“I did laundry and hung up my new clothes in the guest room.”
“Why not in Daddy’s closet? It’s ours now.”
“Do I get to sleep with you all the time now?” she asked hesitantly.
“If you don’t, I’m cuddling with you in the guest bed or wherever you are,” he told her as he grabbed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
“I’ll move them,” she said quickly as he stepped into the shorts. “Um… Don’t you wear underwear?”
“I do. Does it bother you if I’m not?” he asked, curious about her thoughts.
“No. Doesn’t the material get stuck in your butt?”
“Sometimes. Guys prefer commando sometimes because it allows everything to breathe. That feels good, especially if I’ve been sweaty. Just like you shouldn’t wear panties to bed. Most of the time, skin is healthier if it is uncovered part of the day.”
“Really?” She looked at him skeptically.
“Yes. Now, if you’re on your period and need to wear protection or there’s some other reason, wearing panties is fine.”
“I can’t believe we’re talking about my period,” she whispered, her face turning an enchanting shade of pink.
“We will talk about everything, little girl. Your period is part of you. It is an integral part of your health. Because I think you’re embarrassed to tell me, you can jot down the brands and types of products you like. There’s a notepad on the kitchen counter I use for my grocery list. Put anything on there you need or want. I’ll pick it up for you or you can go shopping with me. Okay?”
“As soon as my security clearance is finished, I’ll get to start working. I can get all my stuff,” she rushed to assure him.
“Little girl. Do you really think I mind buying tampons for you? Come on. Let’s go have some dinner,” he suggested.
“No.”
“You’re not hungry?” he asked, deliberately misunderstanding her answer.
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m hungry. No, I don’t think you mind buying me tampons.”
“Good and good.”
Zale walked forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. Lifting her into the air, he squeezed her tightly in a giant bear hug before setting her feet gently back to the floor. “Give me another kiss. I had to go all day long without any.”
He kissed her gently. When her tongue traced the inner surface of his lips, Zale deepened the exchange. He craved her taste. Exploring her mouth, he tangled his tongue with hers, teasing it and celebrating when she engaged in the play. They were both breathing hard when he lifted his head.
“Before my good intentions evaporate, let’s get some food inside you,” Zale told her, forcing himself to step back.
“Maybe I like you with bad intentions,” she suggested, peeking up at him from under her lashes.
“Come on, temptress,” he said with a smile. She was simply adorable. He noticed the rubber band on her finger. “What’s this?”
“That’s the key to my diary. I don’t want to lose it.”
“Let’s put that on something else.” He thought quickly. “How about a keychain?”
“That would work. That would be bigger. I wouldn’t lose it.”
“I think I got one with the base logo on it.” He walked to the door out to the garage and plucked something off the line of hooks. “This one has the house key on it too. You need one of these. How about if we put your diary key on it, too?”
“Do I have to leave it on the hook?” she asked.
He could hear the uncertainty in her voice. Zale assured her, “No. That makes me think. You need something to carry your stuff in. If you don’t mind having an unconventional purse, I have a sling bag in my closet that you could use. It goes across you like this.” He demonstrated, drawing a line diagonally across his torso from his shoulder to his opposite hip.
“That frees you to carry Toothie and hold your daddy’s hand at the same time.”
“I’d love to borrow it,” she answered with a smile.
“I’ll get it later. For now, can we set it here?” Zale asked, placing the keychain with the normal-size key and the small diary key on the island.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re very welcome, kitten. Ask for anything you need. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered and smiled.
That smile went right to his heart. It took a lot to frighten Zale. He’d dealt with mortal wounds, harrowing situations, and way too many close calls in his job. Seeing her shut down out of terror this evening had taken at least a year off his life. He loved seeing her happy.
After one more kiss, Zale forced himself to see to dinner. With potatoes cooking in the microwave, Zale stepped outside to heat up the grill. He’d placed a package of chicken wings in the refrigerator to thaw that morning. With the addition of a few grilled vegetables, they’d have a nutritious dinner.
“I could have made something,” she offered, watching him toss the vegetables and chicken in a quick sauce he concocted.
“No cooking for you, little girl. That’s Daddy’s job.”
“But I like to cook.”
“What’s your favorite thing to make? Perhaps we can work on a few things in the kitchen together,” Zale suggested.
“I like those marshmallow bars made with the breakfast cereal and that snack mix that has Worcestershire sauce on it. I’m not good at veggie or meat things.”
“It sounds like you’re going to eat healthier here. What are your favorite veggies?”
“I like lettuce. Not the weeds kind, but the stuff that’s lighter green.”
“Iceberg?”
“Yeah, that’s it. And baby carrots with ranch dressing. Potatoes are okay.”
“You need more variety in your diet, kitten, to be healthy and strong. We’ll experiment with others to see what you like. Maybe your daddy can cook them, so you like the flavor of a few more.”
He squashed down a laugh at the pure skepticism on her face. “I want you to be healthy, so you feel good and live for a very long time. I just found you.”
Zale saw thoughts flit across her expressive face. He loved watching her process things. After dropping a kiss on her head, he headed outside to put everything on the grill.
When he returned in a few minutes, Zale didn’t say anymore on the subject. He knew that nutrition was the key for his body to function at the highest levels. Hopefully, she’d notice that she had more energy with something other than snack mix and marshmallow treats in her system.
“Okay,” she said with a heavy sigh.
“Okay?”
“I’ll try some new things.”
“Thank you, kitten. Would you like to set the table for Daddy?”
“Yes, please.” She jumped at the opportunity to help.
He checked on the grill and flipped everything while she set the plates and silverware on the table. When he returned, Zale announced, “Five minutes. Chocolate in your milk?”
“Just some iced tea for me.”
“No caffeine, kitten. Regular or chocolate milk?”
“Chocolate,” she chose with another loud sigh.
He made a mental note to himself. So far, he’d earned one eye roll and two sighs. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a pad of paper. They’d work on rules after dinner.