Chapter 10 #2
She nods. “They’re not long.” She holds up the book in her hand. “I loved this series when I was a kid. I read all of them over and over. They had them in my school library.”
“I’m glad I happen to have something you like. I guess you love to read, huh?”
“Yes,” she murmurs. “I’ll put them all back. I promise.”
“Angel, I’m not worried about the books or the mess. Don’t fret. It’s fine, but wouldn’t you be more comfortable reading in bed? I don’t mind if you turn the light on. It’s hard on your eyes to read under the window.”
“I like it by the window. It makes me feel less…”
“Claustrophobic?” I supply.
She shrugs.
“Tomorrow I’ll get you a nightlight and a lamp for the nightstand. I can get you a reading light, too. Something that hooks onto your book so you can see better.”
She bites that pretty lip again.
I tip my head to the side. “You don’t like the bed, do you?”
“It’s fine. It’s so pretty.”
“But you’re not going to sleep in it, are you?”
She doesn’t answer.
I take in the nest she’s made, reminding myself that everything from the bed is on the floor.
She was never going to get in bed. “Is it the window, Little one? Do you want me to move the bed to the window?” Fuck, I’ll do that right now if it’s what she wants.
“That way you’ll have the lights and be comfortable. ”
“No, it’s fine like this.”
I reach up and rub my beard. “Is the mattress too hard, Little one?”
She shakes her head, but she’s fidgeting now. She’s panicking. There’s something she’s not telling me, and I feel like a dolt that I can’t figure it out.
“Eloise, angel, please tell me what I can do to fix this. I want you to be comfortable. I’ll feel bad if you sleep on the floor.”
She sniffles, and I hate that I’ve made her cry. Fuck. Finally, she says, “It’s too far off the floor.”
“The bed, angel?”
She nods. “I’m fine here. I promise.”
I stare at her for long moments, processing.
My girl doesn’t want to be three feet off the floor.
Fucking fuck. Wherever she’s been for four years, she didn’t have a bed.
I will absolutely kill whoever did this to her with my bare fucking hands, but long and slow.
I want the asshole to suffer while I snuff the light out of his dark, ugly, cruel body.
Suddenly, I have an idea. “What if I move the mattress to the corner under the window?”
She sucks in a breath. “I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Little one. Will you sleep on the mattress if I move it over there?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
I fully enter the room and easily lift the mattress off the frame of the daybed. As I carry it over to the corner, Eloise scrambles to move everything out of the way. A lot of it is on top of the comforter, so she drags it several feet away.
I lower the mattress to the floor and push it flush against the corner. When I’m done, I get down on my knees and help her arrange all the dolls and stuffed animals along the two walls, leaving a spot in the very corner for Eloise. I pile it with pillows next.
Kneeling on one side of the mattress, I turn to smile at her. “Better?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Were you reading to your friends, Little one?”
She shakes her head. Her mess of curls flies around her shoulders. She’s fucking precious. “No. I didn’t want to wake you. I was pretending to read out loud.”
“Could I read to you for a while, Little one?”
She hesitates before finally nodding.
If I die tonight, I will be a happy man. My world is a hundred times richer than it was twenty hours ago. There’s a light on now where before was mostly darkness.
I climb into the corner, prop myself against the pillows, and extend my legs before reaching out a hand. “Come, Little one. What are we reading?”
She picks up the book that was in her hands before and extends it to me as she drops down to crawl toward me. “It’s babyish. Are you sure you want to read it?”
“There’s nothing wrong with babyish books. I will enjoy reading anything you want me to read to you. I don’t care whether it’s Moby Dick or one of these babysitting books.”
“Do you have Moby Dick?” she asks, positioning herself next to my extended legs.
“Sure. High school reading. I thought it was intriguing, so I kept it. Am I a dork?”
She doesn’t answer my question or laugh at my silly joke. She meets my gaze and says, “Can I read it sometime?”
My eyes widen. “You want to read Moby Dick?”
“I was supposed to read it in high school, but I never got the chance to finish it. I only read the first chapter.”
Why? What the hell happened after that? Did she not finish high school?
I pat the mattress next to my hip. When she turns to sit against the wall with me, I wrap an arm around her and pull her flush against my side. This all feels so perfect. Everything is right in my world.
I kiss the top of her head. “You may read anything you want, Little one. I have an entire bookshelf in my office filled with odd books I never wanted to part with. You can peruse them and pick out whatever interests you. If I don’t have it, we can get a copy. Have you ever used an e-reader?”
She shakes her head against my chest. “I’ve never had one.”
“I’ll get you one first thing in the morning. What about a phone? I haven’t seen your cell phone.”
“I’ve never had a phone either.”
It’s so hard not to react. I remain still, though, hugging her close and lowering my face to the top of her head. “We’ll get you a phone tomorrow, too.”
“You can’t do that, silly. Those are expensive. I wouldn’t be able to take your phone when I leave.”
So, don’t leave. Don’t ever leave.
“No need to worry about it tonight.” I pull the comforter over our legs.
I’m surprised Eloise isn’t more self-conscious about her sheer nightgown and its length. She’s sexy as fuck, and she doesn’t seem to know or care. Plus, the nightie is so short that I’ve been staring at her legs.
It’s better for me to cover them, or I’ll be too distracted to read the book. “Do you mind if I start from the beginning so I won’t be lost?”
She giggles. “Of course.”
I take a chance and reach over to grab the doll I suspect was in her lap when I walked in. I settle it on her thighs.
Eloise glances at me and then wraps an arm around the doll, securing her.
I reach over and adjust the doll slightly. “She can’t see the book if you don’t face her in this direction,” I point out.
Eloise’s breath hitches, and then she snuggles into me again, harder this time. “Thank you,” she whispers.
I hold the book down as if both Eloise and the doll need to be able to follow.
It’s not a picture book, but it’s still youthful.
Apparently, my girl is a huge reader and a fan of books for all ages.
She was clearly enjoying all these books more appropriate for elementary school, and yet, she also lit up at the prospect of finishing Moby Dick.
I clear my throat and start reading from the beginning, keeping an eye on Eloise occasionally. It doesn’t take long for her to fall asleep, and when she does, I slowly lower my voice so the lull of it doesn’t stop abruptly.
I don’t move for a long time. Holding her and staring at her peaceful face is enough to make me nearly choke up. My girl has no fucking idea what it means to be Little, but she went to a lot of trouble to bring all these friends over to the corner so she could read to them.
My heart is full.
I wouldn’t care if Eloise never showed any interest in age play, but fuck me sideways. I’d bet my wallet she’s got a Little side just waiting to come out and play.