Chapter Nine
The bright morning sun woke Angel the next day.
She blinked several times and tried to focus on the things around her.
It took longer than normal because she felt so good, so rested, in a way she never had before.
The mattress under her felt like a cocoon, and the masculine scent made her body warm and tingly.
It took her a moment to realize where she was, and when she did, she stiffened.
Oh, God. She slept with a man. The thought should have horrified her, except it was Thomas. The man who saved her and her animals, and the one she fell more in love with every day.
She rolled over and then gasped as the bathroom door opened, and Thomas walked out with a white towel wrapped around his lean hips, using another towel to dry his hair.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. His upper chest and arms were muscular and tan with a small patch of dark hair between his pectoral muscles.
Her eyes skimmed over him, and her palms itched to feel his warm skin. She’d noticed he had worn some kind of sleepwear, and his chest had been bare the night before, but it was dark, and she was so tired she couldn’t see straight.
Her gaze rose to his face and saw he was watching her stare at him. The blush that covered her face made it feel as though it was on fire. She wanted to dive under the blanket, but his eyes held her captive, making it impossible to move.
“I like your eyes on me, baby,” Thomas said.
The air got stuck in her throat before she forcefully exhaled.
He walked to the bed and sat down on the edge, putting one hand on her stomach. “How do you feel?”
She cleared her throat. “I feel good. Rested.”
“That’s good. I want you to plan on sleeping with me from now on,” he said. “I don’t think you’ll get the sleep you need without me holding you.”
Her eyes slid down his large arm to the hand that had settled on her stomach. It was next to impossible to pull her gaze from it.
“Why does looking at your hands make my body tingle?” she murmured under her breath and then sputtered when he looked surprised but also pleased. She hadn’t wanted to say that out loud.
“Because your body knows who it belongs to.”
Her eyes snapped to his. “I belong to you?”
He smiled and nodded. “Yes. Does that bother you?”
She thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. “No. I think I want that very much.”
“Good. Now, I want to talk about the type of relationship we’re going to have.”
“Okay,” she murmured.
“I know you’ve been sheltered your whole life and probably haven’t heard about a Big/Little relationship.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“It’s where the man is the one in charge. I’ll make all the decisions, but I’ll take care of you and make you happier than you ever thought possible. Would you like that, baby?”
“I think it sounds wonderful, but I’m not sure about not having any say in matters.”
“Oh, I’ll want your opinion on things,” he said. “And I’ll listen carefully, but I’ll be the one who makes the final decision.”
“Okay. What about s-s...” she stuttered, making him smile. The words were ones she’d never said before, and his chest kept distracting her.
“Sex?” he asked.
She nodded.
“We’ll definitely be having sex—a lot of it—but only when you’re ready.”
“How will I know when I’m ready?” she asked.
“You won’t, but I will. I don’t want you to worry about it. I just want you to get to know me better, so you’re relaxed.”
“I am relaxed,” she said.
His hand pressed down a bit, making her breath catch.
“You still get tense when I touch you,” he told her.
“Not because I don’t like it. It just makes my body feel weird.”
She watched as his eyes heated.
“Tell me how?”
She thought about it for a moment. “My stomach tightens and I feel shaky.”
“Is there anything else?” he asked.
She couldn’t help the blush that darkened her face. “Oh, well. Yeah. M-my secret parts ache and get wet, and my b-breasts change.”
“I like hearing that, baby. And please know that it’s perfectly normal to feel like that when you desire someone.”
“I’ve never thought about this kind of stuff,” she said.
“I already know that, baby. But I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’m going to take such good care of you, and all you have to do is trust me.”
Angel set her hand on his that lay on her stomach. “I already do.”
The gentle, affectionate smile on his face made her feel all mushy inside.
“That’s good. Our bond will grow with time. There’s something else I’d like you to do.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to call me Daddy,” he said.
Her eyes widened. “Daddy? But I thought you wanted me to be, you know, like a girlfriend or something.”
“Oh, you’re already my woman, and it’s not the kind of daddy you’re thinking of. In this type of relationship, many men want their littles to call them that as an endearment. In no way do I think of you as a daughter. It’s just an endearment, like Sweetheart or Honey.”
She thought about it a bit. “Yes. I can do that.”
He stared down at her, waiting.
She was confused for a second. “Oh, yes, Daddy. I can do that.”
The smile that brightened his face made her feel jittery with happiness that she’d been able to please him. She wanted to do more. She wanted to be everything he’d ever wanted in a woman.