Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
The aroma of coffee woke Fiera the next morning just as the sun began to rise, a ball of white fire ready to burn away the fog and dew. She didn’t remember going to bed the night before, but here she was in a twin bed covered in blankets with Sniffles by her side.
The last thing she remembered was sitting on his lap in the rocking chair and talking after he’d spanked her. She shot up in bed, the cool morning air tickling her skin.
Holy smackeroni! Her Daddy had spanked her last night! Throwing back the covers, she ran to the dresser to see if she could still see anything, but there was nothing to see except lily white skin. She squeezed her bottom, sending a thrill through her when it ached.
It had hurt last night, too. But then he’d held her and talked to her until she fell asleep. Is that what a real Daddy did? Were they all that way, or was it just Master Mace? She’d ignored his rules, he’d punished her, and then it was over.
Trying to squeal quietly, she skipped back to her bed and thought about last evening. He’d kissed her. She skimmed her finger over her lips. Her heart flipped at the memory of his mouth pressed against hers, firm but gentle.
The soft clap of cabinet drawers shutting and the scrape of chair legs on the wooden floor told her he was still in the kitchen. She dressed as fast as she could and headed to join him. The sight that met her stole her breath.
He rifled through the cabinets looking for something, his damp hair curling at the nape of his neck, barefoot with a gray Henley that matched the color of his eyes. He’d pushed up his sleeves, giving her the perfect view of his muscular forearms.
She must have made a noise because he looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Mornin’, firefly. You wanna help me find a decent size coffee cup? The only thing I’ve found so far looks like somethin’ I’d have to stick my pinky out to hold on to.”
Giggling, she crossed the room to look through the cabinets on the other side of the sink. “Oh, how about this one? It suits you.” She held up a man-sized mug that read, “I Hate Being Sexy but I’m a Cowboy and I Can’t Help It”.
Wiggling his eyebrows, he said, “Suits me, huh? Well, that’s good to know, babygirl. But I have a cup for you, too.”
He did? She bounced on her toes as she waited because jumping up and down would be gauche. “What does it say, Daddy?”
He held out a pink coffee cup with a sparkling crown. It read, “Daddy’s Little Princess.” Which was sweet and all, but it was kind of boring. Still, she didn’t want to be rude. She held out a hand and gave her best thank you. But when she reached for it, he lifted it too high for her to reach.
“I’m not done with it, babygirl. I’m going to make a cup of coffee for you, Daddy style.”
That sounded suspicious. “Will it be real coffee, Daddy? Or is this some kind of Daddy prank?”
“Didn’t I mention the rule last night about no pranking before coffee?”
She shook her head. She didn’t think Daddies ever let their Littles have coffee. She already had plans to sneak one from the cafeteria. Coffee was the only way to start a day that was worth anything.
He put her mug down by the coffeemaker. That was when she noticed the other things on the counter.
That morning, she had the best coffee of her life…
and it was only about half coffee. The rest was liquid deliciosity like maple syrup, chocolate syrup, coconut cream, and caramel. It was a Little dream come true.
After she took that first cautious sip, her eyes widened as the flavors all combined. “Oh my sweet baby biscuits,” she breathed reverently.
Master Mace leaned back against the counter, arms folding over that sinful Henley, watching her like he’d just roped the moon and tied it off with a neat bow. “That good, huh?”
She took another sip and let it linger, rolling over her tongue. “If you ever leave Rawhide Ranch, you should open a coffee shop. You’d be able to retire in no time.”
He chuckled low in his chest. “You plannin’ on drinkin’ enough of it to fund my retirement?”
“Daddy,” she said solemnly, cradling the mug to her chest, “I would sell my right kidney.” When his eyes shot into the stratosphere, she changed her statement. “Well, I would sell Erwin’s right kidney.”
“Easy, firefly. I think I’ll be able to finance my retirement without costing you a major organ.
” Grinning, he reached for her mug, tapping the rim of her cup before she could take another gulp.
“You need to pace yourself. First of all, you’re gonna burn your tongue.
And with the sugar rush you’re clocking up before breakfast, I’ll be wranglin’ you like a feral colt before morning snack time. ”
She gasped. He did not just say that. She slammed her hands to her hips and glared at him. “I am not feral.”
“Mm.” His eyes drifted down her body, slow and considering. “We’ll call that debatable.”
Heat licked up her neck as he took her in, slowly. Did he like what he saw? Oh, fark! She hadn’t even taken the time to brush her hair. Glancing at her bedroom door, she wondered how fast she could make it back to her room. Maybe the universe would give her a do-over of the last few minutes.
But the gleam in his eyes grabbed her attention. She’d read about that alpha protective look the Daddies gave their Littles. If she had read those parts correctly, that was the look on Master Mace’s face now. The one that all but shouted, “Mine.”
Just as soon as she recovered her ability to speak, she’d ask him. Instead, she took another gulp of her coffee. And choked.
He was by her side in a nanosecond, pounding on her back after setting her mug on the counter. “Firefly, you okay? You have to take smaller, slower sips like Daddy said.”
“I’m fine,” she assured, although she sounded like a croaking frog.
He grabbed a blanket off the back of a chair and jerked his chin toward the door. “C’mon. Let’s give the porch swing a try.”
There was a porch swing? How had she missed that? She loved swinging. Retrieving her mug and clutching her coffee like a sacred treasure, Fiera followed her Daddy.
The cool morning air kissed her cheeks as they stepped outside. The sun was still low, golden rays stretching through the trees, burning away the lingering mist. He settled into the wide wooden swing and pulled her down beside him, tucking the blanket over both their laps.
She tried to sit normally. She really did. But the wooden seat was hard, and her bottom was sorer than she’d thought. She shifted herself, carefully, to find a more comfortable spot, but there wasn’t one. Worse than that, her Daddy noticed.
His gaze flicked down. Then back up. After taking a swallow of his yucky black coffee, he stared straight ahead, lips twitching.
Her spine went stiff on instinct. He hadn’t missed anything. Groaning, she leaned forward, burying her face in her free hand. Great. Now she found a position that took the pressure off her bottom.
His fingers brushed lightly at the small of her back, just once, slow and grounding. She relaxed a fraction despite herself. But then, he asked, “How’re you feeling this morning, babygirl?”
“Fine!” She shot back up and pumped her legs to make the swing move. “I’m fine,” she repeated too quickly.
He studied her over the rim of his mug. “Fine like ‘I didn’t sleep’ fine? Or fine like ‘I learned something’ fine?”
She stared out at the woods. A woodpecker landed on a high branch and pecked at the wood. All in all, everything looked like it had the day before.
She didn’t feel the same at all. Her world had shifted completely.
“More like a ‘my bottom hurts, but I deserve it’ fine,” she admitted. “But I did learn something.”
“And what was that?”
“That…” She swallowed, heat rising again in her cheeks. Something steadier. “That you mean what you say, and rules aren’t to be broken.”
He nodded once.
“And?” he prompted gently.
“And that bad things don’t last forever.”
And they didn’t. Her punishment hadn’t been easy, but it was over. His hand shifted from her lower back to rest warm and solid at her hip beneath the blanket.
“That’s good, babygirl.”
She risked a glance at him. He wasn’t smiling or teasing now. He wasn’t smug or gloating. He was proud of her. And he didn’t mind telling her so.
“Now, you sittin’ that careful on purpose?”
She gasped. “I am not sittin’ careful!”
“Firefly.”
Grr. Why were Daddies so smart? “Well… maybe a little careful.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do about that.”
She squeaked when he pulled back her blanket and lifted her onto his lap, making sure her thighs were supporting her weight instead of her bottom. His thumb brushed the blanket once near her thigh. “We’ve got a full morning ahead. I know you’re gonna be my good girl for all the events and classes.”
Good girl. The words sent a ripple straight through her. But he hadn’t just called her a good girl. He’d called her his good girl. The ripple grew stronger and settled between her thighs.
“Yes, Daddy,” she said softly before she could stop herself. Did he still want her to call him that today? Maybe he’d been feeling sorry for her last night because she’d been in trouble.
His eyes darkened to a deep gray, and his arms tightened around her. He still liked her calling him Daddy.
“That’s what I thought,” he said.
They sat in silence for a while, steam curling from their cups. Usually, when people stopped talking, she grew tense, worrying they were upset with her. But this wasn’t like that. It was nice to swing with her Daddy. If he were upset with her, he would tell her. She didn’t have to worry.
Finally, Master Mace shifted slightly. “The first games start in about an hour. We have just enough time to eat some breakfast, then we can head to the campground.”
Her stomach fluttered. She was looking forward to seeing her new friends. She loved hanging out with Sadie, Wren, and Daisy. But they wouldn’t be the only people there. Laura would be there, too.
What if Laura were still angry with her? Would she make things awkward? Fiera didn’t handle conflicts well. She had two basic reactions: avoidance and annihilation. She stared at her coffee, running her finger around the rim of her cup, and worried.
“I know you want to get there early, so you have time to visit with your friends,” he added, voice easy. “You only have one more day after today, then camp will be over.”
Her chest tightened at his words. She’d almost forgotten this was all temporary. Her friends were temporary. And her Daddy was temporary. The word punched her ribs so hard that she should have a bruise.
Temporary Daddy. Temporary cabin. Temporary belonging to someone who cared about her. Nothing about this morning felt temporary. Nothing about the way he sat beside her.
Everything said she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Everything lied.
She lifted her chin. “I want to go.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Yeah?”
“I want to be there with you.” Because he was hers. At least for now.
Then he said it again, casually, almost under his breath. “That’s my good girl.”
Oh yes. For the next two days, she was his, and he was hers. It was all she could do not to bite him, so she’d have proof he was her Daddy.
Mine.
The words hit her square in the chest. He was hers. She pretended to take another sip of coffee. Pretended very hard. Anyone who saw her would say she was Little Miss Calm, Cool, and Collected. On the outside.
But inside? Inside, fireworks exploded in her chest.
He studied her over the rim of his mug. Did he know what he’d done? What she was now feeling? After what seemed like forever, he nodded. “Good,” he said finally. “Then we’ll get dressed and go get something to eat together.”
Together.
She liked how that sounded.
He set his cup aside and reached behind the chair, pulling something from the small side table. “Got somethin’ else for you.”
Her eyes widened immediately. “Is it edible?”
He barked a laugh. “Lord help me.”
He held out a soft, braided leather band with tiny silver beads worked into the pattern. At the ends were loops.
“Oh, wow! I love it!” She blinked and looked at the band again. “Um, what is it?”
He grinned. She loved it when he did that. Those deep dimples did explosive things to her blood pressure.
“For your sunglasses.” He pulled the pair he’d given her the day before from his pocket and slipped the loops over the arms. “This way, when you’re runnin’ around like a colt with a burr under its saddle, they won’t go flyin’ off your face.”
She couldn’t get past the word choice. “I do not run like a colt with a burr.”
He raised a brow.
She huffed.
He leaned forward and gently placed the sunglasses on her face, adjusting them with careful fingers. The leather band rested under her hair at the back of her neck.
“There,” he murmured. “I made it last night after you fell asleep.”
Her breath caught. “You made it?”
“Mm-hmm.”
While she’d been curled in the bed under the covers he’d tucked around her, he’d stayed awake and made something just for her. Something to make her day better. Her heart did a strange, expanding thing that made it hard to breathe.
“For me?”
“For you, firefly.”
She launched at him without thinking. Her arms wrapped around his neck, coffee sloshing dangerously in her other hand. He caught her automatically, one hand firm at her waist, the other steadying the mug before disaster struck.
“Easy, firefly.”
“I love it,” she whispered into his shoulder. “It’s perfect.”
He squeezed her once. “Figured it’d match that stubborn streak.”
She pulled back just enough to look at him. “I am not stubborn.”
“You are absolutely stubborn.”
“I am determined.”
He grinned. “There it is. Stubborn.”
Giving up, she hugged him again, tighter. His chin rested briefly on top of her head. For a second, the world shrank down to blankets tucked around her, caramel in her coffee, and the steady beat of his heart under her cheek. Temporary didn’t feel so loud right now.
He leaned back, brushing her white forelock from her eyes. “Finish your coffee. Then we’ll head down and see what kind of trouble you can get into in the cafeteria.”
“I do not get into trouble.”
“Firefly.”
“Fine… sometimes I do. Always accidentally, though.”
His laughter rolled across the porch, warm and deep. She settled back onto his lap, sunglasses now secure, leather band snug and safe. They could wait a few more minutes to get ready.
She didn’t have to sneak coffee from the cafeteria. She didn’t have to stay by herself in the main lodge. She wasn’t alone. She was spending the day with her Daddy.
He laced his fingers loosely with hers under the blanket, casual as anything. She squeezed back.
Yes. She wanted to be seen with this man. At least for now, he was hers.