Chapter 6
Saylor stretched, feeling amazing. She’d slept better than she had for weeks. A few nightmares here and there, but each time, Max scared all the bad images away. Max.
At the thought of the charismatic man, Saylor turned over to see an empty pillow. Disappointment crashed over her. She reached out to see if his pillow was still warm or if he’d left hours ago. Paper crinkled under her fingers.
Grabbing the sheet from a yellow legal pad, Saylor smiled as she drew it toward her. Such a man thing to have this for his morning-after note. He left me a note.
Little girl,
You were sleeping so soundly when I had to leave.
I couldn’t make myself wake you. I’ll have maneuvers until five tonight.
I’d love to find you here when I get home.
I put your keys and a remote for the garage door on the kitchen island, along with your phone plugged into the charger.
Make yourself at home—shower, eat, watch TV, whatever you enjoy doing.
I won’t be available during training, or I’d tell you to call when you wake up so I can hear your voice.
I haven’t even left and I miss you already.
Daddy
Saylor hugged the letter to her chest before carefully straightening it out so she could hold on to it. Max’s lovemaking skills were magic. Deep inside, she knew it wasn’t just his technique, but how his interest in her had shown through. He definitely hadn’t treated her like a one-night stand.
What should she do? The thought of taking the day off from life and just hanging around here where she felt so safe sounded like heaven. That was easy to decide. She’d bask in Max’s… her daddy’s place.
Rolling out of bed, Saylor paused as she assessed the aftereffects of their lovemaking. Max had treated her like she was precious to him, but his body was super-sized everywhere. The hint of a smile curved her lips at how amazing sex with Max was.
She walked into his large bathroom and hesitated.
A shower would be quicker, but a bath sounded heavenly.
Without allowing herself to second-guess her decision, Saylor turned on the faucet in the claw-foot tub.
An image of leaning back on Max’s chest as his arms wrapped around her in steamy warm water popped into her mind.
She crossed her fingers that she could make that fantasy come true sometime.
As she’d walked through the house, Saylor had noticed a tall bookshelf against one wall. Curious to see what he enjoyed reading while eager to dive into a great story as she soaked, she turned to the vanity to grab a towel to wrap around her naked body and spotted herself in the mirror.
Saylor glowed with happiness. She walked closer.
Small marks from their lovemaking appeared on her skin.
A trail of small red spots appeared along her neck.
She remembered the delicious pull of his mouth on her skin as he kissed her and shivered as she traced the proof of their desire.
At her hips, faint bruises marked her skin where his powerful hands had tightened around her, tilting and lifting her to maximize her pleasure.
The sight turned her on completely. She wasn’t hurt—she was marked. By Max.
Grinning, she grabbed a big, thirsty towel from the rack.
After tucking it into place, she walked to the bookshelf and perused the spines.
Some mysteries and thrillers, a few military and historical books, and a few battered paperbacks that looked like he’d read them a million times.
Curious, Saylor tugged one out of its spot and froze. Taking Care of Your Baby.
The beautiful woman on the front cover wore short shorts and a T-shirt that draped off one shoulder. A stern-faced man stood behind her with a paddle. Oh, My, God. The thought stamped itself on her brain. This was a how-to manual for a daddy.
She turned and carried it back to the bathroom.
As she walked, she flipped through the pages and nearly ran into the wall when she noticed he’d taken notes in the margins with bits of information.
Eager to see what he thought was important, Saylor removed the material draped around her and folded the towel, placing it with the book on top on a stool she dragged over to the tub.
After turning off the water, she ran to the toilet to empty her bladder before sliding into the tub.
She relaxed against the back and closed her eyes, trying to ignore her overwhelming need to read Max’s book.
Her delaying tactics lasted about ninety seconds, and she dried her hands to pick up the volume safely.
An hour later, Saylor had reached chapter three, and the water had cooled.
She memorized the page number and closed the book.
“Seventy-six. Seventy-six. Seventy-six,” she chanted aloud as she dried her skin and ran back in the bedroom to search for the T-shirt she’d borrowed from Max.
Finding it folded neatly on the dresser, Saylor tugged it on and ran back for the book.
She read until her stomach demanded food.
Then, after raiding the fridge to find the least healthy items he had in his fridge, Saylor made a sandwich and poured a large glass of milk.
No wonder his body was chiseled with powerful muscles.
No chips, soda, or candy dared to fill the shelves of his pantry.
Remembering how devastatingly handsome he was, Saylor decided the no-junk-food decision for him made sense. A zing of caution flashed through her. His job was dangerous. Having him in the best shape was important. Somehow now, those boxes of healthy protein bars looked yummy.
She climbed up on the same stool she’d used for their late dinner the previous evening and decided this would be her stool. He’d told her to make herself at home, right? Eating her sandwich, she decided the least she could do for him was to have dinner ready for when he got home.
Saylor wasn’t a very good cook. She didn’t enjoy it and usually just ordered takeout. Maybe that’s what she should do? What would he like? Pizza? Too many carbs. Chinese? Didn’t that have a lot of salt?
There was that Italian place she loved so much. It was definitely not health food, but she surely she could find something that he’d enjoy. Grabbing her phone off the charger, Saylor stared at the message that appeared.
Hey, baby girl. I put my phone number in your phone and rang mine so I’d have your contact information at work. I hope that’s okay. Is it possible for me to miss you before I even leave this morning? Because I do. Please be there when I get home. I want to make you dinner.
He’d signed it Daddy.
She reread the message several times before texting back, There’s nowhere I’d rather be.
Without a class today, she had the day free.
If she had been back at her condo, Saylor would have slept in late and worked on evaluating the students’ drawings from last night.
Her car was in the garage. She could retrieve her portfolio and get to work.
Glancing over her shoulder at the book waiting for her, she decided to keep reading.
She hadn’t taken a day off from her teaching responsibilities in forever.
After cleaning up after herself, Saylor settled back down on the leather armchair that held a hint of Max’s scent.
The soft hide wrapped around her almost as if he were here to hug her.
The book in her hands fascinated her. She’d read a bunch of books written by women about someone little with a daddy.
The author had written this volume not for Littles, but for their daddies.
Understanding the psyche of men who wanted such total control required a complete turnaround of viewpoints.
The first hint she’d found of someone practicing age play had mesmerized her.
The idea of having someone who wanted to take care of her in many ways enticed her into reading and learning more.
She’d never been brave enough to visit an adult club to explore her desires or lucky enough to find a daddy. Until now.
As Saylor read, she found herself nodding along as the author described why he loved his little girl.
His depth of emotion sprang from his feelings for her as an adult woman as well as his ability to care for her at an intense level.
To help her enjoy life as a three-year-old with a caretaker instead of struggling with responsibilities.
He wanted her to be happy, healthy, and adored as only a daddy could treasure her.
Saylor didn’t have to wonder if Max was wired this same way.
The exclamation points and stars in the margins proved he did.
Highlighted passages showed her exactly what he considered to be important.
Some of his words turned her on while others made her blush.
Would she be brave enough to submit that fully to Max?
The rattle of the garage door made her realize the room held a few shadows. Saylor didn’t know where the day had flown. She stood up to go put the book back in the bookshelf, but the door opened. Trying to act casually, she slid the book behind her as she greeted Max.
“Hi! I’m sorry I lost track of time. I meant to cook you dinner.”
“No cooking, little girl. I’ll take care of that,” Max said as he prowled forward. “I smell horrible. I’ll shower after I kiss you.”
He gripped the chair arms and leaned forward to kiss her.
His mouth brushed hers softly before Max deepened the kiss.
Saylor wrapped her arms around his neck, stretching upward to get closer to the intoxicating exchange.
She didn’t understand how his kisses affected her so strongly compared to others in the past. Right now, she didn’t care.
A brief worry about the book flashed through her mind when Max scooped his hands under her thighs and picked her up from the chair. Saylor slid her tongue along the sensitive inner side of his lips to distract him. His moan rumbled through her.