“Umm, Bear?” she interrupted.
He took a deep breath in as though to calm himself. “Yes, baby?”
She played nervously with the covers. He loves you. Be brave. “What if I don’t want to live here? What if I didn’t want to just see you on the weekends?”
He looked thoughtful. “You saying you want to live with me?”
She sighed. Good, he understood. “Yes, please. I mean, if you want me to, that is. I can stay here if you don’t.” She bit at her lip worriedly. He reached out and pulled her lower lip free of her teeth. He rubbed it soothingly. Well, it was probably meant to be soothing, but it shot sparks of arousal at her clit.
“Baby girl, there’s nothing I want more than to have you with me. All the time. But are you sure you want that? I would be more than just your boyfriend. I’d also be your daddy, your Dom.”
She tried to pull herself up into a seated position. He ended up having to help her, arranging the pillows behind her so she could sit up comfortably. She was so tired.
“Bear, I know you’re worried that I’ll think you are controlling me like my parents. But I don’t see things that way at all. Because you are the opposite of them. You always put me first. You take care of me. You love me. And this sort of relationship is what I want as well. I’ve never felt safer than I did during those few days with you. That’s what I want. To be your Little girl. And to be your woman.”
“I want your promise if it ever gets too much or you find you don’t want to live in that sort of relationship anymore that you will tell me. Straight away.”
“It won’t,” she said quickly.
He gave her a stern look.
“But I will,” she added.
“Promise. And this time, I want you to keep your promise.”
She held out her pinky finger. “Pinky promise. I can never break a pinky promise.”
He rolled his eyes. But curled his pinky finger with hers. “I guess I should have made you pinky promise to go to the doctor.”
She grimaced. “Are you sure we can’t just wipe the slate clean and start again?”
“I don’t suppose we can,” he told her in a dry voice.
“Yeah, that’s what I was afraid you were going to say.”
He ran a finger over her cheek. “I’ll always put your health first, baby girl. I’m so glad that I found you that day. Because now you’ll be mine forever.”
“So, I’m coming back to the ranch to live with you?” she asked in a hopeful voice.
“There is nothing I want more.” He kissed her gently then sat back. “But there are things I haven’t told you about the ranch. Things about the way we live there.”
“Like Clint thinks he’s God and he gets to interfere in everybody’s relationships?”
He grinned. “Oh good. So, you already know about the worst of it.”
“Is he still here?”
Bear shook his head. “No. Clint is a work-a-holic. He hardly ever takes time off. You should probably be flattered that he took the time to come out and check on you himself.”
“Oh yeah, I’ll get right onto that right now.”
“On the ranch, Clint’s word is law. He can be an interfering bastard. But he really does want to take care of those he considers his. His great-great-grandfather started that ranch. He wanted a safe place to live with his wife, and her other husband.”
Her eyes widened. “She had two husbands?”
“Yep. And he only allowed like-minded people onto the ranch. Others who believed that men should be head of the household, which was
n’t such an odd thing back then, but they wanted a safe place for women to live. Women have always been cherished and protected on Sanctuary. And the men take all the responsibility. Make all the rules. And put their women over their knees when those rules aren’t followed.”