His lips twitched. “Not unless it becomes necessary.” Then he gave her a stern look. “But if it’s necessary for your health, it will happen.”
She snorted. “You have a weird sense of humor too.”
No, he didn’t. Because he wasn’t joking. But he didn’t think it was necessary to argue that point with her right now. He reached out and clasped hold of her hand. She was freezing. He took her pulse.
“Little one?”
“Yes, you have my permission to take care of me. You know, it sounds nice, which is weird ‘cause I want to be the one making the decisions, or so I thought.”
She was half-asleep. He knew she probably wouldn’t have admitted any of that if she’d been fully aware of what was going on. He slipped an arm under her legs and carefully picked her up. He remembered that she hadn’t been to the toilet yet. This was going to be slightly awkward. He really hoped she remembered later on that she had given him permission to look after her. He pushed the lid of the toilet down and sat on it, arranging her on his lap. Then he reached for the zip on her jeans and realized they didn’t have one.
“What sort of denim is this?” he asked. They were so thin, he could pretty much put his finger through it.
“They’re jeggings,” she said with a yawn. “Leggings that look like jeans.”
“How the hell are they supposed to keep you warm?”
“I’m from Florida. Not used to all this damn snow.”
“You should have warm clothing, a proper jacket, socks, boots, gloves, a hat.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she teased. He felt a surge of pleasure. She didn’t have a clue what that word did to him.
He lifted her up and pulled the jeggings off. He figured he might as well pull them completely off. Easier than doing it each time she needed to pee. He reached for panties. They were white with little pink hearts. Cute.
“What you doin’?” she slurred, patting at his hand ineffectively.
“You can’t go to the toilet with your panties on.”
He waited for a protest.
“Oh, yeah.” She giggled. “Guess not.”
She definitely wasn’t with it. He slid them down and left them around her knees then he stood and raised the seat, placing her down. He had to hold her steady or she would have fallen right off. She was practically asleep. She just sat there, doing nothing. Every so often a shiver racked her body. Damn it. He needed to get her back under the covers and warm.
“Ellie? Baby girl, you need to go.” He ran his hand down her back, trying to wake her up enough to get her to pee.
“Go where? Don’t wanna go. Like it here with you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He stood still. Shocked. His cock hardened even as his heart softened. Stupid. He didn’t know her. Plus, as soon as she could take care of herself, she’d be out
of here.
“So cuddly. You’re just like my own giant teddy bear.”
She hadn’t just said that, had she? He shook his head. If Clint or Kent could see him now…well, they’d probably be jealous as fuck.
He and Clint shared the same interests. Both of them were Daddy Doms. Kent was a Dom as well, he wanted a woman who would be submissive to him, who would allow him to lead.
“Had a teddy bear once,” she muttered.
Once? Where had it gone?
“My aunt gave it to me. Well, my great-aunt. I loved that bear.”
“Did you lose it, baby?” he asked gently.
“My mom threw it out. Said I was too old for it anymore.” He stilled his gentle massage. What the hell?
“How old were you?”