“No. I’m not a Daddy Dom. And Abby, she’s definitely a Little. She needs someone who will guide her out of her shell. She doesn’t need someone to tie her up, blindfold her and paddle her ass before fucking it.”
“Maybe she needs both,” Clint said quietly.
“No. Not Abby.” He ran his hand over his face.
“You’re attracted to her, though. You kissed her.”
“Yeah, and then I made a mistake and called myself her...her daddy. I don’t know why I said it. It must have been because I knew it was what she needs. I don’t know. But I couldn’t lead her on. She’s not a casual fling type and I can’t be what she needs.”
“And you don’t think she can be what you need,” Charlie said sadly.
“And yet, you send someone to check on her because Eden is worried. You put a new lock on her door. You order new tires for her car—”
“How did you know that?” he asked. They hadn’t even arrived yet.
Clint raised an eyebrow, his expression telling him he was an idiot. “I know everything that happens on this ranch. You care about this girl, you’re attracted to her, the only thing that doesn’t gel with you is that you don’t think you can be her daddy and you don’t think she can be your submissive in bed. That right?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“Bullshit.”
“What?” Kent glared at his brother.
“That’s bullshit. Kent, you haven’t been serious about a woman for years. Even the girlfriends you did have didn’t last long. Why was that?”
He shrugged. “We grew apart.”
“They weren’t fulfilling your needs,” Clint countered. “You may think you only want a sub in the bedroom, but you’re nearly as much of a control freak as I am.”
Kent snorted. He turned to share that joke with Charlie, but she was nodding. “You are. You just hide that part of you better than he does.”
“See no point in pretending to be something I’m not,” Clint said. “You can either love me or hate me.”
“I’m not a Daddy Dom. I travel all the time. I work crazy hours. I have a lot of responsibility. I can’t be responsible for a Little.”
“Just because someone is a Little, doesn’t mean they’re helpless,” Charlie countered. She frowned. “I’m not in this lifestyle twenty-four-seven. You know that.”
“Every relationship is different,” Clint said. “Not everyone could live the way we do. Even though Charlie isn’t Little all the time, I’m still the dominant one in our relationship. I make the rules. I enforce them. You know all this. And you might think you don’t want that, but I think you do. You can’t turn your dominance off at the bedroom door. And that’s part of the reason your relationships fell apart.”
“Because I was too controlling?”
“I like to think of it as protective,” Clint countered. “You’re looking at this all wrong. A Little is a responsibility, sure. But being a Daddy Dom, it’s all a stress relief. It helps me shut off everything else. I focus on Charlie. What she needs. And it feels right. It feels good.”
Charlie sent his brother a small smile.
“I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know if I want to do this.” Why hadn’t Macca called?
/> “If her Little side isn’t something you want, then it’s better you stay away from her. You have to want both parts.”
“I know that. It’s why I sent Macca to check on her.” His hands tightened into fists. Why hadn’t that bastard called him?
“Ah, you’re matchmaking. He’s a good choice.”
Charlie nodded her agreement. “Macca’s really sweet. Hot too.”
Clint scowled at her. “What are you doing, noticing how hot he is?”
“Oh, so you think he’s hot too?” Charlie teased.