I licked my lips, tasting the path that his thumb had traced, as if it now had a different taste to it.
“I’m scared,” I hesitated before saying the name that made this pull between us feel so wrong and so right at the same time. “Daddy.”
His eyes slid closed as if me calling him that gave him pleasure in and that of itself.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to have a woman call me that.”
I drew in a deep breath. “You’ve never had a woman like me in a relationship like this before?”
“I have, but I asked them to call me Sir, not Daddy.”
“Why?” I asked, confused.
“Because I knew going into those relationships that they were temporary. In my mind, being a Daddy isn’t a temporary thing—not with children or to the woman I want to call me Daddy.”
My chest squeezed with a feeling so strong it nearly took my breath away. I wasn’t temporary to him. When he looked at me, he saw someone he wanted forever. He wanted me because of who I was. I didn’t have to hide the insecure, fragile little girl inside me from him.
The few dates I had been on in my past were disappointments. I was so nervous they would judge me on my love of stuffed animals, coloring, play dough, and princess movies, so I hid all that stuff away before they picked me up, just in case they got a glimpse inside my apartment.
I knew Hunter wouldn’t mind my affinity for childish things. He’d support my need to let go of the pressure being an adult put on me. Hunter wanted to be my safe space. He wanted to be myDaddy.
“I don’t know what to do.” I licked my lips and shivered as his eyes heated, watching the path my tongue took over my pouty flesh.
“Do you trust me, Angel?”
I nodded. “Yes, Daddy. I trust you,” I whispered, trying his name out. He liked when I called him Daddy, and I did too.
“Good girl,” he said gruffly, reaching up to push a lock of hair behind my ear. “We need a safe word. Something that you wouldn’t say out of nowhere. Something that tells me what I’m doing is too much or too intense for you, but it’s something you’ll easily remember.”
“Bananas,” I whispered.
Hunter grinned. “Bananas. I like it. It’s cute.”
“You say bananas, and I’ll back off. But,” he gave me a stern look. “Bananas is a serious word to use, Charley. You can’t use it willy-nilly to get out of a punishment. Do you understand me?”
I took a breath and nodded. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” he prompted.
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” Hunter stood up and took the plate back to the sink, leaving me on the pallet. Anticipation coursed through me. “Angel, I want you to stand up and strip down to your panties while I wash the dishes.”
I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I did what he said. I’d never been naked in front of a man before, and I battled my mind over whether I could do this. Hunter was washing the few dishes we used. My kitchen was far from put together, but he wanted to get it cleaned before we did whatever we were going to do.
I felt my core clench and melt as I watched him. He didn’t look at me, and I decided he did that on purpose. Hunter was giving me time to get my nerves under control and to process before we continued. His thoughtfulness helped me relax, and I reached for the zipper of my onesie pajamas.