He watched her take sliding steps toward the door.
“Don’t even think about it, baby. Come back here,” he said.
“No, I—”
She squealed and made a dash for the door when he started to get out of bed. He had his arm around her waist before she got the door open. He pressed the front of her body against the cool wood and smoothed her hair from one side of her neck.
“Were you going to run from me?” he murmured against her neck.
He smiled when her head tilted the other way giving him better access to her neck.
“Answer me, baby.”
“No … yes … I don’t know.”
He bit down on her shoulder. “Don’t ever run from me.”
Her hands flattened against the door. “I just wanted time. I’ve already disrupted your life so much. I didn’t want to make it worse because I’m being a baby.”
“You’re not being a baby. You’re going through a really rough time. Most people I know would feel like you do.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to deal with it,” she said.
“Let me put it this way. I want you to be a big part of my life, and part of that is taking care of you and your problems. I know it’s early to ask, but please try to trust me.”
“But I do trust you.”
“Can you come back to bed so I can hold you?” he asked.
She took several breaths. “I don’t think I can stay still, and I know I can’t go to sleep right now. Let me go out and watch a movie until I feel better.”
He snorted. “That’s not going to happen, baby.” He lifted her and took her back to bed.
“Jonah…”
“Easy. I’m going to make you feel better.”
“How?” she asked.
“Will you let me make love to you?”
“Oh. I … yes. Do you think that will make me feel better?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll take it as far as I think you need it.”
“What does that mean?”
“Women like you have a hard time expressing themselves, and problems feel more pronounced with you, so it’s up to the daddies to make their girls feel better.”
“Explain about daddies. I’ve called you that before, but I don’t know what it means.”
“It’s a type of relationship between a man and a woman. It’s when the man has control of almost everything, and the woman needs that kind of attention. It fits both people, and I know it would fit us.”
“Do you know others like that?” she asked.
“Yes, I know a lot of them. I also know that Nolan will be Caylee’s daddy.”
That shocked her for some reason but also made her feel better. “I’d like to try.”