“I always thought I was good at keeping my thoughts hidden.”
“Not from me, you aren’t,” he boasted. “Perhaps from others. But not me.”
“You see me,” she whispered.
“Yes. I am staring at you right now.”
She bit her lip so she didn’t grin. She didn’t want him to think she was laughing at him. There were times where he was very insightful, then there were other times like right now when he took something completely literally.
“No, I mean that you see inside me. And you’re not turned off by what you see.”
“Why would I be turned off?”
“Because my insides aren’t sunshine and sparkles. I don’t have a past filled with rainbows. It’s dark and stormy and most people would run a mile, Zander.”
He looked puzzled for a moment. “You mean that you have a dark past. And you think I shouldn’t want you because of that?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“And what do you think my past looks like?”
Well. She’d thought his childhood sounded strange but not dark like hers. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was so focused on herself that she couldn’t see him.
“I’ve been self-centered, haven’t I?”
He shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t say that. But there are things about me you don’t know. That might make you run.”
Impossible.
He stared down at her, studying her. “Why were you trying to make me spank you rather than write the lines?”
She shrugged. “Figured spanking would get it over and done with quicker.”
“Little Thief,” he warned.
“Crap.” She closed her eyes with a sigh. “This telling the truth stuff is hard. I didn’t want to write lines because I find it hard to write.”
“What do you mean, you find it hard?”
Be brave, Keira. You can do this. He’s not going to make fun of you.
Opening her eyes, she stared up at him. “I just . . . I have problems with writing. It’s not that I can’t write. I’m a good reader. And I’m really good with numbers. But my hand-writing is messy and I have bad associations with writing, I guess. At school, the teachers used to tell me I was lazy. So I stopped trying and I’ve never put much effort into it since.”
He just stared at her for a long moment. She braced herself for disappointment or judgment, but he just nodded. “Thank you for telling me, baby girl. That you told me the truth means a lot to me.”
That hard knot of tension inside her eased with his words. Soothing her.
“So since I can’t do lines and you’re not going to spank me, I guess that means no punishment for Keira.” She shook her head. “Luckily, I’ve learned my lesson. No more lying to Daddy or throwing pillows at him.”
He just snorted. “No, all that means is that we have to be more creative. Besides, you said you were happy with being spanked. All we need to do is get you more used to my touch. To me being close to you.”
She gulped at that.
“From now on, when you and Daddy are in a room together, we will be touching. That means I’ll be holding your hand. Or I’ll have my hand here.” He reached up and placed his hand around the back of her neck. Just lightly. Not aggressively.
But most definitely a show of possession.
Fuck. Why did she find that so sexy?