He held out his hand. “One.”
“Daddy!”
“Two.”
She rushed forward and smacked the hairbrush into his hand. It was a wooden brush, and it landed with a slap.
Looking horrified, she gaped up at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. I swear. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Shh, baby girl. Shh,” he soothed. “Come here. You’re all right.” He drew her in, holding her tight as she shook in his arms. He hated that. That she was scared he might get angry at her.
This was why they needed clear rules and punishments.
He wrapped one hand around the back of her neck. “I will never punish you for an accident, understand me? I will always be clear about what rule is broken and why you are being punished. And you always have the right to say your safeword.”
She let out a deep sigh. “Okay.”
* * *
Keira was in heaven.
She wasn’t sure when she’d ever felt this good. Brush stroke after brush stroke went through her hair as she sat on a soft cushion on the floor between Zander’s open legs. She could nearly drift off to sleep as she sat here. But she had to stay awake for thePinky and the Brainmarathon. It was due to start in thirty minutes and she didn’t want to miss it.
Suddenly, she felt her hair being gently tugged, and she realized he was pulling it back into a ponytail.
“All right, up you come, baby girl.”
She half turned and then stood, with one arm keeping the dress down so she wouldn’t flash her bare ass at him. She went to sit next to him, but he shook his head and patted his knee. “Right here.”
Keira sat gingerly, but he wasn’t having that. He drew her sideways onto his lap, tucking her in against his chest. A shudder ran through her. “Are you cold?”
“A little,” she replied. She was. But she was also reacting to being so close to him. Grabbing the fluffy blanket from the end of the sofa, he tucked it over her.
“Shall we turn the TV on?” she asked. “There might be something on before thePinky and the Brainmarathon starts.”
“We need to get some things cleared up first.”
“Like what?” she asked.
He ran a finger down her cheeks. “Rules.”
“I don’t like rules.” She wrinkled her nose.
“I do. And I’m the Daddy, so I say there’re going to be rules.”
She let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “Fine, Daddy. You make one and then I’ll make one.”
“Nice try. That’s not how it works.”
She pouted. “It’s not fair if you get to make all the rules, Daddy.”
“And what sort of rules do you want?”
“Well, I was thinking that I should get to eat sour gummy worms whenever I want. And bowls of ice cream. Stuff like that.”
“Candy and ice cream are special treats given to good girls.”
Well. That sucked.