“Are you all right?” What was wrong with him?
“The correct thing would be to feel bad about it. I don’t want you to think I’m like them. The men who hurt you. I would never want to harm you.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” she reassured him. “It just stung a bit. I know you weren’t trying to hurt me.”
“I know I should feel bad, but I like it,” he confessed. “I like my mark on you.”
“I like it too.”
He ran his finger over the mark he’d left on her neck again, and she shivered.
“Fuck, baby girl. I’ll try not to do it again. I need to find another way of marking you.”
“I really don’t care if you want to mark me.”
“Good, because I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
And she loved being his.
He turned her, and lightly grasped her face between his hands. “If I ever do something to scare you, then you say your safeword and get away from me, understand?”
“Zander, I don’t know why you think you don’t have control of yourself. I wouldn’t be here with you if I thought that you would harm me. I like the mark, it makes me feel like I’m yours.”
“You are mine.”
She raised her gaze at his firm words. She’d never get tired of hearing him say that.
Just then, her tummy gurgled. Great timing. Way to break a mood.
“I’m not doing a very good job as your Daddy. Come on, let’s settle you back in front of the television and I’ll go make you some dinner.”
After dinner, they watched some more episodes ofPinky and the Brain. Then before bed, she took a quick shower, although she kind of wished she’d asked for a bubble bath. Maybe tomorrow.
After dressing in her all-in-one mice pajamas, she left the bathroom.
And came to a stop.
There he stood in the middle of the room, dressed just in a pair of pajama bottoms.
He watched her, his eyebrow rising. “What are you supposed to do when you come into a room where I am?”
What was she supposed to do? She had no idea. Because right now all she could think about were . . .
“Abs.”
“Pardon?” He gave her a puzzled look.
Oh, holy embarrassment.
But she hadn’t gotten a good look at them until now. Was it a wonder she was so awe struck?
“I meant chest. No, pecs. No, that’s not what I mean. Lord, help me,” she muttered to herself.
Zander studied her, then looked down at himself before smirking. “You like what you see, baby girl?”
“Well, I’m not blind, you know. Maybe you could do something to cover all of that up.” She waved her hand at him.
“Cover all this up? Why? Is it distracting, Little Thief?” he murmured.