His mouth twitched, almost a smile. “The only way you mess it up is by not telling me what you need.” He took both my hands. “We go at your pace, always. If anything is too much, you say stop or you say red. That’s your safe word. Red and I stop immediately. No questions, no disappointment, nothing. Are we clear?”
“Red,” I echoed, licking my lips. “Okay. I can do that.”
He let go and thumbed my cheek, softer than I thought someone like him could be. “You can. And there’s more. If you change your mind, at any point, about anything—you tell me.”
It was everything I’d ever wanted to hear. No one had ever asked what I wanted and meant it. Not once.
I nodded. Couldn’t say anything else.
“Tell me what you need, princess.”
I couldn’t look away. It felt like falling, but not in a scary way. I clutched Mr. Snuggles to my chest and said, “I want…I want tobe yours. I want you to take care of me.” My face was on fire, but I didn’t care. “I want you to touch me everywhere.”
His breath came out rough, like I’d punched him. “Come here.” He took the stuffie and set him gently on the pillow, then hauled me up and into his arms.
I went weightless. He carried me to the head of the bed, set me down, and just looked at me. His hands cupped my jaw, thumbs tracing my cheekbones. I didn’t dare move. I was shaking so badly I couldn’t have moved even if I wanted to.
“You’re safe,” he promised. “Nothing bad happens here. Not ever. You want to stop, you say red. You need a break, you say yellow. If you want more, tell Daddy.”
The words hit me hard. I squeezed my eyes shut, dizzy with how much I wanted him.
He pulled back a little and smiled, slow and dark. “You want Daddy to take care of everything?”
I nodded. My cheeks felt like they were on fire, but I couldn’t help nodding again, harder this time. I wanted it—the rules, the touch, his voice in my ear making me small. I wanted all of it.
He pushed the hoodie sleeves up my arms, his hands big and warm, moving slowly but deliberately. I shivered. I think he liked that. “Hands up,” he growled, and I obeyed without even thinking, arms above my head. He tugged the hoodie over my head like I weighed nothing, then ran his hands down my arms, slowly, like he was savoring every inch.
Underneath, I still had the bunny t-shirt on. He just stared at it for a second, the muscles in his jaw working, then smoothed his palm over my breasts. “You look so pretty in this. Did you like wearing it today?”
I could barely breathe. “Yeah,” I whispered. My whole body was shaking now. “It’s soft. It feels like…you picked it just for me.”
He exhaled, rough and low. “I did, princess. All of it. Every damn thing in that box. I wanted to see you like this.” His hands traced the sides of my waist, making me clutch the sheets so I wouldn’t float away. I felt ridiculous, but I didn’t care. I just wanted him to touch me more, everywhere, all at once.
He leaned in, mouth at my ear. “You want Daddy to take care of these too?” His fingers brushed over my leggings, right at the waistband, teasing but not pulling. I whimpered.
“Please,” I managed. The word came out broken.
He made a noise in the back of his throat and slid the leggings down slowly, careful not to hurt me. My skin felt like it was going to catch fire, the air cold on my legs but his touch so hot I almost cried. He left the fuzzy socks on, and I could see the way his eyes darkened at the sight.
“Good girl,” he whispered. “Such a good girl for me.”
I thought I’d die, right then, just from hearing him say it. It was everything I’d ever wanted, but I didn’t know how to ask for more without sounding desperate.
He didn’t wait for me to find the words. He curled me into his lap, my knees straddling his hips, and he kissed my cheek, then my jaw, then the tip of my nose. “Tell me if it’s too much,” he warned. “Say red, or yellow if you need me to slow down.”
I shook my head, frantic. “I want more. Don’t stop, please.”
He gripped my hips, holding me still. I could feel how hard he was, even through his jeans. The realization made my body clench with need, sharp and electric. I squirmed, but he held me tight.
“Patience, little one,” he said, and I whimpered again. My brain was mush. All I wanted was for him to take control, to make the world small and safe and just us.
His hands found my waist again, tracing patterns on my skin. Then he slid higher under the hem of the bunny t-shirt. “Wait.”My voice was so small I barely heard it myself. “Walker, I’ve never…I mean, this is my first time.”
He went absolutely still. One hand stayed gentle on my waist. The other cupped my cheek, steadying me. His eyes searched my face, dark and intent.
“Very first time?” His thumb brushed over my jaw, soft enough to make me shiver.
I nodded, cheeks burning. “I’ve never…no one’s ever…” My hands twisted in the sheets, desperate to hide, but he wouldn’t let me look away.
