“You still tired?” he asked softly.
“Yes.”
“Still overwhelmed?” She nodded slightly, and his gaze softened immediately. “Come here.” Dani went willingly with no hesitation, no fear—just instinct. Jonnas pulled her carefully against his chest, one hand sliding into her damp hair while the other rested low against her back. Everything about him felt safe, even the way he was touching her.
“You know what I like?” he murmured against her forehead.
“What?”
“The way you melt into me when you stop overthinking.”
A weak laugh escaped her. “That’s because you exhaust me emotionally.” His chest rumbled softly beneath her cheek. The silence settled around them. It was the kind of comfortable silence that Dani had never really experienced with another person before.
Jonnas tipped her chin up gently after a long moment. “Tell me if anything feels too fast.” The sincerity in his eyes nearly undid her because he meant that, too. Every careful question, every soft touch, and every moment he paused to make sure she was okay melted her defenses.
Dani swallowed hard. “Nothing feels too fast.” Something intense flickered across his face at that. His hand tightened gently in her hair before he kissed her, like he was giving her time to change her mind. Dani kissed him back immediately as need rushed through her so fast it made her dizzy, because this wasn’t like that drunken night anymore. This wasn’t reckless. This was deliberate, and somehow that made it feel infinitely more dangerous.
Jonnas backed her slowly toward the bed without breaking the kiss, his hands steady on her body the entire time. “You still with me, baby girl?” he murmured against her mouth.
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?” he asked. She felt her cheeks heat at the memory of calling him daddy. The quiet firmness in his voice sent heat curling low through her stomach, and she knew what she had to do.
“Yes, daddy.” The word slipped out naturally this time. It wasn’t a drunken accident. It was intentional, and Jonnas froze for half a second. A rough sound left his throat that nearly melted her completely.
“Christ,” he muttered. Dani’s entire body went hot.
“I’m sorry, I—” she stammered.
“Don’t apologize for that,” he breathed. The intensity in his voice stole the rest of her words instantly. Jonnas kissed her again, deeper this time, more possessive, while guiding her gently down onto the bed. Every touch felt careful and measured, like he was constantly aware she was something precious. The thought wrapped around Dani’s chest tightly even as desire pulsed lower and lower in her body.
Jonnas settled between her thighs slowly, one large hand sliding along her bare leg beneath the oversized shirt. “So responsive,” he murmured softly when she shivered.
Dani buried her face against his neck immediately in embarrassment. “Baby girl.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No.” He tipped her chin back gently. “Look at me.” She obeyed instantly, and the approval in his expression hit her hard enough to make her ache. “Good girl.” That soft praise shattered something inside her, because God, she wanted this. She wanted him. She wanted the calm authority in his voice and the safetyin his touch and the way he made her feel cherished instead of ashamed.
Jonnas kissed her slowly while his hand stroked carefully over her hip and thigh, grounding her every step of the way. “You tell me if you need anything.”
The words nearly made her cry all over again. Instead, Dani wrapped her arms around his shoulders and whispered honestly, “I just need you.” Jonnas kissed her like she’d handed him something precious, and for the first time in her life, Dani discovered that vulnerability could feel a lot like safety in the right hands.
Jonnas
Jonnas was trying very hard to keep control, which was becoming increasingly difficult when Dani looked up at him with flushed cheeks and soft eyes and called him daddy like she belonged there. The sound hit him straight in the chest, not because it was sexual, but because she trusted him, and that mattered more.
Jonnas rested his forehead briefly against hers while forcing himself to breathe through the sudden possessive rush clawing through him. “You have any idea what that does to me?” he murmured roughly.
Dani shook her head slightly against the pillow. God, she was beautiful like this. Her oversized shirt had ridden high against her thighs while she curled beneath him, hair spread across his pillows, her cheeks pink from kisses, emotion, and vulnerability. She was in his bed and was quickly becoming his girl, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to calm those thoughts.
“You still okay?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“Need anything?”
“You.” The immediate answer nearly destroyed him. Jonnas kissed her slowly again, pouring every ounce of care he felt intoit. Dani melted beneath him instantly, her hands sliding into his hair while a soft, needy sound escaped her throat. She was so damn responsive.
