“Well, look at my two favorite people,” Belle said brightly, glancing over her shoulder with a warm smile. “I thought I’d whip up some chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Nothing adds to a big day like fresh-baked cookies.”
Tanner gave her a grateful nod. “Appreciate it, Miss Belle.”
Junie stayed tucked close to his side, one hand fisting the side of his shirt as she peeked at the cookie dough with big, curious eyes. She tried to help prepare lunch right away, stretching up on her toes to reach for a knife so she could cut fruit. He caught her wrist gently but firmly before she could grab it.
“Uh-uh. It’s Daddy’s turn to play chef. You sit right there and keep me company.”
She huffed, a soft sound that made him want to smile and swat her bottom at the same time, but she climbed onto one of the tall stools at the island and swung her legs. “I can help.”
“I know you can, babygirl, but this time let me take care of you.” He already had the fridge open, pulling out cheese, grapes, appleslices, and a container of her favorite flavored water. He arranged everything on a bright plate, making it look fun and colorful. Then he set it in front of her and raised an eyebrow. “Eat, little girl.”
Junie poked at a grape like it might bite her back. “It looks sour,” she said, but popped it in her mouth anyway. Her eyes lit up. “This is really good.”
“Told you.” He leaned across the island and tapped her nose. “Daddy knows best.”
A pretty blush spread across her cheeks, but she kept eating, sneaking glances at him the whole time. Those shy, coy looks packed quite a punch. The sweet everyday feel of it settled something deep inside him.
This was what he wanted. Every single day. Junie in his space, trusting him to feed her, to handle the details so she could be Little and safe.
After she finished, he ran a warm cloth over her hands and mouth then scooped her up in his arms like she weighed nothing. She fit against his chest perfectly, her head tucked under his chin and her legs wrapped around his waist.
“Nap time, Cupcake,” he murmured against her hair. After a short detour back to the sunroom to gather Nibbles and her other friends, he carried her down the hall toward her bedroom.
She immediately started fussing. “I’m not tired.”
“You’re exhausted,” he said calmly as he nodded to the window where the puppy was snuggled into a fluffy pet bed. “Even Pup knows it’s time to rest, and Little girls who argue about naps get spanked.”
She squirmed in his arms, half protesting and half giggling. “I don’t need a nap!”
Tanner sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her over his lap in one smooth motion. Her weight felt perfect against him. He tugged her soft lounge pants and panties down to her thighs, baring her bottom, still tinged pink from last night. The sight of her bare bottom and thighs sent a fresh surge of possessiveness through his veins.
“This is a funishment,” he told her, rubbing slow circles over her warm skin. “Because you’re too stubborn to admit you need rest. Ten good ones, then you’re going to sleep with your stuffies like a good girl.”
Junie whimpered, but she pushed her bottom toward his hand, betraying exactly how much she wanted this. His cock strained against his jeans at the trust she showed him.
He brought his hand down in a steady rhythm, firm swats meant to sting and settle without truly hurting. Each one made her squeak and wiggle across his lap. By the fifth one, she was panting and rocking against his thigh. By the tenth, she had gone soft and pliant, little sniffles mixing with those needy sounds that tested every ounce of his control.
Before turning her back over, he removed her pants and panties and then lay her on the bed, spreading her thighs wide so he could see all of her. She looked up at him with a wicked grin, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. “Don’t move, I’m going to get your nightgown.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
Her words hit him low and hard. He wanted nothing more than to strip down and bury himself inside her right then to claim every inch of what was his. But he held back. She needed rest more than she needed him to lose control.
Once he returned from grabbing her gown out of a dresser drawer, he tugged her top off, followed by her bra while doing his level best to ignore his libido. After pulling the gown over her head, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then another to her lips, slow and deep enough to leave her sighing.
“Sleep, babygirl,” he murmured against her mouth. “Daddy will be right here when you wake up.”
When he stepped away, Junie grabbed his hand. “Please, Daddy, I want some more.”
His cock sprang to attention. “More of what, Cupcake?” heasked, but her darkening eyes and the pulse racing on the side of her neck told him all he needed to know.
“More kisses. Please, Daddy?”
Well, hell. Never let it be said he wasn’t a Daddy who went out of his way to give his Little girl what she wanted. Without another word, he took her lips, kissing her deep and wet and hard. She tasted like grapes and sweetness and pure Junie, and he drank her in until she moaned into his mouth.
He kissed along her jaw, then down the soft line of her throat, savoring the way her pulse jumped under his lips. Lower still, he dragged open-mouthed kisses across her collarbone and over the swell of her breast. Pausing to push her gown up, he sucked one tight nipple into his mouth until she arched off the bed with a broken whimper.
He kept going, slow and deliberate, tasting every inch of her skin as he worked his way down her stomach and across her hips. He ran his tongue down her inner thigh and kissed the inside of her knee before working his way back up.
