Page 60 of Finding Little Fiera

She tipped her head up to face him. He was! If she didn’t think it would break her hand, she’d punch him in the stomach. Instead, she did the most rational thing she could think to do. She stomped her foot. Hard.

It would have been a great moment if she hadn’t accidentally stomped on his foot. Holy smackerolly! Even his feet were hard. And now he was going to think she was trying to hurt him. “I’m so sorry! I was trying to stomp the floor. I didn’t know your feet were that big. I mean, I should have known since you’re so tall. Firm foundations and all that. Take my feet. I’m short and my feet are short, too. Well, not short. Nobody has short feet. It’s just?—”

His finger pressed against her lips, halting her ramble. “I know you weren’t trying to hurt me, firefly. Now, what’s all this about bathing in your clothes?”

Yeah. What about that? “I can’t just get undressed in front of you, Daddy. I can do my own bath. I’ve been bathing myselffor almost two decades. I don’t need help.” Please, don’t let him want to help. She would die of mortification.

“Look at me, firefly.” When she did, the smile on his face and the heat in his eyes almost stole her breath. “I know we haven’t known each other very long. And I know you don’tneedmy help. But I’d very muchliketo help you. Can you be brave and tell Daddy why you don’t want that, too?”

Could she be that brave? She’d been many things, but a coward wasn’t one of them. True, she hadn’t known him that long. If she were meeting him anywhere else, she might be more worried. But she knew how careful Master Derek was about who visited Rawhide Ranch. She’d think he was even more careful about who he brought in to teach and run the summer camps.

Besides, she knew how a bad Daddy acted. Nothing Mace had shown her made her doubt him. So, was her problem more about him… or was it more about her? Taking a steadying breath, she did the bravest thing she’d ever done. She talked to her new Daddy.

“I’m scared, Daddy.”

“Of me, babygirl? Have I done something to make you afraid?”

“No, Daddy. Not of you… of me. You’re so big and strong. I’m not like that. What if you see me, and you don’t like what you see?”

He hugged her close, and it felt wonderful. “First of all, you are beautiful. Of all the things I worry about, you not taking my breath away with your looks has never been one of them. I can barely keep my hands off you. My cock has been hard since I saw you conquering your luggage the day you arrived at the Ranch. But let me tell you a secret, babygirl. A Daddy knows the outside of a Little isn’t nearly as important as the inside of a Little. And I’ve seen the inside of you for two whole days now. You have the most beautiful heart and spirit I’ve ever seen. You are drop-dead gorgeous inside and out, and there’s nothing you can do to change that because that’s how Daddy’s eyes work.”

Fiera couldn’t move. No one had ever spoken to her like that. He thought she was gorgeous. If she’d figured out anything about her Daddy, it was that she could trust him. And if he said she was beautiful inside and out, that’s what he believed. Who was she to argue with her Daddy?

Taking a step back, she smiled at him and tried to hold the panic at bay. Knowing he thought she was beautiful was one thing. Undressing in front of him was another. She did her best to pull off her top, but her hands were shaking.

Before she realized he’d moved, his hands were on hers, holding them to his chest. “Would you like me to help you?” he asked, his voice a deep rumble.

Her words wouldn’t work, so she nodded. She stood there, stunned as he dropped to his knees in front of her. “Tell me if you change your mind. All you have to do is ask me to stop.”

Catching the bottom of her shirt, he slid his hands underneath it. His warm palms settled on each side, pebbling her nipples as he ran them up her abdomen to her ribs, gathering her shirt as he went. He stared at her stomach so long her nerves sparked. Then he leaned forward and pressed kisses on her chilled skin along her waist and then higher.

She’d never felt worshipped before, but this had to be how it felt.

He lifted her shirt over her head, exposing her bra. Not that the thin cotton hid much. Her dark areola and puckered nipples were wanting for attention. He pressed a kiss between her breasts. His beard tickled her sensitive skin, and her panties grew wet.

As soon as he had her top off, she braced her hands on his broad, muscular shoulders. Shoulders that were chilled becausehe still wore his rain-sodden shirt. “Wow. You’re freezing,” she said.

He stared at her, desire darkening his eyes. “Then I guess you’ll have to warm me up, babygirl.”

That was all the warning she had before his lips crashed down on hers. The room around her faded as he devoured her. She barely noticed when he shoved her shorts down, along with her panties.

She should be modest, but she couldn’t think of anything except the arousal coursing through her. At least his reaction put her fear that he’d hate her body to rest. His actions would suggest he wasn’t bothered at all by her body. As a matter of fact, she felt beautiful.

Her bra disappeared at some point, but she was so focused on what his tongue was doing to her that she hadn’t even noticed. She shivered as he kissed his way down her neck. “I can now confirm that your outer person is just as fucking beautiful as your inner one. I will never get tired of looking at you.”

Stepping back, he rolled up his sleeves, and she wondered if he’d decided to spank her now rather than later. He took her hand and led her to the tub, where he sat on the side and tested the water.

When he looked at her, hunger sharpened his gaze. She felt like prey, but he was her shelter rather than her trap. Her knees nearly gave way. Heat slipped under her skin, pooling low.

Offering his hand, he steadied her. “Let’s get you in the tub, firefly.”

His voice was calm. Her breath caught in her throat anyway. She was moving before her brain processed the command. The warmth of the actual marble was a surprise as she stepped in. “Oh my gosh! We have a heated tub?”

She loved the way his eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled. “I think you’ll find Rawhide Ranch has a variety of ways to add heat to almost anything.”

Lowering herself into the tub, she sat on the padded cushion set in the perfect spot. Water wrapped around her like silk and heat, easing muscles she hadn’t realized were tight. She let her head fall back against the pillow-softened rim of the tub and exhaled, long and slow. Steam curled around her face, and for one fleeting second, she forgot everything but warmth.

A few minutes later, her Daddy’s deep voice cut into the warmth-clouded haze in her mind.