Page 7 of Daddy’s Accidental Little Runaway

“Think nothing of it,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck, attempting to hide the blush that crept into his cheeks. “We really should get going, though. I don’t want him recognizing me and trying to come after Rachel again.” Xavier nodded in agreement as he looked at Stephanie.

"Get everything packed up real quick," he ordered as he looked back at Tristan. "I'm going to go get Derek and tell him we're leaving. Can you keep an eye on them? We don't know if he came alone." Tristan nodded.

"Of course," he agreed as he turned to me. "You should get packed as well. We'll want to leave as soon as they're ready." I nodded in agreement and started gathering the items that Stephanie and Xavier had given me.

As I packed, I couldn't help but blush. Tristan had defended me from Victor. He didn't even know the first thing about me, except that I was the sister of his brother's Little and was running from my ex, and he defended me. I had been so scared that he would get hurt, but he was unharmed. Once I was done packing, I turned towards the door and found that his bag was also packed. He immediately turned towards me, a strange expression on his face, and nodded at my bag.

"Allow me," he said as he took my bag from me, careful not to hurt my broken arm. As soon as he grabbed the bag, Xavier, Derek, and Stephanie gathered at our door.

"Everybody ready?" Xavier asked. Without fully registering the collective nod he got in response, he nodded towards the elevator. "Let's go then."

CHAPTER EIGHT

Tristan

The whole way to the airport, I wondered what was wrong with me. My heart was racing, and even the slightest noise set me on edge. Every single time I saw anybody but me get close to Rachel, I instantly wanted to hate them. What was this feeling, and why was I experiencing it now? It didn't make any sense.

We were on a plane in less than an hour, and I sat down in the middle, right next to Rachel. Rachel had never flown before, so she was sitting by the window. She seemed so excited, and for the first time since I saw her in the hospital, I found her completely adorable. She smiled as she looked at me.

"Have you done any flying before?" she asked as she stared at me. "Outside of the original flight to come help me, that is?" I smiled politely and shook my head.

"Nope," I told her as I leaned my seat back. "I was always too scared. I'm not exactly a fan of heights. We found that out the hard way years ago." She frowned at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What happened?" I shrugged.

"I tried to get my pilot’s license after graduating high school instead of going to college for business and architecture, but I passed out behind the wheel on the first day," I explained, embarrassment washing over me as I informed her. I didn't know why, but I was consumed by the need to impress her and show her that I could protect her, but, so far, I was failing miserably. Rather than looking disgusted, she looked a little relieved.

"Better to find out in a safe training environment than on the job," she said. "In all honesty, I'm glad you're not a pilot. I think you would have gotten bored with it." I smiled a little as I looked at her.

Goddammit! I was falling for her. I had sworn that I wouldn't let myself until she came to me and told me she was ready. Still, my Daddy instincts had started to reawaken ever since I knocked some sense into Victor, which was beginning to let my opinion of Rachel become more prominent than ever. Despite my efforts, the inevitable was happening, and I couldn't stop it. She smiled sweetly at me as she gently waved a hand in my face.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she stared at me. I snapped out of my train of thought and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told her with a smile. "I was just bracing myself for take off." She smiled as she looked down at her broken arm.

"Do you want to trade spots?" she asked, and I tilted my head at her. "That way, if you need something to hold on to, you can hold my hand." My pride wanted me to say no, but the rest of me was louder than my pride.

"Sure," I agreed as I stood up and allowed her to trade seats with me. "I don't want to bump into your arm accidentally." She smiled as she leaned back into the chair, a childish grin on her face.

"You pushed the chair so far back," she laughed as I adjusted her former seat. "I feel so small. Almost like the chair is going to eat me." I blushed and looked away as the flight attendant came around to check on everyone before the flight began.

I closed the little window and shook my head. It wasn't right. She had just gotten out of a bad relationship, and she needed time to adjust. If I tried making a move now, what kind of person would that make me? A bad Daddy that no one would want to be around. Granted, I wouldn't be as bad as the Daddies who had wrecked my previous relationships with my ex-Littles, but it still wasn't right. I really shouldn't make a move on her. Xavier and Stephanie would never forgive me.

"Would you care for a drink, sir?" the flight attendant asked, and I nodded.

"I'd like a Ginger Ale, please," I told her, and she nodded. "Also, can I get a Jack and Coke, please?" She nodded, and the two of us were alone once more.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked as she looked at me. "You've been acting strange ever since we got on the airplane. Is something bothering you?" I shook my head.

"No, I'm okay," I told her. "It's just the flight." She nodded and took my hand in hers.

"You don't hate me because of what happened at the hotel, do you?" she asked, insecurity glistening in her eyes. "It's okay if you do. I would hate myself too if something like that had happened." I shook my head.

"No, I don't hate you!" I insisted. "It's quite the opposite." She frowned and tilted her head at me in confusion, and I sighed and took a deep breath. "Please don't think I am inconsiderate or anything, but I like you." Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she stared at me.

"Really?" she asked, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Why didn't you say anything?" I sighed and shook my head.

"Because I thought it was too soon to say anything," I admitted. "Originally, when I realized that I had feelings for you, I planned on giving you a chance to recover from everything you've been through. After what happened at the hotel, I found it harder and harder to resist you, so I tried avoiding you so that you didn't think any less of me." She raised an eyebrow at me.