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“Where is this attitude coming from?”
“My mouth.”
“Emma Lorraine.”
Having had enough questions without action, I plucked a fancy bowl from the dishwasher but instead of putting it in its place, I threw it. It smashed into the hardwood floor, cascading porcelain everywhere and leaving a trail of broken bits. Staring down at the mess, I slowly raised my head and blinked at Elias.
“Did throwing a bowl make you feel better, sweetheart?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Do it again.”
Running my hands over several dishes, I selected a small salad plate, testing it in my hand before chucking it across the room.
“Again,” Elias commanded.
Picking a huge dinner plate this time, I held it in both hands and smashed it on the floor a few feet away from us. Sinking down into the kitchen floor, all the pent-up emotions, things I’d hidden from him and Luke, the trauma from being completely and utterly alone for months with no one to rely on, hit me sideways. Elias lifted me onto the counter, wrapping me in his embrace. I cried even harder than I had after he and Luke told me they wanted me to stay here.
“Shh, sweetheart.” He kissed each of my cheeks. “Talk to me.”
“I-I applied to some jobs out in Denver.”
“Oh, Emma.” Elias released my face but didn’t move away from me. “I promised to protect you. I can’t do that if you aren’t here.”
“I have nothing to offer you!” I threw my hands up. “Don’t you and Luke understand that I literally have nothing?”
“You have this.” Elias took my right hand and placed it over his heart. “Do you need anything else?”
The raw emotions playing across his features nearly broke my heart, reminding me he already had it. It wasn’t something I could explain, but Luke and Elias secured their places there. I loved them both deeply.
“No, Daddy. I don’t need anything else. I-I love you.” The words shocked me as much as the feeling. Elias kissed me. He kissed me like I was the very air he needed to breathe, claiming my mouth with his until he broke away.
“I love you, Emma.”
“I just thought you and Luke should get back to doing whatever you were doing before I showed up.” My statement sounded like I’d been there for years instead of a week, but it was true all the same. I was a burden.
“We will work through whatever it is we need to work through, but you need to take some time for yourself. A job is not a priority. If you are ready in a few months, then we can revisit the topic. For now, stay with us and rest.” He let out a long breath. “If at any point you decide you don’t want to be in a relationship, just say the word, but our offer to stay here remains.”
“I overreacted, but smashing porcelain made me feel freer than I have in a long time.” I sniffled. “I’ve never been given the opportunity to vent in such a way.”
“We’re going to clean up the mess together, and then we’re going to address the root cause. Right?”
“Addressing the root cause sounds a lot like another punishment.” Backpedaling, I motioned to the remnants of the dishes. “We don’t have rules about throwing dishes.”
“I want to know what triggered the reaction. I’m not angry with you for lashing out, but if I slide on the rules we’ve set, and what you’ve agreed to, then we might as well get rid of all of them.”
“I stayed home yesterday and did everything you and Lucas asked of me. I didn’t complain, not even once.”
“You didn’t go to bed and instead killed a bottle of wine.”
“No one was home.”
“You agreed to follow the rules. It doesn’t matter if we are home or not.”
We stared at each other for a full minute, neither of us speaking. Battle of the brats came to mind, but Elias would never speak to me the way I did to him. No. He had a lot of qualities of a soft, sensual Daddy-Dom, and his quiet yet stern handling of me proved to be exactly what I needed. Guilt prickled through my body, and I rubbed at my throat.
“Will you just spank me, Elias? Then I don’t have to spiral.”
