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Protective, cuddly daddy vibes.
This realization made my face heat further. I swallowed hard and tried to look away, but he grasped my chin between two fingers and lifted his other hand in front of my face. He held up one finger and moved it from left to right in the air.
“Follow my finger, please.”
I obeyed, though I felt incredibly silly. Of all the ways to meet the handsome rancher from the business card I’d spent way too much time staring at last night…
Of course it would be like this.
Caught off guard. In my footie pajamas.
While I was having one of my nervous dizzy spells.
I regretted not rising earlier and putting on some real clothes. Some grown-up clothes.
Did he think I was ridiculous for being dressed like this? Did he find me childish?
I reminded myself of his gentle yet authoritative demeanor. And the fact that I could easily imagine him as a daddy to my little girl.
Maybe he wouldn’t judge me.
What if he really was a daddy dom?
Dare I hope?
CHAPTER4
DEREK
I stepped awayfrom the young woman, satisfied that she wasn’t about to pass out. She looked far more alert than she had a few seconds ago, and she’d followed my finger without any difficulty.
I offered her my hand. “Again, sorry to surprise you this morning. Derek Bolt.” Had I already told her my name? I couldn’t remember. The adorable woman had me so flustered I couldn’t think straight. Not only was she beautiful and far too innocent looking, but I also suspected she might be a little.
Her attire, as well as the numerous stuffies on her bed, plus the daddy dom romance books stacked on the nightstand gave her away. A few titles caught my eye in particular:Who’s Your Daddy,Tamed by Daddy,A Little in Trouble, andClaiming His Little Girl.
I refocused my attention on the young woman whose name I didn’t yet know. After a moment’s hesitation, she shyly reached out and accepted my hand.
A jolt of sensation passed between us as we shook hands, and my pants started to feel too tight.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Bolt. I’m Gemma Wilder. I, um, I just signed the lease papers yesterday afternoon and already started moving in. I hope that’s okay. If I’m not supposed to be here yet…” Her voice trailed off and her dark eyes filled with sadness.
“Gemma. That’s a pretty name and it suits you.” I dropped her hand and stepped back. “And you are totally fine moving in already. Sounds like this is your new home. Oh, and you can call me Daddy.”
What?I felt my eyes widen.
Had I really just said that?
“Derek,” I blurted a bit louder than necessary as I corrected my blunder. “You can call me Derek. Instead of Mr. Bolt.Derek.”
Her mouth fell open and she looked at me in shock. Her cheeks promptly grew pink, and she drew in a quick breath. “Right. Derek. It’s nice to meet you.” She cast a brief glance at the books, no doubt realizing I’d glimpsed a few of the titles.
I flashed her a smile, hoping to alleviate the sudden tension between us. “Well, I would say I’ve done a fine job of making our first meeting awkward.”
Her abrupt laughter was like a balm to my soul. She grinned up at me, and I was relieved to see she no longer appeared worried or surprised or uneasy. Good. I wanted her to feel completely safe in my presence.
Wait. Where had that thought come from?
“Oh? You mean when you broke in while I was sleeping and then told me to call you ‘Daddy?’ What’s awkward about that?” she said in a playful tone. Her dark eyes twinkled brighter.
