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Cricket had known Doctor Pierce was a good man, but she hadn’t realized how deeply good until now. She didn’t think she’d be able to take him up on his offers because it would hurt too much to be near him knowing they’d never work despite a mutual attraction, but that was her choice to make and she wouldn’t put that on him.
“I can’t imagine that’d be true. I might not be into…whatever it is, but you’re a good person and I’m pretty sure you go about it safely and ethically. So ‘your kink is not my kink but your kink is okay’ and all that. But like for real. I feel like most of the time when people say that, they turn around and make pukey noises about someone’s fetish.”
Doctor Pierce grinned and nodded, like he was familiar with that phenomenon. Most people who had anything to do with kink were. Of course, she was also assuming this was about kink which could be wildly off base but he hadn’t corrected her so she was probably pointed in the right direction.
“So you’re not going to pretend barf all over my couch?” he teased.
“No. Pinky promise.”
They shook on it, his big finger wrapping around her small one, and then Doctor Pierce took a deep breath. This must be some secret.
Chapter Nine
“I’m a Daddy Dom,” Owen told her, studying her sweet features to see what she thought about that. Not that someone’s first reaction was always how they actually felt about things, but it was useful to know.
He’d always thought of Evelyn—Cricket, he corrected himself—as being shy and sheltered, maybe a bit naive. But was that in a Little way or not? How she’d reacted to him getting her ready for bed last night, her pig stuffie Bandit, and her big feelings this morning, made him think yes, but…
“Okay.”
Cricket wasn’t giving him much to go on, so he fed out some more line. “That means I enjoy being the dominant partner in my romantic and sexual relationships, but I also like to take care of my partner in a lot of different ways. That includes establishing rules we both agree to, and me disciplining my partner when she breaks them. I can be very strict and demanding. But to me, an equally important part of being a Daddy Dom is taking care of my Little girl’s needs, emotionally and physically.”
He wouldn’t go into the details now, but they were certainly running through his mind. A different, far kinkier chyron than the diagnostic one that had been scrolling through his head yesterday. Spankings, feedings, diapers, bondage, bottles, enemas, plugs, clamps, pacifiers…
“Uh-huh,” Evelyn said, her cheeks turning pink under those adorable freckles and her pupils dilating.
Owen narrowed his eyes. Was her nervous system getting aroused because she did know what he was talking about or because she didn’t? It would be so freaking helpful to read minds, both professionally and personally. But also a curse, and moot so he’d poke more.
“Do you know what I’m talking about, Cricket? Or is this all new to you?”
His overnight guest shifted her hips and rolled her lips between her teeth. Christ, the squirming. He didn’t like to assume things about people, but damn he could picture Evelyn as a Little. His Little, even. Perhaps his Littleespecially.
“I know what you’re talking about,” she said, looking away for a second and then blinking back to lock her gaze to his. “I’m a Little.”
It had delighted him to see the change in her expression when he’d told her that he’d been attracted to her from the start, and he hoped she was having the same experience seeing him realize this was a possibility.Theywere a possibility. So real he had to remind himself they were only a possibility and not a forgone conclusion. The possessive, protective part of him had already claimed Cricket. Now he’d have to let the more civilized part take over to make sure that’s what she wanted too.
Owen had to make a conscious effort to arrange his thoughts because his impulses weren’t being any help at all. There were still so many things that could come between them but honestly, he didn't want to hear it. He prided himself on being a practical, sensible person but he had a fiery, wild, ungovernable streak and that was burning his impulse control to a crisp.
He could at least give Cricket a better idea of what she’d be walking into before she made any choices. There were a million ways to be Little, and while he had some preferences as a Daddy, he could also be flexible for the right person. The same voice inside him that called him to the Alaskan wilderness sang a siren’s song for Cricket too and he wasn’t going to resist.
People said showing was better than telling, and a picture was worth a thousand words, so perhaps it was best to show Cricket what he was into instead of painting a mental picture.
“Now would be a good time for a tour.”
* * *
A tour? Why would he want to show her around the house now? Didn’t he have anything to say about her being a Little? That seemed like quite the change in subjects and Cricket was so flustered she couldn’t respond. She did let Doctor Pierce help her up from the couch and bring her upstairs.
He led her down the hall to one of the doors that had been shut the entire time. When he opened the door and flicked on the light she could hardly believe her eyes.
They had a nursery area at Covert but it was a shabby corner, nothing like this. Whereas the rest of his house was pretty spartan and in cool blues and greys, this room looked luxurious and warm.
Everything from the walls to the curtains to the linens to the rugs were purples and greens, except the furniture which was all bright white. There was a crib and a changing table and a high chair that were all sized for grown-ups. Plus an oversized rocking chair, and a fluffy mat in the corner that was surrounded by bookshelves full of toys, craft materials, books, and puzzles.
It was like every Little fantasy she’d ever had come to life.
“I guess you weren’t kidding about being a Daddy,” she said, awestruck and not able to stop looking around.
“I wouldn’t joke about a thing like that with you,” he told her, and his tone had her turning to face him.
