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“I know, pretty girl,” he said. “I’m sorry.” She glanced up at him, finding his hand still outstretched for her. “Do you want lunch before or after your punishment?”
“I’d like lunch without a punishment.” He chuckled as he shook his head.
“Not an option, pretty girl. You were naughty. And naughty little girls get punished, don’t they? You know the rules.”
Yeah, she knew the rules. Didn’t mean she liked them.
“I’ll eat after,” she grumbled, slapping her palm against his. He yanked her to her feet, wrapping his free arm around her and resting his hand on her ass.
“Watch the attitude,” he warned, giving her a gentle pat.
For some stupid reason, she wanted to push him. She wanted to see how far she could go before he lost it again. Her throat bobbed. Why would she want that? She hated seeing him upset. She hated seeing how angry he was.
But maybe a part of her was worried he’d get mad at her like that again, and she didn’t like it. She didn’t like the yelling, or the cold look in his eye. She didn’t like any of it. So maybe she was trying to push him until he broke again, so she had an excuse to leave.
She didn’t want to. She really, really didn’t want to. But she didn’t know what else to do, how to fix things. And if he freaked out so easily, could she really stick around? She’d lived her entire life walking on eggshells, she wouldn’t do it anymore.
No matter how much she cared about Jett, she didn’t want to live that way with him.
“Are you okay?” he murmured. She blinked and turned her attention up to him. She hadn’t realized she’d zoned out.
“Fine.”
He didn’t believe her. She knew he didn’t.
But he still led her silently to the bedroom. With each step, she felt her stomach twist tighter, felt more unease fill her. As she stepped into the room, she dug her heels in, yanking her hand away.
Jett’s shocked expression as he stared down at her hurt, but she couldn’t do this. Couldn’t play like this with him. Not before they talked about it. Not before they figured out where they went from here.
“I can’t—” The words were choked, and tears filled her eyes. “Earlier—what you said?—”
His face crumpled. “I’m sorry, Abbie,” he rasped. “So fucking sorry.” He sank onto the bed, resting his head in his hands. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stared at him, watched him take deep breath after deep breath. “You changed your mind? About us?”
“No,” she breathed, shaking her head. She hadn’t changed her mind. She was just… “I’m confused.”
“Confused about what?”
She paced in front of him, her hands tightening and loosening at her sides. She didn’t know what to say, where to start. She’d never had anyone actually listen to her, so now that someone was, she had nothing to say. No, she did. She just didn’t know how to explain what she was feeling.
“I don’t like how you talked to me,” she blurted. “I don’t like how you made me feel.”
She wasn’t looking at him as she spoke and paced. She couldn’t. She didn’t want to see his expression, didn’t want to know what he was thinking until she’d gotten it all out.
“I didn’t like that you yelled, and that you were mean to my friend. And I didn’t like that you told me not to call you Daddy anymore. It confused me, and it hurt me.” She stopped and stared down at him, but his face was unreadable. “I know you have a past with cheating, but I’m not her. I wouldn’t do that to you, or anyone else. It’s not right—it’s mean. And I don’t want to be mean.” His lips barely lifted in a soft smile.
“You’re not mean,” he agreed. “I messed up. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” He nodded, agreeing with her. “Everything just feels so wrong now. I want it to be how it was before. I don’t like feeling unsure about us.”
“I don’t either,” he murmured. “I’m sorry I’ve made you feel like this.” She shook her head. She was tired of apologies. She wanted actions. He took another deep breath, running his hands against his jeans. “I shouldn’t have told you not to call me Daddy. That was a mistake. One I’ll live with for the rest of my life.”
Her lips twisted to the side as tears burned her eyes.
“Do you want me to still be your Daddy?” he asked softly, like he was afraid to hear the answer.
“Of course!” she cried, lurching forward a step. But she stopped herself. Because if she threw herself at him and he rejected her, that might hurt more than his words. She forced herself to calm down. “I do if you do.”
“I want that more than anything,” he rasped. “I know I fucked up, and I’ll do everything I can do fix what I broke, but please—” A small, quiet sob left her, and he paused. “Please don’t leave, Abbie. Give me one more chance.”
