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Before I can move, he pushes me over to the side of the bed farthest away from the door. It's almost comical how easily he can move me, but instead of laughing, I let out a huff.
“You're so bossy, and I don't understand you.”
He shrugs as he gets into bed. “A lot of people don't understand me, baby girl.”
That makes me wonder. “Like who? Women?”
I immediately hate myself over how jealous I sound.
Killian notices it too, because he turns onto his side, facing me, a smug smile on his face. “No, baby, not women. I don't have women in my life. I have you. And that's all.”
His words should melt me into a puddle. My heart is about to pound out of my chest. We stare at each other in silence.
I swallow. “Uh, what’s happening here?”
“What’s happening is you’re going to sleep. It's past your bedtime.”
The only lights in the room are the twinkle lights he hung for me. I’m still not over the fact that he did that. Such a contradiction. He's big, scary, and evil, but he's also kind, thoughtful, and sweet.
“I don't have a bedtime. I'm not tired,” I say as I yawn.
“Yeah, I can tell you're not tired. And you do have a bedtime. It’s past it.”
I glare. “I do not have a bedtime. I go to sleep when I want.”
“Not anymore, Little one. Close your eyes.”
I let out a long, dramatic sigh.
“I'm not tired,” I mumble.
“You're exhausted. You have dark circles under your eyes. You're up way too late. From now on, your bedtime is ten o’clock.”
I scoff. “You’re annoying.”
He's so full of himself. Drives me crazy. But I can't deny how heavy my eyes feel, so to appease him, I obey his command and quickly fade to sleep.
* * *
I gasp for air,crying out in the darkness. “Let me out. Let me out.”
“Scarlet, wake up, baby. Wake up. It's Daddy.”
Another gasp as I try and suck in oxygen, my lungs burning inside my chest. My eyes fly open.
Killian stares down at me with a look of horror in his eyes. I'm no longer under the blankets. Instead, he has me wrapped up in his arms as he sits against the headboard. “I got you, baby. Fuck, I'm so sorry.”
Tears run down my cheeks.
He uses the pad of his thumb to swipe them away while whispering gentle, reassuring words. “I've got you, sweet girl. I've got you.”
All I can do is nod and let him take care of me. My body feels paralyzed. After a long while, I reach up and run my fingers along his jaw. The roughness of his beard soothes me.
“I'm sorry I woke you up.”
He shakes his head and swallows. “Don't ever be sorry, baby. I'm glad I was here. You're never going to go through this again by yourself. Daddy will be here every night.”
I want to believe his words, but no one's ever stuck around before. I can't expect Killian to either. Even if I wanted him to, and I'm starting to realize I do want that.
