"Anything," he encouraged when she paused.
"These past few days... you've become important to me. More than important. Essential." The words tumbled out now, as ifshe'd been holding them back too long. "I know it's fast. I know it's complicated by everything that's happening around us. But I need you to know, in case... in case things go wrong."
"Lily—" he began, wanting to reassure her, to promise her that nothing would go wrong, that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"No, let me finish," she interrupted gently. "I need to say this. When I first met you, I was scared, desperate. I was being blackmailed to spy on your club and get close. You were kind to me, built blocks and made me snacks at The Citadel. Your kindness made me decide not to spy on them. I couldn’t do that to you. And then, weeks later, you were just the enforcer sent to collect me. But now..." She took a deep breath. "Now you're the man I think about when I wake up. The voice I hear in my head when I'm doubting myself. The arms I want around me when I'm afraid."
Her cheeks flushed with color, but she held his gaze, determined to get through this confession. "And maybe it's just trauma bonding. Maybe it's just the situation we're in, pushing us together. But it doesn't feel like that. It feels... real. The most real thing I've felt in a very long time. I want to explore us. I might not be looking forward to the spanking you’ve promised me, but I look forward to what it means. It means us. You. Me. As my Daddy."
Blade's throat tightened with emotion. Words had never been his strong suit, especially words about feelings. But for her, he would try.
"It is real," he said, his voice rough with conviction. "What's between us. It's not just circumstance or proximity or shared trauma. It's something else. Something... right."
Relief softened her features. "So I'm not crazy?"
"If you are, then so am I," he replied with a small smile. "And I've never felt more sane than when I'm with you. Even in themiddle of all this chaos. You are mine. My girlfriend. My life. My little. I’ve known since the last playdate at The Citadel. I thought I had time… time for you to come to the same conclusion. I’m so grateful you have, little girl."
She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "I'm going to do everything in my power to come back to you. To come home to you."
Home.
The word resonated through him, powerful and perfect. Yes, that's what they'd found in each other, despite the unlikely circumstances. A home. A belonging.
"And I'll move heaven and earth to make sure you can," he promised. Then, because he needed to say it, needed her to hear it at least once before she walked into danger: "I love you, Lily Hart. It's too soon, and it's too complicated, and I don't deserve half of what you are, but I love you."
Tears welled in her eyes, but they were accompanied by a smile so radiant it nearly took his breath away. "I love you too. God help me, but I do."
He closed the small distance between them, capturing her lips in a kiss that was both gentle and desperate, mindful of his injuries but unable to hold back the emotion behind it. She kissed him back with equal fervor, her hands cradling his face as if he were something infinitely precious.
When they finally parted, both slightly breathless, she rested her forehead against his again.
"We're going to make it through this," she whispered fiercely. "Both of us. And then we're going to figure out what comes after."
"Together," he agreed. "No matter what."
And as they sat there, holding each other close in the quiet of the medical room, both knew that the coming days would testthat promise to its limits. That danger and violence lay ahead. That nothing was guaranteed.
But they also knew that what they'd found in each other was worth fighting for. Worth risking everything for.
A home. A belonging. A love neither had expected but both now refused to surrender.
No matter what Jose threw at them. No matter what fate had in store.
Together. No matter what.
CHAPTER 8
Lily stared at her reflection in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at her. She'd always been petite, with her blonde hair and soft features making her appear even younger than her years. The kind of woman who drew protective instincts from others, especially dominant men.
But the woman in the mirror now looked... different. Harder. More focused. Her hair was pulled back in a practical braid. The bruises from the cabin fight had faded to yellowish smudges on her jaw and neck. Her eyes held a determination she'd rarely seen in herself before.
She was still herself, still Lily, still a little who found comfort in regression, still someone who craved the security of a Daddy's care. But she was something else now, too. A fighter. A survivor.
Someone worthy of standing beside Blade, not just being protected by him.
"You ready?" Makenzie's voice came from the doorway of the clubhouse bathroom.
Lily turned to face her. Makenzie was Irish's girl, another little in the DDLG community. She'd been nothing but kind toLily since her arrival at the clubhouse, despite the danger Lily's presence brought to everyone.
