Why was it so loud in his house? She thought it was even louder outside. It hadn’t been loud when she’d first arrived. That sensation hadn’t started until they’d had sex.
Molly was soothed by his touch. He had to know she wasn’t sleeping, and he continued to stroke her skin, up and down her arm. Eventually, he threaded his fingers with hers between her breasts but his thumb still moved back and forth across her knuckles, sometimes bumping against her nipple.
Every once in a while, he kissed her shoulder, acknowledging neither of them was asleep. She felt bad that she couldn’t talk to him. It seemed like he was reassuring her it was okay. He understood. He would figure this out.
His heart beat in sync with hers. That must be a mate thing. She hadn’t known about it, but it made sense. She’d been aware of their hearts aligning since she’d first met his gaze. Perhaps even sooner. The moment he’d set his palm on top of her head during the ceremony.
He gave her peace. She felt reassured he would always do so for the rest of their lives.
What’s wrong with me?
Daddy lifted the edge of the headset again. “Nothing is wrong with you, precious girl. Settle. Rest. Daddy will figure this out tomorrow.”
She must have spoken out loud. She squeezed his hand between her breasts, so grateful to Fate that she’d been matched with the most amazing Alpha Protector, a man who very calmly accepted her strange behavior and promised to slay her demons.
So tired…
Molly drifted off, her sleep so deep that she was only marginally aware when her Daddy later fed her a bottle and changed her. He gave her a pacifier and stroked her cheek as she went back into a deep sleep.
She was fairly certain he fed and changed her several times after that. She sucked hard on the pacifier and her bottles. She didn’t have the energy to open her eyes, so she didn’t try. He didn’t require her to. He simply took care of her, tucked her back in, kissed her temple, and let her go back into the deep sleep she apparently needed.
Finally she came more fully awake. She blinked open her eyes to discover the sun was setting, the dim light cast across the room. She pushed to sitting, surprised to discover she was wearing a soft nightgown. It was nothing like any nightgown she’d ever worn since it covered barely more than her chest, but it was soft and pretty.
She felt rested. When she attempted to lift the earpieces from her head, she winced, disappointed to find out the noises persisted. Nevertheless, she removed the headset, trying to focus on the particular sounds that seemed to be inside the house.
She determined she could separate those from anything else. Her Daddy was in the other room. His voice was one. There were three other voices belonging to other men.
Suddenly he appeared in the doorway and rushed toward her. “Hey, Baby girl.” He scooped her up and held her against his chest. “How do you feel?”
“Better. I was so tired. I guess I slept all day.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
He chuckled. “You slept two days, Little one.”
She gasped. “I did?”
“Yes, but that’s not too strange. Your body needed sleep after your first shift. How are the noises?”
“Still there. Who’s here?”
“Felix, Damon, and my father, Ezra. They’re building something for you. It’s almost done. Want to see it?”
She cocked her head to one side, confused. “For me?”
“Yes, Baby girl.” He grabbed a soft blanket from the end of the bed and wrapped it all around her before carrying her out of the room and into the living room.
Sure enough, three giant Alpha Protectors filled the space. They all looked up, stopped what they were doing, and grew very silent.
She recognized Gavin’s father from the ceremony. She hadn’t looked him in the eye that day, but she knew it was him by his age and his voice when he spoke softly. “Sorry, Little one. Did we wake you?”
She shook her head. “No, Sir.” It took everything in her not to cover her ears. Instead she leaned one of them against her Daddy’s neck and pressed tight to cut down on some of the noise.
Tears came to her eyes, though. She couldn’t stop them. “Why is it so loud, Daddy?” she whispered.
He rubbed her back. “I don’t know, Little one, but I think we found a way to fix it.” He turned her to face the other side of the room.
The living room was now half the size it had been two days ago. There was a wall running down the middle of the room, cutting it into two sections. The new wall wasn’t painted. “What is it, Daddy?” she asked.
He carried her through the strange heavy door.
