“Little rebel…” he drawled in a warning tone. “Every Little girl on the mountain uses a sippy cup.”
“If I find out you lied to me, Daddy, I will never forgive you.”
He leaned close, kissed her nose, and drew back. “I will never lie to you. Promise. Open up.”
She frowned.
“Your mouth. Open.”
She parted her lips and startled when he slid a fry into her mouth.
“How’d I do?”
She chewed around the perfect fry before moaning. “Oh, wow. I’d forgotten. That’s good. Thank you.” Emotions made her chest tight.
“Open, Baby girl.”
She parted her lips again and accepted another fry. “Daddy… You can’t feed me. I have to do things for myself.”
“Oh, my sweet Olivia, I so can feed you, and I will. Often. I will because it’s the way of my people. I will because I love the way you just moaned around that fry. I will feed you because my instinct is to do everything for you. The only reason I put that burger on your plate is because I thought you might actually revolt and run for the door if I tried to cut it up and control every aspect of this meal. You can expect me to do so often.”
Once again, it was hard to process what he was saying. His intentions were so foreign to her. So unexpected. Instead of arguing, she asked, “Can I have another fry, Daddy?”
Chapter Nine
“What do you want to do tonight?” Damon asked as he finished cleaning up from dinner. He’d just had the most enjoyable meal of his life. Feeding his Little girl had made him grin for so long his face was sore. There was no greater pleasure in life than pleasing her.
Hell, there was no greater joy in life than watching his precious mate enjoy her food. Considering how much research he’d done to make sure he understood how to meet her needs, she had already taught him a dozen new things today. It never would have occurred to him how difficult it would be to dip fries into a pile of catsup with visual impairments.
“Shift.”
He was wiping off the counter with a cloth when she spoke, and he’d been so deep in his thoughts that, at first, he wasn’t sure what she was talking about.
Suddenly, he froze and turned around. “Shift?”
She twisted to face him. It was fascinating how easily she could “look” directly at him without really seeing him. “I’ve waited twenty years to find out if there’s any chance that either mating or shifting might give me some of my vision back. I want to know, Daddy.”
He leaned heavily against the counter. “Baby girl, we have to have sex before you can shift.”
She frowned at him. “I know that, Daddy. Let’s do it.”
He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. She was so matter-of-fact about what would be the most important thing that would ever happen between them. “Alpha males do not ordinarily rush our mates to consummate the union, Olivia. We can take our time and get to know each other first.”
She narrowed her gaze as if she were looking right at him. “Do you not want to have sex with me?” Her voice lifted slightly.
“Jeez, Olivia. That is not it at all. I want to fuck you clear into tomorrow. It’s damn near all I can think about. Wipe that look of doubt off your face.” He didn’t dare step away from the counter and get closer to her. It was safer if he stayed right where he was while they had this conversation.
“Then why would we tiptoe around each other, putting off the inevitable?”
“Because most women are nervous about their first time, and most Alphas like to take that into consideration so we don’t freak you out.”
She sat taller in her high chair. “Well, I don’t care what other women are scared of. I’m brave, and I’m curious. I want to know.”
He worried about her reasons. “Do you want to have sex because you feel drawn to me and your skin is itching to have my mouth all over you before I thrust my cock into you? Or, Little rebel, are you only thinking about whether or not you might have more vision afterward?”
“Both,” she admitted bravely. She set her hands on the tray and pushed at it. “Let me out, Daddy. I don’t like feeling trapped when you’re not next to me.”
He shoved off the counter and came to her. His intention would never be to cause her to feel trapped. He quickly undid thetray and the straps before lifting her up. “Wrap your legs around me, Olivia.”
