Page 56 of Saving Sophia

“Know what I like?” he asked.

I shook my head, leaning my chin carefully on my arms and flexing my toes in ecstasy while he massaged shampoo into my scalp. “I like calling you my sweet little Sophie.”

My heart thumped. A brave thought popped into my head. “But what should I call you?” When I heard it out loud, I immediately regretted it. Still … he said something earlier that I couldn’t get out of my head.

His fingers trailed down through my hair to trace the lines of my neck. “What do you want to call me?”

“At the restaurant … you said …” I stopped. I had been in the middle of a breakdown. Even if I had heard right, I was a grown woman. He wouldn’t want me to call him?—

“I said ‘Daddy’s here,’” he said. No hesitation.

A little sigh snuck out of me, and I dropped my hands into the water with a sploosh. Suddenly it all made sense. He wanted to take care of someone, to cherish them. I’d read a book like that, my heart swooning at the words, but I never imagined I would meet a man like that in real life. “Is that … what you want?”

The warm air of his breath raised goosebumps on my wet shoulders as he leaned in close to my ear. “That’s a title with a lot of meaning to me. You should only use it if you mean it.” He rinsed the shampoo away, running his hands through my hair along with the stream of warm water.

“But yes, my little Sophie, I would love it if you called me Daddy.”

I clutched the locket around my neck. What he said should feel impossible, but it didn’t. It was overpowering and decadent and so right and real.

“Tell me about that.” He traced the chain along the back of my neck. “Who gave it to you?”

I tapped my teeth together, considering. He’d think I was pathetic. Or worse.

“Your father?” he prompted. “Are you two close?”

I snorted. “I didn’t … my … father …” the last word caught in my throat. I looked at him, miserable in my battle to speak.

He rubbed his chin for a second, then stood up. “I have an idea. I’ll be right back.”

When he left, I squeezed my arms around my body, trying to process the last few minutes. So much could go wrong with this. So much could humiliate me and dash my heart to pieces. And that was before I factored in my bigger problems. They were practically a guarantee this whole thing would end badly.

But holy crickets, I didn’t care. My whole body was thrumming with delicious hunger, and I wanted this … wanted him, more than I ever wanted anything. If I didn’t take this chance, I would regret it forever. Letting him take control already felt worth all the inevitable embarrassment and pain.

Could I take the next step? Could I be brave and claim what I desperately wanted? I might spend the rest of my life humiliated and alone, but being his sweet little Sophie would be worth it, even if only for one unforgettable day.

I was going to do this.

He returned holding something red and ruffled.

“Sometimes, when you have something difficult to say,” he said, easing himself back down next to the tub. “It’s easier to say it to a friendly face. A face that will listen with no possibility of judgment. A face who might even be grateful to you.”

He handed me one of the Holiday Barbies, freed from her box and looking ready for a gala event in her red-and-gold plaid dress. “She looks happy to be out of that box, wouldn’t you say?”

I took her with one hand, turning my body in the tub to stare at him. “But I’ll mess up her dress with my wet hands … and she’s not as valuable out of the box,” I protested, the grouchy shopkeeper’s disdain ringing in my ears.

“Do you care about that?” he asked.

I shook my head hard back and forth, my wet hair slapping softly against my neck. It had nothing to do with money for me.

“Then I certainly don’t.”

I stared at the doll, then at him, afraid my heart might actually crack open and melt into a puddle. He grabbed the washcloth again. “Do you have a name for her?”

A silly thought popped into my head, but somehow, in this small, steamy space, it made perfect sense. “Ruthie?”

“Oh?” He chuckled, eyes twinkling. “You mean the brave young heiress, Ruthie Luddington? Currently tied up in the captain’s quarters awaiting her punishment in A Ruthless Choice?”

I giggled.

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