Page 24 of Daddy's Pretty Baby

We stayed like that for a while, me crying my heart out until the sobs died down, until they were mere sniffs and gasps, my small form curled against his big frame.

“I’m sorry this happened to you, honey,” he murmured once more, kissing my brow before lifting me then, warm and safe in his strong arms. “I’m sorry, Melissa.”

I didn’t say anything, merely huddling into the strength of those arms. Mr. Lancaster would protect me, everything would be okay with him. I forced myself to stay in the moment, to give myself up to his strength, rely upon the alpha’s sense of calm and assurance. And the big man took action then, going up the stairs two at a time, his long strides eating up the distance. But instead of turning into my small room with the pink walls and four-poster bed, instead we made an abrupt right, and stepped into the master suite.

I barely registered it, I was so tired and wrung out from the emotional night, the crying and revelation of my terrible past. So sleepily, I merely murmured, “Daddy?” shaking my head, confused.

But he gave me another kiss on the forehead before gently placing my curvy from onto the big bed.

“Sleep here, tonight,” he said, that big voice low and reassuring in the dark. “Little girl, you’ll be safe here.”

And with a nod and a contented sigh, I relented, nestling in the blankets, the bed so huge it was like a giant life raft.

“Yes Daddy,” I murmured sleepily. “Thank you Daddy.”

And to my surprise, instead of tucking me in, instead of switching off the light and going back downstairs, Mr. Lancaster got in bed beside me, pulling my curves so that I was nestled against that massive form. Oh, it felt so good and so right, our bodies tangled, his warmth like a solid mountain, a source of strength emanating security and reassurance. And with one last contented sigh, sleep overtook me, my brain finally shutting down. But my last thought before everything went dark was that something had changed between Mr. Lancaster and I, something had shifted, something deep, moving, and very real. I could feel it in every fiber of my being … and I only prayed it was for the better.

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