Page 128 of Guardian Daddy

“Hmm, that’s what reading is for me. Especially when I hide in my closet with my favorite things around me. I don’t have to think or worry.”

“The closet is a safe place for you. And your books help you relax and let go. I’d like to be another safe place for you. I’d stop the world so you could just breathe.”

Cate sucked in a breath. She couldn’t believe that she was straddling Ethan’s hips while he lay on the sofa. That he’d just given her a massage.

And said about the nicest thing he could have said.

I’d stop the world so you could just breathe.

Was that even possible?

Well, she’d gotten glimpses into how that might be with him tonight. He’d taken away her worries in the bath . . . when she’d managed to slide into Little headspace for a while.

And then while he was massaging her.

“I’d like that. I withdraw from the world because I get overloaded easily. And I’m always worried that people see me like my aunt and uncle did. As strange and a nuisance. A burden.”

“You could never be a nuisance or a burden. You’re not strange. You’re Cate. My gorgeous girl.”

Tears dripped down her face.

How odd.

“I never cry.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with crying. Many people think it’s a weakness. But it can be a release as well. That’s why people sometimes like to be spanked. To have a reason to let go and cry. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, a hug to keep you grounded, or a spanking, I’m here for you.”

“I might not always read people well, but you sound a little too happy about spanking me.”

His laughter was like champagne bubbles in a glass. Pretty and fun and light.

Ethan sat and gathered her against his chest as the tears continued to drip down her face.

She’d always hated crying. James, her cousin, had always taken great delight in bringing her to tears. And so had a few kids at school. Well, when they managed to get past Rhodes to her.

That was when she’d vowed to hold them back. To keep people from using them against her.

So it was a definite show of her trust to cry in front of Ethan.

Because he won’t harm you.

These tears weren’t ones of sadness. They were a mix of relief and happiness and some of them were due to her leftover terror from earlier.

She could have lost Ethan. She clutched him tight.

“Hey, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. You just let it all out. It’s starting to really hit you, isn’t it?”

Cate thought it had all hit her earlier. But this did seem to be a delayed reaction.

Someone had tried to hurt them. Letting her instinct guide her for once, she pressed her face into his neck and breathed in his scent.

“That’s it, baby. I’ve got you. Daddy has you.”

Daddy.

Cate wished she could just let herself slide into Little headspace. It was just there . . . only slightly beyond her reach.

All she had to do was relax and let go.

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