Page 186 of Guardian Daddy

Perhaps this wasn’t the time, but he had to know and he thought that she trusted him enough now to be honest.

“Baby girl, I know that it’s hard to talk about things sometimes. But I need you to tell me when something is hurting you. When you’re upset, in pain, when there is a risk to you. I have to know. Because I can’t read your mind. And if something was harming you and I found out later . . . it would fucking kill me.”

“Kill you?” she asked, looking confused.

“It would hurt me, Cate. I’m a protector, a problem-solver, I’m the guy who helps people. But the person I want to help the most is you.”

“I don’t want to be a burden, though.”

“You could never be a burden.”

“You’re sure?”

“I am most definitely sure. All of you is utter perfection. Beautiful, courageous, and mine.”

Blinking rapidly, she looked away for a moment before sucking in a deep breath. “I think you have that wrong. It’s not me that’s perfect.”

She gave him a pointed look and he had to grin.

“I’m so far from perfect, it’s not funny. But I just hope I’m what you need.”

“Ethan Stone, you are everything I need and more.”

He kissed the top of her head. Then her forehead. The tip of her nose.

“Ohh,” she said, moving her lips up toward his.

“Uh-uh, no kisses until you tell me.”

“It’s not harming me,” she said with a sigh. “It’s just a little flick. A sting to help me clear my head.”

Clear her head?

“Did your therapist suggest it? Have you talked to her about it?”

“No. I just came up with it myself. I haven’t spoken to my therapist about this.”

That wasn’t good. What was she talking to her therapist about?

“I don’t know that it sounds very healthy,” he told her. “I think that you should talk to her about this. I hate the thought of you giving yourself even a small amount of pain to help clear out your head. I want you to tell me the thoughts in your head instead.”

Fuck. Was that too much?

Part of him didn’t care. He wanted to know what was going on with this girl. All the time.

His phone beeped, and he checked it, seeing that Seth and Rhodes were back. “I don’t want you doing that to yourself anymore.” His voice was firm.

“I . . . I won’t.”

Ethan held out his hand. She placed the hair tie in it. Relief filled him, even though he knew that it probably wasn’t this simple or easy.

“Thank you, baby. I want you to speak to your therapist about this. Did you tell her about all the stress you’ve been under?”

“I told her a bit about Rhodes been stalked and you guys moving in this morning.”

“What did she say?”

“That she’s concerned about all the stress and that I need to make sure I’m looking after myself.”

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