Page 70 of Guardian Daddy

Cate was actually surprised that she was here. Normally, after an episode like she’d just had, she’d have to spend a few hours alone in her closet, trying to calm down.

Ethan really did have magic arms.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, sitting sideways on his sun lounger so he could look at her.

Cate glanced down at herself. She was still dressed in slacks and she wore three layers on her top half. She’d taken off her shoes before she’d sat down, but her feet were encased in socks.

And she was still a bit chilly.

“About your magical body parts.”

His mouth dropped open. “My magical body parts?”

“Uh-huh.” Was that strange? Maybe it was.

“Which part do you think is magical?” he asked with a strange look on his face.

“Your arms.”

“Oh, my arms. That’s slightly disappointing.”

Huh? She didn’t understand.

“You need a blanket.” He jumped back up and walked inside before she could say anything, returning with the blanket from yesterday. He placed it over her legs and lap. That did feel a lot better.

“Have you always felt the cold this badly?” he asked her as he sat again.

“Ever since I can remember. If I get too cold, my circulation gets really bad.”

Ethan nodded. “Then we need to make certain that you’re never cold.”

Did he really care? Or was it something he was just saying?

If he didn’t care, would he have looked after you just before? And last night?

“You told me about being a Daddy Dom so I would know something about you,” she said.

“Yeah, I did.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“No. But I wanted you to know. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Cate.”

She let out a deep breath as some of the knot in her stomach unraveled.

“I apologize for coming on too strong last night and scaring you off.”

“Sometimes I get overwhelmed. As you have seen this afternoon. And I . . .” She looked out over the pool to the view of the ocean beyond. “I run and hide until I’m less overwhelmed.”

“I understand, though I wish that you would stay and talk to me instead of running from me. How about if that urge comes over you again, you just tell me you need a time-out?”

“A time-out? Like what naughty children get?”

“Maybe not the best thing to call it. A reset?”

A reset.

Yes, she could do that. Slowly, she nodded. “I’ll try.”

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