Page 193 of Daddy's Naughty List

“I will make you a lunch and a breakfast to take with you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she rushed to assure him as she wiggled her way off the wide bed, trying to keep her t-shirt from riding up too far over her thighs.

“I know, little girl. Let me take care of you.”

She hesitated before looking at the clock. She didn’t have time to worry about imposing on him. “Okay. But we will talk about all this tonight. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“I won’t do anything I don’t want to do,” he assured her.

With a nod, Melissa rushed out of the room to throw on some clothes. She ran to the bathroom to pee and wash her face. After a quick brush of her hair, she pulled it up in a ponytail. She looked at the bandage over her stitches. It had survived the night well. Just using her arm to do simple tasks had made it start hurting again.

Dashing into the kitchen, she heard a blender whirl. “Hey, I’ll see you tonight.”

“Grab your lunch. Pause two seconds for me to pour this into a cup,” Rocky requested.

Melissa looked at the smoothie he’d created for her. “I can’t drink that. I’ll have to go to the bathroom over and over again. I don’t drink until before lunch.”

“That isn’t healthy. Surely you could use someone’s bathroom.”

“I don’t like to ask. Sorry. I have to go.”

Her phone beeped making her pause to look at the screen. “Crap. I need to take my medicine.”

“You need to eat something. Cold pizza for breakfast?” he suggested, and her mouth watered.

“That would be awesome.”

“There’s your pill and a bottle of water. Take it while I get a slice of pizza,” Rocky ordered.

She followed his directions without arguing. He was making her life so much easier.

“Your mid-day dose is in your lunch box. Take it. I’d really like to change those bandages. If you’re in a hurry, I’ll wait until tonight. I put extra bandages in your lunchbox as well. Do your best to keep that area clean.”

Melissa saluted before following his instructions.

“Little girl, you’re not being bratty, are you?” he asked with an arched eyebrow as he handed over a slice of pizza on a paper towel.

“No way. Thank you.” She hesitated for a minute before adding, “Daddy.”

The pleased look on his face made her grin. One small word could have such an effect on them both. He swept around the island and wrapped her in his arms to press a kiss on her lips.

Melissa clung to him as he kissed her. She’d never experienced such emotions in an intimate exchange. When he lifted his head, she stared at him in disbelief. What would making love with him feel like?

“You are very definitely the best Christmas present I’ve ever received. Go to work, little girl. We’ll talk tonight.”

She nodded her head and backed up. Melissa winced as she picked up the lunchbox. How much had he put in there?

“Is your arm hurting?”

“It’s okay,” she assured him.

“In Melissa talk, that means it hurts. You’re going to have to be careful with that arm and stop using it if it becomes too painful. Did the doctor restrict how much weight you could lift with that arm?”

Melissa nodded. She was going to have to carry her tools in her other hand. Those were the heaviest things she toted. And watch out for her more boisterous clients. Her shoulders sagged. It was going to be a long day.

“Take these.” He held out two of the over-the-counter painkillers. “I’ll tuck the bottle in your lunch box. You can take them every four hours. If you are in pain after that, you need to call Tami and take some time off to heal. Ripping those stitches out is not a good idea.”

“I’ll be careful. Thanks.” She took the tablets. When she reached for the lunchbox with her uninjured arm, he picked it up for her.

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