Page 77 of Daddy's Naughty List

“What do you mean ‘not exactly’, little girl?” Daddy growled.

Swallowing hard, she squeezed her hands together in her lap. On either side of her, Jesse and Carly pressed themselves closer to her, as if offering her their strength through some weird form of Little osmosis. “Well, I sorta figured, out of all of us, I might be the only one who could get away with it.”

Daddy’s eyes went wide. But it wasn’t the anger that had her stomach clenching so tightly she had to swallow again to keep its contents in place.

It was the hurt radiating from him that made her feel about two inches tall. “I need a minute.”

Turning on his heel, her Daddy strode out of the living room without so much as a look back over his shoulder.

Fear sat like a rock in her chest. But when she tried to rise to her feet, tried to go after him, she was firmly pushed back down by a heavy, familiar hand.

“He said he needs a minute, sweetheart.” Matt’s voice was surprisingly gentle. “I’ll go talk to him, calm him down a bit.” He hesitated, obviously weighing his words carefully before he sighed. “I’m really disappointed in you right now, Taylor. I think you need to sit here and really think about what you’ve done. How much you’ve broken your Daddy’s trust. We’ll be back shortly to finish this discussion.”

If she’d thought she felt guilty before, it was nothing compared to what she felt now, watching Matt leave. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she leaned into Carly as the sobs wracked her body.

Chapter Thirteen

How had this all gone so fucking wrong?

He expected some naughtiness. As Dom had said, it seemed to be hardwired into his babygirl’s DNA.

But this… this went beyond naughty. This was a carefully crafted and executed plan to do something dangerous. And what was more, she’d lied right to his face about it.

What the hell was he supposed to do with that?

“You okay?”

Leaning against the sink, Ian closed his eyes against the wave of emotions crashing over him at the sound of Matt’s voice. Guilt, anger, fear, and a dozen other feelings he couldn’t quite name. “No. No, I’m not okay. And if you’re here for some version of ‘I told you so’, I don’t want to fucking hear it.”

“Fair enough.”

They stood there for a while, in the heavy silence, before Ian finally found the strength to turn and face his best friend. “I’m so fucking sorry, Matt. If I’d had any clue she would do something to put them all in danger like that…”

“I know. I don’t blame you.”

It should have been a relief, but it only made the guilt in his stomach churn harder, faster. “You should. I let this happen.”

Matt opened his mouth then snapped it shut again, his lips pressed into a tight line as he clearly debated what to say. “Let me ask you something,” he finally said at length.

“What?”

“All the times you’ve chosen not to punish Taylor… did you honestly think you were doing what was best for her?”

Yes. Of course.But even as the words popped into his mind, he found himself questioning them.

“I don’t know.” Frustrated with Taylor, with himself, he ran a hand through his hair. “I just get so in my head sometimes, you know? Like, what if I’m being too hard on her? What if she doesn’t actually need me to be this strict? What if I’m just some sadistic asshole who enjoys hurting pretty girls?”

A grin blossomed on Matt’s face, surprising him. “Welcome to the club.”

“I’m being serious, Matt.”

“So am I.” But the smile faded, erased by the worry in Matt’s eyes. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

“I don’t know. A few months, I guess?”

“Jesus, man. Why didn’t you come talk to me?”

“You’ve got your own shit to deal with. Between Carly and Emma you’ve got your hands full.”

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