“Let me put this down, and we’ll figure out what to do.”

Casey turned over to her other side. She almost hummed when Simon laid his huge, warm hand on her forehead.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

Casey hadn’t realized how stiff her body was because of the cool air. “It’s not a big deal.”

Simon rolled his eyes and turned down the light over the bed. “Move over.”

Casey automatically did what he said and then gasped when he slid into bed beside her. He was so huge thathe took up three-fourths of the mattress, but then he pulled her tightly against his chest and arranged the blankets around her.

“Simon, what are you doing? You can’t be in the bed with me.”

He chuckled, and she couldn’t believe how the sound went straight to her tummy.

“Sure, I can. Now relax. Here’s your puppy,” he said andtucked it against her stomach.

“I don’t know if I can. I’ve never slept with another person.”

She didn’t understand when he froze for a moment, and tension was in the air. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Simon cleared his throat. “Nothing. I just haven’t been around someone so innocent before, except for the littles.”

She looked over her shoulder at him. “Littles?”

“Yeah. My friends have women who are considered ‘littles.’ It is just a term given to them because they’re in a relationship with a man who controls every aspect of their lives. They call their men ‘daddies.’”

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“It’s a lifestyle. The little calls her man ‘Daddy.’ It means the same as Sweetheart or Honey.”

“Doesn’t that embarrass them?”

“Not at all. These women are different from what society considers the norm. They don’t want to have jobs, go to parties, or dress in fancy clothing unless they’re playing dress-up.”

She thought about that for a moment. It sounded so much like her, she was astounded. She didn’t realize there were other women like her.

Simon cupped her face. “So, when you said things about not sleeping with anybody, it made me think of them because they’re so innocent.”

“So, you like people like that?” Casey asked.

“Yes. I very much like women like that. I’ve always needed to be in charge and have control, and it seems the littles are the only ones who understand that kind of personality trait and thrive under it.”

“Oh,” she said. It sounded so much like herself that it excited her because now she knew she was not alone.

“How about we get some rest now? We can talk about thislater.”

Casey turned on her side away from him again and tried to relax. The heat from his body wrapped around her, and it was a feeling of warmth, but italso made her feel less alone and safe.

A few nurses came in during the night to check on her. When they saw Simon in bed with her, their first reaction was shock, but they didn’t say anything about it.

Casey woke up slowly the next morning and blinked several times against the brightness. She felt Simon slide out of bed behind her and could hear him on the phone again. She twisted to her back and then turned her head toward him to see his backside as he was on the phone by the window.

Her eyes scanned over his back, and shecouldn’t help the hot feeling that built in her core. He was very tall with broad shoulders, big arms and hands, and his legs were as big as tree trunks, and his bottom looked… She could feel herself blush when he turned and caught her looking at his bottom. The smirk on his face made her want to yell at him. But she kept quiet.

Simon walked over to the bed. “Good morning, Sweetheart. How do you feel today?

She moved her body to see if anything ached, and besides a few twinges, she felt good. “I think I’m doing very well,” she said.