Page 66 of Impressing Brett

“I don’t care.” She doesn’t even glance at what I’m holding. I can’t blame her. She’s done nothing but pace since we got here. She was stir-crazy in the hotel room. We both were. But now that we’re at my place, she’s more nervous.

She keeps glancing at the windows. I know she won’t rest easy until we catch the PI who took the pics.

The good news is, we know where the pics were taken from—two locations, one through the windows at the front of the house and one through windows at the back of the house. Blade managed to tap into surveillance cameras at several surrounding properties, so he has images of the PI. He’s even used facial recognition to identify him. The only thing left is to find the guy. He’s in the wind.

I stop asking for Lacy’s opinions about her clothes and do the best I can to pack for both of us. Our flight to Indiana is in three hours. We have plenty of time.

Lacy steps toward a corner of the room, wringing her hands in that nervous way she does. She’s out of sight of the windows.

I like this house. I’ve lived in it for several years, but if I have to sell it to make Lacy more comfortable, I will. I’m hoping she will agree to shutters and window tinting. Something that allows us to see out without people seeing in.

Most people go their entire lives without worrying about Peeping Toms, but once a person has pictures taken of them in their own home, it changes their perspective. It’s freaking me out, too.

I don’t think we’re going to need the skirt, blouse, and pumps I pack for Lacy. They’re just in case. I’m not planning on us staying for more than a day or two, and I’m confident she will be more comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. But I’m packing for other possible eventualities.

I finally zip up the suitcase and take quick strides toward her. I wrap my arms around her and press her into the corner. I set my forehead against hers. “You don’t have to do this,” I remind her for the tenth time.

“Yes, I do. It’s the only way to make it stop. I can’t spend my life looking over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. They won’t stop hounding me until I show my face.”

She’s basically bait, and I hate it. Blade has repeatedly assured me that she will never be in any danger. She certainly won’t be separated from me. Not for one second. I’ll go in fucking public bathrooms with her if she has to pee. I’ve told her this. She thinks I’m kidding.

“If you panic or change your mind, just say the word. I won’t have you upset or overly stressed by this. We’ll figure something else out.”

“I know,” she says softly. “Blade has gone over it with me ten times, Brett. I can do this. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Let’s go.” I grab the suitcase and my backpack and hand Lacy her purse.

Colt is waiting for us out front. He’s driving us to the airport. Dagger, Mace, and Cannon are also going with us. They’re on the same flight but will arrive separately, and we will act like we don’t know them. They will be on us at all times as soon as we reach Indiana.

The ride to the airport is quiet, and Lacy says very little during the flight. It’s almost ten o’clock before we get to our hotel, get checked in, and into a room.

The Rutherfords don’t know we’re coming. The plan is to show up unannounced tomorrow morning. They won’t be able to prepare for our arrival. We will have backup and a plan.

I drop our bags on the bed and turn toward Lacy. “Bath or shower?”

“Shower,” she mumbles.

“Do you need some Little space?”

She shakes her head. “No. I just need sleep.”

I take her hand and lead her to the bathroom, where I turn on the water before I strip both of us and guide her into the shower with me. “Let me wash you, Little lamb,” I whisper.

“Okay.” She remains quiet while I wash both of us, switching back and forth between shampoo, conditioner, and soap. After I get us rinsed off, I turn off the water, help her out, and wrap her in a towel.

I hate how quiet she is. I want this over with. I want Lacy to get to the other side of this problem and be free of worry, stress, and fear. I hope to God that when this is over, she can be the carefree Little girl I know she has inside her. Laughing and playing in her Little space when she’s home. Crunching numbers and ruling the universe when she’s in business mode at work.

I already know she’s an amazing woman who can juggle both with mastery. I’ve seen glimpses of her ability to toggle between her two selves. She doesn’t believe it’s possible as strongly as I do, but she will. In time.

After I dry her hair, I hang up her towel, and we head back to the bedroom, where I pull back the covers and usher her to climb in. “Do you want a T-shirt?”

She shakes her head. We usually sleep naked together. She says she feels closer to me when we’re both naked. Even when we aren’t amorous or about to have sex, we still snuggle up naked.

I hand Lacy the one stuffie we brought—Banana—and she smiles at me as she pulls him under the covers. “Thank you,” she murmurs after I turn out the lights and climb in, pulling her into my arms.

I kiss the top of her head. I don’t know what she’s thanking me for, but it doesn’t matter. I’d do anything for her.

Other than Banana, we didn’t bring anything specifically Little, but Lacy tends to defer to me the moment we’re alone, no matter where we are or what the circumstances are. She might be inside her head dealing with a million different things. She might not call me Daddy for a while when she’s hovering in that space. But she lets me do things for her anyway, like bathe, dress, and hold her.

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