Page 66 of Chasing Amber

He spreads his huge hands on my back and pulls me closer, bringing his lips to mine, deepening the kiss until we’re both panting. “Marry me,” he mumbles against my lips. “If you don’t, I’ll have Spence reprint that paper tomorrow and sign it before you can see it.”

“That’s silly,” I tell him.

“That’s your only option.”

I take several deep breaths. “I come with a lot of baggage.”

“I’m aware, baby.”

“I have nightmares where people are holding me hostage in a damp, cold basement with nothing but a bucket to pee in and a mattress to sit on.”

“Those aren’t nightmares, baby. That happened to you. And I will be in bed with you to hold you when the memories flood back from now on.”

“My parents died,” I blurt out for no reason.

He rubs my back. “I know, baby. I read about it. I know the facts. I know about the bank vault, the attempted robbery, and the explosion. What I don’t know is how that made fifteen-year-old Amber feel. How it changed her life to lose her parents and have her brother take over raising her.”

I swallow. I won’t cry. I can talk about this without crying. I’m just stating facts. But as I begin to speak, the tears fall anyway. “Abandoned.” It’s the only word I say.

Daddy sets his forehead against mine. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

I swipe at the tears. “I had Spence. I shouldn’t have felt so alone, but I always figured someone would eventually kill him, too. And me. Why not kill all of us and steal our money?”

Daddy smooths a hand up to cup the back of my neck. “I’m sure your parents loved you dearly and didn’t want to leave you.”

I sniffle. “But they still left.”

“And you’re afraid I’ll leave, too?”

I nod. That’s the heart of the matter.

“Well, I won’t. Never. And I will keep a careful watch over both of us at all times to make sure no one has the opportunity to hurt us.”

I lean into him for both physical and emotional support. “I think I like the idea of being Little because it lets me retreat and pretend I have no problems.”

“That’s okay. I’m sure it’s common. You can regress as deeply as you want as often as you need, and I’ll be here to make sure you’re safe while you’re in that headspace.”

“Millie told me you were in love with me. I didn’t believe her.”

He chuckles. “She’s a smart therapist.”

“She said there was no way anyone would stay on as my bodyguard with all the shit…stuff…I pull unless they were getting something else out of it.”

“Yep.”

I lean back. “I thought she believed I was having sex with you.”

He chuckles. “You don’t have to sleep with me for me to get something out of our relationship. I get so much just being near you that it doesn’t matter if you ignore me.”

“I don’t want to ignore you anymore.”

“I’m glad, baby. It can get lonely.”

I crawl up onto him, straddling him, pressing my body against his. “I love you.”

“Does this mean you’ll marry me?”

“Nope. You have to ask me all proper first. You have to use some of that money to buy me a ring, even if it comes out of a vending machine. And then you have to get down on one knee and ask me like they do in a fairy tale.”

---