Page 45 of Daddy's Little Matchmaker

Back when he was with his first wife, he’d been a horny teen. He’d felt that swell of lust that he’d mistaken for love when he was with her, but he’d never felt like they were close friends.

Later, when he was with his fellow Air Force pilot, it had started out as a casual convenience for them both. It had led to something akin to intimacy, but because he’d never shared his kink with her, it felt like a surface-level relationship to him.

And later still, when he was with his Little, there had definitely been intimacy, and there had been love. But he never would have classified her as a friend, because of their power dynamic.

But with Tessica he had all of that. He felt lust for her, she knew and accepted his kink, she could be his equal or his Little,andshe was his friend. His stomach churned. It was frightening to feel so much for her so quickly. Falling in love wasnoton his agenda at this point in their relationship.

“I should go.” The words came out of his mouth before he thought them through.

She lifted her head off his chest. “What?”

“Uh…” The excuse came to his lips almost immediately. “You need sleep.” He got out of bed, quickly pulled off the condom, tied it off, and tossed it in the garbage next to the nightstand. Then he put his underwear and pants on. “You haven’t slept more than six hours a night all week. I want you to go brush your teeth, get ready for bed, and then I’ll tuck you in before I leave.”

Frowning, she said, “I thought maybe you’d spend the night.”

He shook his head and pulled his shirt on. “You’ll sleep better alone. I’ll stay over next time.”

She pulled some of the covers over to hide her naked body. “I was going to do some more work tonight after our date.”

Connor could tell he was making her nervous and uncertain, which was not the way he wanted to leave her. He took a deep breath to calm his own nerves, and went into patient Daddy mode in an attempt to fix things. He leaned forward to rest his hands on the bed, and looked her in the eyes. “How many hours have you worked already today?”

“Uh… Well…” She broke eye contact and muttered, “About eleven.”

“About?”

She winced. “Maybe closer to twelve.”

“Is there anything urgent that can’t wait until tomorrow morning?”

It took a couple of seconds of her biting her lip, but eventually she shook her head. “No.”

“Okay. So you’re going to brush your teeth, get ready for bed, and go to sleep, right now.”

“It’s barely eight o’clock,” she protested.

His first instinct was to swat for non-compliance, but knew that probably wasn’t the right answer after their previous discussion. “Tessica, youneedto sleep. It’s time to let someone else take care of you for a while. I’m not budging on this. Go get ready for bed without arguing, and I’ll read to you until you fall asleep.”

Her eyebrows furrowed as she searched his eyes. He maintained a steady gaze. She scooted away from him to the other side of the bed, toward the attached bathroom, but then paused. “If I fall asleep, you’ll need a key to lock the front door.”

“Do you have an extra key?”

She nodded.

“Okay then.” He stood up straight. “I’ll be happy to lock the door once you fall asleep, and then I can give you back your key tomorrow morning when we meet at the shelter to feed the animals.” When she didn’t get up, he raised one eyebrow and waved a hand toward the bathroom. “Go on.”

Keeping the blanket up with one hand, she pulled her panties off the floor with the other. Once they were on, she stood up, went to the dresser to get a nighty, and then went into the bathroom.

“Good girl,” he said before she closed the door.

Once he heard the water running in the other room, Connor took a deep breath and ran his hand down his face. That had been a close one. He’s almost wrecked things between them before they’d even started. Thank goodness she really did needthe sleep, even if he was using it as an excuse to put some distance between them. The next time they slept together, he’d have to be more careful not to let his feelings interfere.

He put on his shoes and socks, and tidied up the bed covers while she was in the bathroom.

When she came out, she gestured to the hallway. “I’ll go get the extra key.”

“Okay.”

She came back and handed it to him. He pocketed the key, turned the covers down on the bed, and patted the mattress. “In you go.”

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