Page 18 of Guiding Little Gabi

Hold the freakin’ phone. How could he think she could do better than him? Had he never seen himself? More importantly, had he never listened to himself? He was smart, generous, and kind. There was no one better than him. Not for her.

She’d been miserable for months, believing he didn’t want her anymore. She’d cried herself to sleep most nights, wondering how she could be better. And the whole time, he’d thoughthewas the problem?

What. The. Heck.

Before she could stop herself, she reached up and bopped his forehead with the heel of her palm. “I had one, but he quit!”

He stared at her, unmoving. Then one brow slowly climbed his forehead. “Did you just hit Daddy?”

Um… uh oh.

Shoving against his chest, Gabi hopped off his lap and ran toward the bathroom. She should have known she couldn’t outrun someone with legs ten miles long. He was on her before she made it halfway across the room.

She squealed and wiggled, trying to escape his hold as he lifted her and carried her to the bed. Raleigh dropped her so that her back was on the bed with her legs hanging off the edge. He pinned her arms over her head and used his body weight to hold her in place.

“I didn’t mean to, Daddy!” she squealed. “It was an accident.”

He growled at her. Growled! That couldn’t be a good sign, right? “Oh, I don’t think so. And you know Little girls never, ever hit their Daddies. That deserves a punishment.”

He shook his head as if he felt sorry for her. Like she would fall for that. “But, Daddy. My bottom still hurts from before.”

“My hands are tied, babygirl. I’d lose my Daddy card for sure if I let this slide. I’m sorry, but as they say when it comes to bratting… when Littles play the bratty part, Daddy’s give them tummy farts.”

Say what now?

Before she could make heads or tails of what he meant, he released her hand, lifted her shirt, and pressed his mouth against the center of her tummy.

Oh no! She barely had time to cry, “Wait!” before he blew the biggest raspberry ever right above her belly button. He nuzzled against her middle, tickling her sensitive skin.

Gabi erupted in peals of laughter. The vibrations pricked her skin and had her squealing and twisting to avoid his lips.

She wrapped her legs around his waist in an effort to dislodge him, but it didn’t work. “Daddy!” she howled in laughter. “I’m sorry, Daddy. Eek… I’m sorry!”

“Are you sure?” he growled against her abdomen, which sent her into more spasms of glee. “You don’t sound very sorry.” His voice was rich with amusement.

Even with all the Daddying he’d done over the past four years, he’d never done anything like this. She loved it.

Grabbing handfuls of his hair, she tugged him toward her head. He let her win that battle, supporting his weight on his forearms. He studied her face as if it were the first time he’d seen it and was trying to commit it to memory.

Her eyes closed as he laced his fingers through her hair, brushing his thumb softly across her lips. Her lungs waged a losing battle against her pulse, leaving her breathless. An ache settled over her clit. She wanted to mold herself against him to soothe the need he’d created, but she didn’t dare.

“I have no problem being your Daddy now, Gabi. As a matter of fact, I’ve dreamed of being your Daddy for a long time, even during these past six months when I’ve been distant. Have I ruined my chance of making that dream a reality?”

“Daddy.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She could hardly think at all with the desire burning inside her, his hips settled so snugly against her sex. She should offer at least some token resistance as payback for all he’d put her through. But she couldn’t find it within her when paying it forward was an option.

He stroked his thumb across her cheekbone, and it was all she could do not to chase after it with her lips.

“Is that a yes, Daddy, or a no, Daddy?” His voice was a deep rumble, like gentle thunder in the spring rain.

“Yes… I mean no, Daddy. You haven’t ruined your chances. And yes, I want you to be my Daddy.”

Heat blazed in his eyes as his fingers tightened their grip on her hair. At the same time, he tilted her head back, and the combination zinged straight to her clit. His mouth covered hers, swallowing her moan of pleasure. She’d forgotten his kiss would make her feel like this.

It was anything but gentle. It was hard, wet, and deep. He stoked the flames inside her, sweeping her tongue with his own. Her clit pulsed and she surrendered the struggle to be still, rocking her hips up to press into his.

She needed this, needed him, kissing him with all the fervor he’d driven her to. His hard body held her in place as the feelings he was bringing to life threatened to overwhelm her.

Shifting his weight to one hand, he slowly tugged her shirt up, breaking their kiss only long enough to pull it over her head. She ripped the snaps of his shirt open, craving the skin-to-skin contact.

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