Page 66 of Defended
The thought held only amusement, no shame or embarrassment. That was one good thing to come out of this weekend; she definitely understood a lot more about herself and what she wanted. Peggy had been wrong. Ignorant. There was a side to Melody that had been unexplored, ignored, until now.
Wriggling in Daddy's arms, jubilant glee rose up inside of her. She didn't need to think about her work. Didn't need to worry about her living situation. She knew he would take care of everything, and she could just have fun at the fair he'd brought her to.
"Can we try to win the tiger?" she asked hopefully.
Daddy laughed. "Of course, sweetheart." Then his voice lowered, whispering into her ear. "But you're still being punished for your earlier behavior when we get home."
Darn it.
* * *
It had takenway too much money—and finding an easier game—but Kawan had eventually managed to win Melody a tiger. Granted, it was a smaller tiger than the massive once she'd first found, but she was happy enough with it.
"The other one would have been too hard to carry anyway," she told him, hugging the stuffie to her. She'd named it Tony, and Kawan had done his best not to laugh.
While Kawan would have been happy with her at any 'age,' he had to admit the one she'd chosen was his favorite. It was a good balance of allowing him to take care of her while she still retained independence. And although he'd enjoyed her bratty 'teenage' mouth, she was much sweeter like this.
Likely there would be times when she wanted to be a little 'older' or a little 'younger,' but she definitely seemed happiest around six to eight years.
They wouldn't always have time to spend a whole weekend like this, especially while she was still earning her PhD, but he would make the most of the time they did have. It helped that she was at his house. This relationship was moving faster than he'd thought it would, definitely faster than he'd planned it to, but it just felt soright.
He felt happier than he had in a long time.
They ate dinner out, her stuffed tiger sitting on her lap, and she was yawning by the time they got home.
Home.She made it feel like a home and not just his house. It was a feeling he was going to have to examine more closely later when he had the time to devote to it. Right now he needed to focus on his baby girl's discipline.
"Go upstairs and do whatever you need to before bed," he told her, slipping easily into his stern Daddy role. It wasn't hard, all he had to do was dredge up a memory of what a bratty 'teen' she'd been. "I want you waiting for me naked and bent over the side of my bed, ready to take your punishment for the evening. I'll be up soon to take care of your discipline."
"But..." She looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes, but saw the determination in his expression and immediately slumped. Even though her head was down as she turned toward the stairs, he could see the little smile on her lips.
The naughty little thing must have sensed that he wasn't actually upset. While she responded to his discipline on multiple levels, what really fueled her behavior was not wanting to disappoint him. Which was why she'd persisted in trying to please him by spending the full day in a role she didn't feel comfortable in, which had resulted in her acting out because she had been so uncomfortable.
She was everything he wanted.
For a long moment, Kawan stared at the window looking out onto his front yard. It was dark outside, so he could see nothing but his expression. Something felt strange. Different. Like there had been a shift in his world, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
I'm not worried.
That was it.
There was a part of him that had expected to fight his feelings for her. To compare her to Krissy, especially because she was living here with him so quickly, because she hadneededhim to help her, because she wasn't experienced... but Melody was real. Her inner sweet submissive little was exactly who she was, not a front she put on to play him.
Krissy would have had no problem playing any parts he'd asked of Melody this weekend. But that's because for her it had been just that—playing. She wouldn't have cared about his disappointment. She would have also used her role for everything she could get from him. If she'd decided she wanted a massive stuffed tiger, nothing but that would have satisfied her, no matter how much money he'd had to spend to make it happen.
For Melody, this weekend had been about self-discovery. She cared what he wanted, more than she cared about her own satisfaction. Wanted to please him, more than she wanted to please herself. She was sweet, smart, and sexy, as both an adult and as a little. If there were such a thing as the perfect woman for him, she'd be it.
He was falling in love, faster than he would have thought possible and enjoying every minute of the trip.
For now, though, he needed to focus on ending this magical weekend with a bang. Kawan knew exactly how he wanted to wrap things up. Grinning, he headed for the stairs.
