Page 43 of Arion
He was right about a lot of things, darn him. One of them was that a soaked diaper hanging heavy between her legs was the deepest ultimate form of submission. She would never admit it to him, but she was the most aroused after she peed herself because she knew it pleased him, and following his orders brought her to her knees.
By the time her Daddy had lunch ready, she had colored him a picture from her wolf coloring book. She held it up. “It’s us, Daddy.” She handed him the picture of two wolves. The larger one was nuzzling the neck of the smaller one.
“It’s beautiful, Little mate.” He took it over and stuck it to the fridge with a magnet, lingering a few moments while tracing the edges as if he really cared and wasn’t just saying so. “I love it.”
Lunch was the one meal of the day when her Daddy often let her feed herself. He prepared finger foods, cutting everything into small bites and setting the plastic plate on her tray.
Breakfast and dinner he usually fed her himself. She hadn’t touched a utensil since she’d arrived. It was hard to decide which method she liked best. On the one hand, it was a pleasant switch to be given a plate of food and permitted to control each bite herself. On the other hand, the intimacy of being fed by her Daddy was special.
It wasn’t as if she had total control when he gave her finger foods. In fact, as he set the plate of apples, chunks of cheese, small slices of lunch meat, and cucumbers on the tray, he tipped her chin back.
She knew what he was going to say before the words came out of his mouth because it was always the same. “Take your time. Chew your food well. Don’t rush. I don’t want you to choke.”
She didn’t laugh. He was dead serious. He often spoke to her as if she were new to the planet instead of a twenty-year-old woman who’d been eating just fine all of that time without assistance.
But she was learning more about him every day. He truly adored her and was insanely concerned about her every move because he didn’t want anything to happen to her. She understood because she felt the same about him.
“Yes, Sir.”
Arion sat at the table next to her and ate his entire giant sandwich and apple before she managed to take six bites. She certainly wasn’t going to choke, but what about him?
His phone rang, and he glanced at the screen before rising to kiss her forehead and stepping outside.
She watched him as he put the phone to his ear and paced the deck. Why did he do that? Why did he always take his calls where she couldn’t hear? Who was he talking to?
He’d told her it was Alpha business. He’d apologized several times for dealing with the pack business while they were in the honeymoon period. He’d told her it was nothing for her to worry about. However, every time he ended a call, he came back inside looking concerned and frustrated.
While she watched him, he faced away from her and lifted one hand to thread his fingers through his hair and give it a tug. He was definitely frustrated.
Finally, he ended the call, but instead of turning to come back inside immediately, he leaned against the railing of the deck, his head hanging while he took several deep breaths.
When he finally stepped back inside, she flinched. She’d been staring at him for so long she hadn’t finished her lunch. “Daddy?” There was a tremble in her voice.
“Yeah, Little one?” He came to her, kissed the top of her head, and pointed at her plate. “You need to finish eating.”
“Not hungry, Daddy.”
“Would you rather have a bottle?”
She shook her head. She’d rather he shared his problems with her. Would he ever? She was his mate. They were closer than she ever knew two beings could be. He was her everything. But she was starting to wonder if she was supposed to spend her entire life blissfully ignorant and unaware of anything around her.
On the first day, he’d said there were threats outside. She hadn’t thought much about it, but she was starting to think there were indeed some serious threats that were keeping her inside.
She felt kind of sad. Her Daddy was wonderful and amazing and adored her to pieces. She knew he had her on a pedestal and would protect and nurture and guide her until their dying breaths.
But would he share his life? His problems? His concerns?
“Finish your lunch, Little one,” he insisted as he cleaned the kitchen.
She did as she was told, though every bite was like sandpaper, and she couldn’t meet his gaze. When she was done, he lifted her out of the seat and held her close, shuffling through to the nursery where he dropped into the rocking chair.
“Is everything okay, Daddy?”
“Yes, Little mate. Nothing for you to worry about.” He tucked her head against his chest under his chin, not letting her see his face.
Her shoulders drooped. She didn’t like that answer. She felt shut out and lonely. Even though her mind was racing, her eyes eventually grew heavy. Daddy popped a pacifier in her mouth and carried her over to the crib. He tucked Lambie in her arms, kissed her forehead, and covered her with a light blanket.
She fought sleep for a few more minutes before succumbing.
