Page 8 of Merry Little Christmas
In spite of how much I hatedthatidea, I nodded, clutching my hoodie and sweatpants in my hands. I hardly had the energy to change myself, but I couldn’t push Cole’s boundaries any more than I didn’t want him to push mine.
“I’ll give you a couple minutes to change, and I’ll go make you a drink, okay?”
Another bob of my head, and he straightened to his full height. He rinsed my soother off in the sink, and gave me a wink, taking the thing with him as he backed out of the bathroom.
Damn it, he knew me too well.
Well, at least it hadn’t been a rejection. I undid my belts and chains, peeling my distressed jeans down my legs. When I’d gotten dressed that morning, I didn’t think I’d be hovering on the edge of Little space by the end of it. Regression and my alternative style were a recipe for disaster when I had to pee, and doing so then nearly got messy.
I’d known for a while that I was a Little, though my regression was quite different from most the other ones I knew, which made finding a Daddy difficult. Trying to remain grown up enough to take care of myself was hard when all I wanted to do was not think about it, and it only reminded me of how painfully single I was. Of course there were the clubs, but I hadn’t been able to bring myself to visit them. Walking into a place like that and finding a Daddy that fit my needs was terrifying.
But Cole Davis? Tall, broad, and rough around the edges, that manoozedDaddy energy—mykind of Daddy energy. When he’d taken care of me a couple of weeks ago, it only solidified my feelings for him. He was tough and rugged in all the right ways, and a total softie when he needed to be. Part of me thought that Icouldn’t find a Daddy because the right one was under my nose. No one else had ever measured up. He was… perfect.
Too bad he’d always been off limits. The three of us were close, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that. Hell, the man had uprooted his entire life and moved to another state for us.
However, that branch falling into my house had sent me over the edge, and I needed something that my big brother couldn’t give me. I needed an escape. I needed… Cole.
Earlier in the month, the publisher I illustrated for had gone under and taken my role with it. The job had been perfect for me. I could work whenever I wanted, and all correspondence was online. It saved me from the boring nine to five that would have just made me lose my mind.
I was getting by on commission-based work, but the bills were starting to pile up. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep it up.
Unable to procrastinate any longer, I left my bag on Cole’s bed and found him in the kitchen, setting two steaming mugs on the table. “You okay?” he asked me.
I nodded, slinking into the chair across from him. “I’m sorry about springing that on you.”
“You don’t have to apologize for that, Peyton. I’m happy to take care of you.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”
He laughed, a low rumble that kickstarted my heart. “I took care of you before and I’m happy to do it again, but we have a little more control over this situation. We need to talk about limits and safewords first.”
“Ugh, you’re such a Daddy,” I groaned, grabbing for my… hot chocolate! Elated, I took my first sip…
“That’s right. Daddy knows best, doesn’t he?”
And choked on it. Heat bloomed over my cheeks. I peered at Cole’s sparkling green eyes over the edge of the mug. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. I set my cup down and wiped mymouth with my sleeve. “If I talk about it, can I have my soother back?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
So I launched into the story. Cole sat there, listening attentively. At some point, he abandoned his seat in favor of sitting next to me, so he could hold my hand. Tears blurred the edges of my vision, but I refused to cry anymore. God, I was sick of crying.
“Okay, sweetheart,” Cole finally said, brushing snow-sticky hair away from my face. “I think I’ve heard enough for now. You’re sure you want to do this?”
I couldn’t nod fast enough. I wanted to let go. I needed someone who could take over for a while so I didn’t need to think.
“Peyton, there’s something you should know before we do. When I play with a Little, that’s all it is: play. I don’t engage in sexual activity when someone’s in Little space.”
I let out a sigh of relief, sagging against him. “Oh, thank fuck for that.”
“Watch your mouth, little one. Tell me what you mean.”
“I-it’s the same for me,” I stammered. “Th-the sex thing.” I whispered the word like someone was hiding around the corner to scold me. Unfortunately, when Cole didn’t continue, the rambling did. “That’s not to say I don’t find you attractive. I-I?—”
“It’s okay,” he interrupted, thumb brushing my cheek. “Can you tell me what your safeword is?”
“Traffic light system.”
