Page 13 of Tinley's Daddy
I shook my head and pointed to the bed.
“Oh, you want to sleep on the bed.” He grabbed his suit jacket resting on the bed and pulled back the covers. “Of course. In fact, I insist.”
Well, shoot. I didn’t want to sleep on the bed. I wanted the pillow.
“It’s all yours.”
I looked back at my spot.
“Hey, don’t worry about me. The couch will be fine.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Or I may end up on the floor.” He chuckled. He cleaned up my mess again and set it outside the door. I’d yet to make a move in either direction.
Josh turned back and we were caught in a little standoff. He nibbled on the left side of his cheek. It made his face appear younger. How old was he?
I had disrupted his life enough. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful. I gathered my blanket and sat down on the bed. I took one of the pillows and held it out toward him.
“Thank you.” He grabbed it.
I stared down at the blanket wrapped around me. I ran my hand down the soft fabric, then attempted to untangle myself from it.
“Hey, there’s extra in the closet. You can keep that one.” Josh walked to the other side of the room.
He came back with two blankets and arranged them on the couch. I scooted against the headboard and slid in between the covers. I sank into the bed and my head rested on the cloud-likepillow. The sheets smelled like what I imagined Josh smelled like, kind of sweet and spicy.
I watched him finish setting up his bed. He plugged in his phone on the desk and typed a few things on his laptop and closed it. I followed his gaze to the nightstand on the side table.
I nodded.
He flopped down on the couch, and I clicked the switch.
The room went completely black. I gasped and clicked the light back on.
Josh blinked.
“How about we leave the bathroom light on?” He stood and flipped it on. I waited again until he got settled on the couch and hit the switch.
The light from the bathroom gave the room a soft, dim glow. I exhaled and sank deeper into the bed and closed my eyes.
The darkness made my heart race. My eyes popped back open. I rolled over on my side, facing away from Josh. I missed him instantly. I rubbed at the dull ache in my chest. When I couldn’t stand it any longer, I rolled back over to face him. His eyes were closed. He dwarfed the couch with his feet propped up over the edge. The blanket lay across his lap. He was handsome and sweet. He gave off major Daddy vibe, but more like fantasy ones because the jokers who played at Daddy and made me their little over the last two years were not like him.
Or Damon.
I tried not to think about him much. I sometimes heard the knife plunging into his chest, the blood spewing, the panic on his face when he realized he wouldn’t be able to do the one thing he always promised.
To protect me and keep me safe.
I didn’t mean to blame him, but sometimes when I had no one else to blame, I did. Not because he didn’t save me, butbecause we would have never been in that place if it wasn’t for him being my Daddy and me being his little girl.
I closed my eyes once more and willed them to stay closed. I was exhausted. Rescuing myself was hard work.
I smiled and drifted to sleep.
I woke with a gasp.I felt hot and clammy. I unwrapped myself from the blanket and sucked in a breath.
It took me a minute to figure out where I was. I searched the room, and it all came back to me. Hotel, Josh’s room. My escape, whether successful or not, remained to be seen.
Josh had given up on the couch and lay face down on the floor. He hugged the pillow in his arms like a stuffie. I held in a giggle. Why did I even think that? It was a very little thing to say, and I couldn’t be a little anymore.
I eyed the corner and ran my hand down the soft comforter.
