Page 242 of Santa Daddies
She froze.
He hoped that she really had been telling the truth when she said she didn’t want him to change his bossy tendencies.
“Wait until I come around and open the door for you.”
Alice looked pained.
And he suddenly realized why. “I’m a grown man, baby. And a proud one.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“So you’ve got to trust that I know my limits.”
She raised her eyebrows as he became aware of Joey leaving the house and bounding back to her vehicle to grab another bag out.
Anson got out of his truck and walked around to her side.
Caldwell could have damn well cleared the driveway.
The snow was compacted down, making it more slippery but he moved slowly and carefully around to open her door.
As he opened her door, he saw the worried look on her face before she quickly wiped it clean. He held out his hand to her and she slid her far smaller hand into his.
He squeezed it tight as she climbed out of the truck.
They started to walk up the stairs when Joey bounded back out with a frown.
“Anson, there’s a problem.”
“What is it?” he asked at the top of the stairs. He was trying to hide the fact that his thigh was burning with pain from having climbed so many stairs today.
“There’s no firewood and it’s freezing as fuck in there. Sorry about the language, Alice,” Joey told her with a grimace.
She waved her hand through the air. “Don’t worry about it.”
Anson limped through the door. The place had a slightly musty smell to it and was definitely cold.
“Oh, Mr. Caldwell said that he would light the fire for my arrival, but I am a week late,” she said with a grin. “I guess we can’t expect him to keep it going. Although he also said that there would be . . .” she trailed off.
“Be what?” Anson asked.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Alice, tell me what else he promised you,” he demanded.
Joey whistled and rocked back and forth on his heels. “I’d tell him, Alice. You do not want to see what happens when you disobey his ‘I will be obeyed’ voice.”
“No?” Alice asked with clear amusement in her voice. “What happens?”
“I’m not sure,” he whispered. “I’ve never gone against that voice. But I’m fairly certain you get spanked.”
Dear Lord.
Did his own brother really just say that?
“Really?” he asked Joey. “You’ve never gone against that voice?”
Joey put his hand on his chest. “Not me. I swear. I’m a good boy.”
