Page 8 of The Captain's Little Girl

CHAPTER4

“Baby girl, would you like to wake up?” a deep voice asked.

Cricket blinked and looked into his blue eyes. “Morning?” she offered hesitantly.

“The best morning ever,” he agreed with her. “I was going to slide out of bed and let you sleep but you prevented that,” he said, glancing down his body.

Following the same path, Cricket realized that one hand held on to his chest hair with a death grip and her leg wrapped around his waist. “Good grief. I’m sorry,” she apologized as she immediately released him and shifted away. His hair isn’t even that long. How did I grab it?

His hand wrapped around her hip, holding her close to him. “I didn’t say it bothered me, Cricket. I like that you tethered yourself to me. I woke up with my arm around you as well.”

Mark leaned in to kiss her, and Cricket marveled at the combination of sweet heat. When he raised his head, she brushed a hand through his hair before focusing on his face. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“Me, too, little girl. We have just enough time for breakfast or lunch before I report to maneuvers. Do you work tonight?” he asked.

“No, thank goodness.”

“Would you like to go with me and hang out with the other Littles?”

Cricket had accompanied Mark to the training field in the past. She’d loved hanging out with her friends but had always felt like she wasn’t truly part of the group. They hadn’t treated her like that. It was totally her perception. But they were all settled with their daddies, and she hadn’t been.

“Please. I’d like to go.”

“We’ll see who has headaches today,” Mark commented.

“No one drank that much,” Cricket rushed to assure him. “I was working. But I had a couple of shots. Do you think someone got in trouble? We were just keeping each other company.” She rushed to her friends’ defense.

“Their daddies will decide what consequences might have been incurred. Each relationship has different rules, baby girl.”

“Rules?” she echoed.

“We’ll talk over brunch about what we both need from this relationship. Number one on my list is honesty,” he shared. “I want to know that you’ll always tell me the truth, even if you know I don’t want to hear it.”

“And you’ll do the same?” she asked bravely, meeting his gaze straight on.

“I’ll always tell you the truth. I may not be able to tell you everything. There are things about my job that I’m not allowed to divulge.”

“I understand that, but private stuff… You’ll always tell me the whole truth then?”

“That I can promise you, Cricket.”

“Then we’re good. I’m a terrible liar and you’re the last person I’d try to tell a fib,” she admitted.

He chuckled. The low sound made her shiver inside. Was there anything about him that wasn’t sexy? On a lark, she pressed a kiss to his lips. Instantly, he whirled Cricket to her back and took control of the exchange. Heat flared between them, and she held on to his powerful frame as she wiggled closer.

With a groan, he tore his mouth away from hers. “You are temptation in a breathtaking container. I need to feed you.”

Before she could protest that she wasn’t hungry, Mark rolled off the side of the bed, landing nimbly on his feet. His body was such a finely tuned machine. She loved watching him move.

“Come on, temptress,” he invited as he scooped her from the bed and stood her on the wood plank floor. Mark took a second to look over her naked form with appreciation blazing from his gaze before he snagged the T-shirt from the floor where he’d tossed it earlier that morning.

Cricket shook her hair free when he pulled it over her head before allowing him to help her thread her fingers through the armholes. She watched his face as he brushed the straggling strands from her face. He looked happy. Taking a step forward, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close.

“Food, little one!” he laughed while obviously forcing himself away from her.

Grabbing a pair of shorts from his drawer, Mark stepped into them, easing them over his semi-hard shaft. She loved knowing she affected him. But then a sudden urge hit her.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered and dashed to the bathroom.

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