Page 27 of His Little Sapphire

I reach out and snag her, wrapping an arm around her waist and swinging her off the floor.

She giggles and squirms to get back down.

I love that she’s happy. I love her smile. I love everything about her. But I do need to enforce several rules starting now. It wasn’t a big deal while she was immobile. There wasn’t much to enforce.

I kiss all over her squirmy face, holding her tight with one hand around her waist so she’s dangling. Finally, I cup her head with my other hand and meet her gaze, trying hard to look stern. “No running.”

She rolls her eyes.

“I mean it, Baby girl. No running. If I see you do it one more time, I will spank you.” I haven’t mentioned spanking her since we got here. I can tell she’s mischievous enough to need it pretty often. She’s very close to finding out what it means to have my palm on her bottom.

She pushes against me, trying to get down. “Papi, you can’t spank me.”

She said that a few times before we left Earth too. She’s in for a shock. “I can, Little one, and I will.”

“I’m not a baby.”

“You’re mine to protect. My rules are for your safety. If you break them, I will swat your bottom to make sure you remember that rule in the future.”

She sighs and stops struggling. Her legs are dangling. She knows I won’t drop her. I’ve proven that for two weeks. “What other rules do you have?”

I grab her around the waist, lift her higher, and settle her on my hip. I turn toward the living room. “No climbing onto the furniture.”

“I can’t sit on the furniture?” she interrupts incredulously.

“I didn’t say that. You may only be on the furniture if Papi puts you there so you can sit with me. Not alone.”

“Why?” She frowns.

“It’s not safe, Little one. You might fall trying to get up, and you might fall off once you get there.”

“I don’t fall off furniture, silly.”

I chuckle and tickle her tummy. “That’s right. You won’t have a chance.”

She groans. “That’s a silly rule.”

“It’s still a rule. Are we clear?”

She chews on her bottom lip, thinking. “Maybe.”

I lift both brows. “Were you this much of a challenge when you were young?”

She shakes her head. “Never. It wasn’t an option.”

“What makes it an option now?” I’m curious more than anything.

She shrugs. “You’re not my mom or an elder.”

“I’m your Papi though. I’m certainly older than you. By a hundred years.” I lift a brow.

“Yeah, but you’re like a boyfriend or whatever. Partners don’t get to boss other partners around.” She bites her lip, and I suspect that wasn’t even close to being true in her compound. I bet the men in that compound were the bossiest ones on Earth.

I shake my head. “They do on Eleadia, Baby girl. Papis are bossy. We mean business.”

She sighs, her shoulders sagging.

I turn again and continue, facing the kitchen. “No touching anything in the kitchen. Not the stove or oven or any of the drawers. Understood?”

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