The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection Frost, J (good beach reads .TXT) 📖

says. “I shouldn’t have asked. There are other Doms, other clubs.”

“No.” I tug on her hand. “Logan’s your friend. I’m your friend. We can all be adult about this, right?”

That’s ironic, I appreciate, coming from me. And maybe that’s the source of my discomfort: schoolgirl anxiety about being passed over for the Prom Queen. I need to be the bigger person. I need to be secure in my relationship with Logan.

“Are you sure—”

The door to the office opens and Logan stands in the doorway, one hand braced against the doorframe. Oh, no. He looks so gray and drawn. I slip my hand out of Lucy’s and go to him.

He wraps his arm around me and holds me tight to his chest. He breathes warmly into my hair. “Hey, baby doll.”

“Is everything okay?”

“No, there’s something we need to talk about, but let me finish up with Lucy first, okay, sweetheart?”

I nod and give him a big hug. “Sure. Anything I can get you?”

“Fix-it juice?”

I nuzzle into his chest. “I don’t have any fix-it juice, but I make a mean blueberry smoothie. Blueberries fix almost everything. Just ask Willy Wonka.”

“Do they?” Daddy gives a weak chuckle. “Okay. Blueberries sound good. Promise me no kale, though.”

“No kale,” I promise, holding up my pinkie.

Daddy shakes it and then wraps me in his arms again and kisses the top of my head. “Love you so much, little girl,” he whispers.

Those words don’t make everything better, I know, but right now, with Lucy watching us, they go a really, really long way.

“Love you, too, Daddy. You know how you tell me everything will be okay?” When he nods against my forehead, I repeat it back to him. “Everything will be okay.”

He kisses the top of my head and lets me go. “Lucy, let’s finish up, huh? Sorry about the interruption.”

I step back to clear the doorway. As Lucy passes me, I catch her hand and squeeze it. “Really sure.”

She turns her head to look at me and I give her a reassuring smile. She gives me an answering smile before she ducks into Daddy’s office. Daddy closes the door behind him after giving me a quick kiss.

Feeling stupid happy again, and like I’ve managed, for once, to be the bigger person, I skip over to the fridge to get the ingredients for a fix-it blueberry smoothie. I even pull out the cacao to give Daddy a treat. While I’m pouring everything into the blender, I consider what call Daddy could have taken this morning that made him look so strained.

It could have been Miranda, but Daddy tends to be red and angry when he gets off the phone with her. I’m pretty sure it was the debt collector. Whatever they’ve said to him, they’ve hurt him, after he was stupid happy with me last night. Damn them.

I still don’t know exactly what to say, but it’s time for me to be Wonder Woman brave.

Lucy leaves a half-hour later. She comes back into the kitchen to say goodbye and give me a hug. I show her out and lock the front door behind her, then stand in the hallway for a long moment, trying to find the right words. I still don’t have them when I take off my clothes and leave them folded on the bottom stair, but I knock on the door to Daddy’s office anyway.

“Come in, baby doll.”

With my eyes down, I pad quickly across the hardwood floor and rug. When I reach his desk, I kneel, fold over, and lower my head until my forehead touches the carpet a few inches from Logan’s bare foot.

He blows out a heavy breath. “Emmy, you don’t have to do that.”

“I want to, Daddy.”

“Thank you for being respectful, sweetheart. Maybe it’s easier this way, huh?”

What is he going to say that’s so hard? It has to be the medical bills and that he plans to sell the house. It has to be. And I can’t let him.

“Can I ask a question first?” I’m still fumbling around for the right words in my head, but I think I’ve found a way in.

“Of course.”

“Do you mean it when you say you own me? That I belong to you?”

“Do you doubt it? You’ve got my plug in your ass right now, and you’re kneeling at my feet.”

“I don’t doubt it. I’m asking if you mean it when you say it.”

Another heavy breath. I wish I could see his expression, but there’s no way I could be brave enough to go through with this if I had to hold those dark eyes that can be so hard and hot in turns. “Yes, I mean it. Is this about this morning? About me not letting you kiss Max and Daisy?”

“No, Daddy.”

“What’s it about then, sweetie? I’m sorry, I’m not in the mood for twenty questions.”

“Does every bit of me belong to you?”

“Yes, angel, every bit.”

“Then I’m asking your permission to sell my share of a condo I own in Edinburgh.”

“You don’t need my permission to sell your condo.”

I wait and let it sink in. After a long moment, he sighs.

“Yes, you have my permission. Good girl for asking.” He’s quiet for a second, his toes flexing in the carpet an inch from my nose. “Why do you want to sell your condo, Emmy?”

“So that you can use the money to pay your medical bills.”

“Absolutely not.”

I wait and give him time to think.

“Fuck,” he says finally. “That was manipulative, Emily.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m not trying to manipulate you. I just know money is a super-sensitive topic, and I wanted you to see how I see it before you make a decision.” I slide my hand out hesitantly and wrap it around his ankle.

His chair creaks as he leans over and rubs his hand down my bare back, which makes me shiver. Even though I’m scared we’re on the edge of a blow-out argument, his touch always comforts me.

“And you were reminding me that I own you, so I should be able to use