Daddy's Searching

“All your family?” she asked, remembering the picture he’d shown her.

“My youngest two sisters are hugely pregnant. According to Mom, they aren’t traveling now. It will just be my mom, my dad, and my sister and brother who are closest in age to me. Oh, and my brother’s family.”

“All those people can’t fit in your apartment with you,” Belinda protested.

“I’m staying here with you. Knox got permission for me to use the apartment on the other side of the hall as well. It has two bedrooms. That will give us plenty of room.”

She stared at him, trying to figure out what to say. “Mmm, that’s a lot of people. And you’re going to stay here? What will your parents say?”

“How glad they are to meet you and welcome to the family,” Pedro told her with a smile.

“But I’m not really part of the family. I’m just your girlfriend.”

“That’s not correct,” he answered with a dangerous glint reflecting in his eyes.

Belinda had already learned to pay attention when she saw that look. “I mean, I’m your girlfriend. The one they’ve never met. You haven’t been here for too long. I’m sure in their eyes our relationship couldn’t be serious.”

Pedro cupped the back of her head and tightened his arm around her, pulling her forward until their bodies pressed tightly together. His mouth descended over hers and he kissed her with the skill that always distracted her from anything else. When they were both breathing heavily, he leaned his forehead against hers to give them a moment to recover.

After a few seconds, he lifted his head to look deep into her eyes. “You aren’t my girlfriend. You’re my Little girl.”

He hasn’t told them that, has he?

When she panicked and pushed away, he quickly clarified, “No, they don’t know that you’re a Little. Our private business is only ours. Do I know my brother who’ll visit is a Daddy? Yes. We sympathized with each other during our searches. Do I know without being told that my oldest sister is a Little girl? Yes.”

“You haven’t told them I’m Little?” she asked skeptically.

“I have not. My fidelity goes to you only, mi corazón. I will protect you before anyone else,” he vowed.

“Really? I know how important your family is to you. I don’t want to get in the way,” she whispered.

“They will love you as much as I do.”

“You love me?” she repeated before she could stop herself. Her gaze dropped to the lace around the top of the frilly apron. She didn’t want to see him search for a way out of the box she’d trapped him in.

“I mean, I know it’s too fast to love me. But you care about me?” she asked, peeking up at him before dropping her focus again to that lacy edge.

His fingers cupped her chin and tilted her head until their eyes focused on each other. “I love you, Little girl, mi corazón, Belinda. I will love you today, tomorrow, and all the days after that.”

“Really?” she asked, feeling tears tumble from her eyes and spill over her cheeks.

“Truly.” He placed her hand under the frilly top of the apron, pressing it against his warm skin over his strong heartbeat. “You have my heart forever.”

Belinda stared at her hand tucked under the fabric. Bravely, she met his gaze with her own. Stiffening her spine, she whispered, “I’ve never felt like this, Pedro. I want to be with you every moment of the day and night. I think so much of you both personally and professionally. You are the exact person I’ve been searching for all my life. I keep waiting to screw this up.”

“You will screw something up and a punishment will wipe it away.” He patted her bottom fondly. “I’ll make mistakes, too, even though I’ll try to be the best Daddy I can.”

“Do I get to spank you?” she asked, grinning at that thought.

“No. Spanking is for naughty Little girls or boys. Serious conversations are for Daddies who screw something up. I’ll create a stuffie, chocolate, and flower fund to help me apologize.”

“I like chocolate,” she whispered.

“I know. You’ve eaten all my treats from the bottom drawer in my desk,” he teased.

“Sorry?”

“No apologies needed for coming to see me and stocking up on energy to make it through your day. I’m glad I’m the one you want to recover with,” he said softly.