rom him, and turn the knobs to shut the water off. I reach up for the towel and wrap it around my body as I pull the door open a little wider and step out onto the bathroom mat, careful to avoid the disappointment in his eyes.
“Sorry, Daddy,” I mumble as I step toward the sink.
He chuckles, clicks his tongue against his teeth and comes over to stand behind me. I do my best not to shudder when he presses his body against mine and runs his fingers down my arm. I do my best not to cry when he leans down and places his chin on my shoulder, his lips grazing my neck.
Instead, I reach a hand up and wipe the steam away from the mirror and reach for my comb, doing my best not to react to the feeling of my body betraying me under the weight of his touch.
“You’re such a beautiful girl, Darbs,” he murmurs against the nape of my neck.
“Thank you, Daddy,” I say as evenly as I can. I hope he doesn’t hear the slight tremor in my voice. I hope he can’t feel the tremble that’s starting to go through me.
But I know my father and he misses nothing.
This fact is soon proven when one of his hands moves down my back and lifts the towel up. He gently smacks my ass, before using his hand to nudge my legs apart, and slides the tip of his fingers along my pussy lips.
“Mm,” he groans as he places his forehead on the back of my neck. I set the comb down and opt for my toothbrush instead. Maybe if I can distract myself by scrubbing my teeth instead of trying to subtly assault him with the comb, he’ll get the hint and leave me alone for now.
I twist the cap off the tube and bite down on my tongue when he slides a finger inside of me. I refuse to give him a verbal reaction—that would be a sick reward for him and it’s my turn to punish him a little bit.
Dad begins to slide his finger in and out of my opening, gently kissing the back of my neck. His stubble tickles me slightly but I ignore it as I squeeze some paste onto my toothbrush and turn the faucet on.
“Come on, Darbs,” he breathes as he slides another finger inside of me. “Show me how much you love this.”
Again, I ignore him as I hold the toothbrush under the warm water, then lift my eyes to the mirror and begin to scrub my teeth.
Dad continues to thrust his fingers in and out of me as he lifts his eyes to mine in the reflective glass. A small smile begins to curl the edge of his lips. He knows. He can see it in my carefully bland face that I’m doing my best to defy him, and I know that this won’t last for much longer.
He clears his throat as he rests his chin on top of my head, his fingers now dormant inside of me.
The look in his eyes can be likened to amusement, but I know better. Nothing “amuses” him, especially not when it comes to his children.
But Dad is patient—he always has been. It’s something that I’ve come to realize when I was able to understand what my new role was in this house. When I took Jocelyn’s place in his bed, how he trained me to do it just how he likes it. He may be an angry man a lot more than usual, but he’s patient and that’s one of the many reasons I fear for the safety my children.
I grunt slightly when he finally removes his fingers and do my best not to cringe when he sucks them dry. He takes a step back, his hands now on my hips and cocks his head around mine, to kiss me on the cheek.
“Guess you’re not in the mood,” he begins conversationally. “I’ll have to see who else in this house might be willing to show good ole Daddy some love then.”
All of the small hairs on my body stand up and I meet his gaze in the mirror. This is what he does when I don’t want to play wife—he threatens me with the kids because he knows I’ll do anything to keep them away from his static touch.
I make quick work of the rest of the scrubbing and wash my mouth out. Once I’ve shut off the water, I turn around to face him, and let my towel drop to the bathroom floor in a damp heap.
“I’m ready now,” I submit quietly.
My eyes lower to the floor. A day in the oubliette did nothing to stave his desires and even though I haven’t properly had time to rest yet, I have to do this.
Dad leans down and places his forehead against mine. I can feel his breath hot against my skin and I close my eyes.
“I love you, Darbs,” he whispers.
“I know, Daddy,” I reply quietly.
“No. You don’t.”
He uses the tip of his fingers to raise my chin and I open my eyes. I almost take a step back. There’s something different in his eyes now. There’s no anger, no rage, no malcontent.
It’s not something that I’ve ever seen before, so I’m not quite sure what it is.
He clears his throat and looks away for a moment, before blowing out his breath and raking a hand back through his hair.