Daddy's Little Sweetheart (Daddy 15)

“It’s so beautiful.”

She jerked when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I’m glad you like it, sweetheart. You deserve to be pampered.”

She looked at him over her shoulder. “You deserve it, too.”

“I’m getting exactly what I want right now.”

“What?” she asked.

“You in my arms.”

She blinked away the tears that filled her eyes. She wanted to believe so badly that he really wanted her and would never leave, but she’d learned the hard way more than once. Very few people stayed, and no one in her life had stuck around.

“How about we order food, and then we’ll take a bath.”

“Together?”

“Yes, I want to unless you’re against it.”

She shook her head.

She couldn’t control the shiver that raced up her spine. The thought of being naked in his arms was something she’d only dreamed about but never thought would happen. She thought she’d be alone for her whole life and never know what it was like to belong to someone.

He walked to the hotel phone and picked up the menu. “What are you hungry for, sweetheart?”

She shrugged. “Anything’s fine.”

“How about a steak?” he asked.

Her mouth watered. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten a steak. It had always been too expensive to buy. “It sounds good, but I could go with a hamburger. It’s less expensive.”

He smiled, walked to her, and pulled her into his arms. “I don’t want you to worry about money. I’ll always be able to take care of you. Even if I quit my job, we’d be able to live off the nest egg I’ve got. I made some investments that turned out to be goldmines, and it set us up for life.”

She rubbed her cheek against his chest. “I don’t care how much you make. I can work two jobs if we need it.”

“You’ll not be working at all, love.”

She tipped back her head. “But I’m perfectly able to contribute to the household.”

Duncan kissed the tip of her nose. “I know, sweetheart, but I prefer you be where I can protect you at all times.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she frantically tried to blink them away.

He cupped her chin. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” She sniffed. “I’ve never had someone want to protect me.”

“Well, now you do,” he said.

She smiled up at him and then nodded.

Her breath caught in her throat when he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. Right away, her eyes closed, and her mouth opened to take his tongue inside. A ragged moan left both of them, and the kiss quickly became hot and consuming. She was dazed and breathless when he finally lifted his head.

Kyla could have stood there for the rest of the night, but her stomach took that moment to growl, making them laugh.

“That’s my cue to get you fed, love. You haven’t eaten all day.”

She smiled and watched him walk back to the bed to put in their order.

Duncan sat back against the headboard on top of the bed, piled a few pillows behind him, picked up the remote, and held a hand out to her.

“Come here, baby. We’ll relax until the food gets here. All right?”

She walked to him, then crawled up on the mattress and into his arms. There, she rested against him and watched as he went through the channels.

This was where she wanted to spend the rest of her life, and she just hoped nothing got in the way of that dream finally coming true for her.