Page 133 of Little Sunshine

“I don’t need to be treated like some helpless kid. I’ve lived alone since I was sixteen, but I’ve been on my own a lot longer than that. I might not have a closet full of suits in my big house or boring-ass penthouses, but that doesn’t matter.” Aware that it made me look like the child I’d just insisted I wasn’t—and a petulant one at that—I crossed my arms. “I’ve been doing just fine.”

Ash’s jaw clenched, but his voice was gentle when he pushed. “And how tired are you from everything falling on your shoulders? How burned out does it make you feel?” He reached over and cupped my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “How lonely?”

With each rapid-fire question, the mental exhaustion I barely held at bay pushed in. It pulsed around the edges, threatening to take over. To drag me down once and for all.

Surprise tears burned in my eyes, and I took a shuddering breath as I fought to keep them back.

Ash knew he had me there and went for the kill. “Wouldn’t it be nice to hand all that weight over and let someone else carry it for once?”

It should’ve been irresistible. A literal dream offer from a literal dream man.

I was just the wrong… everything.

“I would never date someone because of what they could do for me,” I insisted, nauseous at the concept. “I’m not a user. Or some gold digger. I’m not…”

Veronica.

“Christ, I know that,” Ash bit out. “That’s not what this is.”

“Are you sure? Because it sounds pretty accurate.” I grabbed the fabric I wore and shook it. “In exchange for pretty dresses, I do fucked-up shit like crawl on the floor to you, let you spank my ass, and call you Daddy sometimes?—”

“All the time.”

His interruption made my brain stutter for a moment. “What?”

“You call me Daddy all the time. I don’t care where we are or who’s around.” He tilted his head and rubbed his beard. “If you really feel uncomfortable, I’ll occasionally settle for Behemoth.”

“I thought this was a, uh, bedroom thing for most people.”

The heat in his eyes flared like a warning that I was on thin ice. I wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss me or spank me again.

I wasn’t sure which I would prefer.

“I’m not most people,” he rumbled. “And about the crawling, that isn’t something I like, but if that’s what you’re into, I can accommodate.”

“No, that’s not… I’m just saying…” I bit back a growl of frustration, though I wasn’t sure which of us it was aimed at.

His hand returned to my jaw, and his thumb covered my lips. “And none of this is fucked up. The insinuation that you’re a whore is what’s fucked. The insinuation that you’re a whore, and I’m the kind of asshole who has to pay for pussy is why you’re lucky you’re not back over my knee. This isn’t a transactional arrangement, and it isn’t only sex.”

My question came out muffled. “It’s not?”

“Fuck no.” His hand dropped to slowly push under my skirt. Up my thigh. Higher. Achingly slow, he teased me over my panties. “Don’t get me wrong, it’ll be that, too. Christ, I don’t think my hand or dick have gotten a break since I saw you, so when I finally…” He took a sharp breath. “But it’s not only sex. I want you. All of you. If you give me you, that’s it, Camila. There’s no half-assing this. No running every time you tangle yourself up in your head. You let me handle that. Let me handle everything. In exchange, I’ll be greedy with your time. I’ll expect you to listen to me, and I’ll reward or punish you accordingly. Most importantly”—his strong finger zeroed in on my clit—“everything you get will be from me. Because I take care of you.”

Almost.

Almost there.

I just need to get closer to him.

It wasn’t lost on me that my thoughts mirrored the ones from when I’d been running away.

How quickly desperation changed.

My lids fluttered closed. My breath grew shallow and shaky. My pussy clenched around nothing, needy and wanting.

Just as the edge neared, and I prepared to dive over it, Ash didn’t just ease off.

He stopped.

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