Page 137 of Little Sunshine

Mila took a shuddering inhale, but otherwise, her face was blank. “And you’d like that kind of neediness?”

“Can do without a lot of the other shit if it means having you, but that part is mandatory.” I tested my own control by tugging her closer so she could feel my hard cock stretching down my thigh. “I need you to need me.”

I wanted Mila to tell me she did so badly, I was close to begging.

I’d never begged before, but I’d also never volunteered to tone down the Daddy in me.

“What happens if I don’t like something you do?” she asked instead.

“Like buying you stuff?”

She shook her head.

“Spanking you?”

She shook her head again. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought. I don’t even know why I was crying so bad. It barely hurt.”

I knew why. It was a release of all the emotions and frustrations she kept bottled up. A tiny fraction of that weight on her shoulders being melted away.

One side of my mouth curved up. “I can fix that.”

“No, no. I’m good.” She tilted her head. “Just, like, other stuff. What happens if I don’t like something?”

Rather than answer, I asked a question that we needed to discuss anyway. “Is there something you don’t think you’d like?”

She averted her eyes and looked at the buttons on my shirt like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

I wanted them back, but it was obvious she was gathering her nerve to say something more important.

Her hands trembled as she quietly spoke. “I can’t stand yelling or name-calling. I read that some people like being called degrading names, and that’s great for them, but I… I…”

Seeing and feeling how overwrought she was becoming, I gently grabbed her chin. “Name-calling beyond brat or little girl isn’t my thing. I already know you don’t like the first one, so that’s out.”

“I’m not exactly wild about the second one, either,” she muttered, though her wobbly smile said otherwise. “But it’s fine.”

“As far as yelling, I can’t guarantee you won’t hear me if I’m working from home, but I promise to always do it in a different room.”

She visibly deflated. “You don’t have to do that. Just don’t aim it at me. Though I’d rather get screamed at than get the silent treatment.”

“I’d never do either one.”

“I’m okay with you not talking, but if I say something, and you ignore me…”

“I would never ignore you. I could never ignore you. It’s not something you have to worry about.” When she didn’t add more, I prompted, “What else?”

“I’m not comfortable with being, um, shared.”

I reflexively tightened my hold and didn’t bother trying to loosen it. “That’s okay because I sure as fuck don’t share. Ever.” Hoping it was the correct bet, I showed a glimpse of my possessive cards. “When I say I’m going to be greedy with your time, I mean to the point where you won’t have a second to even think about anyone else.” I didn’t hesitate before adding, “And that already goes both ways. Anything else?”

“The spanking was fine, but anything like actual hitt?—”

“Won’t happen.”

“But what if I make you really mad?”

“No level of mad would make me hit you. Or any other woman, for that matter. If you do something to earn a punishment, and emotions are running too high, it waits. We step away. Take a deep breath. We talk about it until you feel comfortable. If you feel comfortable. But even in the heat of the moment, I have control of myself. They’ll feel never-ending, but my spank count is accurate. They’ll never be hard enough to do damage. And they end the second they’re over. Whatever you did to earn them is done and forgiven, and we move on.”

Her lips tipped. “I had briefly wondered if they’d last forever.”

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