Page 18 of Blake

"A what?"

"Never mind, just pack a bag. Essentials only."

As she looked into his eyes, a flicker of trust began to grow within her. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll just be a minute."

“Good girl,” he praised her. Hearing him say that felt unexpectedly delicious.

Nobody had ever called her a “good girl” before, she realized. A “naughty girl?” Yes. A “little slut?” Of course. But nevergood.

Savannah went into her bedroom, followed by Blake. Her hands trembled as she zipped open her pink duffel bag and began to pack. Comfy socks, cozy pajamas, what else?

Blake’s gaze landed on her bed.

“Oh, uh, yeah . . .” She said awkwardly. “I guess you were right about me being a . . . being a Li—”

“Fuck. Those animals peed on your stuff?” Blake cut in, his eyes hard as stones. Clearly, he wasn’t concerned to discover that Savannah wore baby clothes. His cause for shock was the state those clothes were in now. “When I find out who these assholes are, I swear I’ll rip their fucking balls off.”

Savannah swallowed hard. “I think I’d like that,” she said. Obviously, she didn’t really condone violence, but right now, the thought of hurting the horrible people who did these felt extremely cathartic.

“For a moment, I was worried that you did this,” she admitted quietly.

“Me?” Blake said, taken aback. He grabbed her hand, looking into her eyes. “Savannah, I get that you don’t know who to trust, but all I want—all I’ve ever wanted—is to keep you safe.”

She felt a chill running down her spine. All he’d ever wanted? He’d only known her a couple of days. Why did he seem to care about protecting her so much?

Gathering a few other clothes, she hesitated for a moment before going into the bathroom and picking up her light-up Minnie Mouse toothbrush. It was childish, she knew, but it was one of the few things that made her feel safe in this uncertain world.

When she came out of the bathroom, Blake was staring at the grafitti on the wall. “Baby bitch?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You know, Savvy, you don’t need to be ashamed of who you are.Not for one second. I hope you don’t take this jerk’s words to heart.”

“Of course not,” said Savannah bravely. “I’m proud of who I am.”

Even if I am just a teensy little bit embarrassed about it at the same time.

She awkwardly pushed Mr. Whiskers into her duffel bag. She couldn’t help but notice that Blake hadn’t chided her once for packing all this juvenile stuff. She had never met a real-life Daddy Dom before, and so far, he was kinda living up to the name.

"Let's go, little one." Blake's tone was firm but gentle, and she could see the steely resolve in his piercing blue eyes. He extended his hand to her, and she took it without hesitation, allowing him to guide her through the wreckage of her home.

Her heart ached as she closed the door behind her, leaving the shattered remnants of her life in West Garfield Park. But as she stepped out into the uncertain darkness with Blake, Savannah felt something else stir within her—a newfound determination to reclaim her sense of safety and control.

Finally, she had something she’d never had before. She had a Daddy Dom by her side.

Chapter seven

BLAKE

“Welcome to the safehouse,” said Blake warmly. He watched as Savannah's eyes widened in surprise, as she took in the string lights twinkling along the walls and the shelves overflowing with books and toys.

"This isn’t quite what I imagined!" she exclaimed, stepping inside and running her fingers over the spines of the books. "It's like something out of a fairy tale."

Blake couldn't help but smile at her reaction. He'd worked hard with his brothers to create this space. They’d chosen the safehouse for its discreet location and security features, but it had been important to them as Daddy Doms that the place appealed to Littles. Some of the clients they worked with had been through such traumatic events that they needed somewhere that wasn’t just safe in practical terms. It needed to feel safe inemotionalterms, too.

Of course, not all the people that Paladin Security worked with were Littles. But even the most grown-up of women seemed to appreciate the comforting atmosphere of the safehouse. It was amazing what a life-threatening situation did to a person. Madeyou want to curl up and be taken care of like a little kitten, most of the time.

Savannah definitely had that kittenish look in her eyes right now. “Oh my goodness,” she said gleefully. “So many toys!”

They did indeed have a large selection of toys. Musical instruments with chunky buttons that played funny tunes. Toy trains. Jigsaw puzzles. Coloring in books. Bouncy balls. You name it, the Paladin boys had found somewhere to put it all in their safehouse.

“Can I play with it all now?” Savannah asked. She looked as though she’d never been around so many toys in all her life. Maybe she hadn’t.

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