Page 51 of Barron

But she was.

In every way.

He glanced down at Yoanni. His second chance at happiness. Curled up around him, she breathed softly, unaware of his examination. She was so tender and generous of heart, so trusting, so unafraid to put herself on the line and show her emotions. She had more courage in her little finger than most men he knew, including himself.

“Nugget?” He brushed her hair. “I owe you an apology.”

She glanced up. “For what, Daddy?”

“For keeping things from you.”

“What things?” Slowly, she sat up. Her beautiful eyes were full of worry.

He sighed. “I’m a Daddy, and that works for you because you’re Little.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m also a Dominant. My dominance spills over into daily life. If we’re going to build a future together, you have to accept this and hopefully be happy with who I am. You saw what happened when I tried to hold back. It nearly destroyed us.”

“Now I understand the silence.”

“Yes.”

“I remember one time. It came out of the blue. You gave me orders, and I told you to take a hike.”

He smiled. “That’s right.”

“Well, you didn’t give me context. To be honest, I thought you were kidding.”

“I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Oh, Daddy.” She touched his chin. “I have a rebellious nature. Ask my father. He’ll tell you I drove him crazy. My first instinct is to push back. Turns out it’s fun in age play. I like spankings.”

Gently, he moved her hair away from her face. “I knew it. Spankings are fun for you.”

“I don’t know much about dominance, but it doesn’t mean I won’t submit to you.”

He closed his eyes. Her words elicited a brief image. Yoanni blindfolded, her wrists and ankles bound on either side of a suspension frame. Instantly, his dick stirred.

Not the right time.

“Are you sure? I’m strict, and I’ll push you.”

“Can we start slowly?”

“There’s no other way. Thursday night would be perfect. We’ll go over safewords and protocol, and I’ll take you around the club. If you’re interested, we’ll even try some of the equipment.”

“Great, more shopping to do.” Smiling, she cuddled up again. Her attention returned to the TV.

No. He didn’t deserve one bit of this much happiness. Didn’t matter. He was holding on with both arms.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Barron drove his truck into the station parking lot. Same as he had on Saturday, he pulled up his hoodie and tilted the cap’s bill down, shadowing his face. A cop or a clerk would have to go through the trouble of looking up the truck’s license plate to identify him. He stopped in front of the entrance.

“Are we early enough?” he asked.

“Perfect. Most of the staff doesn’t come in for another hour. The office should be quiet. I want to get a head start. There’s lots to do.”

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