Page 31 of Law

His lips quirked, and she marked another tally on her imaginary scorecard.

“That’s good. When you asked me if I was a Daddy, it caught me off guard. I was, am a Daddy, but I haven’t had a Little in a very long time. The times I did have one never ended well, so I stopped looking. Why are you patting your pockets, fairy cat?”

“I need a pencil and paper. Oh, I have some in my backpack. Hold on.”

“Why are you looking for a pencil and paper, little girl?”

Her gaze shot to his eyes. “I need them to write down all the names of those Littles who hurt you. I’m going to find every one of them and give them a piece of my mind. They can’t treat you like that. I won’t stand for it. Can you reach my pack?”

His lips twitched. “There’s my wild fairy cat. Sheath your claws. You don’t need to contact them. Are you so sure it’s their fault? What if the problem was me?”

“Don’t be silly. How could you be the problem? Nope. No. Not happening. I need my pack. I have to write their names down, once I see them on paper, I’ll never forget.”

His eyes twinkled before he turned serious again. “Tell you what, you let me finish what I have to say. If you still want your backpack after that, we’ll talk.”

She allowed herself an aggrieved huff. Her Daddy— no, strike that. He wasn’t her Daddy. But if he was, she’d protect him.

Every Little should be able to protect her Daddy when the situation called for it. Even if they didn’t precisely ask for it.

“The truth is, fairy cat, I’m not what most people expect when they think about having a Daddy.”

What did that even mean? “I don’t understand.”

“Well, for one thing, ‘Daddy’ to me means twenty-four hours a day, every day, all year role. That’s not what’s different. Lots of Daddies and Littles want that. The way I’m different is my level of attention. I’m more than the Daddies you’ve read about in those DDlg books. I demand more of my babygirl, and I give more. Most Littles quickly decide what I want is too intense. It’s too constant. It’s not what they’re looking for.”

So far, she didn’t understand the problem. To have someone who wanted their Little all the time? Who expected things of them and from them, but promised to give what they expected to receive? How could that be bad?

All her life, she’d longed for that. She’d been the one in charge of everything since she was ten years old. Phillip didn’t have thetime or the inclination to be a real father, much less take care of the things a mother would do.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it. She could. She had. From the time Zane was ten months old until that horrible day four years ago, she’d been the only mother Zane had. Thankful didn’t begin to describe how she felt. But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be nice to have someone now who could take care of her.

Those other Littles were crazy. They had the chance to have a Viking, and they wasted it.

Law watched her closely. What did he think she was going to do? Yell at him and tell him to take her to Zane? She desperately wanted to see Zane, but she’d never do that. Not if what he’d told her was everything.

“Well? Are you going to say anything, Lovelyn?”

“Is it a lot different from how we’ve been the past few days?”

Her question caught him by surprise. “Not a lot, no. However, everything will continue to intensify. Now do you understand why I hesitated?”

She searched his eyes to see what she was missing but found nothing hidden there. Slowly, she shook her head. “No, I don’t understand at all.”

Hope flared in his eyes before he set it aside. Boy, those Littles had done a number on him.

“I’m still going to need my backpack. I want the names of those Littles. I’m glad you told me because now I know just what to say to them. They are going to be a bunch of pansy Littles, and they are going to be a very sorry bunch when I get through with them.”

He stared at her, stunned. Poor Daddy. Aw, her Viking needed a hug. Lunging forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He stiffened and didn’t move.

Okay, maybe she’d been a bit overenthusiastic. But everyone needed hugs. Even a Viking Daddy. So she hugged him tighter.

Slowly, he put his arms around her. And then he squeezed.Wow, he was a tight hugger. Not that she was that experienced. That must just be the way Vikings hugged.

She rested her cheek on his chest. His warmth comforted her. His heart beat thumped, strong and steady. That was a good heart. She could tell.

His hug grew tighter, and wait, was he growling again? It was almost like a purr, but deeper and more dangerous. It awakened all the longings she’d had before he started talking.

It was exciting. Thrilling. And it made her feel powerful. She’d caused him to make that sound.

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