Page 28 of Zale's Little Girl
“Page twelve.”
“Yes, exactly, little girl. Did you color my stallion?” he repeated.
“No.” She shook her head again. This time, he saw her focus on him.
“There’s my kitten. Can I hold you? I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“Daddy!” Pippa rushed forward to wrap her arms around his waist, plastering herself against Zale. Pressing her lips to his, she kissed him over and over eagerly.
Zale stroked up and down her spine. “Now that’s a good welcome.”
“Sorry. I-I lost it a bit,” she confessed. “You’re so quiet. I didn’t hear your footsteps.”
“It’s okay, Pippa. Want me to stomp next time?” he teased.
When she nodded eagerly, he squeezed her close. “Why didn’t you turn on another light?”
“I didn’t realize that it was getting dark until that light popped on. That scared the crap out of me, too. I didn’t use to be this jumpy.”
“I think you have a pretty good reason to be skittish. Things should get easier for you. If they don’t, we’ll find someone for you to talk to,” he told her.
“I could talk to you.”
“You can always talk to me.”
“You’re stinky again.” She raised a hand to slap over her mouth. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth. Come on, kitten. Let me jump in the shower while you tell me about your day.”
Taking her hand, Zale led her down the hallway and into the large bathroom. He boosted her up onto the vanity. “Stay there out of the funky zone,” he teased.
Her giggles made him smile as he toed off his boots and stripped off his shirt. He held the material to his nose and grimaced. She was right. He smelled bad.
“What did you do? Did you take a bath?” he guessed, noting the towel on the edge of the tub as he unfastened his pants.
“I did. I love your tub, Daddy. It’s huge. I can straighten my legs and everything.”
“I’m glad. Did it help your soreness?”
She nodded shyly. In the bright light of the bathroom, her blush was adorable.
Zale stripped off his pants and briefs before tugging off his socks. He could feel her eyes on his body. Knowing she was already embarrassed, he didn’t look over to catch her ogling him, but walked to the shower and stepped inside. Zale was used to women finding him attractive—not in a conceited way, but in theway a man who’d always been physically fit was. Having Pippa admire his muscles meant way more than the random women he encountered every day. Her attention mattered more than anyone else.
Her presence was magnetic to him. Something had clicked inside him from the first moments they’d met. Now, with every passing hour they spent together, he discovered more to love about her.
“Daddy?”
Her voice drew him from his thoughts. “Yes, Pippa?”
“I was going to tell you about my day.”
“What did you enjoy the most?”
“The diary. I know it’s stupid, but I had all these worries and emotions jumbled up inside me. Getting them all written out seemed to tone down the noise inside my brain.”
“I’m glad. When you’re ready, maybe you’ll share some of it with me,” he suggested.
“Maybe? For now, I locked it up. It feels better to be able to write anything I want and know it’s private.”
