Page 262 of Double Daddies
Tapping his hand on his thigh in warning, Clay skewered her with a look. “While I’m pleased you’ve stopped denying what you are, I recommend you drop the attitude, Avery. I understand you have things to do, but so do we. Being sassy and rude is only delaying all three of us from returning to our regularly scheduled activities.”
The calm, admonishing tone toned down her hostility. She lowered her gaze, chewing on her lip. Some of the tension in her shoulders eased. “Sorry, Master Clay.”
He glanced at Tristan, watching him as he said, “Good girl.”
Mercurial eyes flared with surprise as Avery shivered in response to those two quiet words.
“Avery, this is Tristan. He’s a new guest here at Serenity, and a trainee Daddy Dom.”
“I know who he is, sir.”
“That saves some time then. Why don’t you introduce yourself to him?”
There it was, that spark of defiance which seemed to preclude the arrival of Little Avery. Flaring beneath those long, sleek eyelashes, illuminating her dark eyes. One more small push and the spark would ignite, burning away the grown up and leaving behind the more complicated half of her.
Come on out and play, sweetling.
She heaved a breath. “Hi, I’m Avery.”
Tristan stared at her as though she hung the moon in his dreams every night. “Hello.”
Smooth, Clay thought with a quiet snort. Real smooth, playboy.
Checking an imaginary watch on her wrist, Avery huffed softly. “If that’s all…”
“You need a Daddy, sweetling.”
The chair scraped as she shoved back, standing quickly. As she whirled to go, Clay reached out and whipped the reindeer from her waistband, stopping her in her tracks.
It was the last push needed.
Fury ignited, she spun back, hands fisted on her hips. “Give him back!”
“Not until you admit you need a Daddy.”
A thin, shrill scream warned of an incoming attack. He rose as she leaped, letting her bounce off his chest as he held the reindeer out of reach. “I don’t! Give him backnow!”
Patient as a saint, pretty impressed she hadn’t yet resorted to beating him with those tiny, icing-dusted hands, he just waited as streams of irritated babble spewed from her in a voice very different from normal. “Avery, take a breath and look at yourself.”
“He’s mine! Give him back!”
Clay pursed his lips, then tossed the unfortunate reindeer ass over antlers to Tristan, who caught it more by luck than skill. When Avery leaped for Clay’s throat, he spared her the possibility of another spanking, hooking an arm around her waist and dragging her flush against him. “What are you, Avery?”
She narrowly missed kicking his shin. “Angry!”
“That’s how you’re feeling. What are you?”
Panting heavily, she dropped her forehead against his chest.
“One tiny word, sweetling. That’s all I need.”
Her fingers dug into his sides, gripping both shirt and flesh. “Little.”
“Good girl,” he said immediately, emphatically. Wrapping her up in a hug, he felt her breath shudder out before she relaxed into his arms. “At least you managed to avoid your ass being warmed today.”
“I don’t want a Daddy…”
“But?” he asked quietly.
