Page 269 of Double Daddies
As Tristan crossed the room to use the phone, Clay walked to the bed, dropping down on his haunches within touching distance of Avery. Bracing his elbows on the edge of the mattress, he murmured, “Avery. Wake up, sweetling.”
Nada. Nothing. Not even a twitch.
“Avery,” he repeated, this time in a sing-song tone he really hoped wasn’t as creepy as it sounded. He saw her eyelids flicker and reached out, stroking the back of his finger over her cheek. “Avery, sweetling. You feel like waking up anytime soon?”
The smallest whine was her reply, barely audible.
“That’s it. Need you to wake up for a minute so you don’t shoot out of a dead sleep and scare the shit outta all of us, sweetling.”
Tristan cleared his throat, covering the mouthpiece of the handset with his palm. “Are we allowed to swear around her?”
“Wait ‘til you hear what comes out ofhermouth,” Clay advised, amused. At least the younger Dom was taking this seriously; Clay had been prepared to come down on him, as hard as necessary, if he started treating Avery and the situation as a joke but, so far, he seemed to be nothing but attentive, respectful, and willing to learn.
Tristan snorted, then returned to the call, ordering god only knew what for Avery to eat.
“Maybe he’s got the bones of a good Daddy,” Clay whispered to Avery, still stroking her cheek. “Won’t know for sure until you give him a shot. Might need to let yourself fly first though.”
She whimpered, mumbling, “Daddy Clay?”
“Hey, sweetling.”
With a sleepy moan, she rolled onto her back, the towel shifting to expose a whole lot more of that delicious body. Dark, unfocused eyes opened slowly as she licked her dry lips. “Am I late for work?”
“No. Seems like you slept through our playdate though.” He reached down and flipped the towel so it covered her again. “Have you eaten tonight, Avery?”
“I… no?”
Clay tsked, unimpressed. “Naughty girl. Do you skip dinner a lot?”
More awake now, those sleepy eyes avoided making contact with his, sliding a few inches to the left of his head. “Occasionally?”
Shaking his head, he stood, then sat on the edge of the bed, gesturing to her body with a sweep of his hand. “And howoccasionallydo you fall asleep on your bed, still wet from a shower, with only a towel keeping you warm?”
Alarm widened her eyes and suddenly her attention was on her state of undress. Before she scrambled to rectify the situation, Clay set his hand on her chest, just below the hollow of her throat. “Relax. Neither Tristan nor I are here for that, Avery. We have more pressing concerns, apparently.”
She went still, her pulse bounding in the side of her throat, a stroke away from his thumb. “Like what?”
“I’m glad you asked.” He held up his free hand, fisted it, then popped up his thumb. “Being so tired you fall asleep in a very vulnerable position.” Index finger, up. “Falling asleep still wet from a shower, in a damp towel.” Middle finger, up. “Not taking care of your basic needs like eating and—” He released her chest and gently pinched her forearm. “—staying hydrated. Would you like me to continue?”
She actually pouted; he wanted to bite that sulky mouth. “No.”
“Good. So, foregoing our original plans for this evening, Tristan and I are going to be taking over. Food is on the way. While we wait, we’re going to get you into something comfortable, and Tristan is going to tend to your hair before it dries into a tangled monstrosity.”
“I am?” The Dom in question sounded shocked as he moved closer to the bed.
“You are. Daddy-Little dynamics are based on trust, which requires a strong bond. Brushing Avery’s hair will give you both the chance to relax in each other’s company. Now,” Clay continued, turning his attention back to Avery, “why don’t you save him some time and tell us where you keep your pajamas?”
Pink kissed her cheeks. Eyes drifting to the side once again, she mumbled something.
“Sorry, didn’t catch that.”
Avery chewed on her lip. “I don’t wear anything to sleep in.”
Barely restraining a groan, Clay grunted instead. With a fingertip, he flicked open the towel, baring her perfect body from full breasts with beautifully pert, rosy nipples to her adorable belly paunch and the curls on her mound. “Are you telling us that you sleep in the nude, little girl?”
She flushed when Tristan choked on his own groan. “Y-Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
