Page 169 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection
She yawns and snuggles in. “You’z come to bed now?”
“Uh-huh. Do you want to sleep in your hive or up in the bed with me?”
“With Oppa, always.”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “Come on then, my bumble baby.”
I back out of the cage and help her out. She wriggles her adorable ass at me as she climbs up into my bed and dives under the covers. Before I shed my clothes, I take a jewelry box out of dresser and pop it on the nightstand. Then I jump onto the bed and cage Cynnie with my arms and legs.
She giggles and beams up at me.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hi, Oppa.”
“I love you, baby.”
“Still, Oppa?”
“Still. Hasn’t changed in two hours.”
She wriggles happily. “I wants to say it back, but not because you said it first.”
“Then you’re never going to get to say it.”
“What? Whyz not?”
“Because I’m going to say it all the time.”
She wraps her arms around my chest and nips my chin. “I love you, Oppa.”
“Uht-oh. Now what do I say? I can’t say it back when you said it first.”
She giggles and nips my chin some more. Then she sinks back against the pillows and looks at me with those deep, dark eyes. “You’z say I go home tomorrow?”
“No, I definitely don’t say that.”
“You’z say I go home the day after?”
“No, I don’t say that, either. I asked you to move in with me before everything tonight, baby. Nothing’s changed for me. I want to spend every day and every night with you. I want you to stay with me for as long as you want to, and then stay one day more so I can change your mind about leaving. Do you want that, my bumble?”
Her soft mouth trembles before she presses it to mine. “I wants.”
I prop myself on my forearm so I don’t crush her while I run my fingertips along her collar. “Remember when we were shopping and I told you I’d gotten you a collar?”
She nods, her eyes sheening.
“Would you like to see it?”
“Pease, Oppa.”
I shift to my side, snag the jewelry box with my fingertips, and drag it into the bed. “Open it, baby.”
Her hands shake as she pops the box open. Her breath catches as she runs her fingertips along the chain of enameled daisies and tiny diamonds. “Oppa. This is the one I liked. You bought this for me ... ‘fore you even went to England?”
“I did.”
“I love it.” Her eyes lift to mine. “I love you.”
