Page 177 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection
“We haven’t watchedInfinity Waryet,” Emily responds without looking up, her fingertips tracing the outline of a black unicorn design she’s found. She’s been teasing Logan for a while about getting a tattoo, something he’s not in favor of. “OrGuardians of the Galaxy. You promised.”
“I don’t remember promising.”
“You did. And you said you’d make pancakes for breakfast.”
I might have said that when I was all sugared up from licking the cupcake batter bowl.
“I don’t have any fresh clothes. I need to go home.”
“Daddy only let us wear clothes this morning because the house was cold after we’d been at the club all night. It’ll be warm by the time we get back. You won’t need clothes.”
I feel myself cave. “I hate you.”
“I know. Do you want Chinese or sushi for dinner? Daddy wants to put in an order now.” She taps the phone sitting on the couch next to her thigh.
A craving for hot and sour soup hits me so hard I have to wipe drool out of the corners of my mouth. “Chinese.”
“Good call.” She picks up her phone and taps away at it. “Sushi’s really a warm-weather food. I keep telling Daddy, but he says sushi’s not seasonal.”
“He’s right. And I’m paying.”
“You can argue it out with Daddy.” She grins without taking her eyes off the phone. “Good luck with that.”
“The two of you are horrible.”
“I know. Master Theo, Max, and Cynnie are coming over, too,” she tells me, tapping. What the fuck is she typing, thegreat American novel? “We’re allowed to build a blanket fort and watch movies until midnight and sleep in the fort.”
“I don’t want to do any of those things.”
Except I really, really do.
“Yes, you do,” she says, finally looking up at me. Her eyes are open and innocent and utterly without guile. I hate how she sees right through me with those eyes. “But if you don’t want to sleep in the fort you can sleep in our bed with us. Daddy says it’s okay for tonight because you’re sad and need lots of cuddles. Unless you’d rather sleep with Master Theo.”
“I’d rather dig out my eyes with a dull spoon. And I don’t need cuddles.”
“Uh-huh.” She goes back to typing. “Can I take one of the pictures out of your book? I’ll bring it back. I just want to show it to Daddy’s friend. He has some really bad tattoos from the Navy and he’s been talking about getting the mermaid one fixed and you’ve got the most beautiful mermaid in here and I tried to take a picture on my phone but it didn’t come out. So, can I?”
“If it shuts you up, anything.”
Emily grins and keeps typing.
I sleep on the floor, in the fort, piled with Emily’s ridiculously soft bedding and couch pillows and bodies, with my belly full of hot and sour soup, Szechuan beef, and caramel popcorn, and nothing heavier on my mind than the way Chris Evans fills out his Captain America suit.
Logan’s friend Max and his Little, Cynnie, crawl out of the fort sometime before dawn. I hear giggling as they head up the stairs, and then the wet sounds of kissing. I figure they’ve gone off to fuck since there was no hanky-panky at all last night,despite there being three Doms and three subs in the house. I turn onto my side, even though it’s my bad hip, and curl against Logan’s back. He’s warm and smells good and even if he isn’t my Dom and probably doesn’t even like me, it’s still a comfortable place to be. Emily’s cat, who is sleeping across my feet, makes a rumbly,mrowingprotest.
The noise wakes Theo, who is sleeping on my far side. I’ve done dozens of scenes with Theo; he’s fucked me pretty much every time. But I’ve never slept with him before. I feel awkward about sleeping with him now, which is why I’ve cuddled up to Logan. I don’t want Theo thinking I’m looking for more from him than I am.
He reaches out, pulls me over, and puts his arm around me so I’m tucked to his side with my head on his shoulder.
“Go back to sleep,” he mutters. “Or I’ll beat your ass.”
I punch his chest without any force. “Your snoring woke me in the first place.”
“I don’t snore.”
I actually don’t know if he snores or not, since I fell asleep while we were watching the secondGuardians of the Galaxymovie.
“You’re too warm to sleep with like this,” I complain. “Geroff.”
