Page 346 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection
“Fair enough, girl. I noticed you haven’t taken any even though your kitty and ass must have been hurting. Let’s see how you’re doing after a rub-down. If you’re still in pain, we’ll find you something just to take the edge off.”
“Thank you, Sir. You’re really nice.”
He strokes my head. “Don’t think I’ll be making this a regular thing. Mostly I’m the guy who’ll be beating your ass.”
That draws a small laugh out of me, because he is the guy who beats my ass—the only guy I want beating my ass—but he’s also the guy who takes care of me afterwards. “Sure, Sir.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “Ready to venture downstairs?”
“Yes, Sir.” He guides me out of the bathroom, around the pile of my clothes on the floor. “Are my clothes ruined?”
“No, I think we’ll be able to get the blood out of your sweater. You’ll need new laces for your Docs. That seems like a fine errand for Taco this afternoon.”
“If you can find him. He hadn’t come back from his food run when I left.”
Mac frowns. “He’s been out ever since we talked this morning?”
“He might be back now.” I shrug.
“Mmm, let’s get you downstairs, then I’ll call him.”
I don’t say I can get myself downstairs, because the truth is, I’m not sure I can. I’m still feeling a little shaky inside and my bad leg’s cramping now that I’m out of the hot water. Mac guides me with his arm around my waist. The stairs at Logan’s house are a bit of a tight fit for two walking side by side, but Mac makes it work. When we reach the bottom, he raps his knuckles on Logan’s office door before steering us through the great room to the dining table. I hear Emily in the kitchen and as soon as she sees us round the corner, she races to me and throws her arms around me.
I pat her back gently. “I’m okay.”
“What happened?”
“She kicked three guys’ asses, that’s what happened. My tough girl. Now she’s having an adrenaline crash, so let’s get some food into her, okay, Em?”
Emily nods and scoots around to my other side, guiding me as though I can’t find my way to the table. I bite back a smart remark because I know she’s worried about me. Still, I really wish she’d notice the way Mac supports me without crowding me and, you know, follow his example. She’s got the table set and a big salad already out. Once I’m seated, she brings me over a steaming cup of pale-yellow liquid.
“No,” I say. “I know you’re trying to help, Em, but I’m not drinking that curry crap again.”
She kisses me on the cheek. “It’s chamomile. It’ll help you relax.”
I reach up, loop my arm around her neck, and draw her down into a hug. “You’re too good to me.”
“I was scared for you,” she whispers, hugging me tightly.
“I promise I’m okay. They’re a lot worse off than I am.”
“Did you recognize them?” Emily asks. “Were they skinheads or just muggers?”
I slap my hand to my forehead and wince when I jar my sore knuckles. “Ohmigod, one of them must have gotten me in the head. How could I not have remembered? It was the skinhead. I saw his tattoo when he was trying to hit me.”
Mac sits down heavily in the chair next to me, his face tight. “Move on?”
I nod. “He knows I recognized him. I asked him if he wanted to speak to the manager. That was stupid, wasn’t it? I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Doesn’t matter, girl. We’ll talk about it once you’ve got some food in you, but if he’s seen the posters, he knows we’re looking for him.”
“We’ll just have to try a little harder to pin him down,” Logan says as he approaches the table.
Mac and Logan exchange a look, but don’t say anything more. They help Emily bring the food to the table. As usual, she’s trying to feed a small country. Mac puts a little of everything on my plate and gives me the stink-eye until I start to eat.
“Looks short on protein to me, girl,” he says, leaning over and whispering in my ear. “I think you need some of your Sir’s good come for dessert.”
“Yes, Sir.” I smile as I take a bite of cheesy-creamy, mushroom lasagna, because no matter how weird and light-headed I feel, I’ll never turn down my Sir’s come. I think of all the times Ten refused to give me his, how sad and angry it made me feel. If he’d made it part of the scene, made me feel too worthless to deserve it, it might have fed my kink. But Ten’s never been that generous. I shuffle a little in my chair until I’m pressed against Mac’s side. He puts his arm around me and offers me a bite of the chicken wing he’s eating. I kiss his fingers after I chew down the mouthful. “You wouldn’t ever deny me your come would you, Sir?”
