Page 12 of Ashley
"Will you let me help you? Let me take care of you?"
Ashley hated that it wasallshe wanted, to be taken care of by this beautiful man, but it was undeniable. "Yes," she whispered.
The tightness in James' body abated at that one word. He flashed her a smile that warmed Ashley through better than any cocktail beverage could ever hope to.
"You made the right choice, princess."
Her heart sped up at the term of endearment and she gave him a shaky nod. "I hope so." Then, she bit her lip and asked, "I don't have to call you Daddy, right?"
He shook his head. "No, of course not. I haven't earned that title."
She hummed in agreement but said nothing. Instead, she fixed him with a curious look and asked, "What now, then?"
"Now, we relax, you get comfy, and I take care of you." He looked around the room and frowned. "Why don't you have any stuffies?"
"I do, but they're in there." She pointed to her closet, and James shot her a questioning look.
'Why?"
"I don't know," she replied, walking toward the closet and opening it to look down at the small collection Natasha had gifted her. One for every day that she'd stayed with her, which meant she had six lovely, fluffy stuffies ranging from ones she could barely fit her arms around to smaller ones that would fit in her hand. The bigger ones were her favorites and she bent to pick one up with a smile.
"This one is my favorite," she told him shyly. It was a technicolor penguin that sported a cape and was soft to the touch. Ashley had spent more than one night with it in her arms, and she smiled, hugging the penguin to her body.
"That's a good one. Does it have a name?"
She nodded, fingers playing with the soft plushy. "Rupert."
"That's a good name, little girl," James praised, and Ashley felt herself light up. It wasn't hard to go soft under the gentle tone and warm smiles the man was sending her way.
"Are you thirsty? Hungry?" James asked, coming to stand in front of her. He lifted a hand to touch her but dropped it at the last second and Ashley hated that he hadn't touched her. She reached out, catching his hand in hers, fingers wrapping around his pointer finger and nodded.
"I didn't eat or drink anything before the party."
"You need to be more careful," James said, and his voice had a note of sternness she hadn't heard before, "Taking care of yourself is important. You can't forget to eat and drink water. Get in bed; I'll get you something."
When she didn't immediately move toward the bed, James placed a hand at the small of her back and guided her. All the while, she still held on to him and only let go when he pulled the covers back and urged her to sit. Once she was sitting, arms wrapped around her stuffie, did he drop to his knees and pull her flats from her feet. He looked up at her from where he knelt, and Ashley momentarily forgot how to speak and think. He was beautiful.
"How long are you staying?" she asked him, fingers toying with her stuffie's fur.
"As long as you need me to. I won't go until you tell me to, understand?"
She nodded, a pleased grin on her face at his answer. James reached out a hand to her and helped her to lie down. "Now get in bed, doll," he said, before rising from the floor and nodding at the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
"What are you going to tell them?" Ashley asked. Them, meaning Silas and Natasha. She had told them it would only be a moment, a short while away with this stranger in her room, and she'd intended to keep it quick. But that had been before he'd asked to take care of her and before she'd lost the ability to process all logical thought and agreed to it.
James paused, one hand on the door, and gave her another thousand-watt smile. "I'll tell them the truth."
"Which is?"
"That I have a little girl to take care of."
Ashley's cheeks warmed. "Oh."
"Oh, is right, now get comfortable, and I'll be back soon, understand?" James asked, opening the door.
Ashley managed a quick nod before he was out the door. Only when she was alone in her room, did she exhale the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding in.
"Holy shit." She shook her head, arms squeezing the stuffie closer as she scrambled to pull the covers up and around her, anything to give her a measure of security in the face of what she'd just agreed to. She had not only let James back into her life, into her bedroom for Christ sake, without a second thought, but she'd agreed to let him take care of her. Not only that, but he wasn't leaving until she gave the word.
"Fuck," she whispered, falling back against the pillows with a groan. What the hell had she been thinking?
