Page 38 of Melody’s Little Secret

“And you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, Daddy.” She nuzzled against my cheek, and I kissed her.

“Living up to your name,dulcita. You are so sweet.”

“Can we stay like this for a little while?” Melody sighed. “I like listening to your heartbeat and just lying here with you.”

Nothing could tear me out of the bed and away from my girl, at least nothing short of an emergency. I’d let her lie in my arms forever if she wanted to. I stroked my knuckle down her cheek. “Sì.”

“Thank you for taking a chance on us, Sir. I love you.”

“Thank you for giving me the chance, my little Powerpuff. I love you.”

Chapter Seventeen

Melody

Enjoying the peaceful afterglow wrapped in Boz’s arms, I laid curled against his chest. Suddenly I heard a commotion downstairs. Oh no! Laney and Zio must have come straight to the apartment. Boz must have heard it at the same time because we suddenly bolted out of bed and were plucking pieces of clothing that had been strewn about the floor and putting them on each other. I accidentally handed him my shirt and giggled when he handed it back.

“As cute as I would look in pink and blue swirls, little girl, this one is yours.” He tugged the shirt over my head, smoothing it over my body. Boz tweaked one of my nipples before snagging his jeans off the floor.

“Daddy!” I chided. “You’re going to get me all worked up again.”

“Is that the worst thing,dulcita?” He winked at me before stepping into his jeans. I watched as he buckled the belt, ogling as he did it. Throwing his tee-shirt over his head, he stopped for a moment and kissed my lips.

“No, not really, but we’ve got company. They don’t need to know what we’ve been doing.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ll figure it out by your adorable afterglow. Let’s see how Zio and Laney fared in Mechanicsville.” He held out his hand. “Andiamo.”

“What about the plug?”

“Mm. Keep it in until bedtime.”

“Daddy,” I groaned, but he gave me a look that made me think he wouldn’t hesitate to tell me to keep it in longer.

“Yes,dulcita?”

“Never mind. I’ll keep it in.”

“Good girl.”

Lacing my fingers in his, I followed Boz into the main part of the apartment. I was shocked to see Laney flopped onto the couch, her scowling face buried in her phone.Uh-oh. That couldn’t be good. My eyes darted to Zio who stood in the kitchen, arms crossed. There was a bigger story there, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what could have happened.

“Hey, bestie.” I reluctantly let go of Boz and joined her on the couch, looping my arm around her shoulders. “There’s penne alla vodka in the fridge and cheesy garlic bread on the counter.”

“I’m not hungry.” Her tone was curt, but not overly harsh and I knew in my heart it wasn’t aimed at me.

“But you’ve been gone all day.”

“I’m really tired. Do you care if I sleep in your bed tonight?”

“Sure. There are clean sheets in the hallway.” Shooting a wondering glance at Zio, I patted Laney’s head. “There’s plenty of room for both of us.”

“Thanks. Night.” She hugged me half-heartedly before ignoring both men as she got to her feet and traipsed down the hall.

“What the hell happened?” I gestured toward the spot where my best friend had been a moment ago.

“Are you speaking to me,piccola?” Zio cocked an eyebrow. “Your tone is not appreciated. Especially after the day we just had.”

If I wasn’t already in such a good mood, though slightly deflated over Laney’s sour disposition, I would have absolutely poked at Zio, but I was still swimming in a happy place from my and Boz’s time together. My Daddy handled me in the best way possible. His punishment wasn’t fun, but it was exactly what my brat needed. I took a minute to calm myself before speaking again.

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