Page 51 of Daddy's Laws

She bounced when he dropped her onto the bed, renewing her giggles.

“Let’s get you dressed, princess.”

Sitting up, she spotted the outfit he held in his hands and immediately shook her head. “No way. I’m not wearing that!”

“Shannon.” His tone was gentle, but there was an undercurrent of steel that told her he wouldn’t be swayed. “You promised to trust me. If, at the end of the day, there are things you really hated, we don’t have to do them again. But I want you to at least try.”

Ugh. Why the hell had she agreed to trust him without pressing him for details? Annoyed with both of them, she gave a short, sharp nod of agreement.

“Good girl. Stand up so Daddy can help you get dressed.”

Feeling utterly ridiculous, she stood and stepped into the frilly panties he held out for her. Once the panties and T-shirt were in place, he rolled a rainbow-striped sock up to her knee, and some of the embarrassment faded.

“I like rainbows,” she told him, admiring her foot as he pulled her other sock on.

“Yeah? I thought you might. They remind me of you.”

“How so?”

With the second sock in place, he pressed a kiss to the skin just above the colorful material. It was perfectly chaste, but she felt a tug of desire low in her belly all the same.

“Elusive,” he answered her, pressing a second kiss to the opposite leg. “The conditions have to be just right to make them shine. But they’re worth waiting for when you finally find one.”

Despite the almost painful fluttering of her heart, she rolled her eyes. “You’re silly.”

The smile that lit his face at her playful tone was worth every moment of embarrassment he’d subjected her to. “Maybe I am. But you’re adorable.”

He stood and turned her to face the full-length mirror in the corner of the room.

Tilting her head to the side, she studied her reflection. She did look sort of adorable, in the little white T-shirt adorned with a glittery unicorn, the pink ruffled panties, and the rainbow socks. All that was missing were pigtails, but the high ponytail worked almost as well.

“Do you like it, princess?”

“Uh huh.”

“Good. I have some more surprises downstairs.”

“What surprises?”

Tugging on her hand, he pulled her along behind him, back down to the living room. Her mouth fell open again when she spotted the coloring book and crayons on the floor, in front of the tv where a list of princess movies scrolled across the screen.

“What movie do you want to watch?”

It was silly. Ridiculous, really, for a woman in her thirties to feel such athrillat the idea of watching a children’s movie.

But the thrill was there, all the same. And obviously Bryant didn’t think it was all that weird, since he was the one who’d set it up.

Still, she hesitated. “I dunno.”

“Do you want me to pick one for you?” When she nodded, he moved past her and picked up the remote. Scrolling through their options, he stopped on the image of the red-headed mermaid perched on a rock.

“A classic,” he said, grinning at her over his shoulder. “You can sit and watch or you can color and watch. Whatever you want to do.”

“I can help with breakfast,” she offered quietly, her eyes glued to the tv screen.

“Cooking is Daddy’s job. Watch your movie and I’ll let you know when breakfast is ready.”

The urge to protest only lasted a moment before she nodded and knelt in front of the coloring books. She picked up a book of animals and the crayons and went to work as the movie played.

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