Daddy’s Little Runaway by Lila Fox
Chapter Seven
Emma closed her eyes and rested against Devon’s chest. She was startled when he stood with her in his arms.
“Where are we going?”
“To the bedroom,” he said.
The low timbre of his tone made her nipples bead into hard little points. Heat pooled low in her groin, and her panties got wet. She pressed her legs together to help ease the ache, but it just made it worse.
“Settle down, pet. You fell asleep again. I want you to take a nap.”
“No, I have too much to do.”
“We already talked about this,” he told her.
“I have to go back to my place.”
He laid her down and pulled the blankets up to her chest. “I’ll have someone get your things. Is there anything specific you want?”
“No, that’s not the point. There’s nothing personal or important there. Everything is from a dumpster, Goodwill, or given to me, but it’s all I have.”
He sat down beside her hip and rested his hand on the other side of her. “I’ll keep telling you, pet, until you hear me. You’re not going anywhere. You won’t need anything because I’ll take care of you, and you have nothing to fear.”
“Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me.”
“I know how I feel.”
“But—”
“No, listen, honey. Do you feel okay being here with me?”
“Well, yes, but that doesn’t…”
“I love having you here, and I don’t want you to go.”
“But—”
Her stomach tightened when he placed his hand on her abdomen, searing her flesh beneath the shirt.
“Unless you tell me you don’t like being here or being with me, you’ll do what I say and let me protect you.”
“I…”
“Enough arguing. Sleep for a while. The more you rest, the quicker you’ll heal.”
She grabbed at his arm when he went to stand. “Wait. Can you stay until I go to sleep?”
Her eyes started to slide closed when he rubbed his thumb against her cheek.
“Yes, anytime you need me, you come to me or ask me for what you want. There is nothing I won’t try to give you.”
She grinned. “What about a pink pony?”
He laughed. “If that’s what you want, I’ll start looking.”
“No, all I want is you.”
He cupped her cheek. “You’ve already got me.”
Those four words went straight to her heart. God, if that were true, she’d be the happiest woman in the world.
He stood, walked around the bed, pulled off his shoes, and crawled in beside her.
She tried to roll closer to him but cried out when she bumped her arm.
“Baby, don’t move.” He slowly turned her on her side away from him and then curled his body around her. “Is this better?”
She grasped the arm he laid over her waist, nodded, and closed her eyes. “Yes. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now try to get some rest.”
She thought she felt his lips touch the back of her head before she drifted off. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, and she hoped it would never end.
****
Devon listened as her breathing deepened. He gritted his teeth when she wiggled her ass against the hard-on he’d had since he first laid eyes on her.
He needed to start fixing the problem with her mother as soon as possible.
He knew the type of person she was and guessed she was either destroying the house or selling things off. First, he’d have one of his guys check into her financials and see if her grandmother had left a will. Until then, he’d try to get as much information out of Emma as he could and protect her and her aunt until he could take care of her mother.
God, Emma’s mother was a piece of work, and he hoped she was doing something illegal so he could put her behind bars. So far as he knew, she hadn’t broken any law, but he also knew if he dug deep enough into the bitch’s life, he’d find something to nail her on. He just hoped it wouldn’t upset his Emma.
Fuck, he’d had her for less than twenty-four hours, and he already thought of her as his. It scared him how quickly and deeply she’d already sunk into his soul. He’d never had a woman do that before, and to the depth she had.
He’d had a few long-term relationships before, but something always seemed to be missing. After meeting Emma, he knew it was because the women he’d known were always independent. Never seemed to need him, and each wanted parts of their lives away from him. One had loved to travel, and since he usually had to work, she’d go with friends. Another wanted several nights a month to go out with just her girlfriends and party. Yet another one had been so selfish and self-centered she hadn’t wanted to help her mom when she got older.
He’d heard about Big/little relationships for a long time but never thought it would be something he would consider until he saw firsthand with Cason and Lacey how deep their bond grew and how much she depended on him.
That was what he knew he’d been missing, and after meeting Emma, it solidified his assessment. Now, he wanted them to get to know each other and determine if that type of relationship would work for them.
If she were anything like Lacey, he’d snatch her up and never let her go. So far, she seemed to be like every other little he’d met since moving to Arkansas and starting his business.
Now, all he had to do was keep her safe, and he’d do that no matter what.
