Sam’s Little Girl by Pepper North

Chapter 13

Blinking, Hope pushed herself up on her elbows. Her head felt clear of the fog that had plagued her. Feverish glimpses of Sam coaxing her to eat broth and drink cool liquids flitted through her mind. Had he been taking care of her while she was ill? Why?

A whisper of sound announced her movement, and the handsome man appeared in the doorway. His brow was wrinkled with concern and dark circles attested to a lack of sleep. He smiled upon seeing her propped up in bed.

“Hi, candy girl. You look like you feel better. I’ve been worried about you,” Sam said softly as he approached to press a hand against her forehead. “I think your fever is finally gone.”

Hope stared at him, trying to memorize his features. When she didn’t speak, he brushed his fingers through her hair, jolting her into action. She sat up, tucking the covers under her arms to hide her nudity.

“Sorry I’ve been a bother. You could have just called my folks. They would have come taken me off your hands.” Hope looked down at the quilt covering her and plucked at the soft fabric.

“A daddy takes care of his little girl.”

“I hope you find her soon. The Little you want, I mean. If you ever even wanted a Little.”

“Hope—”

She interrupted him. “Could I have some clothes, or could you step out of the room so I could get dressed?”

“Let me help you, candy girl.” Sam opened a drawer and withdrew a pair of her shorts and a T-shirt. Placing it on the bed, he said softly, “I like seeing your things here, Hope. Thank you for moving in.”

“Yeah, that was before I knew I was your joke. That was really mean, Sam.” She shifted uncomfortably when he sat on the edge of the bed.

“There is no joke, Hope. I want you to be my little girl. On a team like mine, there are no secrets. The man who scared you in the kitchen was Hank. He actually was the first to admit that he was a daddy. We’d been ribbing him about never having a girlfriend. Finally, he told us about Angie. She was killed in a car wreck while he was deployed. I’d never seen any of the team cry before, but Hank broke down in front of us. It started the conversation. Turns out we’re all looking for our Littles.”

“It scared me when he called me Little.”

“I know, candy girl. It’s a very private part of you. He was wrong to blurt it out like that and shake you up so badly. If it makes you feel better, Hank is dealing with a broken nose right now.”

“You hit him?” she asked, incredulous.

“I did. He hurt you. That’s not acceptable. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to, but he did. Now you have doubts about me, and that pisses me off,” Sam admitted in a hard tone.

“Why did you tell them about me?”

“The team is my closest group of companions. There’s a bond that develops between squad members. They become closer than family. Our lives are in each other’s hands. I knew they’d be happy for me, and I wanted to celebrate us with my brothers. I’m ecstatic that we found each other. It’s hard to hide that level of emotion.”

“Is there an ‘us’ anymore?”

“Damn right, there’s an ‘us.’ I’m going to fight each day to prove to you that I love you more than life itself.”

“You love me?”

“Yes.” Sam stroked his fingers through her hair. “You have my heart, candy girl. I love you more than anything in the world.” He drew her to his chest and pressed a kiss against her hair.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was planning on telling you about the team when you moved in. I should have talked to you earlier. This misunderstanding is all my fault.”

“I’m scared,” she admitted.

Sam leaned back away from her. His gaze searched her face. “What are you scared of, Hope?”

“I don’t know if I can be strong enough to have everyone know that I’m Little. Maybe I’m not really Little. You’ve said that Littles are the bravest people you know.”

“There are no doubts in my mind that you are courageous and strong enough to do anything or be anything you wish. I love you. I would love you whether or not you were my Little,” he assured her.

“You could live not being a Daddy?” she questioned.

“As soon as I learned about Littles and Bigs, I knew I was a Daddy. It’s how I’m wired. I’ll always be dominant in my intimate relationship with my life partner.”

“Is that how you see me? As your life partner?” she repeated his words.

“Yes, candy girl. I see you as the woman I wish to spend the rest of my life with.” Sam stood and walked to the closet. Opening the door, he pulled out his field pack and reached inside for a small box.

His gaze locked on hers as he approached. Tears sprang to her eyes as he dropped to one knee by the bed. “I showed the guys this. That’s why Hank knew.”

She held her breath as her emotions tumbled around in her chest. Should she take the chance?

“Hope, I love you with every fiber of my being. You are the one I want to wake up holding in my arms and the one I fall asleep with at night. I love the sweet woman and the adorable Little inside you. Will you marry me?”

“Marry you?” she repeated as she looked down at the beautiful sparkling ring displayed in the black velvet box.

“Marry me, candy girl.”

His words brought her gaze back to his face. Hope could read worry, stress, and concern etched in his skin. She could also see the love he offered her. Hesitating after the fear she’d experienced, Hope took a deep breath. Her mother’s words flitted into her mind. She needed to pay attention to that voice inside her. Was it still telling her that Sam was her special one?

Unsure what she was going to say but needing to fill the silence, Hope spoke slowly. “Sam… I’m trying to be very brave. I want to believe what we have is true and that I can trust you to protect my heart.”

“I love you, Hope. Protecting you became my job the first time I held you in my arms. I know it scares you that others know you are Little, but my team is my family. They would accept you if you had two heads. The fact that you’re Little strengthens their feelings toward you. Those men would come to your defense at a crook of your finger.”

“Even Hank?”

“Even Hank,” he confirmed, scowling as he said his teammate’s name. “Do you know what I dream about when I think of the future?”

Confused by his change of topic, she answered, “No?”

“I want you to have a strong support team when we’re deployed. People that understand what you are feeling because they’re feeling the same way. Ideally, my teammates will each find their Littles. Our goal is to find our Littles and help them become friends.”

“Really? You want me to have Little friends?”

“You’re the first. My sweet candy girl, I know you’ll love meeting and playing with the others.”

“That would be fun,” she admitted. When he started grinning, she waggled a finger at him. “I’m not marrying you to have friends. I have plenty of friends now.”

“No, little girl. You’re marrying me because you love me as much as I love you. Could you say the words?”

After swallowing hard, she met his eyes. “I love you, Sam Memphis. I would treasure being your wife.”

With a motion almost too fast to be seen, Sam plucked her from the covers and wrapped himself around his little girl. He held Hope so close, she could feel his heartbeat through his chest and knew he could sense hers jumping inside. Wiggling against him, she could feel his thick cock pressing against her.

“Daddy?” she asked, with the lilt of an intimate suggestion in her voice.

“No way, little girl. The most activity you’re going to do today is sit on the couch with Hedgie and me to watch movies. You’ve been sick.”

“Scary ones?” she suggested eagerly.

“No scary movies.”

“I’ll scare your nightmares away,” she joked as if she could be braver than her daddy.

“The world is full of enough actual nightmares that we don’t need to invent any others.”

Sam’s battle-weary tone concluded any arguments she might offer. A small light kindled inside Hope. Her daddy might be big and tough, but maybe he needed her just as much as she needed him. Hope pressed her lips against his. She would do anything she could to make his life easier.