Daddy Claiming His Little by Jess Winters

CHAPTER TWO

Ajax

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a woman in the house, let alone an eighteen-year-old girl. She was cute and curvy, with large honey-brown eyes that always made me want to give in or get some.

I had a feeling she was a Little, but I didn’t want to ask her about that just yet, not with the almost vicious wolf attack that I had to save her from. There was no need to bother such a cute young thing with questions like that at this hour.

Besides, if she were a Little, she’d be enjoying me taking care of her, tucking her in, and making sure she had the best possible treatment.

And believe you me, the second I find out she is a Little, there will be no turning back.

Once I tucked Maya into bed, I headed back down the hall towards my room. I hung my Sheriff’s hat on a hook by the door and proceeded to undress.

Thank God I was there tonight, otherwise who knows what would have happened to Maya?

My heart started to beat faster at the mere thought of her trembling in the little white dress that resembled a nightgown. She must have been hanging out with her friends and lost track of time.

Just as I was about to climb into bed, there was a knock at my door.

“Yes?” I said softly, not wanting to scare her.

Though really, she should have been in bed. Didn’t I tuck her in a few minutes ago?

Maya stuck her sweet face around the corner of the door, making puppy dog eyes at me.

“Um, I’m sorry, Sheriff Ajax, but I couldn’t sleep. Could you read me a bedtime story?”

I smiled.

So, she was a Little. And I knew just the thing for her.

“Okay, but if I catch you out of bed one more time after I tuck you in, there’s going to be some consequences,” I scolded.

She nodded quickly, saying in a small voice, “I know, I promise, I won’t do anything bad, I swear!”

I chuckled, patting her softly on the top of the head.

“I know you won’t, sweetheart. Now let’s get you back to bed, and I’ll go and grab you a story.”

I watched her tiptoe down the hall, chuckling softly to myself when she gasped seemingly at her own shadow. She turned when she reached the bedroom, gave me one small smile, then disappeared, likely tucking herself in.

We’ll see about that, I thought to myself.

I grabbed a slim volume of fairytales off the wall and headed towards her room with them.

When I got there, Maya was already in bed with the covers pulled up to her waist.

“Now that’s no way to sleep at night,” I told her.

“I know, but I’m not strong enough to tuck myself in. Will you do it for me?”

I bent over, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo as I tucked the blankets once more, making sure she could wriggle her arms free if she needed anything.

“I brought you this story to read to you, but I get the feeling you’d also like a little something to drink before bed,” I said.

She nodded voraciously.

“Um, warm milk?” she asked.

“I’ll be back in just a moment,” I replied.

I had several sippy cups in my kitchen that I had washed recently. I chose the pale pink one, unable to understand why. Perhaps it was something about the way Maya’s cheeks turned light pink whenever she saw me, and she got that too-cute glowing look in her eyes like she knew her Daddy was going to take excellent care of her.

I poured some milk and warmed it up in the microwave, making sure to secure the lid tightly so that she wouldn’t accidentally spill on her cute little white dress.

When I got back to the room, Maya was still pretty awake, looking at me with those gorgeous eyes.

“I see you’re still awake,” I said to her.

“Yes, I didn’t want to fall asleep without saying goodnight to you.”

I chuckled. “Well, that’s sweet, but you should be resting, especially after the night you had. ”

“Yes, Daddy,” she said softly, taking the sippy cup from my hands.

Did she just call me Daddy? I could feel the pride beaming within my chest.

“Does it taste good?”

She nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”

“And what do we say?”

She wiped milk from her lips and grinned at me. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. Make sure you drink all the milk and settle down while I read you a fairytale.”

She nodded, sipping the last of her milk as I positioned myself on the bed.

I still had my white shirt on, though it was half-unbuttoned, and I realized she could probably see the muscles on my chest. At least she hadn’t walked in on me fully naked, otherwise, she probably wouldn’t be able to sleep.

“Once upon a time,” I began, looking over to make sure she was listening.

To my surprise, she had closed her eyes, the cup dangling from her left hand.

I slowly unwrapped her soft fingers from the plastic handle and placed the cup on the nightstand.

I decided it was best not to keep reading since she had finally fallen asleep. Plus, it seemed like she might be staying with me for a while.

What with no one to take care of her back at her apartment, there was no way I was going to send her back there all alone, not without a strong Daddy to take care of her when she needed it most.