“Uh, Bain? What you doing, man?”
“Looking for Arianna.” He straightened and looked over at Dominic who raised his eyebrows.
“Under her desk?”
“She’s sneaky and she likes to hide.”
“Can’t imagine why.” Dominic grinned.
“Meaning?” he barked.
“Nothing, man. It’s just, you’re grouchier than usual. And that’s saying something.”
“She broke protocol today.”
Dominic sighed. “She’s clearly having a bad day. Why don’t you just let it go?”
Let it go? Really?
“I think I saw her go into the kitchen. Just take it easy on her, huh? I think she’s more fragile than she appears.”
All he was going to do was talk to her. Wasn’t like he was going to torture her. Or put her over his knee and spank her.
Which is exactly what he wanted to do.
He stomped towards the kitchen. He knew he was overreacting, but he needed to go over things again with her. He needed to know that she would obey him when it came to her safety.
As he neared the kitchen, the sound of laughter caught him by surprise. The door was partially open and he peered inside. Shock filled him as he took her in. Her hair was up in a messy knot on her head with tendrils hanging down. She wore an oversized T-shirt, some bright pink tights and fuzzy white socks.
She looked. . .adorable.
He froze at that thought. He couldn’t find her adorable. She was the client. Nothing more than that.
She spooned up some chocolate frosting and plopped it down on the cupcake in front of her. Then she giggled to herself as she swirled it around. She wiped at her face, leaving a streak of chocolate across her cheek.
Fuck. Adorable was right.
Something shifted inside him. That hard, bitter part of him softened slightly. She looked young and vulnerable.
“Sprinkles, Miss Ari?” Estelle asked, walking up to the counter where Ari sat. Shit. He hadn’t even seen her there.
“Of course! Everything is better with sprinkles!” Arianna clapped her hands with a smile and he was lost. Shock held him immobile. He’d never seen her smile like that before. Or look so carefree. She seemed almost childlike.
Don’t be an idiot. This doesn’t mean anything.
She stuck her tongue out as she concentrated on getting the sprinkles where she wanted. Finally, he forced himself to move away before anyone saw him standing there.
He’d lost all interest in scolding her.
Bain walked into the kitchen later that night wondering if there were any leftover cupcakes. Those things were amazing. He came to a stop when he saw Arianna standing next to the kitchen counter. She was dressed in a nightie with those same duck slippers.
Those utterly ridiculous but adorable slippers. He spotted something hanging from her hand. Was that a stuffed puppy?
“Arianna?” He walked around her when she didn’t move. Instinct screamed at him that something was wrong.
He studied her. Her nightgown had a picture of a teddy bear with angel wings and a halo. He could still see the red mark on her face. From the pillow? Had she been sleeping and woken up? For some reason, he found that kind of cute. He ran his gaze over her face. There was something slightly off. She wasn’t looking at him. Not properly.
Her gaze was unfocussed. As though she wasn’t quite here.
What was going on?
“Arianna? Can you hear me?”
No reply.
Was she sleepwalking? What did you do with someone who sleepwalked? You didn’t wake them up, right? She slowly raised her hand and shocked him by sticking her thumb in her mouth. The stuffed dog hung from her hand by its ear. The toy was white with a black patch over one eye. It looked about as worn as her nightie.
Holy. Shit.
He swallowed heavily. Was she a Little? Or was she simply sleepwalking and didn’t know what she was doing?
His mind raced. How was he going to get her back to her bed?
“Arianna?” he asked quietly. “Do you want to go back to bed?” He kept his voice low. Soothing. Hoping he didn’t startle her. Then again, she hadn’t shown any fear when he’d appeared.
She shook her head, her thumb still in her mouth. Did people who sleepwalked remember what they had done when they woke up? He had no idea.
Maybe she was hungry.
“I was going to make a sandwich. Want one?”
Another shake of her head. Okay, then. Maybe she would just make her own way back to bed? He moved to grab some bread and she turned to the freezer. She opened the door and pulled out a tub of caramel ice cream.
His eyebrow rose.
“Ice cream? At this time of night?”
She frowned.
Okay, man, pull back on the scolding tone. Remember, you’re trying not to wake her.
Still, eating ice cream at midnight didn’t seem very healthy. Was this something she did often? What if she choked while she was getting a midnight snack?
Calm. Easy. You’re not in charge of her health.
But he was in charge of her physical safety. Choking could be a concern. She was out of it, and she might well be in Little space if the toy and the thumb sucking were any indication.
Did she regress while sleepwalking? Or was he reading way too much into this?
Either way, she’s hardly likely to choke on ice cream, you idiot.
True.
He laid out the bread on a plate, turning to watch her as she stretched up high to grab a bowl. She was so short, she had to stand on tiptoes and even then, she couldn’t reach it. He watched as she opened a bottom cupboard next to her legs. What was she. . .oh hell no!
She was going to use the bottom cupboards as a kind of stepping stool. Fuck!
“Arianna let me get it,” he said quietly, resisting the urge to grab her.
She turned to him. Her thumb had dropped from her mouth, and she blinked a few times but then she nodded. Thank fuck. What the hell was she thinking? Well, obviously she wasn’t. But why was no one in charge of making certain she was safe at night? She could do any number of things in this state. Fuck, she could walk right out the door. He made a mental note to talk to Dominic about that possibility in the morning.
“Here, why don’t you sit up at the island.” The kitchen had a big island with some stools. He reached for her but then pulled his hand back at the last second. It wouldn’t be right to touch her when she was in this state.
Fuck, she was so vulnerable. What if she accidentally wandered outside? What if someone saw her? Hurt her?
He felt ill.
But to his shock, she slid her hand into his. That thumb re-entered her mouth.
“Not very good to suck your thumb, angel,” he told her, reaching for her hand.
Christ. Fuck, man. You are not her Daddy. She’s a client.
He’d suppressed that side of himself for a long time. But it seemed she brought it back out in him. Her eyes went wide as she stared up at him. He sighed. He couldn’t think about how fucking inappropriate this was right now. He’d get her a small serving of ice cream then try to get her back into bed.
He led her around to the other side of the counter and pulled out a stool for her. She just stood there.
“Angel, hop up on the stool.” He patted the seat of the stool for good measure.
She stared down at his hand then up at him. He groaned. Shit. Don’t wake up just as I’m doing this. He gently grasped her around the waist and lifted her onto the stool.
She smiled around her thumb and he quickly made his way back around the island. He spooned out a small amount of ice cream into the bowl then grabbed a spoon and placed them in front of her.
She stared down at the bowl of ice cream with a frown, her thumb slipping free of her mouth. Then she picked up the spoon and pointed at the tub then down at her bowl.
Clearly, she wanted more.
She’d made that very clear. And all without saying a word.
“You have enough ice cream,” he told her as he finished making his sandwich. “Too much isn’t good for you, especially in the middle of the night.”
Her lip went out in a pout. Shit. That was fucking cute. He had to harden himself against her. Cute things were his weakness. And she was fucking adorable.
“Eat up, angel. Unless you’d rather have no ice cream.”
He nearly rolled his eyes at himself. If she remembered this in the morning, he was fucked. But to his surprise she just hummed and started eating the ice cream. He made himself a sandwich and sat across from her, but he barely tasted it. He was too busy watching her eat. The way she licked that spoon, her very real pleasure in each mouthful.
Fuck. What was wrong with him?
She’s the client.
She dropped her spoon with a clatter and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. He winced. That was going to feel sticky and gross later. He moved to the sink and grabbed a clean cloth, putting it under the tap. When he turned, she was standing right next to him, her toy dangling from her hand again as she stared up at him.
“Fuck, you move like a ghost.”
She swayed slightly.
“Tired, angel?”
She nodded and yawned.
“Let’s just wipe your face and hands, huh? Get you get back to sleep.”
She tilted her face up and he washed it gently then he cleaned her free hand, waited until she passed her toy to the other hand before wiping her other hand clean.
Then she slipped her hand into his once more and tugged. He frowned slightly, wondering what she wanted now.
To his shock, she started jiggling around. If he didn’t know better. . .
She tugged at his hand again. This time, a noise of frustration left her mouth. Shit. Was she waking up? He figured he’d best go with her. He wondered how often this happened?
She led him down the passage, past his own bedroom and Dominic’s then around a corner to her bedroom.
“Uh, angel, best I stay out here.”
She just kept pulling on his hand. Reluctantly, he followed her inside. Surprise filled him as he took in the bedroom. It was enormous. At least the size of his and Dominic’s rooms put together. He’d been expecting something sterile and organized.
It was feminine and filled with stuff. There were portable racks of clothes up against one wall. Her bed was king-sized with a velvet, gray headboard. The bedcovers were a pale pink. Down the end was a velvet gray bench that ran the length of the bed. A white, fluffy rug lay under the bed. Not that you could see much of it because of all the clothes that lay on the floor.
Long, gray floor to ceiling curtains rested along one wall. He knew there were huge windows looking out at the park below. He stared at all her clothes. Didn’t she have a closet?
A lamp on the bedside table cast shadows of stars around the room and ceiling. A nightlight?
Arianna made a noise of frustration, dancing around as she held onto his hand tightly. She then pointed at a door across the other side of the room.
Shit. She needed the bathroom.
He quickly followed her across the bedroom and she opened the door. Yep, bathroom. Okay, no way was he going in there. He was already breaching so many rules, it wasn’t funny.
No more.
“Angel, I’m not going in there with you.” What he needed to do was leave. She could handle this part by herself, right?
Except what if she slipped and hit her head? What if she suddenly woke up and got a fright?
She looked at the toilet then back at him.
Shit.
“Angel, go to the toilet. I’ll wait out here,” he reassured her.
She still just stood there. Crap. How did he get her to move?
He turned her towards the toilet. “Go potty, little one. I’ll be right in here.”
To his shock that worked, and she moved off to the toilet. He closed the door but kept it open a few inches just in case.
He paced up and down outside the door. What the fuck was he thinking? He should have walked away the moment she turned up. Or gone and woken up Dominic. He should not be alone in her bedroom with her.
The door pushed open and she shuffled out, yawning. Her mouth was so wide, he could see her teeth. No doubt she’d be mortified if she remembered any of this tomorrow. Then he’d be fired and headed back to Montana.
Which should have made him happy, right?
Ari walked towards the bed then turned and looked back at him. He stepped around more clothes, watching as she tried to climb up into the bed. What the hell was she doing with such a high bed? What if she fell from it in the night?
Stop it.
Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer. He grabbed her around the waist and settled her in bed. Then moving on instinct, he tucked the covers around her.
Crap. What if she wouldn’t stay in bed? He needed to get some sleep himself tonight. He couldn’t stay here, watching over her.
She pulled her stuffed dog close and her eyes started to drift closed. Her thumb was back in her mouth. She needed a pacifier.
“Angel, I want you to listen to me. I want you to stay in bed until morning, understand me?”
She didn’t say anything, but she did nod her head before her eyes shut and her breath evened out. Fuck. He wished he could fall asleep that quickly.
Then again, she hadn’t actually been awake, had she?
Damn, he needed to do some research on sleepwalking. He took a moment to study her. She looked so sweet and young.
She was trouble. Pure and simple.
6
Ari woke up feeling tired and out of sorts.
She blinked back the sleep in her eyes. What she wouldn’t give for a full night’s sleep, to wake up energized. She grimaced at the dryness in her mouth and grabbed the bottle of water she always placed by her bed. She took a sip. Why did she taste caramel?
Oh. Shit.
She wiped her hand over her face. She guessed she’d sleepwalked last night. That was the fourth time since she’d gotten that first threatening letter. It was always the same. She’d wake up in the morning with the taste of caramel ice cream on her lips, a dry mouth and an icky stomach because she tended to overindulge.
Although this morning, her stomach wasn’t too bad.
She sat up and stretched. With a yawn, she got up and pulled on some work-out clothes. Penance for the ice cream. She decided to skip breakfast, not wanting to risk running into either of her bodyguards.
If she was honest, it was just one of them she didn’t want to see. She’d spotted him a few times going to and from the gym. She guessed all those muscles were the result of hard work and discipline.
It had certainly taken all of her discipline not to follow around after him, taking in her fill of those muscles on display, gleaming with sweat.
Okay. . .focus, Arianna.
Why did he pull at her like no other man ever had? Why did he feature in her dreams every night?
You’re so screwed up.
She was. She was a big mess. And now it seemed she was sleepwalking again. Maybe she should take her medication again. She shook her head. No. She hated those pills. A couple of sleepwalking episodes weren’t enough to make her start taking them again. Things were just stressful at the moment and obviously that had triggered her.
She needed to go for a run. Forget everything else. She walked down the passage quickly, hoping no one saw her. If Estelle caught her, she’d insist on making her breakfast and she really couldn’t stomach food right now.
She walked into the gym, sighing with relief to see it was empty. She turned the music on and hopped on the treadmill.
Time to lose herself.
Bain watched as she pushed herself harder. Placing the dumbbells down, he glanced over at the clock. He’d been in here for close to an hour and she hadn’t stopped once. She showed no signs of slowing down.
When he’d first walked in, he’d thought she was ignoring him on pu
rpose. He’d been annoyed and had been about to give her a piece of his mind. But then he’d seen the look on her face. Similar to last night.
So he’d kept himself clear of her line of sight as he’d started his work out, using the time to study her. Sweat coated her skin. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and hung down her back. She wore work-out clothes that molded to her body and boy, did she have some gorgeous curves, but he could also see how prominent her shoulder bones were.
Was she eating enough? Getting enough rest?
Fuck. He didn’t want to feel this level of concern for her. He was happier when he was thinking of her as cold and rude. He didn’t want to get close to her. . .care for her. . .
He sighed. Shit. He also couldn’t stand by while she ran herself past the point of exhaustion. He made his way cautiously towards her. He didn’t know how long she’d been here before he arrived, but she’d been running for well over an hour now.
Enough.
He just didn’t know how to let her know about his presence without scaring her half to death. As he grew closer, she stumbled. She managed to reach out and push the emergency button on the treadmill, right before her legs gave out. She had a hold of the side of the treadmill as he leaped forward and grabbed her.
She screamed as he touched her. Fuck.
“Easy. It’s just me. It’s Bain.”
Her eyes were wide, her breath coming in sharp pants. Her face had gone pale.
“I’m just going to help you, okay?” he said, speaking low and soft as one might to an injured animal. She looked terrified and he hated it.
She managed a nod and he lifted her up in his arms before she could change her mind. He quickly carried her over to a bench, setting her down. Then he grabbed a bottle of water from the small bar fridge, handing it to her.
She looked even worse close up. Wan, with dark smudges under her eyes. Tendrils of hair stuck to her forehead. She just held onto the water, not even looking down at it. Trembles rocked her body. He grabbed hold of her wrist.
“Pulse is way too fast. Pushed yourself too far.” He couldn’t stop the scolding note in his voice. She just continued to stare at him.
Daddy's Angel (Montana Daddies Book 7) Page 5
