“Yep,” he said unapologetically as he set the glass down in front of her.
“How?” She wouldn’t have slept through that, surely?
“Used the baby bottle.”
“Wolfe! You can’t do that!”
“You liked it last night.”
She clenched her jaw and he tapped her nose. “None of that or you’ll need the pacifier during the day as well.”
“You looked cute last night sucking on a pacifier,” Aleki said as he walked into the kitchen. He’d obviously been working out in the gym. He was wearing a tiny pair of shorts that hardly covered his ass. She could see his long, thick thighs. His tight ass. And then his bare chest and back, which were covered in sweat.
Holy. Hell. Batman.
She was certain that she was going to self-combust. She pressed her thighs together, feeling her clit throb in reaction to the sight of him.
It wasn’t fair that he was this gorgeous. She longed to touch him, to run her hands over his pecs, along his abs to that strip of hair that led down to his cock.
Easy, girl.
“You all saw me?” She blushed.
“Yep. Like I said. Cute.” Aleki winked at her.
She bit her lip. She still felt a bit embarrassed, but neither of them seemed to think it was odd. And truth was, she thought the pacifier could be helping. The last few mornings she hadn’t woken up with a sore jaw and headache.
“Fine. I’ll use it at night. But not during the day.”
“We’ll see,” Wolfe said. He tapped the glass that held her protein drink. “Drink.”
“Wolfe, ease up, man. If she doesn’t want it during the day then she doesn’t have to use it,” Aleki warned.
“What if she starts grinding her teeth during the day?” Wolfe frowned. “Then she might need it.”
“Not if she doesn’t want to,” Aleki countered.
Okay, she didn’t mean to start an argument.
“It’s fine,” she said quickly. “I don’t usually grind my teeth during the day, but if I start then I will consider the pacifier.”
Aleki narrowed his eyes at her. “You don’t have to play the part of peacemaker.”
“What?”
“Caleb always settles things between us,” Wolfe added.
Aleki tilted his head, a grin flirting at the corners of his lips. Uh-oh. How had he gone from getting upset with Wolfe to teasing her? This wasn’t fair. “But she’s much cuter than Caleb. And he always just orders us around. He never tries to appease us.”
Why did he make the word appease sound so dirty?
“Maybe we should let her play peacemaker from now on,” Aleki suggested, straight-out grinning. “She can take care of soothing us when we need it.”
Wolfe tilted his head to one side, studying Aleki. “Do you mean by giving us blow jobs?”
Aleki’s mouth opened and shut then opened again. As embarrassed as she was by Wolfe’s words, she was getting a kick out of seeing the big man so flummoxed.
“Umm, I, yeah, although I wouldn’t have said it.”
“Why not?”
“Because then it sounds like I expect her to give us blow jobs!”
“Well? Don’t you?” Wolfe asked, looking confused.
Aleki turned his gaze to hers. “Only if she wants to.”
She dropped her eyes, blushing.
“She’s good at them,” Wolfe said.
Lord. Please. Swallow her up.
“Drink,” Wolfe commanded.
She sighed but drank the protein drink. Urgh. She needed some coffee to chase that down. She reached for her coffee mug only to find it was empty. Standing, she moved to the kitchen to refill it.
“You shouldn’t drink too much coffee, it will stunt your growth.”
“Wolfe, I’m already fully grown.”
“You’re tiny. You need to put some weight on. And some muscle.”
Aleki leaned against the counter, drinking water and watching her.
Seriously. Those tiny shorts ought to be illegal.
He was smooth. Strong. Sumptuous.
And she wanted to lick him all over. He bent down to pull a bottle of water from the fridge and her mouth went dry. She swallowed. She’d started to pour her coffee, but in her distraction didn’t notice that she was missing the cup. Hot coffee landed on her hand and she cried out in pain.
“Shit, baby girl!” Aleki leaped for her, grabbing her hand.
Tears gathered in her eyes. He led her over to the sink and turned on the water.
“Damn it, how bad is it?” Wolfe asked urgently. “I’ll call Obian.”
“No, I don’t need a doctor. It’s not that bad,” she said hastily.
Aleki narrowed his gaze as he studied her. “It looks red and sore. Won’t hurt for Obian to look at it.”
Wolfe nodded and left the room.
“It’s just a small burn, Aleki. It’s not important.” She tried to pull her hand back then jumped in fright as he popped her on the bottom.
“Stay there,” he warned. “And everything about you is important. Understand?”
Warmth filled her at his words.
“Especially your health and safety.”
“I’ve called him, he’ll be here in ten,” Wolfe said, returning to the room. “I knew you shouldn’t have any more coffee. No more pouring your own coffee.”
She looked up at Aleki for some support. He just shook his head. “Wolfe, can you see if there is some burn cream in the First-Aid kit in the bathroom?”
“On it.”
“He’s going to fuss, isn’t he?” she asked.
Aleki’s lips twitched. “Yep.”
She tried to draw her hand back, the water was freezing cold.
Aleki gave her two sharp slaps on her ass. “Stay still.”
“Ouch. You don’t have to spank me. I’m already hurt.”
“And your hand will hurt worse if you move it too soon from the water,” he told her. “Now, stay where you are until I say you can move.”
She sighed but stayed there until Wolfe returned with the First-Aid kit.
Aleki lightly patted the burn on the top of her hand as Wolfe went through the kit, searching for burn cream. A chime sounded through the house, startling her.
“It’s all right,” Aleki said soothingly. “It’s just someone at the front door. It will be Obian.”
Caleb walked into the room, looking worried. “What’s going on?”
“She burned herself,” Wolfe snapped. “I called Obian, that’s likely him at the front door. Where is the damn burn cream?”
Reaching out, she lightly touched Wolfe. “I’m all right, Wolfe. I promise.”
“Would you tell us if you weren’t?” Caleb asked seriously, studying her.
She tensed. “Of course.”
Caleb eyed her skeptically. “I’ll let Obian in.”
She bit her lip. She couldn’t help feeling like she’d let them down in some way. Were they upset that she wasn’t complaining more?
“It’s okay to say when you’re hurt or upset,” Aleki whispered to her. “Like you did yesterday when you found out we were holding things back from you.”
Right. She had let them know then, hadn’t she?
“It really doesn’t hurt that bad. Promise.” But she likely had downplayed it. She sighed. “I guess it stings a bit. Some burn cream would be good.”
“Good girl,” Aleki murmured to her.
“Do I get a reward?” she asked.
“A reward, hmm? Like the reward Caleb gave you last night?”
She felt herself going red. “Umm . . . well . . .”
“Because I could totally get behind that.” He gave her a suggestive look and a wink.
“Here it is!” Wolfe drew out the cream.
“Be a good girl for Obian and we can talk about a reward,” Aleki promised.
“Sweet flower,” Obian called out. She looked up to find him walking in. Caleb followed, staring at her in concern.
She smiled to reassure him. Then turned to the doctor. “Obian, how are you?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Now, if you wanted to see me you did not have to hurt yourself. I would come visit you any time, sweet flower.” He came over to stand next to her, shooing Wolfe away.
Wolfe glared at him and for a moment she worried he was about to throw the older man out.
“Wolfe,” Caleb said in a low, calm voice.
Wolfe muttered something under his breath then slammed the burn cream down. “Stop flirting and heal her.”
Obian leaned in. “Are you sure you want to stay with them? Just say the word and I shall whisk you away. We can have a code phrase. Just tell me that your tummy hurts and I’ll put the plan into action.”
She grinned. “And what happens if my tummy actually hurts?”
“Hmm. That could be a flaw in the plan.”
Wolfe growled. Caleb cleared his throat. “Obian, perhaps you could take a look at her hand? Preferably before Wolfe loses his mind.”
Obian took gentle hold of her hand. “Ouch, that looks sore. What happened?”
“I just spilled some coffee on it. Not a big deal.”
Obian watched her in interest for a moment. “Well, let’s get some burn cream on it. Let’s have a look at what Wolfe has here. Yes, this will work fine. Then I can put a bandage on it. And get you some pain killers.”
“None of that is necessary, really.”
“Someone doesn’t want their reward,” Aleki sang, leaning with his ass against the counter, his arms crossed over his still-bare chest.
“Her reward?” Caleb asked.
Wolfe’s head shot up. “Reward? Like last night’s reward?” His obsidian eyes met hers. “Maybe I should administer the reward this time.”
Her breath caught at the idea of Wolfe with his head between her legs. She just knew he’d apply the same intensity to eating her out as he did everything else.
Aleki raised his eyebrows. “Really? Didn’t think you’d approve of her having ice-cream before lunchtime.”
“What?” Wolfe looked confused. “Ice-cream? I thought you were talking about—”
Caleb slammed his hand over the other man’s mouth. “I think that we can discuss the reward once we’re alone.” He narrowed his gaze at her. “If Vivi does as she’s told and lets Obian take care of her.”
“Of course, she’ll do as she is told. My sweet flower is a good girl.”
It didn’t give her the same thrill as when one of them called her a good girl, which was just as well.
She let Obian apply cream then a bandage, half-listening to his instructions. He checked her arm and was happy that the stitches had mostly dissolved and he was equally as happy with her foot. When he was leaving, she summoned up a smile. Caleb returned quickly from seeing him off.
“You keep getting hurt,” Wolfe said with a frown. “No more handling hot things.”
“Guess that means she can’t touch me then,” Aleki said with a sigh, shaking his head.
She grinned.
Caleb walked over and gave her a big hug. She sighed. He’d somehow known this was exactly what she needed. He massaged the tight muscles of her neck. “All right, jelly bean?”
“Yeah. Just a bit . . . overwhelmed.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I get it. You’ve got a lot going on. And you’re likely tired.”
There was the sound of a phone ringing from the back of the house towards his office. She leaned back to find him frowning. “I’m sorry, someone would only be calling if it was important. It could be from the states.”
“Go. I’m fine.”
He nodded. “If you’re feeling up to it, maybe we can go for a swim later.”
Caleb disappeared, leaving her with Wolfe and Aleki.
“I need to go put this away. I’ll leave the cream out for when we need to reapply it. Do not touch that coffee machine.” Wolfe waggled a finger at her.
She saluted him.
“Brat,” he muttered, popping her ass as he walked past.
“Hey! Why does everyone smack my butt?”
“Well, it is a gorgeous ass,” Aleki told her.
She wrinkled her nose at him. “So what are you doing this morning?”
“I thought we could spend some time in the playroom. Maybe make some more pictures to drive Caleb nuts when he can’t work out what they are?”
She grinned. Then kissed him gently. “That sounds perfect.”
* * *
“What do you think, Papa?” She pointed to her latest creation as Aleki walked into the playroom with a tray in his hands. There was a large jug of orange juice along with a couple of plates with what looked to be cut up fruit.
The picture was more of a collage. More art supplies had turned up this morning, including lots of pieces of material and textured, thick card. She’d been painting, cutting and pasting for the last hour.
Aleki set down the tray on the floor then stood back to study her picture. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. She held her breath, waiting.
“It’s perfect.”
“Whew! Don’t scare me like that, Papa!” She waggled a finger at him. “I thought you didn’t like it.”
Walking forward with a smile, he gently grasped hold of her finger then leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose. “How could I not like anything you created, baby girl.”
Aww. Her heart melted.
“Now, go clean up. I’m hungry.” He turned her towards the bathroom door and laid a smack on her ass.
She turned back with a pout. “When aren’t you hungry?”
Aleki rubbed his tummy. “That would be never. Go. Or I’ll tell Wolfe you’re refusing to eat.”
“Papa, you fight dirty!”
“When a man is hungry then all bets are off. Now, do you need my help?”
“I gots it. I is a big girl.” She stomped towards the bathroom.
He suddenly wrapped an arm around her from behind, making her come to a stop. “No, you’re not. You’re my precious baby. Have I told you how happy I am to have you back in my life?”
And the rest of her melted.
“Now go. Enough procrastinating.”
She thought she was safe to roll her eyes. When she finished cleaning up, she returned to find he’d set a picnic blanket out on the floor and had poured them both some orange juice. Hers was in a sippy cup.
“Where’d you find the blankie, Papa?” she asked as she sat on the floor.
“Grabbed it from the hall closet while you were cleaning up. Drink some juice.”
She sighed. “I don’t needs a sippy cup, Papa.” But she was thirsty so she grabbed it and drank some down. The cup had a smiling pig on the front. That was actually pretty cute.
“Yes, you do,” he replied calmly.
Vivi stared down at the plate in front of her. It was filled with cut-up dates, muskmelon and grapes. But it had all been artfully placed so the pieces of fruit formed a face.
“Papa, what’s this?”
“It’s a fruit face,” he replied. “You’ve never had a fruit face before?”
“No, it’s so cute. I don’t wants to eat it.”
“You can eat it, I’ll make you one any time you like.”
“Really?”
“That’s what I’m here for, baby girl. To make you happy.”
“I want to make you happy too,” she said quietly.
Leaning over, he kissed her lightly. “And you do. Now, after all this good, healthy food, how about we go make cupcakes? I’ll even let you eat some.”
She gave a mock-gasp. “Wolfie won’t be happy.”
He grinned. “I know.”
* * *
Vivi lay back on her bed with a groan.
“You okay, baby girl?” Aleki asked, walking out of the bathroom. He was dressed in just a pair of boxers.
“Don’t tell Wolfe, but I think I should have stopped after the first cupcake.” Instead she’d had a second one. Not to mention all the icing
she’d sampled while they were decorating the cupcakes.
Aleki grimaced. “Shit, I’m sorry, baby.” Walking over he sat facing her on the bed. Leaning in, he lightly rubbed her tummy.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Yeah, it is. I should have stopped you after that first one. I forget not everyone has my sugar tolerance.” He winked at her. Then his face sobered. “I don’t like that you’re not feeling well. What can I get for you? Some tea with lemon could work.”
“I don’t want to make a fuss.”
He frowned then tapped her nose. “I don’t want to hear that, understand? You’re not making a fuss. You’re not feeling well and letting me help. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. To be there for you. To support you, protect you, take care of you.”
“I want to do the same,” she whispered.
Leaning in, he kissed her gently. Her stomach rumbled and he drew back with his eyebrows raised. “Whoa, that thing is angry.”
She moaned, embarrassed but a smile also tipped her lips up.
“Do you need to poop?”
Oh. Lord. Help. Her.
“No, I don’t need to poop.” Well, she didn’t think so.
He just shrugged. “All right, let’s get you into something comfy. What do you want to sleep in?”
“One of your shirts?” she asked shyly.
His gaze heated. “I think we can manage that. I’ll go get you one and make you some tea.”
She used the bathroom while he was gone. As she was pulling the bed back, he walked in with one of his T-shirts and a cup of hot tea.
“Put some lemon in it so that should help.” He helped her undress, pulling on his T-shirt. It was huge on her, but she felt an immediate sense of home. Of happiness.
Sitting up in bed, she sipped at her tea as he threw her old clothes in the hamper then turned off the main light leaving the lamp and nightlight on.
Then when everything was done, he climbed into bed next to her. They lay on their sides, facing each other.
He fingered her locket. “Can’t believe you wore it all this time.”
“It made me feel close to the three of you. I always carried you with me. Can I have a hug? I need my teddy bear.”
“Teddy bear?” he said with mock-outrage. But he opened his arms to her and she snuggled into his chest. “I think I’m more of a tiger or a panther.”
Ruled by her Daddies Page 33
