She came to for a few minutes when the blanket was pulled back and warm hands rolled her this way and that, stripping away her bra and panties.
“No clothes in the bed,” Nico said softly as he stretched out next to her and pulled the covers over both of them.
“Mmmm, okay,” she murmured as she snuggled closer to the big, warm man and returned to napping.
* * * *
It had been a month since the fire. Cara finally felt as if her life was getting back on track. Her new driver’s license, birth certificate, bank card, and credit card had arrived. Her former landlord had shocked her by hand-delivering a check refunding not only her deposits, but also the full month’s rent she had paid just days before the fire. Her renter’s insurance company had also sent a check, so she was in a good place financially. Her cell phone company had replaced her phone at a discount, once she supplied them with reports from the fire department that everything in her apartment had been a total loss.
Her new job with the rescue turned out to be a dream, as well, though she kept telling Nico he shouldn’t have to pay her for playing with the rescued animals all day, offering them love and comfort. He refused to argue, just gave her a look that had her snapping her mouth shut. She had learned it was a patented Nico Daddy expression that promised a spanking if she continued arguing with him. She quickly learned to shut her mouth and retreated to her sewing room for a while to give them both time to cool down.
It was the same look he had given her when she tried to pay him back for the money he had spent on her clothes as well as the furniture for her newly decorated room and the bedroom they shared. He had even bought her a sewing machine she was still learning to use, but she had gotten him to agree that she would buy the fabrics and other supplies she needed to get back into sewing.
When she’d gotten her first paycheck, she tried to give him money, which he refused. When she continued pushing, he grabbed her and stripped her bare. After pulling her over his lap and giving her a painful spanking that seemed to last forever, he sent her to stand with her nose in the corner of the living room while he watched a motorcycle makeover show on television.
Once her punishment time in the corner had been up, Nico had waved her over to kneel before him, pull his jeans to his knees, and suck his cock until he pushed her off. Then he lifted her up onto the couch so she straddled his lap.
“Ride your Daddy, Little girl,” he said in the deep, dark voice that told her he was extremely aroused and in need of her.
Cara reached down, wrapped her hand around his cock, and fit the bulbous head of to her wide, wet opening. With a happy sigh, she lowered herself until he was fully sheathed inside her. Then, placing her hands on his shoulders, she proceeded to bounce up and down his long, thick length. Shifting her hips back and forth as she moved up and down, she was able to rub her clit against his pelvis with every stroke.
When he lowered his head and licked and nibbled on her nipples, moving from one to the other back and forth as she fucked herself on him, she began to climb her own mountain of arousal. He allowed her to drive the action for a few minutes, and then took over, his hands holding her hips still as he drove up into her. That control and his faster, harsher power quickly sent them both over the peak to freefall into orgasmic bliss. Once their orgasms eased, he pulled her head to his shoulder, wrapped his arms around her, and cuddled her until they were both breathing normally again.
Though she didn’t like being punished, Cara understood and quickly learned what would earn her a spanking. She much preferred cuddling on the couch watching television with her Daddy in the evenings.
* * * *
“Hey, Cara, it’s been too long since we’ve gotten together. How about dinner Friday night to catch up?” Lyssa Samuels said as soon as Cara answered the phone on Wednesday afternoon. Lyssa had been a customer at the craft store who had quickly become a friend as the two women found they had so much in common.
“That sounds great,” Cara answered without thinking about what Nico might say. “Where and when?”
“How about six at the Cajun restaurant on the square?” Lyssa suggested.
“Sounds great,” Cara said. “I’d love to talk more, but I have a lapful of puppies demanding my attention.”
“All right, but I want to hear where you got puppies on Friday,” Lyssa said with a chuckle before hanging up.
Cara returned her phone to her pocket. She then wrangled the five puppies that were crawling in her lap into the laundry basket she used to transport them from their crate in the rescue barn to do their business and play in the grass outside. Her boss had given her a raise after her first paycheck for her innovative ways of dealing with the animals. Whenever she tried something new and found it worked, like using the basket to transport puppies around, her boss would chuckle and tell her she was indispensable.
That evening she fixed a chicken-and-rice casserole that Nico had highly praised the first time she had made it. Though Nico preferred to do everything for his Little girl, he agreed that she could cook a couple of times a week.
He walked in just as the timer went off. After slipping off his boots, he hurried to the kitchen and nudged her out of the way. He took the hot pads out of her hands, then pulled the hot dish out of the oven and carried it to the table, which Cara had already set for dinner.
Cara sat down while Nico poured them both glasses of milk. He then joined her at the table and dished up their dinner.
She waited until dinner was nearly over to change the subject from a debate about what color T-shirts they should design for the next fundraiser for the rescue.
After laying her fork down, she laced her fingers together in her lap. “Ummm, Daddy, would it be all right if I went out Friday night with a friend? We try to get together once a month for a girls’-night-out dinner and talk, but haven’t gotten together in a couple of months.”
Nico didn’t answer until he wiped his mouth. “No. Friday night is family dinner night. No one gets out of the weekly gathering. Make it another night.”
Cara frowned. “I don’t think your family would miss me if I wasn’t there this one time. I really want to see Lyssa.”
For some reason she couldn’t explain, Nico denying her time with her friend made Cara want all the more to go. Over the next two days, her resentment grew. Sure, she wanted to be his Little girl, and more, but she also wanted to spend time with her friend.
Friday morning, Cara knew what she had to do. Taking a break from washing and debugging a new litter of kittens that had been dropped off just after they’d opened, she stepped outside and called Nico’s grandmother.
“Hello, Cara,” Nonna answered.
“Good morning, Nonna,” Cara said. “I was wondering if it would be all right if I missed dinner with the family tonight. My friend wants to get together for dinner and girl talk, and I think tonight is the only night she can do it.”
Cara might have stretched the truth on Lyssa’s availability, but her friend worked at home as a writer and crafter, though was often on the road, doing research or book signings around Texas.
Nonna was silent for only a moment before, “That’s fine, Cara, though I’m sure you’ll be missed. Maybe you and I can go to lunchtime bingo one day next week.”
“That sounds wonderful, Nonna. Thank you,” Cara said before saying good-bye and hanging up.
One down, one to go, but she still had no clue what to tell Nico. Finally, she decided to stop worrying about it. He was too mired in tradition to change, so she would beg forgiveness when she returned home later that evening.
She left work an hour early. After a quick shower and change of clothes, she was in the SUV Nico had gotten her, driving away from the compound just minutes before Nico was due to arrive home. By the time she drove into town and found a parking space near the restaurant, she was beginning to regret her decision.
Chapter Seven
“What do you mean she won’t be here for dinner?” Nico asked when h
e entered the kitchen and found Nonna alone. Since Cara had not been at home when he’d arrived, he had assumed she would be here helping Nonna with the family’s Friday night dinner.
“She called this morning and asked if it would be all right if she went to dinner with a friend instead of joining us for family dinner. Since she isn’t officially family yet, I told her it was fine with me. Is there a reason it shouldn’t be?” Nonna asked as she began taking vegetables out of the refrigerator.
Nico knew she was poking her nose in where it might not belong, but at least she was questioning him without the rest of the family present. Nonno and his cousins were outside, drinking beer while watching the grill work its magic on a couple of pork tenderloins.
“No, I guess not,” Nico said with a sigh, though he was half tempted to track the woman down and spank her until she couldn’t sit down.
He had told her no earlier in the week. Why hadn’t she listened to him? Was this a sign of problems to come? Had he demanded too much of her too quickly? Would she decide she didn’t want to be his Little girl any longer?
He pulled out his phone and tried to call her, but it went straight to voicemail. Instead of leaving a message, which would only widen the rift between them, he hung up.
“Here,” his grandmother said, handing him a knife. “Use that anger to chop the salad.”
“Yes, Nonna,” Nico said with a sigh.
As he chopped vegetables for the salad, his thoughts continued to mull over why Cara had disobeyed him in such a blatant manner. Was this her way of pulling away? Should he help her find a place to live and get back on her feet and walk away?
His heart screamed out in protest at the mere thought of letting Cara go. Which led him down the path of questioning himself about exactly how he did feel for her. He had never been a saint when it came to women, but until now he had never moved a woman into his home, either. Usually he would date, or go to their place for sex. With Cara, he could not imagine his house without her. They might have only been together for a little while, but his heart, and cock, were certain they would not give her up easily because every part of him loved her.
He only hoped she would come home so he could tell her.
* * * *
“So, what’s been going on since the fire?” Lyssa asked as soon as the hostess walked away after seating them in a corner booth.
Cara could only chuckle. Lyssa was a writer and always trying to live vicariously through her, though neither of them had had much luck when it came to men. “Actually, I was rescued by a motorcycle-riding veterinarian who I was supposed to be cooking dinner for that evening.”
“What? When did you meet him? The last time we had dinner, you were as single as I am. Is he hot? Sexy? Come on, girl, spill for your man-deprived bestie.”
Cara hesitated when their waiter stepped up to their table. After taking their order for drinks, he departed again. Lyssa waited until he was well out of earshot before she leaned closer. “Talk,” she ordered with a grin and a sassy glint in her eyes.
“I met him at the grocery store last Friday.”
She gave her friend an overview of her relationship with Nico, unable to control the blush that rose, or the brightness of her smile. She glossed over their sexual relationship, not that Lyssa would judge, but she needed to keep that part of her life private.
“So where is Dr. Tall, Dark, and Yummy tonight?”
Cara’s stomach clenched at the question. “His family gets together for dinner every Friday night, something they’ve been doing since he was a teenager.”
“And he didn’t want you there?” Lyssa’s tone changed from intensely curious to accusatory.
“Oh, he wanted me there. In fact, he ordered me to cancel with you so I could be there. But after being treated like that by my rat-bastard ex, I acted hastily. I didn’t tell him I wouldn’t be there tonight, but I did clear it with his grandmother. You’d love Nonna. She’s a sweet, kick-ass lady who emigrated from Italy, raised six sons and four grandsons, and has those men scared of her. I think they’re even more scared of her than they are her husband, who started the motorcycle club they’re all a part of.”
“So, he ordered and you rebelled. What’s going to happen when you go back? He won’t hurt you, will he?” Lyssa asked, sounding more like an interviewer than her friend. “’Cause if you need a place to stay, I have a futon you can use until you find a new place to live.”
Cara smiled and shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. I may not be able to sit for a couple days, but Nico won’t throw me out. For a biker, he’s really quite sweet.”
Lyssa raised one eyebrow. “So, how do you feel about this sweet biker veterinarian hero?”
Cara took a second to listen to her heart before she said, “I think I love him. And we seem to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Though I had never thought about being with another man for the rest of my life, I think I could spend the rest of my life with Nico.”
The more she thought about her answer, the more she was certain she needed to go home and talk to her Daddy. She needed to be telling him these things, not her friend.
Looking from Lyssa to the table where her meal sat half-eaten, she pulled the napkin from her lap and laid it on the table. She reached into her purse for her new wallet as she said, “I’m sorry, but I need to go home. I have to talk to Nico and it can’t wait.”
Laying more than enough money to cover her portion of the bill, including a good tip on the table, Cara rose, and, after giving Lyssa a quick hug, she headed for the front door. As soon as she hit the sidewalk, Cara began running as she pulled her keys out. Halfway there, she missed an uneven place in the sidewalk, tripped, and fell, landing on her hands and knees. Her palms and knees burned, but she ignored the pain and climbed to her feet once again. She had to get to her Daddy to make amends for running away and lying by omission.
After wiping her hands on her pant legs, she climbed into her car and pulled out, ignoring the honk of a horn behind her as she did. Cara drove as fast as she dared, cursing both the cars in front of her and the uncooperative traffic lights that seemed to all turn red just as she approached them.
As she drove, she tried to come up with a speech to tell Nico that she had screwed up, she was sorry, and she loved him. That she wanted to be Nico’s Little girl for as long as he would have her. But her brain was still stuck in I love him mode and didn’t want to think anything beyond that.
Driving past the twenty-four-hour box store, she had what she thought was a brilliant idea. Instead of saying the words, she would show him. Give him proof that she was committed to this relationship they were starting.
Hitting the brakes to turn into the driveway earned her another angry honk, which she waved an apology to. Nico had wanted to shave her pussy as the final step to making her his Little girl. She had balked, asking for more time, which he had agreed to give her.
It took longer than she wanted, but when she emerged from the building twenty minutes later, she marveled at how her panties brushing her now-bare mound felt. She only hoped Nico would give her the chance to show how committed she was to their relationship, instead of just kicking her to the street because she’d been a naughty girl.
Pulling into the Santi compound, she slowed at the grand Victorian house, but did not stop and park when she saw Nico’s motorcycle missing from those lined up in the driveway. At his home, she pulled in and parked between Nico’s motorcycle and his SUV in the space Nico had designated for her car.
After climbing out, she hit the locks and closed the door. Then she stood for a moment and just stared at the house. There was no light coming from inside, and she had to wonder if Nico was inside, or if he had gone out with his cousins. Taking a deep breath, she headed inside to wait. With luck, by the time he returned, she would have figured out how to explain her actions.
Turning the doorknob, she was surprised to find it unlocked. She opened the door, entered, and closed it behind her, then automati
cally flipped the lock as she always did. Nico kept telling her the compound was secure and no one would dare enter without permission, but she had been taught from childhood to always keep the doors locked.
She toed her shoes off and placed them under the bench by the front door as they always did on coming in. Nico’s motorcycle boots were already there, so wherever he was, he wasn’t on his motorcycle.
After entering the living room, she turned on the first lamp she came to, then jumped when she realized she was not alone in the house as she had originally thought.
Nico sat slumped at one end of the couch, her stuffed wolf resting on his chest. He had bought it for her on their first shopping trip. If he didn’t lie down with her for a nap, she often cuddled the stuffie who she had named Fluffy. A half-empty bottle of whiskey and a shot glass sat on the end table beside him.
He didn’t look mad. Didn’t look sad. His expression was strangely blank as he stared at the black television screen across the room. He looked as if he was lost in Mariana Trench-deep thoughts. Was he reconsidering being her Daddy?
Though she still didn’t know what to say, Cara opened her mouth and hoped for the best. “I’m sorry I didn’t go to family dinner tonight. I know you said I couldn’t go out with Lyssa, but I really needed to see my friend, talk to her, and have a girls’ night out.”
Nico didn’t speak, didn’t look at her. He did blink, and his hand ran up and down Fluffy’s back as if soothing the stuffed toy.
“I did call Nonna and tell her I wasn’t coming to dinner, so there is that,” Cara continued, though the confession she wanted most to make stuck in her throat.
Nico remained still and silent, though he did take a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before slowly releasing it again. His expression remained strangely blank.
Cara wasn’t sure what else to do to reach him, so she turned away. She stripped her shirt over her head and folded it hastily. Then she dropped it onto the overstuffed chair in front of her. Her bra, jeans, and ruffled Little girl underwear he had bought her followed a moment later, leaving her naked.
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