Daddy’s Wild Girl (Montana Daddies #16)

Chapter 28

28

A fter forcing her to eat some shepherd’s pie, Corbin led her into the bathroom.

With how spaced out she was, a bath might be a better idea than a shower. However, he also wanted to get her into bed quickly.

So he turned on the shower and turned back to find her staring at the wall. Lord, what he wouldn’t give to know what she was thinking.

He hated how scared she’d been tonight.

That fucking asshole had gotten far too close to her. He’d gone for Corbin, obviously realizing he’d have to take him out first in order to get to her.

He could have so easily hurt her.

It infuriated Corbin to think of how close she’d come to his knife. The way that she’d run toward him, wanting to help him.

Fuck.

She should be glad that he wanted her in bed more than he wanted to punish her.

Otherwise, she would be over his knee right now for disobeying him today, for running toward the danger rather than away.

“Are you all right? You look like you’re in pain.” Bebe carefully caressed his forearm.

“I am.”

“Then you should go lie down. Take some more painkillers. Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital? I can call an ambulance.”

“Hey, hey, I’m all right.” He grasped hold of her hips as she tried to walk away. “Stay right here. You need to shower.”

“But you said you’re in pain.”

“Yeah, because I was just remembering how you ran toward the man with the knife instead of away.” He gave her a stern look.

Bebe swallowed heavily, but then she gave him a defiant look back. “He was attacking you! What was I supposed to do?”

“What I told you to do. Run away. Get somewhere safe, get to Hayes. What you should not have done was completely disobey me and run toward the danger.”

“I couldn’t just run away. He might have killed you.”

“Bebe, I told you, I’m trained for this. I would have been able to concentrate on him and my attention wouldn’t have been split, worrying about you and what you were doing.” That’s the only reason the attacker had been able to get him with the knife.

He hadn’t seemed like a trained fighter. He’d have been no match for Corbin if he hadn’t had Bebe to worry about.

“I know.” She chewed her lip. “I thought I could help. I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.”

Corbin freed her lip from her teeth. “I’m not worried about the fact that I got hurt. I was worried about you being harmed. You broke a safety rule, baby. If you break one in the future, then you’ll go over my knee, understand?”

Bebe sucked in a sharp breath.

Great, idiot.

He hadn’t even spoken to her about whether she was comfortable with his more dominant side. Or with having rules and punishments. She was already stressed about what had happened and the move to the Ranch and now he went and added to her stress.

You’re pushing her.

“Sorry.” He shook his head, giving her a rueful smile. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Or to make anything weird.”

“Um, I . . . you didn’t. Not exactly. You like to spank your, uh, your . . .”

“My girlfriends?” he supplied. He brushed her hair off her face. “I haven’t had a relationship in a long time, so I’m a bit rusty. I’m aware I’m doing things all backward. But there’ll be a time to talk about this when you’re not exhausted and scared. Okay? Do you trust me?”

For a moment, he didn’t think she was going to reply and his pulse leaped. Perhaps she didn’t trust him.

Because you’re coming on too strong. You’re pushing all of this onto her when she’s not ready.

“Baby, I know I threw you over my shoulder before and slapped your ass. Did I scare you?” God, he was going to be sick. “Fuck. I did. I’m a monster.”

Had he destroyed the trust between them?

“What? No!” She shook her head. “No. You could never be a monster. And I do trust you. I actually . . . I like that you’re so kind and caring. Attentive. But I also like it when you get all bossy too. I shouldn’t tell you that since you’ll probably get more bossy.” She looked so disgruntled that he had to smile.

“I’ll try not to get too bossy. All right? But when it comes to protecting you, I’ll do whatever I need to do. Because that’s what comes first. You.”

She sucked in a breath. It sounded like a sob. Then she leaned against him.

And that was the moment that she let go.

He didn’t like that she had to cry that she sounded so broken as she sobbed. But she’d been bottling everything up and it had to come out sometime.

So he wrapped her up in his arms and lifted her against his chest.

Her legs wrapped around his hips, her arms around his neck, and she cried like her heart was breaking.

When she showed no sign of stopping, he knew he had to help her. Or risk her making herself sick. So he started jiggling her up and down, his hand rubbing her back.

He thought about what he’d found in her closet.

The box that was hidden in there with a pacifier and baby bottle. He hadn’t been able to see inside it that well, but he’d felt the two items in there.

And they were bigger than what an actual baby might use.

They were things that a Little might use though.

Was she a Little?

He wasn’t a guy who went around declaring what or who he was. So he didn’t think she knew that he was a Daddy Dom.

And he didn’t need her to be a Little. He’d take her however he could have her. That was how obsessed he was. Although he did have a feeling that she would enjoy being dominated in the bedroom. And perhaps out of the bedroom.

He knew he had to help curb her more reckless tendencies. But he had no doubts he could.

So he could offer to get her the pacifier to help calm her. Except there was obviously a reason why that pacifier and bottle, as well as what had felt like a blanket, were in that box stuffed in the back of the closet.

She was hiding who she was. Whether it was because she had two men in her house and she didn’t want them to see her things or it was another reason, he wasn’t so sure. So he decided to pretend he hadn’t seen them for the moment.

“Shh, baby,” he crooned to her. “You’re all right. I’m here. You’re safe.”

“S-sorry,” she said. “I d-don’t know what’s wrong with m-me.”

“You’ve just been hit with everything that you were obviously trying to hold back. And it’s normal. I’d be more worried about you if you didn’t let it all out, all right?”

“I’ve just cried all over you. Probably got your T-shirt all wet.”

“Screw the T-shirt. I just want you to be all right.” He set her on the counter, then brushed the hair back off her face. Her eyes were swollen, cheeks wet with tears. Reaching over, he grabbed some tissues.

She held out her hand for the tissues, but he shook his head. “Let me.”

A blush filled her pale cheeks. “You want to do that?”

“Yeah. I do.” Corbin gently wiped her cheeks, then held the tissues to her nose. “Blow.”

“Corbin,” she complained.

“Blow, Bebe. Be a good girl for me.”

He might have been mistaken, but it seemed like her shoulders relaxed slightly. She blew and he wiped her nose.

“That’s my good Bebe,” he whispered.

Yeah. Her cheeks flushed again, but this time in pleasure. She liked being called good. He ran his thumbs over her cheeks. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been run over by a truck, munched on by a bear, and trampled by a herd of elephants.”

“That good, huh?” he asked with a smile.

“Pretty good, considering. I could really use that shower, though.”

“Do you want me to stay and help you?” he asked.

She shook her head, blushing slightly. “Honestly, I could use a moment to myself.” Then she gave him a worried look. “If that’s okay?”

“Of course it is, baby,” he said. Although the last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone. “I’m going to stay right in the bedroom and leave the door open slightly in case you need me. All right?”

“Um, yeah. I just didn’t want to sound like I was trying to tell you to go.”

“Hey. You weren’t. And you can always tell me what you want.”

“Really? I can? Because I seem to recall telling you that you were fired and to leave.”

“Ahh, but I didn’t say that I would do it.” He winked at her, and she groaned as he lifted her off the counter and set her on her feet.

“You’re terrible.”

“Terribly handsome, I know. It’s a curse, I tell you.” He sighed dramatically.

She rolled her eyes at him, but there was a smile on her face. And that’s what he was aiming for.

Relief filled him.

She was coming home with him . . . this precious, beautiful, fragile girl was going to be his.

He would make sure of it.