Daddy’s Wild Girl (Montana Daddies #16)

Chapter 31

31

W ait.

She knew he was a Daddy Dom, and that was the problem?

Why was that the problem? He thought she might have been concerned that he’d found out her secret and was upset.

But she seemed to be upset by his. Why?

Because he hadn’t told her? But they were just at the stage of telling each other these things.

Or did this have something to do with her hidden box in the closet? What the fuck was going on? And why would that make her pull away from him? Refuse to come with him to Sanctuary?

“You going to sit there all day or go and make her tell you what’s going on?” Hayes grumbled as he walked back into the kitchen.

Corbin sighed. “You know, I think I liked it better when you were an antisocial bastard who didn’t care what anyone else did.”

“Oh, I’m still that,” Hayes said. “It’s just hard not to care about that girl. She needs someone to care about her.”

Fuck.

“I know she does. She doesn’t want to come with me because I’m a Daddy Dom. But she’s a Little. I mean . . . I assumed she was. I found . . . stuff hidden in her closet.”

“Hmm. Well, I ain’t got no answers for you, so there’s no use telling me. Go talk to her.”

Corbin rolled his eyes, but Hayes was right. He wouldn’t get any answers by sitting here and talking to Hayes.

Getting to his feet, he let out a deep breath.

“Don’t let her go,” Hayes told him quietly. “Life is short and you never know when your time on earth is gonna end.”

Corbin wanted to say something comforting about how his wife wouldn’t want him to waste his time here either. But he didn’t think it would go over well. Hayes needed someone in his life . . . a reason to want to live.

So Corbin nodded and headed upstairs. He knocked on her door but didn’t wait for her reply. He knew what it would be.

“Go away. Don’t you know you’re supposed to be invited inside before you walk into someone’s bedroom?” Bebe asked from where she lay on the bed.

“Must have missed that lesson in manners.”

“I think you missed a few more.” She glared up at him as he sat on the bed beside her.

Her eyes were swollen and red, and his heart ached for her. Whatever was going on in her head was torturing her.

“Baby, you’re coming with me to Sanctuary.”

And that wasn’t what he’d meant to lead with. Probably wasn’t his smartest move either. She sat up, shooting fire from her eyes.

“You can’t tell me what to do, Corbin.”

His own eyes narrowed as he gave her a firm look. “I’m in charge of you.”

“I fired you.”

“You didn’t hire me in the first place.”

“This is silly. It’s semantics. Corbin, I’m not coming with you.”

“You were last night.”

“Yes, but that’s before I found out . . .”

“That I’m a Daddy Dom? Why does that make a difference?”

“Because I’m not a Little.” She stared at him, chewing on her lip. “I’m not a Little and that’s what you need. So it won’t work. I’m sorry.”

“That’s the problem?”

“Yes.”

He knew that likely didn’t even scratch the surface of what was going on here. Bebe was so secretive sometimes. And she wasn’t going to just open up and tell him, not without a push.

“Then there’s no problem at all.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I don’t need to be with a Little. Sure, I enjoy being a Daddy Dom, but it’s not my entire life. I’ve had relationships with people who aren’t Littles. I want you , Bebe. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re a Little, a sub, into pet play, or none of the above. I. Want. You.”

A sob escaped her. “Why do you have to be so perfect? And why do I keep crying? Urgh, it’s so damn irritating.”

“Got to tell you, though, you need some rules and boundaries. You’re reckless with your safety, which is something I will not allow.”

Shit. He probably should have held that all back.

She wiped at her eyes. “It’s nice of you to say all of this, but it’s not very practical, is it? I mean, it won’t work in practice. Your Daddy side is bound to peek out, to make an appearance.”

“Not going to lie, that might happen. But you said you like it when I get a bit bossy. And I think you need that. Someone to set down a hard line. To ensure your safety when you won’t. To take care of you. You’ve never had that and you deserve it. Sometimes that might come across as me Daddying you.”

“Is that a word?” she asked.

“It should be. Is that a problem? My Daddy side coming out occasionally?”

“Sort of,” she whispered.

“Hey, look at me.” He tilted her chin up. “I care about you, Bebe. I don’t think you quite get that yet. But I’m going to keep telling you until you do. Caring about you means that I will never force you to do something you don’t want. I am not your mother. I will not bully or blackmail you until you give in. I want what is best for you. And what is best is for you to be happy.”

“I . . . I want to believe that so much.”

“We haven’t known each other long enough for you to fully trust me.” He was asking a lot from her. Just because he was there didn’t mean she was.

“I do trust you, though. So I don’t understand this. I know you’re not my mother. I know you won’t harm me. You always protect me. But I . . . it’s not just her.”

He moved so he had his back against the headboard, then he leaned over and pulled her into his lap.

“Corbin,” she protested quietly.

“I think better when you’re touching me.”

She huffed out a breath. “You are such a liar.”

“Enough cheek out of you.” He popped her ass.

It was a bit of a test. And probably not nice of him. But he wanted to see her reaction while he was facing her and she wasn’t over his shoulder.

Her eyes flared open and her cheeks flushed.

Yeah, she liked being popped on the ass.

Maybe she wouldn’t like an actual punishment spanking. When he dished out punishment, he didn’t hold back. It wouldn’t be one tap on her ass in warning or play.

No, likely she wouldn’t like that.

Although they’d have to wait and see. Had she had a Daddy before? Is that why she hid her true self?

Had he abused her?

“Corbin?”

“Yeah?” he asked in a tight voice.

“Um, you’re holding my hips really tight and you look really mad.”

Shit. Fuck.

He loosened his hold on her. “Fuck, baby. Sorry. Did I bruise you?”

“No, I’m fine.” She waved her hand in the air.

“Let me see.” He reached for the top of her pajama bottoms, ready to pull them down.

“No. There’s no need.” She put her hand over his.

“Let me see. I need to see.”

Her breath was coming in sharp pants, but she nodded and he drew her pajama pants down. Shifting aside her panties, he saw the slightly reddened skin.

“Fuck. I’m so fucking sorry, Bebe. What the hell was I thinking? There is no excuse for this.”

“Corbin, hey.” She touched his cheek, then moved a finger under his chin to tilt his head back. “It doesn’t hurt, I’m fine. You have nothing to apologize for.”

Anger flooded him. All of it aimed at himself. “I do. Because I should never harm you like this. I wasn’t even paying attention. The most precious thing in the world to me is sitting on my lap and I should be watching my every movement around her. I should have all of my attention on her.”

“I’m . . . I’m really the most precious thing in the world to you?”

“Of course you are.”

How could she think anything else?

She flung her arms around his neck, holding onto him tight. “I want this. I want you. So much. But I’m so scared.”

“I know you are, baby.”

“I was already scared of you getting hurt again because of me. But when you called me Little one . . . I realized why this couldn’t work.”

“I told you that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“No one has ever put me first . . . not even him .”

He stiffened. “Who?”

Bebe tightened her hold on him.

“Who, Bebe? Did someone hurt you? Were you involved with a Daddy Dom before? Is that why you put those things in a box in your closet. Or did you buy them and then immediately pack them away?”

Maybe she had never been with a Daddy before. Perhaps she was suppressing her Little side out of embarrassment. Or shame.

“I’ve used them,” she whispered. She crossed her arms over her chest, hunching her shoulders. “But he didn’t like it when I did.”

“Who? Who didn’t like it?”

“My . . . my Daddy. My ex-Daddy,” she added hastily, probably seeing the thunderous look on his face.

“Who was he?” he demanded.

She licked her lips, looking nervous. “It’s a bit of a story.”

“I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

“You need to get packed up and ready to go.”

“We have time and I don’t have much to pack. Tell me. If this is the bastard who has made you scared to get involved with me, then I have a right to know.”

He wasn’t wrong.

But she was finding it hard to get the words past her lips. She didn’t want to tell him about one of the worst times in her life.

She didn’t want him to see her differently.

“What if you don’t want me after I tell you this?” She wrung her hands together nervously.

He cupped his hands around hers, stilling them. “There is nothing you could tell me that would make me not want you.”

He said that, but . . .

“You won’t believe me until I show you I’m going nowhere. So tell me what happened and let me prove that nothing you could tell me would change that.”

She sucked in a long breath and let it out. This was the only way to know if he truly meant what he said. And at least he’d know that she meant it when she said she couldn’t be a Little again. Why she’d locked her away.

“After what happened with Ericc and my mother, I decided to get away for a while. I dipped into my trust fund and went overseas. I traveled around to places like Malaysia and Polynesia. And I know I come from a place of privilege in that I could afford to get away. Not everyone can. But I had to. I couldn’t stay around her anymore.”

She rubbed at her chest. Great, now thinking of her mother was giving her indigestion too.

“Bebe, I’m not judging you for needing to escape,” he soothed. “Anyone would in that situation.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief. “Right. Well, I tried to discover myself, I guess. What I saw over there . . . the people were so kind and welcoming. Some of them had nothing, but they were happy. I just . . . it changed the way I’d always thought about things. My mother was never happy unless she had more. More things, more money, more fame and power. I decided I didn’t want to be like her or be in that world. What I wanted was to make a difference in other people’s lives, to help people.”

“That’s my baby. Always thinking of others.”

She swallowed heavily. “Am I? Sometimes I feel so selfish and stupid, so stupid.”

“Bebe,” he said sternly. “You’re not to call yourself stupid, understand me?”

“When I tell you the next part, you’ll think I am.”

“That is not true and I’m insulted you’d say that. I could never think you stupid. I promise you that.”

“Um, I hope you’re right.” She took in a deep breath. “I wanted to help people. Then I thought about what I was really good at and interested in. So, I thought I could become a social worker. I could start working here at home and maybe volunteer abroad as needed. I really thought I’d make a difference.”

God, she’d been so full of hope. For the first time in her life, it’d felt like she had a purpose.

“What happened? Why did you quit college?” he asked.

“ He happened.”

Yep. There went her indigestion again. And her hand was aching at the thought of him . She stretched her fingers out.

“Who is he? Another student?”

“Ahh, no. That would make life a lot simpler.” She raised her gaze to his, needing to see his reaction. As bad as it might be. “It was my professor. My professor is the asshole.”