Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
“You keep mentioning rewards,” she muttered as she set her fork down and picked up her cup, grabbing the handle on one side of the cup.
Elias reached out to steady the cup with his fingers. “Two hands, Baby girl.”
Her breath hitched as she slowly lifted her other hand to use both to bring the cup to her lips. Her pulse picked up at his command.
“Good girl,” he praised.
That earned him another sharp inhale, but more importantly, she was incapable of hiding her arousal once again.
He knew in her rational mind, she was arguing with herself, fighting her instincts. It was expected. It happened to all new mates. Tossing out everything she’d expected in a relationship with her mate took time. She had to reset her expectations and gradually accept that her life would not look like the life she’d painted for herself in her head.
Her life would be ten times better. Elias would ensure it was. Hell, it would be ten times better than he’d believed also. The pheromones filling the inside of his home were so thick in the air it was hard to breathe.
Elias tapped her plate. “Eat your dinner, Little one.”
“Okay, but you gave me too much.”
“Eat what you can, Leah. Would you rather Daddy feed you?” He reached for her spork.
She jerked it to the side. “I can do it.”
“I can do it, Daddy,” he supplied. He really wanted to hear her call him Daddy. She’d used the word flippantly earlier, but she had yet to directly call him by that endearment.
Like everything else that had rocked his world today, he was surprised he cared what she called him. When he’d heard his brother’s mate call him Daddy, it had done nothing for Elias. He’d simply grown used to hearing that word from Suzette’s mouth.
But Elias had a strong desire to hear Leah call him Daddy. It felt like it would be a milestone. A breakthrough. The air in the room would shift as soon as she accepted the endearment and incorporated it.
Elias set his much larger hand over hers, keeping her from taking another bite. Maybe it was a mistake to touch her, but he couldn’t resist, and he wanted to press this issue.
He didn’t need to repeat himself. He simply lifted a brow when she met his gaze.
Leah licked her lips and said, “I can do it, Daddy.”
Fuck me. Sweetest word he’d ever heard from the prettiest, sweetest Little girl he’d ever met. He lifted her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles.
Releasing her might have been the most difficult thing he’d encountered today also. He was done keeping his distance. His libido was done waiting. But they needed to eat, so he forced himself to set her hand back on her tray, and commanded, “Eat, Little girl.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she whispered.
Yeah, his balls were going to turn blue any second.
Chapter Fourteen
Leah couldn’t remember actually chewing her food or how it disappeared from her plate. She could only assume she’d been so ravenous that she’d eaten every bite from muscle memory.
The entire time, she’d repeatedly visualized Elias feeding her like he’d threatened. Would he really do that? Feed her? She didn’t want to admit it, but a part of her wanted to hand him the fork and let him do as he’d suggested.
He kept insisting she would come around and find comfort in the ways of his people, and she kept thinking he was losing his marbles, but aspects of the life he was pressuring her to live were tempting her. It was unnerving. Why would she want him to feed her? It made no sense.
All she could think was that like he’d said, she felt drawn to submit to him. She wanted to please him. She wanted to see him smile. If it made him smile to feed her, then she would be all in because her body grew warm when he smiled his approval.
When they were finished, Elias left her buckled in the highchair while he cleaned the kitchen. As soon as the last dish was in the dishwasher and the last pot washed and put away, he returned to her with a wet cloth, which he used to wipe her lips and then clean her hands.
“Daddy…” she argued, turning the word into far more than two syllables. Now that she’d called him that several times, it was getting easier, sounding more authentic.
Elias removed the tray, and then his hands came to the buckle at her waist. “As pretty as this dress is, it’s time to get you out of it.”
She pursed her lips. She wouldn’t argue with him because even though she was scared out of her mind about what might happen next between them, she wanted this dress off, too.
Leah had worn dresses in this same style all her life, but suddenly, today, she felt like she was choking on the high neckline.