on your own.”
She stood, managing to get her legs to work.
“Good enough. You can eat your snack then take a short shower only. Don’t put the water on too hot and leave the door open so I can hear you if anything happens.”
“I’ve been showering on my own for a while now,” she told him dryly.
He stood and kissed her lightly. “Not anymore. From now on, Daddy will take care of you. In all ways.”
Gulp.
21
Marisol was nervous as she entered Linc’s bedroom. He’d insisted she take one of his T-shirts to put on after her shower.
She immediately noticed all of the bags he’d had earlier sitting on the bed. She could hear his shower still going. She wished she was brave enough to take a peek at him. She wondered if he was touching himself.
Holy shit.
Instead, she forced herself to go over to the bed. Grabbing a bag, she drew out some panties. She bit her lip. They were all lacy but soft. The tags had all been pulled off so she didn’t know how much he’d spent.
All lacy and in various shades of colors. There were even matching bras. Jeez, how had he gotten her size right? That was a skill right there. A few T-shirts, two pairs of yoga pants and a teal hoodie with the picture of a cat on the front.
It was seriously cute. And soft. She ran her fingers over it. Oh wow. She couldn’t wait to wear this. She found the empty drawer and put everything away.
She grabbed the other bag, pulling out a brand-new iPhone. Yikes. These things cost a bomb. And then her heart stopped, a little gasp leaving her as she pulled out an eReader. He’d bought her an eReader?
“Is it the right kind?”
His voice startled her and she glanced over to see him walking in, dressed in just a pair of black, cotton pajama pants. Damn, He was ripped. Gorgeous. He’d taken a shower and the ends of his hair were still a bit wet. She couldn’t help but drop her gaze to his crotch. Which was no longer thick and hard. Had he taken care of that in the shower?
Crap. Maybe she should have asked to watch.
Too late, she realized he was standing in front of her. And she’d just been caught staring at his crotch.
Whoops.
“Mari-girl? That the right kind? Bear said they didn’t have a lot of choice. We can take it back if it’s not.” He touched the eReader in her hand.
“It’s . . . it’s perfect. You shouldn’t—”
He placed a finger on her lips. “What did I tell you to say when I give you something?”
Oh. Right.
He removed his hand. “Thank you, Daddy. But still—”
“Nope.” His hand went back over her mouth. “You just need to stop after thank you, Daddy. I don’t want to hear how I shouldn’t have. I wanted to do it. Besides, you’re gonna be stuck here on the ranch for a bit and unfortunately, I can’t take much time off to keep you entertained. This will help keep you out of getting into trouble.”
“I don’t get into trouble.” She pouted.
He snorted. “Right. Sure. Your life is safe and boring.”
“It usually is! I’m never in trouble. I’m not interesting enough to get into trouble.”
“Careful,” he warned. “That sounds suspiciously like putting yourself down and you know how I feel about that.”
She bit her lip worriedly. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, freeing it. Then he shocked her by leaning down and running his tongue across it. “I don’t want my baby getting bored. When she gets bored, she does naughty things like clean when she should be resting. So I’ve got to make sure she’s got plenty to keep her entertained. Tomorrow we’ll get you some more clothes and some toys and set you up a play area. That will help.”
Play area. Toys.
Holy. Hell. Where did she start with all that?
It was like she’d entered some alternate reality. Where she was no longer a boring bookworm and she’d become someone to be treasured and desired.
She had to say, she liked it. A lot.
“Where are Princess Nana and your blanket?” he asked.
In the other room. Because she hadn’t been certain that he’d really meant it when he said he didn’t mind her sleeping with them.
“In my bedroom.”
“This is your bedroom now. I want all of your stuff in here. Go get them. I’ll grab you a bottle of water.”
“Oh, you don’t need to—”
“I want to. Go.”
She practically scurried out of the