Her breath.
My hand.
My thoughts.
Then something inside me settles…locks into place with startling clarity. I lean closer, adjusting her properly on my lap, my hand resting possessively at her waist.
“That’s right,” I murmur. “I’m your daddy.”
She shivers.
“It’s Daddy’s job to keep you safe,” I continue quietly. “But I can’t do that if you don’t let me. If you need something, you ask. Do you understand?”
She nods quickly, tears shining in her eyes.
I give her two more light swats, this time not to punish but to reinforce control, then I pull her upright, guiding her until she’s straddling my lap, her hands resting uncertainly on my shoulders.
I cup her face, thumbs brushing away the tears before they can fall. “Look at me.” She does. “Did you learn your lesson?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she whispers. “I did.”
Hearing her call me Daddy so naturally has my blood instantly boiling with lust. But it’s not only that…there’s also a warm, distinct feeling coursing through me—protectiveness? Pride?
It doesn’t matter what it is. I lower my mouth to hers, kissing her slow and soft. I let out a moan of appreciation when her body melts against mine. After a moment, she pulls back, cheeks flushed, eyes shyly searching mine.
“Andrei…is that who you are now?”
I arch a brow. “You’ll have to be more specific,solnishka.”
She swallows. “Are you…my daddy?”
The question hits me hard and this time it has nothing to do with lust. “Do you want me to be?” I ask softly, trying hard not to drown in her beautiful blue eyes.
“Yes.”
Relief floods through me so powerfully I have to exhale slowly to keep my composure.
“Then yes,” I say simply. “I’m your daddy. That means I take care of you. Protect you. And correct you when you misbehave.”
She nods, her smile small but radiant. I kiss her again, slower this time, then lift her gently to her feet.
“Now,” I say, standing and reaching easily into the cabinet to retrieve what she’d been after, “let’s finish dinner. Together.”
She watches me with something like awe in her eyes as I hand her the ingredient. And we get back to making thepirozhki. Dinner is simple but delicious. My only regret is that it ends too quickly, and it doesn’t take me long to realize Mila feels the same way.
As we put away the dishes, I watch her trying to hide her disappointment beneath a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. And it hits me then—I’m not quite ready to let her go.
So I wrap my hands around her waist and pull her against my body. She lets out a soft, shaky breath, her body instantly relaxing into mine as I drop my forehead to hers.
“Spend the night,solnishka” I say quietly.
Her breath hitches. “Andrei, I—” she trails off with a sigh, then pulls back just enough to look at me. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
I tilt her chin up with one finger, smiling into her eyes. “Daddy has decided.”
Her lips part, a soft sound escaping her throat. She swallows.
“And we agreed,” I continue calmly, “that Daddy calls the shots.”