Page 29 of Her Hero Daddy

Kane kissed the top of her head, and she nearly melted. When was the last time a man had done such a sweet and innocent gesture toward her?

Uh, never, that’s when.

“I know you are, sweetheart. Do you want me to help you change?” he asked.

She nodded, not wanting him to leave her alone to do it. Kane lifted her and set her on the edge of his bed. He picked up the robe and laid it next to her.

“Arms up, baby.”

She lifted her arms, even though it felt like they were being weighed down by fifty-pound weights. Kane lifted her sweater up over her head, and she felt her nipples tighten when one of his hands brushed against the tight bud. She was thankful that the bra that Ally picked out for her had slight padding to them so he couldn’t see her reaction. She didn’t miss the growl that escaped him when his eyes looked over her body, the murderous expression back on his face.

“I’m sorry. I know this upsets you. I can do it,” she said, trying to cover herself with her arms.

Kane shook his head. “Let me take care of you, Haylee. I am not upset with you. Not at all. I just hate seeing you hurt.”

Kane wrapped the robe around her, cinching the belt securely. Not that it helped—the robe seemed to have been made for Paul Bunyan. Lifting her to her feet, he knelt in front of her.

“Put your hands on my shoulders for balance.”

She obeyed, feeling the thick muscles of his shoulders flex as he reached under the robe and tugged her leggings down to the ground. She stepped out of them but didn’t let go of him. Instead, her hands tightened and then moved up until they were on either side of the base of his neck, touching his bare skin. He looked up at her, his eyes clouded over and the look of death gone from his face, replaced with a look of lust and desire.

“You haven’t had enough physical contact lately. I can tell. But that will change, Haylee. You deserve to be touched and hugged as much as you want and need. Remember what I said about giving me a hug anytime you need it?”

“Yes. I remember.”

“Good girl. I expect lots of hugs going forward. Gives me an excuse to have contact with you.”

Right. Like he needed an excuse. He could touch her anytime he wanted as far as she was concerned. His touch melted her, reassured her, made her feel safe and secure in a way that she hadn’t had since before her dad left when she was in high school.

“Come on, baby alligator. Let’s go finish up with Logan so you can relax and take a nap.”

A nap sounded heavenly, and so did finishing up with Logan. She nodded and followed him down the stairs, his robe dragging on the floor as she walked. She missed the comfort of his bedroom as soon as they walked out.

“Sorry we took so long. Needed a minute to breathe,” Kane said, nodding at Logan.

Logan nodded as though he understood. “No worries. We are almost done, Haylee.”

“Okay. What do you need me to do?”

Logan gave her a cup and told her to go into the bathroom and pee in it. She flushed with embarrassment when she returned with the cup in hand. Logan took it and wrote something on the lid before sealing it into a ziplock bag.

When he took a blood sample, she thought she was going to faint, but Kane sat beside her, rubbing his hand up and down her back, and began telling her a fairy-tale story to distract her. She had no idea what story he was telling her or if it was actually a fairy tale or if he was just making it up as he went along. Either way, it helped, and before he even finished, Logan had pulled the needle out of her arm and placed a rainbow Band-Aid where he had poked.

“I’m going to examine all your bruising and open wounds. I just need you to stand there, and we will take a look at your upper body first and then your lower body. That way, you are able to stay partially covered. Can you pull your robe down off your shoulders and just hold it around your waist?”

Shit. She would rather eat sardines with frosting than do that. Kane kept his distance so Logan could work, but she knew he was keeping his eye on her closely. Probably making sure she didn’t lie about something again.

Meanie.

She pulled the robe down as he instructed, standing in the middle of the living room in half a robe and a light pink bra. Logan held up his phone and reminded her that he would be taking pictures. She just nodded, feeling as though she was having an out-of-body experience but not the kind that she’d like. Her eyes met Kane’s, and he smiled at her reassuringly, keeping his eyes locked with hers as Logan walked around her taking photos and examining her bruises. The distraction of his gaze gave her something to focus on and ease her anxiety.

“Good girl. Okay, you can go ahead and put the robe back on your shoulders, and then I am just going to open the bottom and take a look at the front of your legs, and then I will lift the back of the robe to look at the back of your legs and your bottom.”

She liked being called a good girl, though she liked it more when it came from Kane. Either way, it felt good to feel as though she was doing something right for once.

She pulled the robe up and pulled it as tight as she could around her. Logan knelt in front of her and opened the front of the robe, taking pictures again and looking for whatever he was looking for. She hoped he wouldn’t notice the dampness of her light pink panties that had happened when Kane helped her get undressed. If he did, he didn’t say anything. She probably would have died if he had.

Looking up at Kane, she saw that his gaze was on her face again, keeping his eyes locked with hers. She had a feeling he was doing that on purpose as his way of letting her know that she was safe and that he had her. He stayed that way until Logan finished his exam and jotted down notes.