Page 52 of Daddy's Claim
Red colored Adele’s cheeks as she nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
“Time’s up, princess,” I murmured in Nora’s ear. “Bath, then bed. We can talk about everything else in the morning.”
Her shoulders slumped forward, but she didn’t argue. “Yes, Daddy.”
Nora
The pain made itself known well before the memories of the day before rushed in. Twinges in my arms and legs, though I wasn’t sure from what. Mikey, maybe? Hehadthreatened to tie me to the bed if—
No. My eyes popped open, grief flooding me, tightening my chest. Rissa. Rissa was the one who’d tied me to a chair. And threatened to kill me, to destroy my family.
I choked back a sob and almost instantly I was pulled against a hard chest, large hands stroking down my back. “It’s okay, baby. Cry if you need to.”
As if I’d been waiting for his permission, the tears came once again. Great big gulping sobs I couldn’t have held back if I’d wanted to. Wrapped in my husband’s arms, I grieved for Rissa, for what she’d done. For the girl she’d once been, who I’d obviously lost long before that bullet had taken her from me forever.
I cried until it seemed as though I had no more tears left in me. Exhausted, my head aching, I sniffled pitifully and snuggled closer to Mikey. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“For blubbering all over you like that. Not exactly a fun wake up call.”
“If anyone was entitled to a good blubbering this morning, it was you. I’m honestly shocked it didn’t happen last night.”
“I think I was kind of in shock.” Not so much, unfortunately, that I didn’t vividly remember talking to Cole and Adele, confessing to them that I’d told Rissa about Adele’s real identity.
Or Cole’s not-so-subtle hints about my husband relieving me of the guilt that still sat in my chest like a rock.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Are you, um—” I swallowed hard, steeling myself for the question I knew I needed to ask. “Are you going to punish me? For telling Rissa about Adele?”
My body seemed to vibrate with nervousness as I waited what seemed like forever for him to answer.
“That’s up to you. If I thought for one second you’d done it on purpose, that would be a different story. But it was an honest mistake, one I think you’ve already learned from. If you’re feeling guilty and need Daddy to help make it better, though, I can do that. Do you need me to punish you, baby?”
If someone had told me even a week ago I’d be begging my husband to whip my ass to make me feel better, I would have laughed in their face. But there was no doubt in my mind that was exactly what I needed. “Yes. God, yes. I just feel so bad about everything. Like this was all my fault.”
“No.” Rolling onto his back, Mikey pulled me on top of him and reached up to cup my face. “Baby, no. Whether you’d told her about Adele or not, something like this was going to happen. Rissa didn’t just throw this plan together overnight. This is something she and whoever she was working with had been planning for a while. You are absolutely not to blame for any of it.” He paused, his eyes hardening. “Other than getting out of the car when I specifically said not to. And trying to tell Cole you weren’t worth saving.”
“I had to leave! She said you were in danger!”
“So why didn’t you just call me?”
“Why would I?” I shot back. As guilty as I felt, I wasn’t the only one who had fucked up yesterday, and I wasn’t about to let the blame lay squarely on my shoulders.
The corners of his lips dipped down into a frown. “Why wouldn’t you? I’m your husband, Leonora. We’re a team. Youdon’t just go off half-cocked like that without talking to me about it.”
“But you weren’t listening to me!” My frustration from the day before came rushing back with a vengeance and I glared down at him. “Itriedto tell you that I’d told Rissa about Adele and you told me it wasn’t important. You made me feel likeIwasn’t important.”
“Oh, Nora. Fuck.” Misery was etched into every line of his face. “I’m so sorry, baby. I should have taken the time to listen to you. You’re the most important thing in my life and I’m so sorry I made you feel for one second that you weren’t. Forgive me?”
“Maybe.” I was deliberately torturing him, but I’d already forgiven him.Hejust didn’t need to know that yet.
“What can I do to make it up to you?”
“I’m a sucker for roses. And sparkly things. Dinner and dancing. We could go back toTemptationand you could ‘punish’ me again.”