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Liam nursed his beer until he reached the dregs; Violet gratefully accepted another glass of wine from Ericka when the Mommy Domme swept past, more than slightly tipsy. She and Felicity were flirting outrageously with a couple of the new Masters who weren’t embroiled in a heated discussion with Levi, Fordham, and Merrick.
Grit and Tabitha were absent, he noted. A check of his watch told him it was unlikely they’d be coming now, and he wondered whether anyone had invited them. Tabitha gave off some… intense vibes for a sub at the best of times, and if she was forced to interact with people she didn’t like, her social skills often didn’t allow for niceties such as tact.
“So,” Violet intruded on his thoughts quietly, “what are your plans while you’re here? Are you going to play as a couple or opting to experiment with your fresh start?”
Liam shot her a stern look. “That’s between me and my sub.”
She snorted. “That’s hardly an intrusive question tossed in out of context. It’s a sex club, Liam. Merrick isn’t looking for anything serious; he enjoys variety, so single female members stand a good chance at having his full attention for the duration of their stay. Felicity and Ericka have an open relationship, but they like their walking, talking toys. God knows what Fordham wants—he keeps his cards close to the vest—and Levi would probably prefer to strap a grizzly bear into a pair of stocks and flog it than get involved with another woman again.”
Liam’s lips twitched first. The mental imagery of a seven-foot tall grizzly sow in fancy red lace lingerie bent over in stocks, herfurry butt waggling enticingly from side to side as it waited for Levi’s flogger to fall, was just too damn much.
Rich, deep laughter burst free, startling several of the others into swinging their heads his way. Fuck, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed like this and meant it.
On the rug, Sierra jerked her head up, panic etched into her face as her eyes darted around to find him.
Setting his empty bottle aside, Liam leaned forward with his arms out, scooping her up as she rolled over and reached for him. She all but crawled into him, trembling lightly as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. “I’m here, minx. I didn’t leave you.”
It was her biggest fear. The one consuming her day by day. She wouldn’t admit it—vocalizing that fear meant tempting fate—but he was aware of how it affected her. She’d been so easily used and thrown away in the past, she was stuck, waiting for the smallest, simplest thing to trigger a rejection.
He was willing to bet she thought her inability to get pregnant, for whatever reason, would be the catalyst to him kicking her loose.
Arms curling around her in a protective cradle, Liam wished she could see herself the way he did, and believe there was nothing short of death that would ever make him abandon her. “What do you need, minx?”
Small fingers gripped the front of his shirt. “I’m good.”
“You’re a bad liar,” he murmured against the top of her head. “Take a breath and wake up properly, Sierra. Get your bearings.”
Chances were she’d fall back to sleep, he thought, feeling her knead his stomach with tiny, catlike movements. Sometimes she woke screaming from a nightmare, only to catch a couple of sobbing breaths and drift off again; her brain didn’t stop protecting her even when it turned against her.
She snuffled against his throat, her muscles relaxing under the stroke of his hand. After a minute or two, her breathing slowed and she made soft sounds of contentment as she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.
Jesus, how blind did he have to be not to see what was right in front of his face? This wasn’t behavioral transference from Alicia and Caera; it was ingrained, an essential piece of her she needed, and they were neglecting it.
Hewas neglecting it.
Testing them both—his capabilities as a Daddy, and her responsiveness as a Little—Liam cleared his throat and murmured, “Would you like a drink, babygirl?”
Okay, that didn’t sound too bad coming from him, although he wasn’t sure it suited Sierra. Atticus called Aliciaprincess; Saul’s Caera was hislittle rabbit.
Sierra’s reaction, however, was definitely a bullseye hit.
She stiffened as though he’d caught her with a hand in the cookie jar, a shiver running through her. Slowly, she leaned back, using his chest for leverage. Eyes heavy with the remnants of sleep, she searched his face questioningly, a trace of… was that hope in the depths?
Aware Violet was watching their interaction, Liam ignored her presence and tapped his finger on Sierra’s nose. Trying to channel Atticus, he offered her a rueful smile. “Has Daddy been blind to what you’ve been craving, little girl?”
Tears filled her eyes first, shimmering over the beautiful brown, reflecting the flicker of flames from the fire. A lip quiver followed, then a miserable headshake.
“Don’t lie to me, Sierra. I can’t give you what you need if you hide it.” Liam kissed her sweetly, stealing the small sob she couldn’t hold in. “Babygirl, you were so brave after Wyatt died. Braver,stronger, than I was. You gave me everything you had, propped me up, let me lean on you when it should’ve been theother way round. Do you not think I would turn the world upside down to make you happy?”
She dropped her gaze as a tear trickled down her cheek. “I didn’t know how to tell you, how to ask. Being a Daddy isn’t your kink and I thought… I thought maybe you’d be angry or… try and find someone to be…”
Fuck, he thought wearily. Just fuck.
“You thought I’d pawn you off on someone else,” he translated simply. “How long have you felt this way, Sierra?”
She jumped, startled when Merrick rose and jostled the glowing embers of the fire as the last flames died. Linking her fingers together nervously, she kept her attention on the logs he tossed into the pit while her bottom squirmed on Liam’s thigh.
“Answer the question, minx, before I flip you over and spank your ass seven shades of red in front of all these people,” he said in the lowest voice he could muster; she possessed the frustrating talent of prevaricating and had it fined down to an artform.
