The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection by Frost, J (great novels .txt) 📕

“Uh-huh.” But my daddy protected me. Again. Daddy-daddy-daddy. “We left the scene monitor tearing him a new one. I don’t think he’ll try that again.”

Vashi rubs her hands up and down her arms, bared by another gorgeous sari, this one blue and gold. She’s wearing gold jewelry to match, including bracelets on each wrist that clink together as she rubs her arms, and one of those cool nose-to-ear chains hung with tiny charms. I don’t have a nose piercing, but I’d get one if I could get away with wearing one of those.

“I would be most upset if a stranger tried to touch me after a scene,” she says.

“It didn’t upset me.” Maybe it should have? But I never felt unsafe. Logan was right there. So was Vashi’s Dom. It just annoyed me. “Niall was great. He sat next to me while Logan was getting me dressed. It was like having a big, brick wall suddenly park itself between me and the rest of the room.”

Vashi laughs.

“Not that Niall is a big, brick wall,” I blurt, realizing what I’ve said. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Vashi laughs even harder, her cheeks tinting pink. “Indeed, he is. A huge, red, brick wall.”

That gets me laughing. “He reminds me of a Viking.”

“Yes, yes!” Vashi exclaims, cupping her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles. “When I first met him, I thought I’d fallen back in time. Shaan took me home to meet his partner, but they had confused the days, and Niall was not expecting me. He was planting trees in the back, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. He came to meet me, covered with dirt, carrying a shovel, and I screamed seeing this dirty Viking-man. I was sure he was going to kill me and bury me in the garden as fertilizer for his trees. I hid behind Shaan and would not come out. They had to tempt me with sandesh that Shaan had made for me before I could face Niall.”

“But you fell in love with him anyway,” I say, enjoying the glow on Vashi’s face.

“Yes, but it took much time. Immediately, I fell for Shaan. He is such a good man, with such a big heart. He loves everyone. He would give the last penny in his pocket to a stranger if they were in need. Niall—” She shakes her head. “Niall is not that way. I was afraid he would never feel anything for me. I did not even see his love for Shaan in the beginning. It was a small thing that made me finally see. Masala chai, that is an Indian tea. Niall does not like the smell of it. Cinnamon.” She waves her hand under her nose. “It makes him sneeze. But he made a cup every morning for Shaan. When I went to live with them, I would wake up to hear Niall sneezing, and then I would see the masala chai on the table. That is when I realized that Niall loved Shaan so much he would make this for him every day.”

I blink back tears. That’s nothing I ever would have expected from the Viking-Dom. “Wow.”

Vashi smiles mistily. “That is Niall. He does not speak the words. He does the things.”

I have to wipe my eyes. Some of my Doms have spoken the words, but none of them have done the things. Not since Lew. Not until Logan. He’s already doing the things and we’ve only been together for six days.

“I’m falling for Logan,” I blurt.

Damn, where did that come from? I mean, yes, I am falling for Logan. I kind of realized it our first morning in L.A. But why am I telling Vashi? I’ve known her for two seconds.

“He is a good man to fall for,” Vashi says encouragingly.

“Is he? I mean, yes, he is, he’s amazing, but I don’t think he’s going to fall for me. He had this perfect sub he was with for years, and I can tell he’s still in love with her.” Even though he stopped wearing her watch, but still. “I think I’m doing the dumb sub thing.”

“What is the dumb sub thing?” Vashi asks.

“The dumb sub thing is where the dumb sub falls for the Dom because he’s such an amazing Dom, but the Dom just likes dominating her. He doesn’t actually love her. He’s just being a great Dom.”

Vashi’s black brows draw together in a line. “Why do you think that is Logan?”

“Because Logan is a great Dom. He puts five thousand percent into topping me.” I tuck my hair behind my ears, remembering our scene. “You should have seen him setting up the scene. He’s so meticulous. He talked me through everything, and he got so excited about it. It’s really easy to get caught up in his enthusiasm and think it’s about me. But it’s not. He’s just excited about topping.”

Vashi folds her hands together, the henna on her fingers making complex patterns, and rubs her chin over her knuckles. “Niall is like this also. He plans every scene, all our times together. But there is more for him when he is with Shaan and me. I have seen him top others. It is not the same. It is the masala chai. He does the things for us that we enjoy the most. That is how he shows us he loves us. If you doubt Logan’s feelings, you must look for the masala chai. What does he do just for you? That will tell you how he feels.”

A lump rises in my throat and I swallow hard. Touching my fingertips to my throat, I feel the metal of my necklace.

The necklace Logan gave me. A memory chain, he called it. And a collar. I know what it is, even though he said it wasn’t. Even though I told myself it wasn’t. Neither of us were lying; it’s not a collar yet. But it could be. Logan