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

stroking her hair. She melts as I touch her, her body softening into a curve against my leg. Her arms steal up to circle my hips; her eyes drift closed.

“That’s my good girl,” I praise her as I work my hands down her neck, and over her shoulders, circling with my palms, swirling with my fingertips. I’m not exerting any pressure, just giving her the comfort of touch from her Dom while I enjoy the satin of her skin. “I’m going to ask you some questions and we’re going to talk about what happened in the bathroom.” Her shoulders stiffen. “But not yet. First, I want us to communicate. We’re going to start by telling each other two things. One thing that we’re happy about or looking forward to and one thing that’s worrying us. Can you think of those two things?”

“Yes, Daddy,” she says without opening her eyes.

I gauge the pitch of her voice, aware that Knee Time could send her into littlespace. That might be useful another time, but for now, I want to keep her “thinking big.” From the low timber of her voice, she’s still in adult headspace.

“Would you like me to start, sweet girl?”

“Yes, please.”

I’ve thought about this all through dinner, while I was telling Emily stories designed to make her laugh and keep her mind off this afternoon. I want to share something important enough to set the tone for deep communication, but not so heavy that Emily fears Knee Time going forward. I thought hard about whether I wanted to share a worry first but decided that it would be better to set a positive tone.

“The good thing is how much I’m looking forward to you meeting my sister and her kids. I emailed Lizbeth while you were napping and asked her to bring the girls up to visit the week after we get back. They’re crazy for dinosaurs and I thought we could all go to the Natural History Museum together. Have you been to the Museum?”

She looks up at me, that deep well of feeling opening in her eyes. “You did that while I was napping? Even after what happened?”

I stroke her hair until she puts her head back down on my thigh. “Nothing that happened today changed the way I feel about you, Emmy. It didn’t change me wanting you to meet my family. It didn’t change me wanting you to move in for the summer. I’m concerned about what happened, and we are going to talk about it. But it hasn’t changed how I feel.”

She softens further, pressing against my leg and giving a little sniffle. “Ta very much, Daddy.”

“Now the thing I’m worried about. It’s the Yankees. Sometimes after a big season like they had last year, they fall apart.”

Emily giggles. “Aren’t they like the richest team in the world?”

“That’s the Dallas Cowboys, but I appreciate you taking my concerns seriously.” I flick the tip of her ear so she giggles again. “Your turn, sweetie.”

She rubs her cheek against my thigh. “My good thing is you ordering for me. I haven’t done that before with my Doms and some of them have, um, been critical of how I eat.” She pauses and tightens her arms around my waist. I keep stroking her, silently reassuring her while giving her space to continue. It takes her a minute to realize I’m not going to interrupt her while she’s sharing. “When you ordered for me tonight, I didn’t have to worry about how many calories it was or whether it was a healthy and balanced meal because I knew you were taking care of it for me. It made me feel—” Her breath hitches and I can feel wetness through my pajama pants. These tears are either happy or cathartic, so I let her cry without doing any more than stroking her. “Free, Daddy. I felt so free. Like I did before—you gave that to me.”

When her tears slow and she’s breathing easily again, I prompt, “And the thing that’s worrying you?”

“This!” She buries her face in my thigh, which makes my dick come to full attention. I grit my teeth against the pressure and continue gentling her. “I’m so emotional with you. You’re going to think I’m a basket case and I’m not. I’m not weepy. I don’t have meltdowns. Ash used to call me the Vault because he said I kept my feelings locked up. I don’t—” She waves her hands like she’s flicking water off them before she wraps her arms around my waist again. “Emote all over everyone all the time like I do with you.”

I bite my tongue to keep from laughing. My adorable little girl, worried about revealing the emotions I’d be using every weapon in my arsenal to wrench out of her if she hadn’t made a gift of them.

“Thank you for sharing. Here, baby.” I lift her head so I can brush the tears off her cheeks before licking them off my fingertips. “I love your tears. Tears mean I’ve moved you. I’ve broken into ‘the Vault’ and touched you at a level that you hide from everyone else. These are Daddy’s tears. I want each and every one of them. If you’re crying, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you come to me. Your tears belong to me. Are we clear?”

She nods against my thigh, sniffing. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Your emotions don’t scare me, sweetie. And I’m not a baby Dom to be put off by tears. Let’s put that worry to rest. No hiding what you’re feeling. I want those beautiful smiles and I want those beautiful tears.”

That gets me a smile, her cheek rounding against my thigh. I curl over her, tucking her tightly against me and cuddling her. “I know being vulnerable is scary, Emmy. You’re being a very brave girl and Daddy’s proud of you.”

She reaches up, clasping her arms around my ribs, and hugs me. “I’m trying to be Wonder Woman brave for you.”

“You