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

He nips the end of my nose. “Don’t try to hide what you’re feeling, baby doll. If this afternoon’s scene makes you angry, I want to know. But give it a chance, huh?”

I nod eagerly. “I will. Promise-promise.”

“Good girl. How’s the writing going?”

“Good, Daddy. Maybe another week to finish the book I’m working on now. I’m ahead of deadline on that one, so I’ll be able to do my own editing before I send it to my editor. I like to send her something polished. And I’m really excited about this new story. I’ve fleshed out the outline and written two scenes and it feels really good. Sometimes, when I’m writing, it totally clicks. Right now, that one’s clicking.”

“Excellent.” He grins at me, a grin that fills his dark eyes with warmth. “Am I still your muse?”

“Totally my muse. I kinda maybe used the evil edging in what I wrote today. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Kinda maybe, huh?” At my sheepish grin, he kisses the tip of my nose. “I don’t mind at all. Glad I can inspire you, little love.”

He does inspire me. Even when he makes me angry. He fills me with all the feels and I’m so grateful to him. I throw my arms around his neck.

He chuckles and kisses me behind my ear, tickling me until I have to wriggle away. “You’re a delight, my girl. Should we get you changed so we’re not late to meet Niall?”

“Yes, Daddy.” I hop off his lap and run over to my dresser. I pull out my Grendel T-shirt and show it to him. “Can I wear this?”

“Black?” He squints at the shirt. “Not a fan of my little girl in black.”

The shirt is black, with just the white eye-streaks and nose dot of Grendel’s mask for relief, but it’s so cool. How can he not like it?

“Just for the gym? Please-please? You always look all bad, uh, bottomed and you’re wearing black. Can’t we match this once?”

Logan cracks up. He holds his hand out. I pass him the shirt and wait for him to stop laughing, happy that I’ve made him laugh so hard, even though I’m not sure what tickled him.

He clears his throat as his laughter subsides and wipes his eyes.

“Bad-bottomed, huh? That’s not a phrase I’ve had applied to me before.” He snorts through another bout of laughter. “But I like it very much, little girl. And, yes, you can wear it this once. I don’t think I ever read Grendel. This image is familiar, though. I must have seen the covers or something.”

I take the shirt back from him and slip it over my head. “It’s really good, Daddy. I only have the omnibus now, so it’s not quite like reading the original comics, but it’s still really good. It’s a little dark, though. Can I still keep it?”

He chuckles. “Yes, little girl, as long as you only read it when I’m with you. Have you restored much of your comic collection?”

I shake my head. What Maman destroyed is gone. Replacing my comics and books felt like an absurd expense, particularly when I was trying to get back on my feet that first year and Ash was being an ass about the money in our joint accounts. Fortunately, my royalties always went into a separate account, so I had something to live on. Still, I didn’t have extra for things like comics. By the time I did, the sting of their loss had faded.

“I bought some graphic novels and omnibuses, so I could read my favorite storylines again, but I haven’t tried to replace the individual comics.”

Logan nods, and as with our discussion about the disastrous orgasm denial, I have the sense that he hears everything I’m not saying.

“She had her reasons for doing things the way she did, I guess,” I say hesitantly, not even sure why I’m defending Maman. “She changed after Papa left. When I was really young, she was different. I remember her dancing around the house to old jazz songs. She had these Mardi Gras beads and she’d drape them around my neck and dance with me. After Papa left, she stopped dancing. All her light went out. She didn’t want that for me. She said if I’d give Ash another chance, if I really tried to make it work, I’d see we could be happy again. My light didn’t have to go out.” I shrug and twist my hands together in the soft, black fabric of my shirt. “Thing is, I don’t think I could have come back from it, no matter how hard I tried. If Ash had stayed late at work, or gone out for a night with the boys, I’d have wondered. It would have eaten at me. I know that sounds really bad. Like I can’t forgive. I’ve known couples who have come back from cheating, but that’s just not me.”

“Come here.”

Logan holds his hands out to me and when I take them, he pulls me into a koala-baby hug. I tuck my face into his neck and breathe in his warm, spicy scent. Mmm, Daddy.

“Cheating’s your hard limit, sweetheart. Everyone has their own tolerance for betrayal, and that’s yours. I think it’s good you realized that about yourself and got out when you did.” He rubs his big hands up and down my back. “Turns out, it’s a hard limit for me, too, but it took me a lot longer to figure out. I thought if I was honest with everyone, open relationships would be okay. You know how I feel about communication. But all it really meant was a lot of lies and a lot of hurt all around.”

I give him a big squeeze, my poor daddy. “I know you don’t want to talk about it yet, but I’m really, really sorry about Miranda.”

He sits back a little to kiss me on the forehead. “Thank you, baby. I didn’t