Amelia
I can’t believe I just said that, and it makes me panic a bit. I can’t believe a lot of the things that have come out of my mouth in the past hour. I’ve shocked myself several times.
Foster is so…omnipresent. It’s like he’s larger than the room. He sucks the oxygen out of the air. He makes me feel out-of-body like I’m someone different. Someone new. I don’t recognize myself when I’m with him.
I’m sitting on his lap. I know he’s Daddying me. I don’t even mind. Not really. I should, but it feels good. Everything he says sounds right. Everything he does feels right.
I want him to kiss me. I want him to do so much more than kiss me. But I’m scared, too. What if this goes badly? I’m beyond worried I can’t be what he thinks I can. When he’s in my space, it feels like I can be anything for him. But I know if I walked out the door right now, I would draw in deep breaths and doubt myself.
It’s for that reason I wiggle off his lap and take a few steps away from him.
He doesn’t jump to his feet, but he does reach out a hand to grab mine. For a moment, I think he’s trying to pull me back toward him, but then I realize the backs of my legs have hit the coffee table and I would have fallen onto my ass on top of it if he hadn’t caught me.
As soon as he steadies me, he lets me go. He tips his head back and meets my gaze. “You okay?”
I nod. “Can we go outside?” I’m sure that’s the oddest request, but if I could just inhale…
“Of course.” He rises slowly and swings out a hand to indicate I should precede him toward the door.
I nearly trip over my feet getting there, but when he reaches around to open the door, I draw in a deep breath and step outside.
There’s a front porch on his house. It looks like perhaps he added it recently. It matches the house perfectly, but the wood is slightly newer and freshly cut.
Foster points at a swinging chair. “Would you like to sit?”
I shake my head. “Can we walk? There are trails, right?”
He nods. “Yes. We can do that.” He reaches out for my hand.
If he thinks my weird change of pace is strange, he doesn’t indicate it in any way. He’s politely going along with my shift in behavior. Commendable. Two more points for Foster. The man never ends up with anything in the negative column. It’s maddening.
He steps off the porch, but I give his hand a tug, causing him to turn around.
I like how the one step gives me about six more inches of height. I still have to look up at him, but it’s not as overwhelming. “I’d like you to kiss me before we walk.”
He smiles slowly. “Okay.” He steps closer, sets his hands on my hips, and guides me toward him until our bodies are less than an inch apart. When he’s happy with this arrangement, he slides his hands up my back, his palms splayed wide, urging me to lean into him.
I wrap my arms around his neck and lick my lips.
Foster slowly lowers his mouth to mine. At first, he simply nibbles. Tiny little kisses that make me catch my breath and leave me wanting.
“Like that?” he whispers against my lips.
I giggle and shake my head.
He chuckles before one hand slides up into my hair. He angles my head to one side and lowers his parted lips to mine.
This kiss is not brief or sweet. It’s demanding and hot and makes me moan in seconds. It’s not like any other kiss I’ve ever had. It’s intense. Breathtaking. I want more. I want everything.
This is why I didn’t let him kiss me while we were inside and I was on his lap. That would have led to things I’m not ready for.
Foster runs his tongue gently along the seam of my lips, and I open for him, tasting him more fully. He tastes of the cinnamon muffin I served him with his quiche. He tastes of the outdoors and hard work. He tastes like Foster.
I hold him tight, partly because I’m afraid my knees will buckle if I don’t.
The world-record kiss lasts for so long I lose track of where we are or what day it is or what planet we’re on. When he eases his lips from mine, I’m breathing heavily and I hold his gaze, not yet caring where we might be or what decade it is or what planet.
He gives me a slow smile and holds me tighter. “You were right.”
“About what?” I murmur.
“About taking that outside. I barely had the wherewithal to keep from stripping you on the patio.”
I bite my lip to stifle my giggle.
“Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to. I also know no one but us is on the property right now. But I still wouldn’t take that kind of risk. As badly as I’d like to taste every inch of your sweet body, I’m not interested in sharing it with anyone else.”
He slides one hand down to cup my butt. “With the possible exception of your cute bottom. There may come a day when I feel the need to take you over my knee and spank you in front of other people.”
I shiver and squeeze my legs together. Would I want him to spank me in front of other people?
He grins. “Oh yeah. There will for sure be a day when that happens.”
My face heats. I’m sure it’s ten shades of red. I swat at his chest. “You can’t spank me in front of people.”
His eyes twinkle. “So, you admit I can spank you. You’re just not ready for me to do it in public yet.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be silly. I haven’t agreed to anything. You can’t spank me at all.”
“But you will, and I will.” He grins again. I love his smile. I love his playfulness. I love how intense he is and how serious at the same time. I love how he looks at me like I’m the most precious person on earth.
“Maybe…” I flex my ass under his grip.
He gives it a squeeze. “Maybe?”
“Okay, probably. But only because I like to be spanked and there’s no one else around to do it, and I’m curious to find out how good you are at spanking.”
He chuckles. “Those are the only reasons, huh?”
“Yep.”
“I’d like to point out my spanking won’t be like what you experience at the club. You said you don’t get aroused or come when you’re spanked at Surrender.”
I flush deeper, shake my head, and confirm, “No. I do it for the release of stress.”
“You know it’s going to be different with me, right?” He kisses my lips briefly, teasing me, tormenting me. Making promises.
I shudder. I know he’s right. It’s kind of scary, but I’m so damn intrigued at the same time. He’s like a giant magnet. I can’t get away from him. I don’t want to.
“I can spank you two very different ways, you know. Sometimes I’ll spank you because you need the relief. I’ll finish that type off with my cock deep in your warmth. Sometimes I’ll spank you to discipline you when you’re naughty. I’ll stand you in timeout afterward so you don’t get any release.”
I frown. “That doesn’t sound fun.”
“Then I guess you won’t misbehave often.” He smiles and takes a step back, his hand sliding into mine. “Come. Let’s go for that walk.”
I hop down from the step and let him lead me.
He glances at me as we enter a path behind his cabin.
“I didn’t know this was here,” I muse. “I haven’t had time to explore the area.”
He squeezes my hand. “And you won’t do any such thing without me, understood?”
I roll my eyes. “Remember the part about me being a grown woman?”
He stops walking, faces me, and takes my chin in his fingers. When he has my attention, he looks into my eyes. “Remember the part about me being an overprotective Daddy?”
I swallow but opt for defiance. “Remember the part about me not being Little?”
“Remember the part about me not buying that?” He’s almost grinning now.
I groan. “Are you always this argumentative?”
“Only when I’m right, and I’m not kidding about exploring. Don’t wander around without me. It’s not safe. There really are animals out here. I’d be worried out of my mind if you went off alone. Please, if you consent to nothing else, at least do that one thing for me. Humor the Daddy in me.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
He lifts a brow.
I inhale deeply. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl.” He lets my chin go and resumes walking, still holding my hand.
Does he know I’m trembling with so many conflicting emotions and feelings it’s hard to take each step?
He walks slowly, making it easy for me to keep up with his much longer legs. He never releases my hand except to occasionally set his on my waist to guide me around a tree stump or a rock.
“Who maintains these trails?” I ask.
“I do.”
“Even with no one here for five years?”
“Yep. They were a bit overgrown when I first got here, but I worked on them hard that first year. They aren’t as difficult to maintain now.”
“How many trails are there?”
“Several.” He points at a green marker as we approach a fork in the path. “This one has a loop. We’ll take it to the left and come out right back here from the right. I’ll show them all to you on a map so you’ll be familiar enough to give some guidance to visitors, but I meant what I said, don’t ever wander off alone.”
“Yes, Sir.” I agree because he’s right. Even if he weren’t Daddying me, it would be irresponsible to wander around on trails I don’t know well.
After a few minutes, I look at him. “It’s so nice out. It hasn’t rained since I got here. The weather has been perfect. I bet there are weeks with incessant rain and others when the snow won’t stop.”
“Yep. On both counts.”
“What will the guests do here when it’s too cold to go outside to swim or hike? Do you think we’ll get enough visitors in the winter?”
“Not sure yet, but I suspect we will. It’s so beautiful here—even when it’s cold. Guests can sit on the back porch all bundled up and watch the snow fall. The mountains and valleys in the distance are gorgeous. There’s also a hot tub at one end of the pool. I cover the pool when it gets cold, but the hot tub stays open.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see the view in the winter.”
He gives my hand a squeeze. “There’s also a huge basement. Have you been down there yet?”
I shake my head.
“Part of the basement is an enormous room with hardwood floors where we could have dance classes or yoga or aerobics. Any number of things. There’s also a theater on one end.”
I turn toward him, eyes wide. “Seriously?”
“Yep. It was in disrepair when I moved here, but I’ve fixed it up and modernized the surround sound. Littles can watch animated movies or later, after they’ve gone to bed, caregivers can relax in front of something more grown-up.”
“Sounds like you did a lot of work on the property.”
“Yep. I was bored, so I looked around, figured out what needed to be done, and started renovating the older sections. There are still sections of the basement to renovate when we figure out what we want to do with the other rooms. I’m not a carpenter, mind you. It took me a while to learn how to do a lot of things. Thank goodness for Google.”
I grin.
“I knew eventually Roman would either decide to do something with the place or sell it. Either way, my work would not be for naught. Besides, Lucy lit up every time he brought her here after I finished renovating a new section. It was worth it just to impress her.”
“I bet.” Lucy is one of the sweetest Littles I know. She and Master Roman have been together for eight years. They were the cutest couple when I met them and they still are today. They love each other so much it makes everyone around them jealous.
Granted, Surrender has a lot of couples who have been together for many years. The club is known for its community of caregivers and Littles, so it attracts many of the locals who enjoy age play.
“You’re thinking awfully hard, sweet girl.”
I glance at Foster again. “I was thinking about how many happy couples besides Master Roman and Lucy belong to Surrender.”
“Yeah. It is kind of nice, isn’t it?”
We’ve returned to the spot where we started and Foster leads me back to his cabin. He glances at his watch. “There’s still plenty of time before you need to start dinner.” He nods toward the porch swing. “Want to sit?”
“Sure.”
After leading me to the swing, he grabs me by the hips, lifts me up, and sets me on the seat.
I giggle. “I could have managed.”
“I’m sure you could. I’m certain you can do anything you set your mind to, but doesn’t it feel nice to let someone else help out?”
I lean into him as he sits next to me and settles his arm along the back of the swing behind my head. “Maybe.” I’m noncommittal on this. He’s going to pressure me to see his way every chance he gets.
Perhaps that should stress me out, but for some reason, I’m more intrigued by what he might come up with next than anything else.
He gives the swing a gentle push every time it comes back to center. There’s no way I could reach the porch floor to do the same thing. I’d be stuck sitting here with no movement without him. I lean in closer and wrap my arm around his broad chest. “Thank you.”
He slides his hand down around my shoulders. “For what, sweet girl?”
I tip my head back. “For understanding that I need some time and space. For nudging me without pressuring me. For the amazing kiss that stopped the world from spinning. For pushing the swing when my legs are too short.”
He chuckles. I love the way it feels under my palm and against my cheek. His lips come to my forehead and he kisses me there. “You’re most welcome, Amelia. Any time.”
We swing in silence for a while before Foster speaks again. “Will you do something for me, Amelia?”
“What’s that?”
“I know you’re uncertain, and I can be as patient as you need me to be, but for now, will you at least let me see to your safety? Will you let me walk you to your cabin at night and humor me while I ensure you’re safe and secure? Will you call me if you need something from the high cabinets instead of climbing up on the counters to get to them? I’m really just being a good guy in both cases. If you’d rather not think of me as a Daddy, think of me as a chivalrous man who wouldn’t want any woman to do something dangerous. Okay?”
“Okay.” How can I say no to that? Plus, my panties are damp and my thighs are clamped together from listening to his speech. “Were you watching me climb up on the counters to rearrange things?”
“Yes,” he admits, staring at me. “I’ll probably watch you a lot. I like watching you. Plus, I like making sure you’re safe.”
“You can’t boss me around in my kitchen, Foster. I know how to use a stove and an oven. I will use giant knives with the sharpest blades possible. I will carry hot things around. I’m a chef.” I lift a brow in challenge.
He nods. “I’ll do my best to rein in my instincts.”
I pat his chest. “Good. If you can’t hold your tongue while I’m working, you’ll alienate me fast.”
“Noted.”
“Good. Now walk me back to my kitchen so I don’t get attacked by lizards or insects or something on the way.”
He shocks me when he wraps his arm around me firmer and rolls me forward so I tumble face-first against his lap.
I squeal as he swats my bottom three times before lifting me off his lap and standing me on my feet. I’m so disoriented I gasp, eyes wide. “Why’d you do that?”
He winks with a grin. “Just a taste of what to expect if you give me that sassy attitude again, sweet girl.”
I rub my butt. It stings. He has a heavy hand. “You’re going to feel awfully bad if I get stung by something or trip and fall on my face on my way to the kitchen.”
He chuckles. “I can’t promise you won’t get stung when the insects come out in the evening, but I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t fall while walking. Is that usually a problem for you? I could carry you if it is,” he teases.
“Ha-ha.” I reach for his hand and tug. “Come on. I need to get back.”
He rises and surprises me again by lifting me off my feet with his hands at my waist. He holds me tight against his chest so we’re eye to eye. That’s when he kisses me for the second time. It’s just as good as the first, and I’m unsteady and worried I really might trip and fall when he finally sets me down.