Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“Rip? What’s going on?” Samantha asked in the background, sounding annoyed.
“Nothing, babe. Go back to sleep.”
“But who are you talking to?” she asked.
“It’s just Ethan. I’ll go into the hallway.”
“You can’t go back to Cate, we’re going out for brunch tomorrow. She’ll be okay,” Samantha whined.
Christ, how did Rhodes put up with that voice all the time? It was grating. He grimaced.
“Right, I’m alone. Tell me.”
“She woke me up screaming. I ran into her room, thinking there had to be someone in there even though nothing was showing on the system.”
“Fuck. A night terror,” Rhodes muttered. “I thought she’d be all right because she hasn’t had any since you guys moved in. Something must have upset her. Maybe it’s because I’m not there. Is she awake right now? I don’t hear any screaming. Please tell me you didn’t leave her alone.”
“Of course I didn’t,” Ethan replied. “I’m looking at her right now.”
“Okay. Put me on the phone with her.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea? She’s . . . uh . . . well, she seems to have regressed.”
Rhodes let out a deep breath. “Fuck. I was hoping that she hadn’t since you didn’t lead with that.”
“Well, I didn’t want to just come out and say it without explaining how I ended up in your sister’s bedroom at two in the morning.”
“Yeah, good thinking. I’m going to come home now. Do you think . . . you can’t leave her like that! She . . . it’s not like . . . shit. How do I explain this?”
“Would it help if I told you that I’m a Daddy Dom?”
Rhodes let out a long sigh. “Yeah, that helps. I wasn’t sure. The thing is, this is more like complete regression. She can’t . . . she isn’t capable of just slipping back into being Big. It’s not sleepwalking exactly, but Cate isn’t entirely awake either.”
“So what you’re saying is that she needs someone to take care of her while she’s Little.”
“Would you mind? I’ll try to get back there as fast as I can. Fuck, it’s going to take me at least thirty minutes to get there by the time I finish arguing with Samantha.”
“I can take care of her.”
It would be his privilege.
“I don’t really like this. Cate’s my sister and you’re still a stranger. You being a Daddy Dom . . . fuck, I guess that makes things easier. But she doesn’t know you and would likely be horrified if she found out about this.”
“Does she usually remember in the morning? Does this happen often?” Ethan asked.
“Not often, or I would have warned you. I should have anyway, but I didn’t want to breach her privacy. Plus, it hasn’t happened recently. Generally, it only occurs when something upsets her. She has night terrors, and then she’s kind of stuck in this state where she’s not asleep, but she’s not awake either. However, she always regresses.”
Ethan had a lot of questions, but he could see her getting restless. And he could find out the answer to those questions tomorrow.
“I have her. I can look after her if you need to stay with Samantha. But I don’t feel completely comfortable with it when she hasn’t consented to letting me Top her.”
“Which is why I’m coming home. Just keep her calm until I get there.”
“I’ll make her something to eat. She’s hungry.”
“Yeah, that happens a lot too. She doesn’t always remember to eat during the day. She likes ice cream.”
“Yes, we’ve had that conversation. Do not come back by yourself. Wake Seth and get him to bring you.”
He heard a murmur of voices in the background. Masculine, not Samantha’s shrill tone. Ethan turned away from the door for a moment.
“He’s already awake. He said he got a text from you.”
“I didn’t tell him anything,” Ethan told him quickly. “I wouldn’t break your sister’s privacy like that. And I won’t be saying anything unless it’s necessary for her safety.”
“Good. I’ll text you when we’re ten minutes out. Can you get her into her bedroom or mine, please? So he doesn’t see her.”
“Sure thing.”
Ethan ended the call and turned back to the doorway, nearly gasping as he saw her standing right there.
“Well, hello,” he said, wondering how long she’d been standing there.
Why had he turned away? Taken his eyes off her? And how the hell had he not heard her move? He was ex-Special Forces. No one ever managed to sneak up on him.
But he guessed he had been concentrating on his conversation.
“What are you doing out of bed?” he asked her.
“Hungry.” She rubbed her belly and slid past him.
“Catie-pie, didn’t I tell you to stay on the bed?” he said sternly.
“I gots bored. And my tummy is rumbling. And you’re all yap-yap-yap. Men are such chatterboxes.” She patted Lady as she said that.
“I was just talking to your brother,” he explained carefully.