Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
He pointed at the chair. “Sit. Let me dry your hair before we go downstairs.”
“I can do it, Daddy.” She reached for the comb he’d picked up again.
“Nope. Daddy will get you ready for the day as often as I can because I like taking care of you.”
She sat and closed her eyes, going into her head while he turned on the hairdryer. Her world had changed drastically since her Daddy had walked into the laundry room and claimed her. She didn’t even recognize herself. Who was this woman-slash-Little-girl, who wore a pink dress and spent the night naked, lying in a man’s arms?
“Pigtails or braids?” Kestrel asked when he turned off the hairdryer.
She opened her eyes and stared at herself in the mirror. “Pigtails?” She had no idea. Like the dress, she would try one style and see how she felt.
Her Daddy deftly parted her hair down the middle, gathered one side, and secured a low pigtail right behind her ear. After he did the same on the other side, he added soft pink ribbons that matched her dress, tying them in pretty bows and then leaving the long tails hanging down her pigtails.
“How’d I do, Little Swan?”
Tears came to her eyes. “It’s perfect, Daddy,” she murmured.
He leaned over her and kissed her forehead. “There’s a pair of matching ballet slippers next to the bed. How about if you brush your teeth and grab them so we can get downstairs?”
She quickly rose and grabbed her toothbrush, knowing he was probably pushing the clock a bit. Hurrying to join him, she grabbed the flats, slipped them on, and took just a moment to stare down at herself. The shoes fit perfectly, of course. Everything in her world was perfect lately.
Now, she had to hope this wasn’t the calm before the storm.
Chapter Seventeen
“Storms are moving in.” Those were the first words out of Magnus’s mouth as Zara stepped out of the elevator with her Daddy. When Magnus spun around to face them, he abruptly stopped, his lips parted as though he were about to say more.
Zara flushed. He was staring at her.
“Magnus…” Kestrel warned.
Magnus jerked his attention to Kestrel and swallowed. “Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting…”
The old fear that had always consumed Zara crept back into her as she wrapped her arm around her Daddy’s and took a step behind him to hide. Maybe the dress hadn’t been such a good idea. She could feel the tension coming from Kestrel.
Magnus spoke again. “I’m truly sorry, Zara. You just surprised me, is all. I’ve only seen you in jeans, baggy shirts, ball caps and sneakers. You look very pretty. I won’t say another word.”
She tipped her head back to look at her Daddy’s expression. He was scowling at Magnus, but his face softened a bit as the seconds passed. Finally, he looked down at her. “He’s right, Little Swan. Everyone might be surprised when they first see you because they aren’t used to this style. I promise you can trust my teammates to treat you with respect.”
She wasn’t sure if her Daddy was saying that for her ears or as a warning to Magnus. Either way, she decided to be brave. She rose on her tiptoes, kissed her Daddy’s cheek, and turned to skip toward the lab in search of Celeste.
She didn’t look back, not wanting to know if one or both men were watching her. But she could hear them speaking in low voices not meant for her ears, and she could imagine her Daddy was chastising Magnus. She felt sorry for the computer guru. It really hadn’t been his fault. She had to expect people to do a double take today, taking them off guard like this.
In fact, Celeste had nearly the same reaction when she turned around to face Zara. “Oh. Wow.” Her eyes went wide. “That dress is so pretty.”
Zara blew out a long breath. Celeste couldn’t have said anything more perfect. And again, with the “perfects.” “Thank you. Daddy bought it for me.” Zara glanced down again and admitted, “It’s been a long time since I’ve dressed in anything so revealing. I’m kind of nervous.”
“No need. Sadie and I wear a lot of dresses when we’re Little. Both our Daddies like to dress us, too.” She had on a lab coat, but she unbuttoned the front of it to reveal a pretty yellow dress that was even more revealing and shorter than Zara’s pink one.
Zara smiled. “I love your dress, too.” She breathed out a sigh of relief. If Celeste and Sadie wore cute clothes, Zara wouldn’t feel like she stood out. She reminded herself not to panic every time each member of the team saw her today. Four more men and Sadie were going to go wide-eyed with shock. It was okay. They weren’t ogling her or planning to kidnap her and sell her into sex trafficking. They were simply going to be surprised. That was all.