Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Wyatt smiled. “Did you have a stuffed Eeyore growing up, kitten?”
She shook her head. “No. I…didn’t have many toys. But I had books. My mother took me to the library a lot. When I was young, she read all of the Winnie the Pooh books to me. I loved Eeyore from a very young age. I guess he called to me. His brooding sadness or something.”
Wyatt frowned. “Were you sad, Lark?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think so. I didn’t know any better. More like jealous of the things other kids had. I used to beg my father to buy me toys. Eventually, I gave up. Even for Christmas I got practical things like clothes and socks.”
“Where are your parents now?”
“They died several years ago. They had me late in life, so they were older.”
“I’m sorry. Do you have any siblings?”
She shook her head. “No. I was an only child. I moved to this area soon after I turned eighteen, put myself through college, and made a life for myself.”
Wyatt smiled. “You’ve definitely done that. Half the town knows you, and your reputation as a realtor is stellar.”
Lark shrugged. She wasn’t very good at taking compliments. “I guess I just have a knack for selling homes.”
“It’s a talent, kitten. Don’t sell yourself short. I’m proud of you. You’ve worked hard. You’re a strong woman with amazing skills that include power tools.” He winked.
She giggled. “I never wanted to be reliant on a man like my mother was. I think half the reason she died soon after my father was because she didn’t have the skills to take care of herself, so she just stopped living.”
“I’m guessing you grew up in a traditional patriarchal household then?”
She nodded. “That’s putting it mildly. My father was very demanding and controlling. That’s why I’m leery about anything related to BDSM.” She shuddered and leaned back, putting a few inches between them even though he was still holding her.
Part of her needed space. She wished he would let her go so she could catch her breath, but she also loved the way he held her. It almost seemed like he was keeping her from falling apart while she shared her childhood with him. She wasn’t sure she liked the feeling though.
Wyatt’s brow furrowed. “BDSM is many things to many people, Lark, but I don’t think it looks like what you’re envisioning for most people. It’s a power exchange. No one can dominate you without your permission and extensive negotiation.”
Lark stared at him. She didn’t know what he meant, but she did know she should stop this thing from growing between them. “I don’t think I can be submissive, Wyatt.” She shuddered. “I know you saw me at Blaze that one night, but that’s the only time I’ve been there. Ellie asked me to come as her guest to help Daisy plan and sketch the flowers she wanted to paint on her walls.”
Lark shook her head vehemently to emphasize her words. “I’m not into whips and chains and stuff like that.”
Wyatt flinched. “Bondage and intense impact play are only a few of the aspects of the fetish community, kitten. I’m not into those things either. Well, except for spanking when they’re warranted.” He winked at her and grinned as if spanking wasn’t something he considered hardcore BDSM.
Lark chewed on her bottom lip. Ellie and Daisy and the other women she knew weren’t into all that either. From what she’d seen with Ellie and her Daddy, she knew Ellie probably enjoyed getting spanked. How confusing. Intellectually, Lark understood there was a difference.
“In addition, I would never, ever ask you to give up the side of you who is independent and fully capable of taking care of yourself. That’s why I want you to come to my self-defense classes, Lark. To give you even more confidence. I love those aspects about you. My poor heart nearly flipped over in my chest when you held up that power tool.” He grinned.
She flushed. Why did she so easily get embarrassed around him? And then she frowned in confusion. “Then what makes you think I can be Little?”
Wyatt’s hands shifted to the small of her back and he eased her closer again. “Kitten, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. You can be both. Lots of people are just like you. They work high-power jobs during the day, and then they’re exhausted when they get home and they like someone else to step in and pamper them.”
Lark thought about his words. Oddly, they made sense. She nearly always groaned at the end of the day when she got home and still had to cook and clean and take care of the rest of her life.
Wyatt’s voice dipped to that soothing lower tone again. “Wouldn’t it be nice to come home to a Daddy who swept you into his arms and let you relax and be yourself for a few hours in the evening?”