Page 25 of Ace

“Ah. Of course not.” Lizzie was well into Little space now, and whatever bullshit she had been carting around when she first got there seemed to be gone.

She returned a few minutes later, with Bert in hand, and slid back into bed, clutching the covers tightly around her.

Ace turned on the TV and the movie began, but his mind was not on the cartoon as much as the Little girl beside him. What was she hiding?

Chapter 10

Lizzie

The lie festered in her tummy all through the movie, all through the snack Daddy had made her before bed, during the heavy makeout session they’d had and was still festering the next morning when she woke up in bed next to him. Waking up next to her Daddy on her day off should have felt amazing, but instead she felt slightly nauseous. And she had to paste on a smile and fake it until she made it because it wasn’t like she could tell him. It wasn’t like she should have to even. The lie had happened before they’d been in a relationship of any sort, and it wasn’t like he’d ever find out. She just needed to get past the guilt and push it down.

That was what she told herself as they laid lazily in bed, and when he took her to the bathroom to help her go potty, and when he helped her dress in a cute Little outfit for the day. She chose the dress he’d bought her the last time she was here in honor of their trip to the aquarium later.

She tried to teach him how to put braids in her hair, but in the end it was easier to just do it herself. He could practice later when they didn’t have things to do and stingrays to see!

“Come on, Daddy! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” She bounced in place as she waited for Ace to get dressed. He was taking forever, and her complaining didn’t make him move any faster.

He smiled indulgently at her, sitting on the edge of the bed with only his jeans and socks on.

“Hold your horses, little one. The dining hall isn’t even open for breakfast yet, and the aquarium won’t be open for hours. Same with the amusement park. There’s time.”

Scowling, she glanced at the clock. “It’ll be open soooo soon, and we will still just be sitting here for no reason! You’re just going slow to torture me.”

“Maybe.” Her Daddy grinned. “Or maybe I’m just not much of a morning person.”

“You were a teacher,” she argued. “Teachers hafta get up early!”

“Maybe so, but I haven’t been a teacher for a few months now, so I’m spoiled.”

“Well, get unspoiled! We have things to do and breakfast is the most important meal of the day!”

“All right, all right, all right.” He pointed to the closet. “Pick me out a shirt since you have so much energy, and get me my vest and boots, please.”

Daddy’s closet was all dress shirts and band t-shirts, with a few Harley Davidson shirts thrown in for good measure. Considering very carefully, she selected a gray pin-striped dress shirt, and brought it to him, unbuttoning it as she walked because she was sure waiting for him to do it would take forever.

“Here you go, Daddy!” she said when she handed it to him. “I unbuttoned it for you and everything.”

Ace threw his head back and laughed at her antics. “Anything to save a few minutes, huh?”

“Well, if you weren’t so slow,” she grumbled. He just shook his head and shrugged into the shirt, taking his time doing up the buttons. While she waited, she brought him his vest and boots and sat down on the bed beside him.

“I’m sorry, Daddy, I’m so impatient. I’m just soo excited.”

He did up the last button—the third from the top and leaned over and kissed her nose. “I’m glad you’re excited, little one. Today is gonna be a good day.”

He started rolling up his sleeves and her bouncing stopped as she watched mesmerized. She’d seen her Daddy wear rolled-up sleeves before but watching him roll them up sent shivers down her spine. The act alone was so sexy, and when he was done, she could see his muscular tattooed forearms and his large, strong hands.

She couldn’t stop looking even as he put on his vest over his shirt and pulled up his boots before disappearing into the bathroom to finish getting ready. When he came out a few minutes later, he smelled like mint and citrus, and looked good enough to make her want to forget all about breakfast and just eat him instead, but he walked to the door and held out his hand, beckoning her to join him.

“Daddy,” she said as they walked down the hall to the giant staircase, “would you be mad if I ate breakfast with my friends? If they are there, I mean?”

Daddy snickered. “Would you be mad if I ate with mine?”

“No, not today. We’re gonna spend the whole day together.”

“Exactly.” He squeezed her hand three times as they reached the bottom of the staircase and made their way to the dining hall.

“I wonder what’s for breakfast today,” Daddy mused.