Chapter Eight

Sinclair

"I have a present for you."

"Really?" Lyric's eyes light up, a soft smile overtaking her face. "But it isn't Christmas yet."

"No," I murmur, dragging her into my arms to nuzzle her neck. "But it's after midnight, which means it's Christmas Eve. And you've been a good girl today. Good girls should get a present early, don't you think?"

"Oh, yes, daddy," she breathes, practically quivering in anticipation. "I'll be good every year if I get presents early!"

I smile against her throat, certain she means it. My princess will be on her best behavior the day before Christmas Eve if it means she gets to open a present one day early. And I'll let her unwrap one before I unwrap her. It'll be our little tradition…the first of many.

Fuck. I never thought I'd look forward to something as much as I'm looking forward to creating traditions with her. I've never had many of those. I grew up without family. But I want a tradition for every holiday. One for every anniversary, every birthday, every year. We'll have hundreds of them, each designed to spoil her and make my fucking cock hard. Each started with love.

"What's my present?" she asks, making me grin. Lyric never has been very patient. She's never liked secrets much either. She can't keep them to save her life. If she thinks Lachlan didn't know how she felt about me until tonight, she's wrong. He's known since the beginning. I think he's just been waiting for one of us to crack.

It went a helluva lot better than I expected. Truthfully, I expected him to break my jaw for touching her. But I'm not questioning my good fortune. If Caitlin's the reason he's willing to entertain the thought of me marrying his baby sister, then I hope she makes him deliriously fucking happy.

"Come here and I'll give it to you." I scoop Lyric into my arms, carrying her out of the playroom and through the door into our bedroom. She wanted to stay at the cabin, but it's not nearly good enough for her. This is where she belongs.

The builders are just going to have to work faster to get everything finished ahead of schedule. I don't care how much it costs. This is her home now. I want her here where she belongs.

"I can't believe you built a whole house for me," she whispers in awe, gaping all around as if she didn't drag me through every room twice today.

"I'd have built you a castle with a tower and a moat if I thought it'd keep boys from looking at you, little girl," I growl, running my hand over the curve of her ass. "I'd lock you in the tower and keep you all to myself."

"Daddy," she groans.

"You think I'm joking?" I drop her on the bed, caging her in with my arms on either side of her head. "Daddy gets fucking crazy thinking about all the boys who look at you and want to touch you." A growl rumbles in my throat at the thought. "I'd keep you on daddy's dick with my tongue down your perfect throat every minute of the fucking day if I could."

"Yes," she moans, her back arching from the bed. "Do it, daddy."

"Jesus," I breathe, wrapping one hand around her delicate throat. "You'd let me, wouldn't you?"

Her dilated eyes meet mine. "Yes," she answers without hesitation. Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, an exaggerated guilty expression crossing her face. "You shouldn't touch me there, but I like it when you do, daddy."

"Fuck," I growl, cum dripping into my boxers. I lean down, taking her lips in a hard kiss. She moans into my mouth, greedy for more.

"Do bad things to me now, daddy," she pleads. "I promise I'll be quiet."

I bite her bottom lip, punishing her for taunting me. The little brat knows exactly what she's doing to me. She wants to make me crazy, wants to see my obsession with her run free. And it will. Christ, for the rest of our lives, it will.

But not yet.

I slip my hand into my pocket and pull out the ring I've been carrying for months. Maybe I should have wrapped it or something. I don't know. But this feels right. It feels like us.

"Marry me, princess," I whisper against her lips, reaching for her hand.

"W-what?"

"Marry me."

Her eyes fly open on a gasp as I slip the ring onto her finger. It fits perfectly. Not that there was any doubt about that. This girl is my world. I know everything about her.

"Sinclair," she says, her eyes wide. "Daddy. When did you…?"

"February 10th."

"My birthday."

I nod. "It's been in my pocket every day since, princess. You didn't have to ask Santa for me. I always intended to put it on your finger at Christmas."

"Really?"

"Why do you think I wanted those papers signed today?" I quirk a brow. "I wanted it done before I put my ring on your finger this weekend and pissed your brother off."

"He's happy for us," she whispers.

"I was making contingency plans in case he didn't take it well," I murmur.

"You really want to marry me?"

"God yeah, princess," I growl, nipping at her bottom lip and then kissing my way down her chest. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me. Say yes, little girl. Let daddy spend the rest of his life making you happy."

"Yes," she breathes, arching toward my mouth as my lips close over one hard nipple. "Oh, yes, daddy."

I shred her pretty top…and let my obsession run free.