Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Sadie pushed the cart onto the elevator. She'd volunteered to take the dishes back to the kitchen for them. Before the door closed, she mentioned to all the Daddies, "You know the Littles are going to be mad at you for banishing them from the planning meeting."

"Go upstairs with the others, Sadie," Rocco told her sternly.

The men watched the elevator doors close, and then they all leaned in together. Phoenix cleared his throat to draw their attention. "Before we get started, I want to thank you all for helping protect my Little girl."

"We're in this together. Even if we didn't have tokens to repay, I'd volunteer. I think I speak for all of us," Kestrel said, looking around the group for confirmation.

Their nods told Phoenix everything he needed to know. "Let's get started then. If we get the authorities involved, there's a likelihood that Lyra will become a suspect. It will also slow everything down as they'll need to confirm everything we tell them."

"So, we're the rescue force for Boyd, Karl, whatever his name is," Caesar said, shaking his head. "I don't suppose anyone has considered just leaving him there…?"

"Lyra would always blame herself." Phoenix held up a hand to hold off their responses. "It doesn't matter that the guy put her in danger over and over again."

"So, we get him out of this situation, and then he needs to go to jail somewhere so he can't cause Lyra any additional problems," Kestrel stated decisively.

"Definitely," Phoenix agreed. "I have no doubt that if we don't respond before the deadline, they'll come after Lyra next."

The men put their heads together and began to plot.

It didn't take long. In the morning, Kestrel would fly over the area where Boyd's phone had marked its location while Celeste and Magnus investigated the diamonds. Phoenix and Caesar planned to drive past the target and park off the road. Their approach by foot through the uninhabited space to the north should go unnoticed.

With that done, they debated the message to send to the kidnappers. Finally, they settled on this short message.

Do not harm Boyd. I don't know what goods you are talking about. What's going on?

The response came quickly.

Your manager was to transport two vials to Japan. He hid them in your case.

Tell me the location. I'll be there at noon.

Come alone to the petrol station on the road north of Danger Bluff.

I will send a representative in my place. That's not negotiable. Bring Boyd. That is not negotiable either.

Noon.

"They didn't promise anything there at the end. I don't like this setup," Rocco said. His brow was furrowed with worry.

"We'll have a few surprises for them," Magnus promised.

The men continued to make and refine their plan until they couldn't find any place to improve it.

"I'm going to get a few hours of sleep," Kestrel said, rubbing a hand over his face.

"We should all do that," Caesar suggested. "Especially you, Phoenix. Do I need to take a shift monitoring the screens?" Caesar asked Magnus.

"I'll set the system to alert me by phone if there are any problems," Magnus shared. "They're not coming tonight."

"I'll take the phone to charge. I'll monitor any new communications," Phoenix said.

"Damn, we forgot the cake," Rocco mentioned as they stepped onto the elevator.

"The girls would have killed us if we'd eaten it without them anyway," Magnus growled.

"Cake for breakfast tomorrow?" Caesar suggested.

"You'll never suggest that when your Little gets here. Have you seen the Little girls after all that sugar?" Kestrel joked.

"Just thinking of distractions. Waiting until noon will be tough on them," Caesar pointed out.

"Good point. Cake for a midmorning snack," Kestrel agreed and thumped Caesar on the back. "Yours will be here soon."

"What will we have to save her from?" Caesar wondered, running his hand through his hair in exasperation.

"Let's take care of Lyra first. Then we'll move on," Rocco suggested as the doors opened onto the fifth floor.

The group dispersed into the different apartments.

Phoenix stopped to trace the edges of one hairy foot on the tarantula now attached to their door. Spiders were starting to grow on him thanks to Lyra—at least unalive ones. He headed inside, eager to crawl in bed with his Little and her stuffie.

After brushing his teeth and undressing quietly in the bathroom, Phoenix turned off the light and opened the door. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of Lyra leaning against the opposite wall in a nightie. Her gaze swept over his nude body, and her cheeks were slightly pink.

"You should be asleep, Little girl, instead of ogling your Daddy."

"Mmmm. You are distracting," she admitted as she focused on one particular area.

"Eyes on mine, Little girl," Phoenix directed, his body already responding to her attention. "Why aren't you in bed?"

Slowly, Lyra raised her gaze to meet his. "I can't sleep. That picture of Boyd is stuck in my head. What if he's dead?"

"The super bad guys won't have any leverage over you if they kill the bad guy who's been putting you in danger," Phoenix assured her.

"I know. That's what I keep telling myself. What if they're so stupid they don't realize that?"

"Then Boyd is in trouble. The only person I care about is you, Little girl. I'm going to make sure you're safe."

"I'm scared."

"Let's go cuddle in bed, Crash."

"Okay. But I need to tell you something first. I love you, Daddy. I wasn't ready to tell you when you told me you loved me before. I am now. I love you so much."

Phoenix took a step forward to wrap her in his arms. Then he lifted her from the floor as he squeezed her against his hard body. Lyra flung her arms around his neck and hugged him back. She shivered when he pressed a warm kiss on her shoulder.

"I love you, Lyra Bloom. I'm so glad you crashed into my life."

"Even though I've brought all this mess to your doorstep?" she asked.

"You haven't caused any of this. There's only one bad guy involved here," Phoenix corrected her.

"There are the other bad guys that beat him up, too," Lyra pointed out.

"Boyd brought that on himself. And I'm definitely not his Daddy."

Lyra looked at him as those words registered in her mind. She giggled. "You as Boyd's Daddy. He'd never get to sit down!"

"Come on, giggles. Bed. We both need some sleep."

"Hmm. Could we do something before we go to sleep?" she whispered.

"Like play marbles?" he asked, placing her in bed and pulling up the covers.

"Daddy!" she hissed as he walked around the bed.

After connecting their phones to chargers on his side, Phoenix laid down and rolled over on his side to slide his arm under her pillow. Gathering her body to his, he pressed a hot, fierce kiss to her lips before asking, "Do you want me to make love to you, Crash?"

Lyra met his gaze directly and whispered, "Yes, please. I'll be a very good girl."

"Since you asked so politely, Little girl…" He tightened his arms around her and rolled onto his back, taking her with him. His hands helped her stabilize and rise to sit across his pelvis. "I think you should ride Daddy again. We both enjoy that position."

Shifting, Lyra teased him by brushing her bare pussy over his rapidly stiffening shaft. They both groaned in reaction to her movement, so she did it again. This time, Phoenix assisted by lifting his hips to grind against her.

"Daddy!"

"I think we need to get rid of this pretty nightie," he told her, tugging slightly at the hem. "Will you take this off for Daddy?"

"Me?" she asked, delighting him with the pink blush that appeared on her cheeks.

"Yes."

He watched her grab the bottom of her nightgown and lift it up slowly. Her awkwardness charmed him. Phoenix loved that she allowed him to push her out of her comfort zone. He rewarded her with caresses over the soft skin she revealed. Reaching for her breasts while her hands were lifted over her head, he cupped her rose-tipped mounds and curled his torso off the bed to capture one pert peak with his mouth. Lyra froze with her face covered by the material as he rolled her nipple between his lips.

Phoenix released her breasts to sweep his hands up her arms, freeing her from the soft nightie. He tossed it away before cupping her head and drawing her close. "You are a very good girl, Lyra. You deserve a reward, don't you?" he asked, his lips a fraction of an inch from hers.

"Please, Daddy. I'll keep being good. I promise."

"You won't. Daddy will have to spank your misbehaving bottom soon," he told her softly, stroking down her spine to cup one soft cheek and squeeze it gently. "And that's perfectly okay. I love you just as you are, Crash. Naughty and nice."

She nodded, focused only on his lips.

"Kiss me, Little girl."

Lyra hesitated for a fraction of a second before closing the gap and kissing him. Phoenix loved that her kiss wasn't tentative or soft. She asked for everything from him, and he gave it to her. Exchanging hungry kisses, they clung to each other as the world shrank around them.

Phoenix swept his hands over her soft curves. Caressing the sensitive places he knew she loved, he searched for new ways to please her. He cupped her bottom and moved her against his rigid cock, drawing a gasp from her lips against his. She shifted experimentally and shivered. Phoenix groaned as her beaded nipples brushed against his chest.

Her legs wrapped around his waist as she experimented. Each of her movements aroused him, making Phoenix wonder if he'd ever been so hard. He ripped his mouth from hers to press a line of kisses down her slender neck to her shoulder. There, he bit her just to the point of making her shudder against him. Raising his mouth, Phoenix felt something primal click into place inside him at the sight of his teeth marks. Damn, he loved this woman.

He needed to be inside her. Sweeping one hand between their bodies, Phoenix caressed her mound before dipping his fingers into her wetness. Her juices already coated his cock from her body rocking against his. He traced her opening and thrust two fingers deep into her pussy. Her quick inhale made him repeat the motion.

"It's not enough. Please," she panted.

Not wasting a second, he trailed his fingers down her sensitive inner wall and over her clit, making her gasp in response. Phoenix wrapped his hands around her waist to lift Lyra's body above him. With a quick shift of one hand to cup his erection, he drew a groan from his own lips as he rubbed it through her pink folds and into position. Pressing the head of his shaft to her wet opening, he drew her back down slowly.

When their bodies met, they were both breathing hard. He gave her a moment to adjust to him being so deep inside before giving her a small bounce over him.

"More," she demanded, squirming on his shaft.

Phoenix gave her what she wanted and more as he raised and lowered her over his cock. At the bottom of each stroke, he ground his pelvis against hers and felt the quiver of her channel around him as she got closer to climaxing. Her fingernails bit into his shoulders as she clung to him.

Smacking her bottom sharply as she wiggled against him, Phoenix felt her freeze before pressing her mouth against his in a frantic kiss. He repeated the action, and she exploded around him. The feel of her body squeezing him taxed his control, but Phoenix wasn't ready to let her rest yet. Gritting his teeth, he gentled his movements.

When her channel eased around him, Phoenix resumed his deep strokes. He slid his hands with ease over her body as the heat built. The scent of their bodies blended in his nostrils, arousing his most base instincts to mark her as his—to fill her with his seed.

"Damn, Little girl. You test my control," he growled against her lips before kissing Lyra fiercely.

"Make us come together, Daddy," she urged.

He increased the speed of his thrusts. Trailing his fingers down her spine, Phoenix spread her bottom and heard her gasp of arousal. He released one sweet cheek to trace a finger to that usually hidden entrance. She pushed her hips slightly out to welcome his touch, and Phoenix rewarded her. Scooping up a bit of her juices, he pressed through that tight ring of muscles to dip into her heat.

With a cry, Lyra climaxed. Phoenix pounded into her contracting heat and dropped his rigid control. Erupting inside her, he filled her body with his come and marked her as his. Forever.