She looked horrified. “Right now?”
“Yes.”
“You’re mean.”
“You’ll survive.”
Dani crossed her arms. “Maybe.” God, she was impossible. Jonnas shook two vitamins into his palm before holding them out toward her. She looked at them like they’d personally offended her entire bloodline. “No.”
One eyebrow lifted slowly. “No?”
“They smell weird,” she said, wrinkling her nose at them.
“They’re vitamins, not candy,” he said.
“I hate this,” she grumbled. Jonnas bit back a smile. Something about the entire interaction felt absurdly natural.Like they’d been doing this for years instead of barely navigating whatever this relationship between them actually was.
“Open,” he ordered. Dani stared at him. His voice had shifted slightly and was firmer now, but not harsh. It was just steady enough that her body reacted instantly. He saw it happen—her tiny inhale, the way her thighs pressed together subtly, and the immediate flush climbing her cheeks that made Jonnas’s pulse kick harder.
Slowly, Dani opened her mouth. That should not have been hot, and yet somehow it absolutely was. Jonnas placed the vitamins carefully onto her tongue before handing her a glass of water. Her eyes never left his while she swallowed. The tension between them thickened instantly.
“You liked that,” he said quietly.
Dani nearly choked on the water. “No, I didn’t.”
“Liar,” he breathed.
“I am not lying.”
“Baby girl.” Those two words made her shiver. Jonnas watched the reaction carefully, his chest tightening with something deeper than lust. She trusted him enough to let go around him—enough to respond honestly even when it embarrassed her, and that mattered more than she probably realized.
Dani set the glass down quickly. “You keep looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you know what I want and need.” Jonnas stepped closer slowly until her lower back brushed the counter behind her.
“Maybe I do,” he breathed. Her breathing turned uneven immediately. His hand settled lightly against her hip. “Too much?” he asked, not wanting to push her too quickly.
Dani shook her head almost instantly. “No.” Relief moved through him fast and fierce. That was good because he was trying very hard not to completely drown in whatever this was becoming between them.
“You know what I think?” he murmured.
“What?” she asked.
“I think you’ve spent so long denying yourself comfort that now you don’t know what to do with it when you have it.” Emotion flickered across her face immediately, and there it was again—that look she got whenever he saw through her too easily.
“You make me feel—” She stopped herself.
“What do I make you feel, Dani?” he asked.
Dani swallowed hard.
“Little,” she breathed. Jonnas went still. She didn’t say that he made her feel childish or weak—just little. The distinction mattered. He could tell by the vulnerability in her eyes when she admitted it.
“Safe little?” he asked quietly.
Her entire body softened instantly. “Yes.” Fuck. That answer settled somewhere deep and dangerous inside him, because hearing her say it out loud made him want things he had no business wanting this quickly. Caretaking, routine, rules, bedtimes, soft praises, and even a future. All the things that they both seemed to crave. He needed that control, and Dani seemed to need it too.