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  Donovan followed, unable to shake the feeling he’d just been played.

  Chapter Seven

  Lainey

  Lainey curled up on the far end of the sofa, as far as she could get from him. The sting from those two slaps he’d given her thighs had long since faded, but the ache in her chest lingered.

  The rainbow had caught her by surprise, but not as much as the feelings tied to it. She’d been a complete moron, imagining she was falling in love with a man she’d only known a few hours. Sure, he’d been an amazing and attentive lover. But good sex didn’t equal love.

  The pizza she’d been looking forward to tasted like cardboard, but she ate it anyway. She was going to need her strength if everything Daddy had told her was true. If she was really a Variant and people were hunting her, she needed to escape.

  There wasn’t much of an “if” left for the first part of the equation. Not after she’d watched the rain disappear and the sun go bright as a summer day while he’d pleasured her. And then there’d been that stupid rainbow. How had she never made the connection before? Well, that part was easy enough. Even though the first Variant gene had been discovered over fifty years ago, those with powers gifted to them by the gene mostly remained hidden. Before Daddy, she’d never met another Variant that she knew of, and there were precious few resources available to the general public. It wasn’t like there were special classes in school to teach Variant kids how to control the weather.

  So, she was definitely a Variant. And if he’d been telling the truth about those men breaking into her apartment, there wasn’t much doubt about the rest of it, either. Which meant she needed to get as far away from here as possible.

  “Earth to Lainey.”

  Daddy’s voice snapped her out of her contemplation. It would be nice if she knew his fucking name so she could stop thinking of him as Daddy. “What?”

  He raised an eyebrow, but no further rebuke came. For a moment, she thought he was going to say something about what had happened between them. Instead, he just asked, “Finished with your pizza?”

  Just like a man to completely ignore the elephant in the room. Well, if he could act like everything was just fine, she could, too. “Yeah.”

  When he stood and reached for her plate, she focused on his hand. Lightning was basically electricity, right? Maybe if she tried, she could just give him a little…

  “Fuck!” The plate clattered to the floor and he glared at her, shaking his hand.

  “What?” she asked, widening her eyes and hoping she looked convincingly innocent.

  “Don’t give me that shit. You know exactly what.”

  Ignoring the guilt twisting her tummy into knots, she pouted up at him. “I didn’t do anything, Daddy.”

  His eyes narrowed but he didn’t say anything more as he picked up the plate and carried it to the kitchen. After depositing their plates in the sink, he walked back to the couch and the two stared at each other silently for a long, awkward minute before he finally spoke. “We should get to bed. We’ve got shit to do tomorrow.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, she tilted her chin up. “I’m not sleepy.”

  “I don’t care, sunshine. I said it’s time for bed.” His voice had gone from conversational to hard and unyielding in a heartbeat.

  In the short time they’d known each other, she’d learned what that voice meant. She could comply or get her ass whipped. In deference to her still sore butt, she pushed off the couch and followed him, stomping a little to make it clear she was obeying under protest.

  In the bedroom, he pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside, on top of what she assumed was a pile of dirty clothes. When he repeated the process with his pants and headed for the bed, she cleared her throat.

  Turning, he listed an eyebrow at her quiet protest. “What’s wrong, sunshine? You’ve already seen what I have to offer.”

  Her cheeks warmed at the memory. “I know. I just thought you were going to sleep somewhere else.” Anywhere else but tucked into bed beside her like they were a happy little couple.

  “Nope. I like my bed. I like it even better with you in it,” he added with a wink and a lopsided grin.

  She was not going to get all weak-kneed because of that sexy smile. “Fine. Your way as usual,” she added under her breath.

  The corners of his lips dipped down. “Are you still upset about the rainbow?”

  “No.” The lie rolled off her tongue easily enough, but it left a sour taste behind. Of course she was upset about the rainbow. She’d felt things with him and for him she’d never felt with another man, and he’d slapped her for it.

  “Look, I’m sorry if your feelings got hurt, but I’ve told you a dozen times you have to listen to me.” Combing his fingers through his hair, he gave her a hard look. “Do what you’re told, when you’re told, no questions and I won’t have to punish you. Got it?”

  “Yeah.” The single word response came with a healthy dose of attitude, but whatever. At least when he was spanking her, it seemed like he cared about her.

  Daddy opened his mouth like he was going to correct her, but after a moment he just shook his head and climbed into bed.

  Lainey followed him, for once not caring that she hadn’t taken her makeup off or washed her face. Rolling onto her side, she faced the window and feigned sleep. She waited until she heard his soft snoring before she let the rains come.

  He was gone when she woke in the morning. The sun was shining when she opened her eyes, but it didn’t take long for it to cloud over. Dammit, she really needed to break the stupid connection between her powers and her emotions. Or at least learn to control it better. Keeping it under wraps last night had completely drained her. No wonder she’d slept so late.

  After using the bathroom and finally washing her face, she wandered out to the kitchen. Daddy had left her a note on the counter, letting her know her options for breakfast were pretty much cold pizza or beer-soaked Cheerios. The note also held a dire warning about staying put in the apartment, which had her rolling her eyes. Like she’d be stupid enough to repeat that mistake with welts and bruises still covering her ass.

  Ignoring the breakfast suggestions in the note, she grabbed what was left of her ice cream from the night before. Flopping onto the couch, she grabbed the remote off the coffee table. Typical man – a fifty-dollar, obviously second-hand couch but the TV was brand new. Whatever, at least she wouldn’t be bored.

  On her second round through the insanely long list of channels, a commercial caught her eye. She flipped back and stopped on the pair of smiling faces. “We at the Church of the Divine Variance invite you to our Thursday night meet-and- greet. Visit our website to find a local gathering near you.”

  The Church of the Divine Variance. She’d seen a few commercials for it here and there over the past few months, but she’d never paid much attention. Now she was wondering what else she might have missed that could help her navigate her newly discovered powers and possibly help her escape the people who were hunting her.

  Since she didn’t have a phone, she hunted around the apartment until she found an old, battered laptop. When she opened the lid, she said a little prayer of thanks when she wasn’t prompted for a password. She did a search for the church and spent an hour going over their website.

  This was perfect. The church not only had their weekly meet-and-greets, they openly offered sanctuary to any Variant who found themselves without a place to stay. They also had lessons on controlling and using your powers. It was exactly what she needed to hide from Rose Corp and learn more about her powers.

  Now she just had to convince Daddy.

  Chapter Eight

  Donovan

  Donovan swore under his breath as he maneuvered the bulky grocery bags through the elevator door. Did people really do this shit all the time? There had to be a better way to feed a family.

  Not that he had a family now, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time. He’d made it his entire adult life without o
ne, and there was no sense in getting attached now. Even if the attachment did come with legs a mile long and smoke gray eyes a man could lose himself in for hours.

  Dropping the bags in front of this apartment, he dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He kicked it open and once again was tasked with shifting and juggling a fuck-ton of food through the small doorway.

  “What the hell did you do? Buy the whole grocery store?” Lainey was stretched out on the couch, watching him with obvious amusement.

  Glaring at her, he kicked the door shut behind him. “I didn’t know what you liked.”

  “Oh.” She at least had the grace to look a little ashamed. “That was nice, but you didn’t have to.”

  “Yeah, I did.” He hauled the bags into the small kitchen. “I don’t know how long you’re going to be here, we need to eat, and I can’t risk dragging you out in the open right now. And I’m sure there’s a reason we shouldn’t eat pizza every night, even if I don’t know what the hell it might be.”

  She rolled off the couch and padded over to the kitchen. Fuck him, she was wearing those tiny little shorts again. And when she bent over to grab a bag off the floor, they rode up high enough for him to see the bruises his belt had left on her ass. Maybe it made him an asshole, but damn if he didn’t enjoy seeing his marks on her.

  “So, um, I’ve been thinking.” Her tone put him on alert. “I can’t stay here forever.”

  “I know.” Opening the fridge, he dumped the fruit he’d randomly selected into a drawer. “I’m working on it. I know some people who might be able to help.”

  “Okay. But I was thinking, what about the church?”

  “The church?” It took a minute for him to realize what she was talking about. “You mean those whackos who believe we’re all gifts from God or whatever? No way.”

  “Why not? They have connections. They’ll help us.”

  Shaking his head, he grabbed a box of cereal and tried to figure out where the hell it should go. “I don’t trust them. They’ll want to put you on display, which will just make you a bigger target.”

  She rolled her eyes. “They have tons of members and none of them have been attacked by anybody.”

  “That you know of.” Picking a cabinet at random, he shoved the box of cereal inside. “The answer is no. It’s too big of a risk. End of discussion, little girl.”

  “Ugh.” A cabinet door slammed shut and lightning flashed outside as she stomped back to the couch. “Fine. I guess you’re stuck with me. Asshole,” she mumbled.

  Jesus. How the hell had he gotten himself into this mess? By being a goddamn Good Samaritan and look how that had turned out. Not that it was fair to her, either. She’d lost her job, her home, basically her entire life in the space of twenty-four hours. Of course, she was pinning her hopes on whoever she could find. Who could blame her?

  Donovan blew out a breath and put the last of the groceries away before joining her in the living room. Sitting on the edge of the coffee table, he dangled his hands between his knees, and grudgingly offered a compromise. “Let me call some people and put some feelers out about the church. Then we can decide if it’s a good move. Deal?”

  She pouted and rolled her eyes. “You mean you’ll decide if it’s a good move.”

  “Probably. Which I know pisses you off, but you have to trust me, sunshine. I’m trying to protect you.” He tried for a playful smile. “Daddy knows best.”

  Her lower lip was still pushed out, but she couldn’t hide the flush on her cheeks. “Okay.”

  “Okay.” Donovan tapped his fist on his knee, wracking his brain for something to cheer her up. “Since we’re stuck together, how about a little practice?”

  The pout finally disappeared. “Practice?”

  “Yeah. Hiding you away isn’t going to help anything if freak storms follow you around. You need to learn to control it.”

  Shifting in her seat, she shrugged. “I’m working on it.”

  “Good. Stand up.”

  Pushing off the couch, she crossed her arms and scowled at him. “What now?”

  “Watch the attitude, sunshine,” he warned. “Or this won’t be nearly as fun as I want it to be.” He left her standing there while he went back to the kitchen and filled a bowl with water. Despite her still crossed arms, he could tell her curiosity was getting the better of her. Donovan placed the bowl on the table before sitting in the middle of the couch and patting his knee. “Come on, sunshine.”

  She eyed his lap warily. “Why?”

  It was a legitimate question, given their short history together. He reminded himself to be patient with her. “Because I said so. And good girls do as they’re told.”

  “I don’t want a spanking,” she said with a whine he should have found grating, but it was damn near adorable coming from her.

  Grinning up at her, he patted his knee again. “You’ll like this one. Promise.”

  She didn’t look convinced, but she placed herself over his lap anyway. Ignoring her squeal of protest, he tugged her shorts and panties to her knees. “Got some bruises, sunshine,” he said, giving each cheek a gentle squeeze.

  “Whose fault is that?”

  “Good question. Who didn’t obey the rules?” He squeezed harder, until she drummed her feet against the couch cushion.

  “Ow! Daddy, stop!”

  “I love hearing you whine and beg, sunshine.” Her little growl just served to harden his already painful erection. With more than a little reluctance, he released his hold on her ass. “All right. Time to practice. Focus on the water. See if you can make a cloud.”

  “A cloud?”

  Chuckling, he patted her bottom. “Yeah. Like in the sky, but smaller. With just that water.”

  She turned her head to the side to study the bowl. “I don’t know how to make a cloud.”

  “Well, neither do I. Just think fluffy. Fuck if I know.” He couldn’t help but smile at her delighted giggle.

  “Think fluffy? Really?”

  “Yes, really.” He rubbed her bottom to help her relax. “How are clouds made? It’s just water, right? The water evaporates and then it kind of, you know, clusters up and then it falls down again.”

  “Listen to you, Professor Daddy.”

  “Smart ass little girl. Focus on the damn water, would you?”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied with a snappy salute. He answered with a solid smack to the middle of her ass, making her yelp.

  “Okay, okay! I’m focusing!”

  For several seconds, nothing happened. Lainey kicked her foot against the couch again and huffed. “It’s too hard!”

  “No, it’s not, sunshine. Just focus.” He tried to think of what might help her as he rubbed her bottom. “Think of the summer sun on a lake. Think of how the sun feels on your skin. Imagine the heat of it. Can you feel it?”

  “Sort of.”

  “Okay. Now, imagine that heat on the water. Slowly warming it until it evaporates and turns into a big, fluffy cloud.”

  Another minute passed in silence before she kicked the couch again. “I can’t do it! I’m too stupid.”

  Donovan lifted his hand and swung it down hard enough to make her jump. “You are not stupid. If you keep talking shit, you’ll go another round with my belt.”

  Her demeanor changed instantly from pouty insolent brat to sweet and agreeable little girl. “Daddy, no! I’ll be good!”

  “Then stop making excuses and make a cloud,” he growled, swatting her again.

  She sighed with more than a little aggravation, but she didn’t protest further. The seconds dragged by, but after a bit, a light fog began to form on the surface of the water.

  “Oh!” Lainey jerked away from the bowl like it had tried to bite her. “Oh my God! Daddy, look!”

  “I see, sunshine.” The fog was already fading, but she’d done it. “Focus. Try to lift the fog higher. We want a cloud, remember?”

  “I’ll try.”

  She went quiet again and the fog grew
denser with each passing second. When it was more white than gray, it shook a bit and raised up an inch or so above the bowl.

  “There you go, sunshine. Just a little higher and then hold it there.”

  “It’s hard,” she whispered.

  “I know. But you’re strong.” The cloud lifted another couple of inches. “Good girl. I’m going to spank you now and I want that cloud to stay where it is. Got it?”

  The cloud began to darken. “Don’t want a spanking.”

  “Cheer up, sunshine.” When he swatted her again, she let out a low moan. Oh yeah, little Lainey liked having her bottom smacked as much as he enjoyed smacking it. The cloud started to dissipate, so he smacked her again, a little harder. “Focus on the cloud, Lainey.”

  “I can’t focus right now!”

  “Why not?” He spanked her again, two heavy swats to each of her sit spots. The cloud began to break apart with her squeals.

  “Because you’re spanking me, dumbass!”

  “Focus on the cloud, little girl. You’re annoyed with me? Fine. Channel it. Use it.” The little cloud steadied and darkened some more. “I’m going to spank you again. A lot harder this time, because I’m not too keen on you calling me names. If that cloud disappears, I’m going to get mean.”

  “You are mean.”

  “Yeah, I know.” With that settled, he focused on paddling her cute little bottom. From the first swat she was squealing and squirming over his lap. “Focus, Lainey. Whatever you’re feeling, put it into the cloud.”

  “It hurts! Daddy, I’m sorry, I won’t be bad anymore!”

  Ignoring her pleas, he moved down to the tops of her thighs. He glanced up, pride washing over him when he noticed the cloud was in place. It was darker than before and he could have sworn he saw a mini flash of lightning, but she kept the cloud intact. When her bottom was a nice, bright pink, he stopped and rubbed her heated skin. She whimpered pitifully, which should have made him feel like a heel. But he couldn’t quite bring himself to feel bad about it. Especially when her whimpers turned to moans and she lifted her hips, pressing her bottom more firmly against his hand. “Ready for your next lesson, sunshine?”