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Charlie shrugged, looking embarrassed. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Charlie,” Clint said in a soft rumble. She peeked up at his brother. “Something you know that we don’t?”

“Oh, it’s just...I shouldn’t say. It’s not fair to Abby.”

“What’s not?” Kent asked.

Charlie glanced at Clint then him. “I’ve just noticed the way she stares at you when we’re at the diner. She, well, I think she might have a small crush on you.”

A crush on him? He remembered the feel of her lips against his, tentative and warm. The way she’d let him lead, relaxing into the kiss.

“I kissed her,” he blurted out.

Shit.

Charlie’s face lit up. Clint just seemed thoughtful. Charlie clapped her hands together, bouncing up and down on the stool. “You did? That’s great! Abby is so lovely. She’s pretty shy but once you get to know her, she...” she trailed off, her face falling. “Why do you look like that?”

“I’d say because he regrets kissing her, that right?” Clint asked him point-blank.

“It wasn’t exactly the kiss I regret. But yeah, I suppose that’s partly it.” He took a deep breath. “She’s a Little.”

“I thought she was,” Charlie said excitedly. Then she bit her lip. “Oh, you don’t want a relationship with a Little.”

“No. I’m not a Daddy Dom. And Abby, she’s definitely a Little. She needs someone who will guide her out of her shell. She doesn’t need someone to tie her up, blindfold her and paddle her ass before fucking it.”

“Maybe she needs both,” Clint said quietly.

“No. Not Abby.” He ran his hand over his face.

“You’re attracted to her, though. You kissed her.”

“Yeah, and then I made a mistake and called myself her...her daddy. I don’t know why I said it. It must have been because I knew it was what she needs. I don’t know. But I couldn’t lead her on. She’s not a casual fling type and I can’t be what she needs.”

“And you don’t think she can be what you need,” Charlie said sadly.

“And yet, you send someone to check on her because Eden is worried. You put a new lock on her door. You order new tires for her car—”

“How did you know that?” he asked. They hadn’t even arrived yet.

Clint raised an eyebrow, his expression telling him he was an idiot. “I know everything that happens on this ranch. You care about this girl, you’re attracted to her, the only thing that doesn’t gel with you is that you don’t think you can be her daddy and you don’t think she can be your submissive in bed. That right?”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Bullshit.”

“What?” Kent glared at his brother.

“That’s bullshit. Kent, you haven’t been serious about a woman for years. Even the girlfriends you did have didn’t last long. Why was that?”

He shrugged. “We grew apart.”

“They weren’t fulfilling your needs,” Clint countered. “You may think you only want a sub in the bedroom, but you’re nearly as much of a control freak as I am.”

Kent snorted. He turned to share that joke with Charlie, but she was nodding. “You are. You just hide that part of you better than he does.”

“See no point in pretending to be something I’m not,” Clint said. “You can either love me or hate me.”

“I’m not a Daddy Dom. I travel all the time. I work crazy hours. I have a lot of responsibility. I can’t be responsible for a Little.”