She studies my gaze for a long time. “She really is, isn’t she?”
“Always has been,” I tell her. “Always will be.”
I continue on to my room. The bed looks cold and lonely, but I console myself with the notion that as soon as this trip is over, Astrid and I will spend every night together for the rest of our lives. I’m in the middle of brushing my teeth when my phone vibrates with an incoming call. I check the ID—Astrid. I rinse my mouth quickly and answer.
The first thing she says to me is, “You forgot to wish me a Merry Christmas.”
“How forgetful of me,” I say with a chuckle. “Merry Christmas, baby girl.”
She sighs sweetly, and the sound warms my chest like a shot of straight whiskey.
“Merry Christmas, Daddy.” Her flirty tone isn’t lost on me, but I promised her mother and Dory that we’d keep things family friendly. “You feel so far away.”
“I’m not that far away.”
“It feels like you are.”
I slide into bed and switch off the light. “Christmas morning will be here before you know it.”
“If that’s true, then why does the night before Christmas feel like the longest night of the year?” She pauses. “I wish you were here.”
“So do I. But we made promises, baby girl.”
“We promised we wouldn’t sneak into each other’s rooms. I’m still in my room. Are you still in yours?”
I can’t help chuckling. My smart little cookie would devise a phone-sex loophole. “I am in my room. And if you were here, I’d tell you to go back to yours.”
“And if I said no?”
“I’d throw your bratty ass over my shoulder and take you back there myself.”
“Would you spank me?”
My hand tightens around the phone. I’m not used to contending with Astrid’s defiant side; it’s quite the turn on. “I might, if you push me.”
“What happens if I push you?” She whimpers. From the way she’s breathing, I suspect she’s already playing with herself.
“Are you wet, baby?”
“Uh huh,” she says.
Fuck me, I can already feel my balls tightening.
“How many fingers can you fit inside your pussy?”
“Right now, just two.”
“Try for three.” I hold my breath, listening for the tell-tale gasp that confirms she’s following my orders like Daddy’s good girl. “Did you get the third one in, baby?”
She whimpers. “Oh, god... It’s in.”
“Hold the phone down by your pussy. I want to hear you fuck yourself.”
In the dark, there’s nothing to distract from the slick, human noises pouring into my head, and the mental image of my baby girl ravishing herself.
“You win, brat.” I throw the blankets back. “Daddy’s gotta take his cock out now.”
She whines softly. “Can I listen?”