Sizzling Hot Daddy (Lost Coast Daddies Romance Book 1)

by Olivia Fox

  I tapped my toe in the dirt, like there was a big fat spider there that I wanted to kill over and over again. I crossed my arms and pouted my lower lip. I still wasn’t buying it. “Luke has never even mentioned her to me!” I spat the words venomously. If I didn’t know better, I could almost imagine that Ariana was amused by all this. The corner of her left lip twitched upward.

  “Listen, why don’t you just give it a minute and let Luke explain things for himself? I can tell you—and I don’t say this about just anyone—that Luke is a good man. If I can say that with certainty, you’ve got to believe it’s true. Usually, I think most men are obnoxious and, most of the time, their penis has no conscious, which drives them to do absolutely idiotic things. But in this case, I know Luke to be a gentleman, and if he is showing interest in you, I say take it at face value. He is loyal to a fault: case in point, that blonde bimbo around the corner. Most men would not have even spoken to her, let alone be listening to her rail at him like a squawking hen for more than a few sentences. If you ask me, sometimes he is a little bit too patient. Maybe you are just the girl to crack him out of that shell of control. And if that’s the case, then you really are one in a million.”

  “Well, all I know is I plan on taking advantage of that no-host bar right here, right now. Care to join me? I’m buying!”

  “A free drink is not something I’m known to turn down.”

  “Two shots of tequila, please. What do you got?”

  “I’ve got Patron…”

  “Say no more! We’ll take two shots of Patron.”

  “Oh, crikey,” said Ariana. “Nothing ever ended well that started with shots.”

  “Oh, we’ll be fine. I need to have a little fun for a change. Its been a heck of a week, to be honest. To your health!”

  “Salud!” Ariana clinked my glass.

  “Hey! What do you think about ordering one of those Moscow Mules? I hear they’re good.”

  “Uhhh, a Moscow Mule chaser to a shot of tequila? Interesting choice.”

  “Why not?” I said. “They’re the same color. I’m pretty sure that if liquor is the same color, it’s not going to hurt ya. Silver Patron, Silver Vodka…what the heck? You only live once, right?” Even I could hear the desperate justification in my words, knowing that the evening would most likely end with my head over the toilet. But I wanted to get rid of the image of that slim, busty sexpot out of my mind.

  “Excuse me, bartender? Could we also get two Moscow Mules please? Do you make those?”

  “I sure can.”

  I smiled flirtatiously. “Why don’t you make them doubles?”

  “Whatever you say, Miss. I’m here to serve.”

  Two copper mugs slid across the table. I sucked my mule down like Kool-Aid and noted with impressed satisfaction that Ariana wasn’t too far behind. I’d picked the right drinking partner for the evening.

  “Hey, they’re starting to play some good music over there. Why don’t we take our drinks to a table next to the dance floor and see what kind of trouble we can get into? Let’s see if we can’t give this small town something to talk about.”

  12

  Luke

  I saw Gracie sitting down at a table with Ariana, throwing her head back, mouth open wide in laughter. It was a delightful contrast to the snakelike manipulations of Sylvia, who had tried to pretend that she had returned to Briarville out of a longing to be with me again.

  She certainly didn’t read or listen to the news, so I wasn’t sure how she had found out about the sale of my company, but whatever the means by which she had acquired the information, I wasn’t having any of her false pretense.

  I had sent her packing and was ready to cut loose a little, and by the sounds of Gracie’s laughter, it appeared she had had a head start.

  I walked over to the table and, as I approached, Gracie’s demeanor did an about-face. Her delightful laughter stormed into a frown and a pout. Criss-crossed arms marked a line beneath her voluptuous breasts. God help me if it didn’t make me want to smile, although I knew that would be exactly the wrong response to her apparent upset.

  Most likely, she had seen me talking to Sylvia and had assumed the worst. Next thing I knew, Gracie was grabbing Ariana by the hand and dragging her onto the dance floor.

  Gracie’s caramel-colored curls flung about her head as she rotated her body to the music. Ariana struck ironic Vogue poses with a stern face.

  I decided to give her space and try to approach her later. For now, a single malt was definitely in order.

  “Couple of fingers of Johnny Walker Red on ice with a twist of lemon, please.” I sucked the drink down faster than I should have and ordered another. Luckily, there was a designated haybale ride for those guests who wanted to drink at the wedding.

  I sipped the second scotch more slowly as I watched the girls twirl and pose on the dancefloor. Gracie had been dancing with Ariana for a good long while and flounced back to her table to gather her breath. I watched as she sat and sipped her fancy cocktail through a straw, which walloped me over the head with a single thought—good suction—and what I wanted to put between her lips instead of that straw.

  I tried not to stare but was finding that task impossible. The scotch warmed my belly, and the rest of my blood followed suit with the sight of Gracie sucking at her drink.

  With a little liquid courage, I was able to head over to her table and face that frown, even if we were in front of practically the entire town. There was much attention focused on this new woman in my life and the old one who had made a surprise showing. This was just the kind of thing that made a small town smile, a little bit of drama to talk about. Tongues would be wagging for weeks.

  Luckily, I didn’t care.

  I sat next to Gracie. “Hey.”

  “What do you want?” she sniped.

  “You looked so happy out there on the dancefloor. What’s got you upset all of a sudden?”

  “You know good and well what’s chapped my ass,” she stated. “I saw you making out with that blonde behind the barn.”

  “Making out? I wasn’t making out with her.” Oh God, I could see her back set and her chin raise just like my sister did when she was mad.

  I remembered my recent lesson on how to properly interact with someone without overreacting when dealing with a situation that was out of my control. Bless you, Nelly, you were well worth the $100. Engage those active listening skills.

  “I can see how you might think that I was making out with her, but if truth be told, she came at me with a bunch of nonsense about wanting to be my girlfriend again. I let her know that I was with you. And even if I wasn’t with you, I wouldn’t be interested in Sylvia. She wasn’t having any of it and I had to get right up in her face to convince her, so I do see how you might think there was something else going on. I’m so sorry, Gracie. There is only one girl on my mind right now. In fact, I can’t get her out of my mind.”

  Gracie put the straw between her lips again and took a long sip.

  “Listen, I wanted to dance with you, but I’m wondering if you might be willing to take a hayride back to town, have dinner with me, and then come home with me.”

  “Well, I’ve had my fill of dancing, and I wasn’t otherwise occupied. I guess I could go with you—if you promise that you’re not still interested in that girl. I don’t want to be in the way of that. All I know is once a cheater, always a cheater, and I’m not willing to put up with that. So don’t even try to bring me into some cruddy drama with your ex. I’m not interested.”

  “Gracie, I wouldn’t do that. You mean too much to me. Look, we’ve only known each other a couple of weeks, and already I feel like I’m crazy about you. Will you please just come home with me? Let me show you how I feel.”

  Her cheeks turned a little bit pink over that last remark. This girl had no idea of all the ways that she was adorable to me. I had never experienced anything like this. It was just a right fit, even better than my favorite pair of old 501s.

&n
bsp; I held Gracie’s hand as we stood in line for the hayride. At times like this, I loved my town. All the men were wearing cowboy boots, their best pressed jeans, Rodeo belt buckles, pearl button snap shirts, and seventy-five percent of them wore cowboy hats.

  We rode the hay wagon down the main street past the colorfully painted Victorian homes. Chet, the driver of the hay wagon, did us a favor and delivered us to my front door, about a half a mile off the main street.

  “Thank you kindly, Chet. It’s so nice of you to go out of your way. ’Preciate it.”

  “Happy to do it. Better than having people drive after drinking.”

  I opened the front door with Gracie’s hand in mind, pulled her in behind me, and locked up. There were things I wanted to do to her that I had been thinking of all day. Finally, I had Gracie all to myself.

  Or so I thought.

  I heard a scream from the back bathroom where Gracie had gone to freshen up.

  I ran toward her as fast as I could, my heart pounding in every part of my body. My thoughts raced.

  Please let her be safe. Don’t let anything have happened to her.

  I ran back to the master bathroom to find Gracie with her hands over her mouth and Sylvia standing as naked as a jaybird on the thick bathmat. She was dripping wet. I could see, oddly enough, that there was a swollen bump to her belly.

  I knew the way that she starved herself on a regular basis in order to remain thin. Tiny though the bump might have been, it could only mean one thing.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Sylvia?”

  “You mean you didn’t tell her?”

  “Tell her what? What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, Luke, you’re not going to be able to keep it a secret for much longer.”

  “You need to get yourself dressed and get out of my house. Now.”

  “Have it your way, but sooner rather than later, it’s going to be clear to everybody in this town that I’m carrying your child.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “You and I haven’t been together for a year and a half. How on earth could I have gotten you pregnant?”

  “Oh, Luke, don’t be silly. You know that you came to see me in LA. It was during that time that we conceived. Don’t try to hide it.”

  “Woman. Put your clothes on, stat.” I tossed the voluminous dress towards her. I should have known something was up when I saw her wearing a baggy dress to the wedding. Sylvia never passed up an opportunity to showcase her figure in a skimpy cocktail dress. This one was completely not her style.

  I heard the front door slam shut. I ran towards the front of the house and opened the door to see that Chet must have been stopped for a break. He had picked Gracie up again and was trotting the horses toward town, far enough away now that he didn’t hear me crying out to Gracie, “Gracie, stop! Come back!”

  The hay wagon continued to trot on out of sight.

  “Isn’t this a little overkill?” I asked?

  Charlie turned the sirens on full force as soon as he pulled out of my driveway. He had been kind enough to come pick me up after I had told him that I’d already had a couple of scotches and didn’t want to drive like that.

  “Why do you think I became a small town cop if not for being able to turn the sirens on full blast and haul ass down country lanes?”

  “Is it really necessary to have these things going when you pull up to that wedding? This is going to be enough of a scene as it is.”

  Charlie did me a favor and flicked off the sirens as he neared the end of my lane, slowing down as he approached the main street.

  “Well, I hate to tell you, but you hooked up with the wrong woman if you don’t like drama. Sylvia is a hot mess. I could have told you that if you’d asked me, but at the time, I think you were blinded by that hot bod of hers. She’ll try to drag you into drama left, right, and center. It’s her modus operandi.”

  “Look, she’s trying to say that her baby is mine, but she’s been gone nearly two years. Unless that child was immaculately conceived, it’s gotta be some other guy’s. Sylvia doesn’t need my money to take care of herself and the baby; she inherited plenty of money from her parents. She’s just here to make my life miserable.”

  “Well, listen, worst case scenario is you get a paternity test to prove it. She’s only here to make your new woman jealous and stir up a ruckus. You’ve got a nice girl in Gracie, and Sylvia’s managed to run you off. Making her think that you’re someone’s baby daddy.”

  “Listen, I appreciate the ride. I really do. Wish me luck and keep out of trouble, Charlie.”

  “Good luck. I wish y’all the best.”

  I walked into the reception which was still in full force, a little louder now that the drinks had been flowing for a while.

  Gracie was standing at the bar with Ariana doing straight shots of something. And in that moment I knew it was likely going to be one hell of a rough night.

  13

  Gracie

  “You had me worried there, princess.”

  I heard his deep voice from directly behind me. The last person on earth that I wanted to see right now. And yet, just the sound of his guttural tone had a direct correlation to my stomach flips.

  I slowly turned around, resting both elbows on the bar behind me, and stared up at him with my most intimidating expression.

  “Are you following me now?” I asked.

  “Well, as a matter of fact, I am,” he replied.

  “Don’t you have anything better to do right now? Like picking out baby clothes and the color of your nursery room?”

  He scowled at that, and it actually made me think twice about giving him sass. There could be some consequences. The thought of said consequences delivered to my ass, made my tummy flip again.

  “Gracie, I told you: it’s not what it looks like. I don’t want to talk about it here.” The softness of his tone was more formidable than any threatening tone he could possibly take.

  I tried to show bravado by taking the remaining half shot and tossing it back. My tactic was foiled by the fact that the straight tequila made me cough.

  Luke reached over and patted me gently on the back. “What kind of trouble are you trying to get yourself into, Gracie?”

  “Well, apparently, I got myself into trouble when I came over to your house and stayed the night. I got myself into trouble when I actually believed that your kisses meant something. I got myself into trouble…”

  My voice was getting louder. I couldn’t stop myself, partially because I was sassy as a general practice and partially because I had had more than a few.

  “I got myself into trouble when I believed that I actually meant something to you. I think you even said that the other day. You actually told me I meant something to you. And here you are, about to be the father to another woman’s baby.”

  Even though I was extremely angry, I didn’t want to cause a scene. I didn’t want the whole town to know what was happening between Luke and me. So, I sidestepped around him and began to march off.

  “Gracie, come here.” It was that soft tone again, non-threatening. But the one hundred percent chillax in his voice was more convincing than if he would have shouted at me or actually raised his voice.

  I stopped marching, standing there in my blinging cowboy boots and black velvet burnout tunic dress which was covered in a floral design and dipped between my breasts to showcase my considerable cleavage. The outfit had been purchased with the intent of making Luke want me, and now it seemed like things would never be the same between us.

  Just as I was beginning to see that he would take care of me, pamper me, and even discipline me in the way I had always dreamed of.

  Mortifyingly, I put my face in both hands and felt tears come to my eyes.

  Too much tequila. That was all.

  I didn’t want to be seen bursting into tears by the crowd. I’d be damned if I’d be convinced to stay with this man who had way too much commotion going on in his life, just because
he used his Ninja Daddy voice on me.

  I stalked around the dancefloor and headed for the back of the barn so that I could gather my breath. I started my square breathing when I felt the freak-out begin to overtake me. It was hard to catch my breath.

  I knew that if I didn’t get to a safe space very quickly, it could soon escalate into a full-blown anxiety attack. Not something that I relished doing in front of two hundred and something wedding guests gathered for a very special day.

  I braced my arms against the side of the barn, fully aware that I was standing in almost the same spot where the bratty blonde had been talking to Luke. I concentrated so hard on not taking a flight of fancy that the black leather cowboy boots that appeared alongside mine startled me. I jumped back away from the barn.

  That was all it took. That small scare launched me into sucking my breath in like a freight train, dragging it into my lungs, trying to get enough oxygen so that I didn’t feel faint and lightheaded.

  “Gracie, Gracie…” he whispered softly, the tone sliding over my skin like silk. I wanted to wrap myself in it and roll around on a plush bed stacked high with down pillows.

  He made my body feel almost feline; I wanted to rub my side against the length of his, like a cat seeking attention. I wanted him to pet me—everywhere—as if he were the proud owner of his very own pet. A.k. a me.

  And yet none of that could be with what had transpired lately. Sylvia had ruined everything. It made me regress to the old familiar thought that I could never have a real relationship. Just because I knew that it stemmed from feeling unwanted as a child, having drugs chosen over me by my parents, didn’t mean that I could convince myself that this thing with Luke would work out.

  Then Luke gathered me in his arms, held me tight, and made me feel safe.