CONTENTS
London with Dad’s Best Friend
NEWSLETTER
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Extended Epilogue
NEWSLETTER
A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS
BRATVA BEAR SHIFTERS
LAIRDS & LADIES
RUSSIAN UNDERWORLD
IRISH WOLF SHIFTERS
About the Author
LONDON WITH DAD’S BEST FRIEND
AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE
_______________________
A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 198
FLORA FERRARI
Copyright © 2020 by Flora Ferrari
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.
LONDON WITH DAD’S BEST FRIEND
She's supposed to be in London to plan her future, but an unexpected meeting turns her entire world upside down…
Casey lands in London with one thing on her mind: what is her future going to look like? With college fast approaching, this trip is supposed to be her chance to consider studying abroad and get some freedom from home.
When Casey’s dad tells her he's arranged for an old friend to show her around, she expects to greet some old, stuffy businessman she's never met who will drone on for a few hours and then leave her to explore the city alone.
The drop dead gorgeous man in the suit who meets her at King's College is decidedly not a boring work colleague. It's been years since she last saw Edward, and she's literally left speechless when they meet.
Edward finds himself just as lost for words as he realizes the beautiful blonde with the stunning blue eyes is the same gangly teenager who was at his going-away party before he left for London.
He can't keep his eyes off of her, charmed not only by her beauty but also her demure demeanor and gentle wit.
But Casey is only in London for a week, and then she has to leave Edward -- and they both have to face the reality of who they are to one another.
After all, she's the daughter of Edward's best friend, no matter how little that changes how they feel, and there's an ocean between them.
Will this newfound attraction have the chance to bloom into something more? Or will her father's disapproval and Casey's youth prove too much for the pair to overcome?
London With Dad's Best Friend is an intense, passionate romance with high stakes but the chance for even higher rewards.
Standalone with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.
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CHAPTER ONE
Edward
I walk down the street, my head full of the meeting I just left, when my phone rings in my pocket. I assume, thanks to the timing, that it’s probably a colleague remembering some last-minute point to make, or my assistant reminding me I’m done for the day. But when I fish it out and answer the call, it’s an unexpected voice that answers.
“Edward! How are you doing?”
“Rick?” I say. I’m surprised to hear from an old friend. A very good old friend, actually – we became best buds in college, and continued to hang out over the years until I moved to London for work. That was just a few years ago, but we’ve stayed in touch with phone calls and emails. I just wasn’t expecting to hear from him out of the blue today.
“Am I catching you at a good time? I can never remember how to work out the time zones.”
I laugh. “It’s a good time. I’ve just finished with a lunch meeting, and I’m about to head home. Nothing else booked in for the day, so I’m a free agent until tomorrow.”
“That’s perfect. Look, I wanted to ask you a favor. A big favor, actually.”
“Uh oh,” I say. I pause to duck into the entrance of a closed shop, getting out of the way of the foot traffic along the busy street. “What is it?”
“Well, it’s Casey.” Oh, yes, Casey, his daughter. I remember the last time I saw her, she was a gangly teenager – I guess she must have been about fourteen or fifteen then. I spent more time with Rick alone than with his family, but they all showed up at my going away party to see me off. “Thing is, she’s going to be in your neck of the woods.”
“In London? What’s she doing here?”
“She’s thinking about studying abroad, so she’s checking out a couple of colleges this week. It was all a bit last minute – we didn’t decide until the end of last week, and then it was a bit of a mad dash to organize the flights and the hotel. The thing is, I did tell my wife I would speak to you, and then I – well, I forgot.”
“Damnit, Rick,” I chuckle, shaking my head. He’s never been the most organized person I know. “Alright. What do you need me to do?”
“I said you’d be able to look out for her. You know, make sure she gets around alright, doesn’t get too lost. One of the schools she’s looking at is King’s College London.”
I nod, understanding now. That was the college I spent a year studying at, as part of a student exchange program. It was one of the reasons I’d chosen to come and work here in London – remembering the good times I’d had when I was younger. “Alright. So, when is she set to have her tour?”
“Well, actually, it’s today.”
“What!” I check my watch; it’s almost three in the afternoon. Rick sure as hell left it late to call me. “What time?”
“Uh, not long from now. About three thirty.”
I swear down at the phone, shaking my head. “Then I’d better head off now. Where will I find her?”
“I’ll tell her to wait for you outside the main reception building,” Rick says. “Thanks, Ed. You’re a good pal.”
“Sure am,” I mutter, ending the call and beginning to walk quickly. I was going to have to hop on the Tube and hope I didn’t hit any delays if I was going to get to her in time. Trust Rick to spring something like this on me.
By the time I get off the Tube at the familiar stop and rush over to the campus, I think I’m going to miss the tour altogether – but a glance at my watch tells me I'll be there with a couple of minutes to spare. Casting a look around, I can’t see Casey anywhere. I walk towards the main reception, staying alert. I expect she’ll be coming t
owards me any time soon.
There’s a young woman standing in front of the doors that I can’t help but admire as I wait. She stands with her back to me, but all I can see are the curves of her body – and I like what I see. She’s dressed in a white shirt over a pair of white jeans, and platform sandals to give her a little extra height, with blonde hair spilling down her back. Her voluptuous body looks ready to burst out of the top, tailored with tight paneling that hugs her perfectly. I can’t stop looking at her round, apple bottom ass, packed into those jeans that look like they must have been painted on her.
She begins to turn around, and I hold my breath, ready to see what this vixen looks like from the front. My eyes cross her body, taking in large breasts trapped under the tight shirt, lovely wide hips, and –
“Casey?” I ask, blinking in surprise.
“Edward?” she replies, sounding just as awestruck as I am.
But she can’t be – I’m so blown away it’s ridiculous. I could never have imagined that the girl I was going to meet – the girl I remember – could have grown up to look like this. She’s gorgeous, from head to toe. Those bright blue eyes are the only thing that hasn’t changed, and the rest of her… I can see she’s not a girl anymore. She’s a woman, and a beautiful one at that.
I have to pick my jaw up off the ground. I’m staring at her like an idiot. I know I should say something, but my brain is fighting with my dick over whether we should be turned on by her or not. She’s hot – smoking, actually. But she’s also Rick’s daughter.
And even knowing that, I want her with an instant and primal fierceness. I want to make her mine, and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to hold back that urge.
CHAPTER TWO
Casey
“Casey?”
I look at the man calling my name in surprise, and then it registers. It’s him. It’s Edward.
“Edward?” I reply, totally lost for a moment in the awe of thinking that this is the man who is taking me on my tour. When Dad said he was sending one of his old friends to take me on a tour because he went to King’s once, I had no idea it was going to be Edward. In typical Dad fashion, this was all organized at the last minute and he didn’t give me any real details.
But it’s more than that. I haven’t seen Edward since I was fifteen, and while I thought he was kind of hot at the time, I’d forgotten about him for the most part after he moved to England. I was just a silly teen then, more obsessed with staring at my phone and wondering if the school’s quarterback even knew what my name was, and I didn’t pay enough attention to him at the party. With my Dad hovering over me, it was hard to think about whether this older guy was hot or not.
But he is. He definitely is. And that makes everything so much more awkward.
He and my Dad met and became friends in college, which means he probably sees me as a little kid just starting on a journey he made twenty years ago. There’s very little chance of him even looking at me twice, especially considering he’s been my Dad’s friend for a really long time.
Which is a shame, because he is seriously handsome. He’s wearing a black suit with a thin black tie, and a crisp white shirt underneath it. The weather is warm – I was almost expecting perpetual rain for my trip in London, but this summer heat is apparently normal for the season – but he looks cool and collected. Meanwhile, I’m regretting the full coverage my white shirt and jeans give me. I wish I’d put on a dress to cool down in.
I realize all of a sudden that we’re both staring at each other, not saying a word, and a flush comes to my cheeks. “You’re giving me the tour today?”
“Oh, we aren’t joining an official tour?” Edward asks. “Your Dad said I needed to meet you at half past three so you wouldn’t miss the start.”
I roll my eyes. Dad is seriously hopeless. “I took an official tour this morning, at nine thirty,” I tell him. “I bet he got confused with the time zones. I’d still love an inside look, though. Those tours are always the official story – I want to know what it’s really like.”
“Of course, a lot has probably changed since I studied here though,” Edward says, slipping his hands into his pockets. “But if you don’t mind me gaping at all the new buildings and the changes…”
“I don’t mind at all,” I tell him. We turn together and fall into step, Edward seeming to decide on exactly where he will take me first.
I hardly know what to say to drive the conversation onwards. As we move through the campus, I notice other girls around us – my age or older, probably already students here – eyeing Edward with open appreciation. Some of them even watch us walk all the way past them, turning their heads to follow us as we pass by. He obviously stands out – it’s not just me who thinks so.
Which is just one more reason why I might as well not even think about him, because I would never have a chance of getting a guy as hot as Edward – and definitely not one twenty years older than me. He’s got better things to spend his time on than college girl drama, and I’m not even in college yet.
“This is the SU,” Edward says, gesturing towards a building which is plastered with posters about upcoming events. “The Student Union. It’s a bar, an events space, and all the offices for the SU are also here. You’ll probably spend a lot of time here.”
I make a face. “I don’t know,” I tell him. “I’m not really into the partying scene.”
“Really?” Edward seems impressed. “I’m surprised. Most girls your age would be jumping at the chance to experience these things a few years early. The legal drinking age is eighteen here, not twenty-one.”
I laugh. “It’s not like it’s a big deal, though. To be honest, I just want to study hard and get a good degree. I’m going to be taking business classes so I can get a good job when I graduate.”
Edward nods. “That’s smart,” he tells me.
Just then, I look up and see a guy in a red polo shirt emblazoned with the college’s logo heading out of the doors of the SU. He looks up and sees us both, and pauses.
“Hi, are you a prospective student?” he asks.
“Yeah, I am,” I tell him.
He frowns at me. “You should be on an official tour, not wandering around by yourself. I can take you around now.”
I hesitate, glancing at Edward. I was looking forward to walking around with him, even just because I liked the excuse to spend more time in his company. But if we weren't allowed, then I guess this might be coming to an end sooner than I’d like.
What should I do?
CHAPTER THREE
Edward
I look the little twerp up and down and decide there’s no way he’s stopping me from spending some time with Casey. We only just properly met, and I’m not giving away this opportunity to get to know her – and allow her to get to know me a little.
“We don’t need a tour,” I tell him, drawing myself up to my full height. “Casey’s already taken the official tour this morning.”
“Well, I should still escort you,” the boy says. “There are some areas that only students and faculty members can access, and we also don’t want you getting lost.”
“There’s not going to be any problem with that,” I say, drawing my wallet out of my back pocket.
“Uh, sir, we can’t take bribes,” the kid says, half-laughing. “I don’t know if you do things different in the US, but…”
I glare at him and pull out the item I want to show him – my alumni card. It features my picture and full name, as well as the years I studied and my course. Undeniable proof that I am actually allowed to walk around as much as I’d like.
“You said that Casey needs to be accompanied by a student or a member of staff, right?” I ask him. “Well, you’re looking at a former student. So, buzz off, kid.”
He studies the card closely and swallows, clearly trying to decide whether to argue with me or not. “I see,” he says, finally. “Um. Just. Be careful, I guess.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t go anywhere we�
�re not supposed to,” I tell him, filing the card away. Then I slip a hand to the small of Casey’s back and push her forward, steering her around him and away, leaving him to watch us go.
“I thought he was going to kick us out for a moment,” Casey mutters, glancing back over her shoulder at him and then facing forward.
“Just a jobsworth,” I say dismissively. “He’s only a student rep. He’d have to call security to do anything like that. He wouldn’t have the authority.”
“I wouldn’t have known that,” Casey laughs. “I guess I have a lot to learn.”
“I wouldn’t recommend just straight-up ignoring your reps, but yeah, they can’t do a lot by themselves,” I tell her. “They can get you in trouble, sure, but they’re not like the campus police or anything.”
“What should we look at next?” Casey asks. “Isn’t that the library up ahead?”
“Right,” I tell her, with a knowing smile. “Now, the library is going to be very important. If you’re staying in the dorms, expect a noisy environment, especially if you have annoying neighbors. Sleep is not something that all students try to pursue during the night.”
“That sounds stressful,” Casey says.
“It can be, if you’re trying to study,” I say, leading her along the path towards the library. “That’s why you’re going to want to spend a lot of time in here. It’s changed a bit since I was a student – the computer rooms, particularly – but whether you’re studying on your laptop or taking down books to read, you’ll still need some peace and quiet. The library provides that.”
“I might get distracted by having other people around,” Casey says, looking up at the floors of the library stretching above us with a worried expression.
“Well, there are private study rooms you can book out,” I tell her. “They’re usually only big enough for one student and you’re supposed to stay quiet inside there, but they have sound-proofing so you can’t hear any distractions from outside – or see anyone else, either.”
“That sounds a lot better.” Casey turns and looks to one side. “And what’s that building, again?”
London With Dad's Best Friend: An Instalove Possessive Age Gap Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 198) Page 1