Daddy Plus One: A Single Dad Secret Baby Billionaire Romance

by Brooke Valentine

  His heart began to pound as he thought, She’s coming!

  “I’ll send him for you about ten. Is that okay?” Shaw held his breath. He didn’t know why he did that. He had her.

  Did he have her?

  No, no, he did not have her. He only wanted to give her something. A future. A chance to make it big in the career she was sure to excel at. Shaw could do that for the female who intrigued both him and his wolf.

  Shaw would leave Robin be, sexually. He just wanted her to like him.

  Damn, you’re pathetic, Shaw! he reprimanded himself silently.

  “Ten’s fine with me. So we’re meeting at one of your spas, should I wear anything special?”

  “No, your normal attire of jeans and a sweater will be fine.” He slapped his hand over his mouth just after the words had left it.

  Idiot! he thought.

  But she only laughed. “I know the pictures of me on the website show me wearing that kind of attire. I assure you, I do own more than jeans and sweaters.”

  “I’m sure you do.” He rubbed his forehead, aggravated at himself for being such a fool over this human. “Wear whatever you’re comfortable wearing. You’ll be putting on a robe once you get to the spa anyway. I’m giving you the full treatment, on the house. If you and I make a deal, you’ll have free access to all of my spas and resorts.”

  “Really? Wow,” she sounded excited. “See you tomorrow then, Mr. Lykan.”

  “Robin?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Call me Shaw. And I’ll see you tomorrow. You have a nice night.” He ended the call before she could say anything else. And when his phone beeped letting him know he had a text, Shaw found she’d already sent him her address.

  Tomorrow he’d finally see her, and she’d see him for more than just an MC gang member.

  Chapter 4

  After trying like hell to find a picture of Shaw Lykan, Robin found there were just none to be found anywhere on the internet. She did find out about his status as a billionaire and as a bachelor, but she couldn’t even find out how old the man was. He was a mystery and excitement coursed through her veins as she got into the Bentley he’d sent to get her that morning.

  The driver held the door open for her then closed it after she got in, making her feel a little silly. Robin had never been in such a situation in her entire life. It wasn’t a thing she ever thought she’d be experiencing, but she was up for it.

  More than anything, she wanted to become a successful dog trainer. And it seemed her lifelong dream just might come true much sooner than expected.

  Her cell rang, and she saw it was her mother, checking on her. Robin had told her mother about the meeting and asked her to wish her good luck. She must’ve wanted to get in one last pep talk before the big meeting. With a swipe of her finger, Robin answered the call, “Morning, Mom.”

  “Good morning to you, my sweet baby girl,” a sigh followed her words. “I had a dream about you last night. I know this sounds silly but it kind of scared me.”

  Robin frowned. She hated it when her family got worried about her. Things were hard enough, being so far away from them all, without adding in their little worries. And over a dream? Come on. “Mom, a dream isn’t worth worrying over.”

  “I know that. I do. I am a rational human being. But this one got to me.” Tapping could be heard, and Robin knew her mother had to be drumming her fingernails on the countertop in the kitchen. She did that a lot when something upset her or made her nervous.

  “Stop tapping your nails, you’re going to chip one, and then Dad will have to pay for you to get it repaired at the nail salon. And all over a silly dream.” Robin looked out the window. Shaw hadn’t told her which spa they’d be meeting at. But it looked as if they were going to the one on the far side of town. A place she’d driven by a couple of times and thought about how beautiful it was.

  “Well, this dream just isn’t fading. You see, I dreamt you’d met a man. A really hot man. All muscles, and dark wavy hair.”

  Robin thought about the guy who’d come up to her at the park a few days before. “Did you happen to get a look at this dream guy’s eyes?” Robin had to ask. If her mother’s dream man had piercing blue eyes the way the dangerous man did, then she must’ve escaped a terrible fate.

  “No,” her mother answered. “He wore dark sunglasses. He took you into the woods, Robin.” Another pause made Robin think her mother really was afraid for her. “Just promise me you won’t go into the woods with anyone. No one!”

  Robin laughed. She wasn’t a fool. “Mom, you raised me better than that. I’d never venture into woods with some stranger. Male or female. You have nothing to worry about.” The car pulled to a stop under the canopy at the entrance of The Love of Loveland Spa and Resort. “Mom, I’m here. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later and tell you how this went. I love you. And stop dreaming goofy things about me. I’m fine. I am no fool. Bye now.”

  “Bye, baby. I love you too.”

  Their call over, Robin put her cell away inside of her purse and watched as the driver came to open her door. He smiled at her as he opened it. “Here we are, Miss Winters. You have a wonderful time. Mr. Lykan will call me when it’s time to pick you back up and take you home.”

  “Thank you.” She got out of the car and turned to ask, “And what should I call you?”

  Amusement pulled up the corners of his light blue eyes. “I’m not often asked that. You can call me, Trevor.”

  “Okay, Trevor. See you later. Thanks for the ride.” Robin turned to head inside. Her stomach was absolutely full of butterflies about meeting the wealthy man who had the power to make her dreams come true, or dash them for a while. She prayed it would be the former rather than the latter.

  Robin knew she could overcome any and all rejections, but rejection always hurts a bit and takes a little while to get over. She reminded herself that she hadn’t asked for this meeting, Shaw Lykan did. Surely he wouldn’t be the type of man who got people’s hopes up just to dash them.

  Heading to the reception desk, Robin introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Robin Winters. Mr. Lykan called me and set an appointment for this morning.”

  The tall, thin woman who stood behind the desk came around it. “Come this way. He’s been expecting you, Miss Winters.”

  Trying as hard as she could not to let the nerves she felt show, Robin followed the woman and chanted silently, Be calm, be calm. It did little to help.

  The woman stopped and opened an opaque glass door. “He’s in here. Have a lovely meeting, Miss Winters.”

  Gulping, Robin could only nod as she was too wracked with nerves. Then she stepped into the room, which was warm, inviting, and she heard soft music playing. But she saw no one yet.

  A wall hid the people in the room from view. Both sides were open so she took the right and walked back. She found someone with their face covered by a white towel, wearing a fluffy white bathrobe and lying back in a chair. An empty one was right next to the person.

  When Robin’s eyes moved down, she saw hair on the person’s legs. Now she knew it was a man and at the man’s feet, a woman worked on his toes. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Mr. Lykan.”

  The woman turned to look at Robin, clearly unaware she’d even come in. But she didn’t speak to Robin, the words she heard came from behind the towel. “Didn’t I tell you to call me, Shaw?”

  “Oh, yes sir, you did. So that’s you then?” Robin asked and felt stupid for saying it. Of course, it was him.

  “It’s me. Have you changed yet?” his words sounded muffled by the towel.

  Robin wondered why he’d meet anyone in a way such as this. “Sir, if you don’t mind me saying, this isn’t a typical way to meet. Perhaps you could take the towel off, and I could properly introduce myself to you.”

  “I’m anything but typical, Robin. You’ll soon see that. Now be a good girl and go into the dressing room you see to the left of you. Take off everything and put on the robe. You’re in fo
r a real treat today. Full body massage included.” He laced his fingers together, laying them on his stomach.

  Robin found herself walking toward the dressing room without saying another word. A thing that wasn’t like her at all.

  Chapter 5

  Things were going just as Shaw had planned. He’d come up with the idea of staying undercover for the first part of their meeting early that morning. She’d bolt if she saw him right off the bat. This way she’d have to get to know him without really knowing who he was.

  After changing into a robe, Robin came back and took the seat next to him. “I’m back,” she said as she sat down.

  “I can see that,” Shaw said. “Not literally as I still have this hot towel on my face, but you know what I mean.”

  Another woman came in to work on Robin. “Hello, Miss Winters. I’m Lee May, and I’ll be giving you a pedicure and a facial. First the facial.”

  Shaw smiled inside his towel, knowing Robin’s vision soon would be taken from her and then he’d be freed from the towel and could look her over all he wanted. Not that there would be much to see as the bulky robe would hide all her curves, but he was more than happy just to have her in the same room with him.

  “So, how was the ride this morning, Robin?” he asked her.

  “Fine. Trevor is a very safe driver,” she answered.

  “Trevor, huh?” Shaw felt a twinge of jealousy. “You talk to him a lot on the drive over?”

  “No. I just asked him what his name was when he let me out of the car. You know, just being polite. I don’t like it when someone knows my name, but I don’t know theirs.” She sighed as moisturizers were rubbed onto her face. “Oh, this feels amazing.”

  “And you’ve only just begun,” Shaw said with a chuckle. “So, tell me about yourself, Robin Winters. Why dogs?”

  “I have a love for all animals, but a passion for dogs. They’re just so smart. But to train a dog, you have to become the alpha. You have to exercise control over them, letting them know they will do what you expect them too.”

  Shaw nodded in agreement, knowing a hell of a lot about being an alpha himself. But he was born an alpha; Robin had to groom herself to become one. She impressed him in so many ways. “And how did you come to understand all of this? Where you trained as well?”

  “No, not formally. I guess being the youngest in my family had me trying to be the top of some hierarchy. I certainly wasn’t treated that way by my family. As the baby, I got the low end of the totem pole. But I found out I could be the top in a group of dogs. As silly as that might sound.”

  Shaw understood it perfectly. “It’s not silly at all. What it is, is impressive. You could’ve taken the road where you whined and expected everyone to hand you everything. Instead, you knew you wanted to become a leader, and you found those you could lead. So what if it’s dogs instead of humans. Humans are overrated anyway.” He stopped himself then. He knew better than to speak about humans in a derogatory way. No human expects another to put down their species.

  But Robin just laughed and agreed, “Aren’t they though?”

  “I’m going to put the hot towel on your face now, Miss Winters. You can just lie your head back and relax while I give you a pedicure,” Lee May informed her.

  “Thank you, Lee May,” Robin said, warmly. “This is such a treat for me. I’ve never had so much as a manicure.”

  Shaw wondered if the girl grew up poor or something. Who the hell had never had a manicure? “You said you’re the baby of your family. Tell me about them, Robin.”

  “I have three older sisters. Wren’s the oldest at thirty. She just got married after living with her high school boyfriend this whole time. They’re working on getting pregnant. Piper is twenty-seven and never stays with any guy long enough to form a lasting relationship. Then there’s Jay, she’s twenty-five and has been married since she was eighteen. She and Eric have three kids. A boy and two girls,” Robin told him.

  “And you, Robin?” Shaw asked as his towel was taken off his face. He looked at her and had to hold in a sigh. He was just so glad to have her there with him. “Any men in your life?”

  “Well, no. I’ve kind of been a weirdo all of my life. I’m not your typical girl.”

  “You’re not a weirdo,” Shaw said quickly.

  “You don’t know me yet. I’m sure you’ll think I’m one too. Boys have been attracted to me until I push them to the side for their dog or their neighbor’s dog.” She sighed. “I’m that girl who goes nuts over dogs and can take or leave people.”

  Shaw’s dick began to throb as he thought she had to be a virgin. His wolf howled inside of him. He had to regroup. Robin would be a rare treat. Maybe he could just deflower her then set her free.

  He shook the thought off. He couldn’t do that. She was a special female. Worth more than a quick slap and tickle then sent on her way. And Shaw knew his wolf would demand more anyway. No, best to keep her away from both his human and his wolf, sexually speaking.

  “So never a boyfriend, then?” Shaw asked, his fingers crossing with hope.

  “No. I never managed to find one who liked me for me, not just my body,” Robin moved a bit, seeming uncomfortable.

  Shaw knew it was from their line of conversation, so he changed it. “So, have you ever trained dogs to do anything more than be obedient? You know, guard someone or something? Attack on command?”

  “Attack, no.” Robin bit her lip. “Does that put me out of the running for what you want to do? Because I have to be honest with you, I’m not comfortable with teaching dogs to be mean. I can teach them to protect, but going on the attack merely from a command isn’t a thing I believe in. When a dog who’s guarding someone knows their charge is being threatened, their own sense of protection will automatically kick in, and that dog will do everything they can to keep their charge safe.”

  Shaw couldn’t believe the female could impress him even more, but she had. “That doesn’t put you out of the running at all, Robin. As a matter of fact, it makes you perfect for what I want to do. But let’s leave business to the side for now and get to know one another better. Do you have anything you’d like to ask me?”

  “I’d like to know why you keep your identity so protected online. Do you know that there’s not a single picture of you on the internet?” she asked him.

  He shoved one hand through the dark waves of his hair and thought about what he should say to that. He couldn’t tell her the truth. Because the truth was he hadn’t aged in many years. When a person is born a wolf-shifter, they start out like any other person, growing up the same as everyone else. But when they reach thirty years of age, they stop aging. Immortality sets in and keeps them looking young. Hence, no shifters allow their pictures to be taken at all. That would leave a record for humans to find.

  “I’m a private person,” Shaw managed to come up with. “The internet is a powerful tool. But it can be used for bad things too. One can never be too careful.”

  “I know a lot of wealthy people, and they don’t keep their identity such a secret as you seem to,” she said.

  Shaw wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he decided to change the subject. “Tell me what your favorite food is.”

  “Easy, a greasy cheeseburger, all the way with avocado mayonnaise, a side of onion rings, and a big fat chocolate milkshake to wash it all down.” She licked her lips, and it made Shaw smile.

  “Simple. I like that about you.” He sat up as it was just about time to move to the next room, the steam room.

  “And how about you?” she asked. “What’s your favorite meal?”

  “Steak,” came his quick reply. Shaw loved meat. He ate it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. And he ate it rare.

  “Just steak?” she asked as Lee May dried her feet then went to pull the towel away from her face.

  Shaw steeled himself for her reaction, hoping against hope she might not recognize him at all. They were getting along so well.

  “Yes, just steak. I
eat a hell of a lot of that. And little else. Surely you’ve heard of the low carb diet plan. It keeps my muscles in top shape.” Shaw was growing more and more anxious as the towel came away from Robin’s beautiful face.

  He sat perfectly still as her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him as he sat next to her, looking at her. At first, she smiled. “Well, it’s nice to finally put a face to the voice.”

  “Nice to see you too,” he said, thinking maybe she didn’t remember him at all. Relief flooded him.

  But then she sat up and stared right into his eyes. Blinking a few times, she pulled her body as far back away from him as she could. “You!”

  “You, who?” Shaw asked, but he knew.

  She scrambled to her feet, pointing at him. “You know who. Are you stalking me?” Her face was red with more than just the heat of the towel. She was mad as hell, and every part of her showed that.

  Shaw felt something crumbling inside. She hated him.

  Chapter 6

  Robin couldn’t recall ever being as mad as she was at that moment. There he sat, looking at her with those piercing blue eyes. Eyes she’d never forget. And the fact he just sat there with his mouth shut so damn tight made her furious. Did he think he didn’t have to answer her?

  But as she looked into his eyes, she saw something else there, behind the arrogance and insensitivity. Sadness.

  Never one who enjoyed hurting others, she gathered herself. Letting someone’s actions force a negative reaction out of her wasn’t a thing she allowed herself to do. Running her palms over her robe, she reined in her temper. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you like that.” She looked at the other two women in the room and nodded at them both. “You must think I’m a crazy person. I’m sorry about that.”

  Shaw mumbled, “No one thinks you’re crazy. I deserve that.”

  She leveled her eyes at him once more. “You do, but this isn’t who I am. I don’t scream and yell and freak out on anyone. I’d like you to know that I think bringing me here under false pretenses is a thing that someone of your status shouldn’t stoop to doing. That said, I’ll be leaving now. I’d thank you to call Trevor and let him know I’m ready to be picked up.”