by Madison Faye
Wes leaned down and kissed the top of Andie’s head, then handed the dish to Jax. “I’ve gotta head out for a while.” he said to Jax. “Make yourself at home.”
Jax nodded.
“Goodbye, Sir,” Andie whispered.
Wes smiled and stroked her temple lightly with his finger. “Goodnight, beautiful.”
After Wes left, Jax fed her Mexican food until she shook her head that she was done. Then he ate the rest and set the dish aside.
“How’s that pretty body feeling?” he asked.
She blushed and looked away. “Fine,” she whispered. “A little sore.”
He smirked and then bent down and kissed her collarbone.
“It was so intense.”
“I know.” He studied her. “Did you enjoy it?” He knew she had, but he wanted to know what she was telling herself about it.
She looked away, nodding. “I did,” she whispered.
“So did we,” he said, stroking her hair. Then he picked up his phone and looked through his messages.
“Barber checked out early and went back to Missouri.”
“He did?” she asked in a stunned tone.
He nodded. “We’ll keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t make his way back, but I doubt he will.”
“It could be over,” she said, amazed.
“It is over for you. If he decides to try anything else I’ll deal with him. You’re out of it.”
“So I can go home to my apartment?”
He looked up. “Yeah.” He hadn’t thought about that aspect of things. It was strange that he hadn’t. Normally getting his place back to himself would’ve been a top priority.
“So I guess I’ll go back tonight? Or tomorrow morning?”
“Yeah, tomorrow,” he said, though he wasn’t settled on it.
“Thank you again for helping me,” she said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek.
“You’re welcome.” He slid his arms around her and tightened his grip. “The problem with your ex is over. That doesn’t mean we’re over.”
She looked at him intently.
“Unless you need some space? Things have been intense. Now that it’s safe for you to go home, you can have some time to think.”
“No, I don’t want space. I’ve spent enough time alone because of him. I want to be around people. I’d like to join the club and meet the people I’ve talked to online. Would that be okay?”
“Of course.”
“I’m happy. It’s exciting to have my life back,” she said with a gorgeous bright smile.
“Good,” he said, thinking that everything about her made him want to hold onto her. Everything.
Chapter Six
Andie stood in front of the restaurant’s bathroom mirror adding a thin layer of light pink lipstick to her lips. Her sexy fuchsia and black dress was nearly backless, and Andie’s dark pink heels were the tallest she’d worn in almost a year. Hiding out and having to take off suddenly meant she’d worn jeans and sneakers a lot of the time after the breakup with Bill. Now though, she was free to dress up and celebrate life again.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She put a hand on her belly and took a deep breath. She and Jax had finished their linguini in clam sauce and the bottle of wine. Now they were going to Wes’s penthouse to attend a party.
It was her second date with Jax, and she’d seen him every day since moving back into her own place a week ago. But tonight would be the first time she saw Wes again, and she wasn’t completely sure how to act around him now that circumstances were different.
She returned to the table, and Jax stood, looking drop-dead gorgeous in his sport coat and trousers. She smiled at him and sat in her seat.
“You sure you don’t want dessert?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I like your hair twisted up like that. You have a beautiful neck. Matches the rest of you,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said, touching the side of her neck, wishing his mouth was there instead of her hand.
He reached into his pocket and set a small robin’s-egg blue box on the table. She stared at the box, her heart thumping harder by the second. She glanced at him through her lashes.
“Open it,” he said.
She tugged the edges of the satin ribbon and lifted the lid off. Inside there was an engraved gold heart with a diamond at the edge. The engraved word was His.
She lifted the delicate chain, fingering it, and looked back at him.
He leaned forward. “It’s early days, so if you’re not ready, that’s all right.”
“I thought you didn’t do long-term relationships?” she asked with a small smile.
“I usually don’t. But I want you to belong to me.”
“Would that mean it’ll just be you and me from now on?”
“No, it means I’ll be your daddy, and I’ll take care of you. I’ll still share you with friends, as long as that’s something we both enjoy.”
She felt the heat warming her cheeks and pooling between her legs.
“It also means I want you back in my place. Your place is close, but not close enough.”
She traced the edge of the heart.
“That sound right to you, little girl?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she whispered.
He took the necklace from her, and she bent forward so he could fasten it around her neck.
“Perfect,” he said, touching the edge of the heart where it hung between the tops of her breasts. He took her hand and kissed it. Then he signed the check and stood. “We need to get going, so we can stop by my place on the way to Wes’s.”
“Why do we need to stop there?” she asked as he helped her into her coat.
“I got you another present,” he said softly. “An engraved plug for that pretty ass.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re going to make me wear it to a party full of people?”
He nodded.
“But you won’t expect me to show it to more than Daddy Wes, right?” she asked, heat rushing to her head.
“We’ll see,” he said.
She clutched his arm. “Wait, what?” she whispered frantically.
The corner of his mouth curved up in a wicked grin. “We’ll see.”
The End
About Marlee Wray
You can keep up with Marlee Wray via her blog, her Twitter account, her Facebook page, and her Goodreads profile, using the following links:
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Daddy’s Princess by Rory Reynolds
Chapter One
Estella
I barely stifle a yawn as the door to my car opens. Despite my utter exhaustion, I paste on the picture-perfect smile everyone expects. As soon as I stand, cameras are flashing in my face and the paparazzi are shouting questions.
“Is it true that you and Brent broke up?”
“Did he cheat on you?”
“Are you finally going to rehab?”
That last one has my smile faltering for a second but with all eyes on me I have to keep it together. All the questions about Brent don’t bother me. We weren’t dating. It was nothing but publicity. Something my manager and stepmother thought would be a great idea. I went along with it for a while, but Brent kept pressing for more. I would rather gouge my eyes out than actually be his girlfriend, let alone have sex with him. I haven’t saved myself for years just to lose my virginity to a jerk like him.
“Estella, have you heard from Steve Nelson since his release?”
My eyes grow wide and this time my smile does falter. Steve Nelson. Three years ago, he attacked me in my dressing room, and had it not been for Jet, the best hair and makeup person a girl could ask for, he would have raped me, and God only knows what else. He was arrested and found guilty of assault, attempted rape, and stalking. His apartmen
t was full of evidence of his obsession with me. He confessed to being in love with me and said that I was his and no one else could have me. It was an open and shut case; due to a prior offense, he got twenty years without parole.
I still have nightmares of his beady eyes and the overwhelming stench of body odor and cigarettes that practically choked my senses. The bruises on my skin have long since healed, but inside I’m still broken.
A firm hand lands on my back and I jump. The scent of pine and peppermint hits me a moment later followed by the gentle voice of my driver. “Let’s get you inside, Miss Trenton.”
Jack has been my driver for years; he’s practically family. The fact that he followed me instead of driving away tells me he thought there could be trouble. He gently guides me into the hotel and straight to the elevators, then to my room.
“Are you okay?” he asks, worry evident in his tone.
“Is it true?”
“Afraid so. Seems he got released on a technicality two weeks ago.”
My stomach drops. He’s been out of jail for two weeks and I’m just now hearing about it? “Why wasn’t I told?”
Jack winces, a look of shame coloring his already ruddy cheeks. “They didn’t want you to worry.”
I instantly know who ‘they’ are: my stepmother and agent. And I guarantee they didn’t keep this from me so I wouldn’t worry. They kept me in the dark so that I would stick with their rigorous schedule. I’ve had back-to-back photo shoots for various designers and magazines for months. Not to mention a couple of commercials, a talk show, and four runway shows. I’ve been in five countries in two months and even though I’m back in the States, I won’t be going home to Los Angeles anytime soon. I’m in New York for even more work, and it feels never-ending.
“Does my brother know?” Andrew is Special Forces. He’s often out of touch due to his various deployments. I’m not sure what exactly he does, but I know it’s dangerous.
Before Jack can answer, my phone rings. “What have I told you about smiling for the paps?” my stepmother’s nasally voice booms.
I ignore her disapproving words. “When were you going to tell me about Steve Nelson being out of prison?”
“Now, sweetheart,” her voice takes on a saccharine sweet tone, “we just didn’t want you to be concerned. He’s all the way in California and there was no reason to worry you. You know how pinched your face gets when you’re worried. We can’t have you getting frown lines.”
Of course, the concern is whether or not I’ll get wrinkles, and not that keeping me in the dark could be a risk to my safety. Heaven forbid anything happen to my pretty face. No, I’m not being conceited. I’m a world-famous supermodel and have been told how beautiful I am for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I wish I weren’t pretty. I wonder what life would be like if I were plain. Would people take me more seriously if they didn’t see me as just a pretty face?
My stepmother’s voice cuts through my distracted thoughts. “Don’t forget you’re fasting until after your shoot tomorrow. We can’t have you looking bloated.”
The hollow feeling in my stomach reminds me that I haven’t eaten anything since the plain salad I had for lunch. Sighing, I agree. She goes over my schedule for tomorrow and my mind drifts. After another reminder about fasting she ends the call. At some point during the conversation, Jack left. A glance at the clock shows it’s nearly midnight. I should shower but I’m just too dang tired. Instead, I curl up on the couch and fall into a deep sleep.
* * *
What feels like only minutes later my phone rings. I reach for it on the nightstand. Nightstand? My brain is filled with sleepy confusion when I realize I’m tucked into bed. I must’ve been more out of it than I thought last night because the last thing I remember is collapsing on the couch, fully dressed, and now I’m in bed in nothing but a shirt and panties. My phone rings again and I forget my potential delirium and/or newfound sleepwalking disorder.
“‘lo,” I murmur sleepily into the phone.
“The car will be there in fifteen minutes.” My stepmother’s scathing tone is the worst wake-up call ever.
“What time is it?” I ask, noticing the sun isn’t even up yet.
“After your little stunt last night, we decided it would be best for you to go on Live Daily and talk about the situation.”
I blink in confusion, trying to figure out what I did. “I… what stunt?”
My stepmother lets out a long-suffering sigh. “The pictures of your frowning face are everywhere. We need people to see you happy and smiling. You need to do damage control. They are going to talk about Steve and you’re going to tell them you’re not concerned, and then they are going to ask about Brent. You’ll tell them that you hope to one day reconcile when he’s done sowing his wild oats.”
I scoff at that. “Mom. I’m not going to lie. Brent would love nothing more than to have some sort of claim on me and I’m not doing it.”
“Why do you have to be so damn difficult?”
I flop back in bed. “I’m sorry, Mom. It’s just not a good idea to say anything that would lead him on.”
“Fine, then I want you to be tearful over his betrayal. No crying though, you’re ugly when you cry.”
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard that. Showing emotion is only acceptable if it’s done prettily. Frowns are not acceptable. Tears are not acceptable. Anger is a big no-no. Perfect smiles and serene expressions, always.
“Yes, Bridgette.” I know it’s wrong, but I get a little joy in knowing how much she hates when I call her that. Before she pushed me into modeling, she insisted I call her by her first name; once the cameras were turned to us, she demanded I call her ‘Mom.’ Being the perfect picture of a doting mom is hard to do when you won’t let your kid call you anything but your first name.
“The car will be there in fifteen minutes. Don’t dawdle.” She hangs up before I can respond.
I check my phone for messages and see one from my brother. A genuine smile spreads across my lips for the first time in I don’t know how long… probably the last time he called.
I saw that fucker got out. Sending Gage.
Don’t trust those assholes to keep you safe.
Love ya, itty. Call if you need me.
Gage Buchanan. My brother’s best friend. I was only sixteen when my brother enlisted in the army. He has always been my protector and best friend. It broke my heart when he left but I understood. After Dad died, Bridgette became impossible. She pushed me into modeling, pulling us both out of school. Andrew resented every minute of it. He was the youngest to ever be starting quarterback for the varsity football team. Scouts were already sizing him up and making offers. He was set to go pro straight out of high school, and Bridgette ruined his chances.
The military has been good for him and he loves it. He came home on leave for my eighteenth birthday party—Andrew never misses a birthday—with Gage in tow. I had an instant crush on my brother’s friend, but he made it more than clear that he thought I was just a dumb kid. Like the rest of the world, he saw my pretty face and made assumptions. People brush me off as being ditzy or shallow or vain or all of the above. I’m none of those things.
I’ve only seen Gage one other time, when he came with Andrew to my twenty-first birthday party. A little thrill of excitement goes through me remembering that night and my very first kiss. Andrew wanted me to live it up for my twenty-first, so he dressed me in a disguise and took me to a club. Gage joined us shortly after. We drank and danced, and when my brother slipped away with a girl, Gage stayed close.
I’m not sure who initiated the kiss. One second we were dancing and the next his mouth was on mine. The kiss wasn’t a slow and sweet one like I always imagined my first kiss would be. Gage plundered with hungry fervor. When we broke apart, panting for breath, the heated look in Gage’s eyes bled away into disgust. He left me standing in the middle of the dance floor and I haven’t seen him since.
I’m not sure how I feel
about having Gage here. Two years ago, he left the army and opened a personal security business. He’s made a name for himself, and from what Andrew has told me, he’s the best in the business. It’s not a huge surprise that Andrew would send Gage since he can’t be here himself, but I can only imagine the situation is going to be extremely awkward.
Wish you were here, bubs. Love you.
Ten minutes later, I’m showered and dressed in black skinny jeans and a blousy white shirt. I slip into a pair of heels. I’m distractedly shoving my phone in my purse as I walk into the main area of my hotel room and slam into a wall. Before I can fall to my butt, two strong arms grab me.
Panic floods my system and I shriek, yanking away from the grip. I flail around desperate to get away.
“Easy.”
“Gage?”
“That’s right, princess. You’re okay. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
All of the tension leaches out of my body and I sink into his hold. I should probably be questioning how he got into my room but with his strong arms around me, I can’t find it in me to care how. Bad Estella. Quit perving on your brother’s best friend. It’ll only end in disappointment; my twenty-first birthday should act as a cautionary tale when it comes to anything Gage-related, but my idiot body seems to have a mind of its own. I take a steadying breath, then reluctantly pull away.
“Sorry about that. I guess I’m a little on edge.” I force my perfectly practiced smile in place.
Gage frowns. “That’s understandable. I’d be worried if you weren’t on edge, considering.”
A knock on the door causes me to jump. Jesus. I need to get it together. I move to answer the door, but Gage pushes me behind him. “Stay here.”
“It’s just my driver.”
Gage shoots me a withering look. I put my hands up in front of me in surrender. As expected, the visitor is Jack. He doesn’t look surprised by Gage’s presence, which tells me Andrew spoke with him at some point last night.