Hot Daddy: A Billionaire Single Dad Romance

by R. R. Banks

  I sat in the bookstore for several hours, talking to Rose on and off in between customers. I lost track of time, honestly, because for the first time in days, I felt happy again. We laughed, joked around and had some deep conversations about everything from astrophysics, to religion, to current events.

  We moved so easily from topic to topic and the conversation never lagged. There was never one point where I found myself looking at my watch, wondering when I could check out. I found that the longer I sat there, the longer I wanted to sit there and talk to her. She was so smart, so witty – talking to her and bantering with her was something I genuinely enjoyed more than I'd enjoyed anything in what felt like forever.

  In the back of my mind though, I reminded myself that we could only be friends. Not only was I to wed another, but even if Mariana and I weren't to be married, I could never be with Rose. Sure, maybe as a one-night stand or a fling – that was acceptable. We could have human lovers, but humans and my kind were not allowed to be together. Not officially, at least. We could never marry. We could never be a real couple. And she deserved more than what I could give her. She was not the kind of girl I wanted as my side piece – I already had way too much respect for her.

  As I left the bookstore that day, I couldn't stop thinking about her and couldn't seem to get the smile off my face. I couldn't wait to come back in and talk with her some more. But at the same time, I knew I should stay away. Because she looked at me the way I looked at her – with a longing we were both doing our best to shut down within ourselves. And I couldn't hurt her. I couldn't let her down. Still, I was grinning like an idiot as I stepped out into the street, my head filled with thoughts of her eyes, her smile, the sound of her laughter. I was feeling great as I stepped back into the street.

  That is, until I ran into Mariana.

  Chapter Seven

  She was pissed, I could see it on her face. Of course, to be fair, it didn't take much to piss Mariana off, but still. I would have almost thought she had tracking on my phone or was somehow stalking me, but Mariana was holding onto some bags – she'd obviously been in town shopping for the wedding.

  “Did you lose your phone or something?” she asked me, arms crossed in front of her as she glared at me. “You better hope you lost your phone, because God knows, if you're ignoring my calls –”

  She stopped and looked past me into the store. Her eyes widened, her face darkened with anger, and then she looked at me again.

  “You just came out of there,” she said, pointing at the bookstore.

  “Yeah, so?” I said. “I wanted to pick up a book. Didn't know reading was a crime. If we're going to get married, you're going to have to get used to seeing me reading.”

  “Uh huh,” she said. “So, what book did you buy?”

  Too late, I realized that I had nothing in my hands, and she could see that. “They didn't have what I was looking for,” I said with a shrug.

  “So, you weren't actually in there talking to her all this time?” Mariana pointed at Rose through the windows.

  “Sure, we talked, but –”

  “Is that why you didn't answer my calls, Asher?” she huffed. She shook her head and held her hands up in the air. “You know what? We'll deal with that later. I was calling for a reason, Asher. It's really important and there is some bad stuff going down.”

  “What's going on?” I asked.

  “My father. He's been shot,” she said.

  My heart dropped. “Is he okay?”

  “He's fine, the shooter didn't actually kill him,” she said. “Missed his heart and got his shoulder instead. He's currently at the hospital, but they're going to release him here soon. The wound was pretty superficial and with his healing powers, he'll be fine in no time. They have the shooter in custody now.”

  “So, they know who it was?” I asked.

  “Yes, they do,” she said, glaring at me. “Asher, it's Cameron. Cameron tried to kill my father.”

  “Wait, what?” I asked her, my heart dropping into my stomach. “No, you have something all wrong –”

  “No, Asher, he's been arrested. It was him. It was your best friend,” she said. “And now my clan is demanding answers. Answers I don't have, which is why I've been trying to call you all morning, to try and head off a disaster between our clans. And instead, I find out that you're in there flirting with – with – her. That plain, ordinary – human. So glad to know I can count on you when clan business needs to be handled d –”

  “Mariana, stop,” I said. “I'll handle this. It wasn't Cameron. There's no reason he'd do something like that. Something is going on here.”

  “Oh yeah?” she shoved me hard in the chest. “Then handle it. Because right now, it looks like a war is brewing. And you're too busy cheating on me to care.”

  “You're next in line, after your father,” I said, trying my best to remain calm. “Call a meeting. Tell them we are not responsible for this. If Cameron did shoot him, there must have been something going on and it was an isolated incident. I'll handle it.”

  “You'll handle it? Meaning you'll punish one of your own for trying to kill one of us?” She seemed doubtful.

  “Yes, if that's what needs to be done,” I replied. “But I'm also going to get the facts of the case before I do anything. I'm not going to go off half-cocked. That's not how I do things.”

  “Well, don't be surprised if my people don't believe you, Asher,” she said. “I mean, Cameron is your best friend after all. Your right hand man.”

  She turned and walked away, leaving me alone on the street with my thoughts. And my thoughts turned progressively darker.

  First, Luke had been killed and made to look like it was N'gasso. Now Mariana's father was shot, and it appeared to come from us. Sure, it could be retaliation for what happened to Luke, but if so, it didn't come from the top of the chain. Cameron would have acted on his own, and I knew my best friend. I knew he wasn't the type to act without permission from either me or my father.

  Things were not lining up.

  I needed to speak to Cameron, get some answers from him. Maybe then I could get to the bottom of this.

  Something was definitely going on. Something was brewing, she was right about that. But it wasn't a war that was brewing. From where I was standing, it almost looked like somebody was intentionally trying to put us at odds. But who? And why?

  ~ooo000ooo~

  “Where's he at?” I asked the moment I stepped into the police station. “I need to speak to him.”

  The officer at the desk just stared at me, eyes wide. She was new, and I felt bad for her. She looked at her computer and then back at me, her eyes wide and filled with terror.

  “A - are you asking about Cameron Hudson?” she stammered, her voice wavering and reflecting the fear I saw in her eyes.

  “Of course I am,” I said. “I need to speak to him. Now.”

  Sheriff Richards stepped out of his office and waved the other officer away. “I'll handle this, Sheila,” he said, looking at me with pure disdain in his eyes. “We're in the middle of questioning Mr. Hudson right now. No one but his attorney is allowed to speak with him at this time.”

  I slammed my fists down on the counter. “I need to talk to him. Something is going down, Sheriff. Maybe something big. A storm is brewing, and I'm afraid he's caught in the middle of it. If you don't let me get some answers – and believe me, I'm going to get answers you won't – there are going to be more dead bodies in this town, you hear me?”

  “Are you threatening me, Mr. Blackwood?” he asked, smirking as he asked.

  “No, I'm warning you. Someone is behind this, and it's not Cameron,” I said, my voice low and cold. “And I need to find out who it is.”

  “Okay, so you're just trying to do my job. Gotcha,” he said, turning to walk away. “Thanks, but like I said, no one can speak to the suspect at this time. Unless you have information that would aid in our investigation, I'd appreciate it if you saw yourself out.”

 
“So, you're just going to walk away?” I asked. “Not listen to anything I have to say?”

  “Do you have information on why Cameron Hudson would try to kill Mr. Rockford?”

  “No, because he wouldn't –”

  “Then we have no reason to talk, Asher,” he said, shutting his office door in my face.

  With my hands clenched at my sides, I fought the urge to drive my fist straight through the glass on the door. I didn't want to end up arrested alongside Cameron, and I was smart and aware enough to know that the Sheriff was looking for any reason to put me behind bars. And I knew I couldn't give him one.

  Sometimes, being level-headed sucked.

  I left the police station and called my father, who answered on the first ring.

  “I heard what happened,” I said.

  “Which incident?” my dad responded.

  “What do you mean –” I almost didn't want the answer to that. “You mean there's more than one?”

  “Yep,” he said, his voice sounding defeated. “I think it might be best if you came home, son. We need to talk. It's serious.”

  I hung up and rushed home, afraid of what else might have gone down while I was in the bookstore for the afternoon. As I drove past One More Chapter again and couldn't help but glance inside. I saw Rose talking to a customer, a little girl, and they both had smiles on their faces. Seeing her made me smile too. It almost made me forget about the faint drumbeats of war that were sounding all around me.

  Almost.

  Chapter Eight

  My dad and other members of the clan were already at the cabin when I arrived. I could hear the distant roaring of the bears, they were riled up and ready to go to war already. I knew I was walking into an argument before I even stepped foot on the property. When the clan had their blood up, it was almost impossible to get them to throttle it back down.

  But that was what I had to do to prevent an all-out war.

  I didn't even bother going inside, the action was outside, in the woods behind the cabin. I walked down the trail leading to our meeting grounds and found my father perched high on the throne that had been carved from a fallen Redwood tree and had been a symbol of the Chief's power for only God knows how long. He had his hands raised and was trying to calm down the others, but was having no luck. The shouts of anger drowned out his voice.

  Several of our men had already shifted into bear form, their roars echoing around the forest, ready to fight. I surveyed the scene and knew it was not good. Not good at all.

  “Listen, we expected retaliation after what happened to Clay Rockford,” my father said.

  “What about retaliation for what happened to Luke?” one of the men in the crowd growled. “What happened to an eye-for-an-eye? Are we really going to let this slide by?”

  “We are still looking into Luke's murder,” I said, stepping up beside my father. I took my seat on the smaller throne that had been built for the Chief's heir. “We have reason to believe the N'gasso aren't actually behind what happened.”

  “Of course, you'd say that. You're screwing Clay's daughter, you're whipped already and aren't seeing straight, boy,” the man called.

  My fists were balled up at my side. “Are you questioning my loyalty, Shane?” I asked him, narrowing my gaze. “I'm marrying Mariana for this clan – not because I love her. Because it's the best thing for us. Let's not get this twisted. I'd never put my clan in danger for a woman. Never. So, if you are questioning my allegiance, we can get into the pit and settle this.”

  Shane settled down, but only a bit. I knew he wasn't up for a challenge. I was stronger than him, I'd easily tear his throat out if it came to that. He knew that, I knew that – hell, everybody gathered there knew that. And unless he wanted to challenge me, he'd need to calm the hell down. I didn't want to fight Shane – had no desire to hurt anybody in my clan. But I was not going to sit there and have my loyalty questioned.

  Shane's wife, Ramona, put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear – likely reminding him of their two children. Two children who would grow up without a father if he dared challenge me to battle.

  “I'm sorry, Asher,” Shane said, gritting his teeth. “I didn't mean to question your loyalty. I'm just not sure why you're giving the N'gasso the benefit of the doubt – a benefit they don't deserve.”

  “Because they'd be stupid to murder one of our own – my very own cousin at that – and not even try to cover it up. To murder him on their land, when we have an active peace agreement in place, would be dumb. The N'gasso are many things, but their Chief is not a stupid man,” I replied. “And besides, I don't believe they'd sabotage our peace accord. Not like that. Nothing about this makes any sense.”

  “You're right. None of it makes sense,” Shane growled. Others joined in with him, “Why are we uniting with them anyway? What do we have to gain from it.”

  “We've been through this,” my father argued. “Because it makes us both stronger. The fighting amongst us will stop, fewer people will die, and it'll lead to more prosperity for all of us. We have a lot to gain from this agreement. Perhaps, more than the N'gasso.”

  I nodded. “Exactly,” I said. “Believe me, I wouldn't be marrying into that family if I didn't think it wasn't going to benefit the Q'lapa.”

  Slowly, the shouting stopped and I could feel the dark, angry energy that had infused the crowd begin to dissipate. I waited for a few long moments, looking at my father, who looked back at me with a grateful look in his eyes. He looked weak. Fragile. And it broke my heart. After the crowd calmed down, I decided to ask the question that had been racing around through the back of my mind.

  “Had anyone talked to Cameron prior to the incident with Clay Rockford?” I asked them all. “If anybody knows anything, now is the time.”

  A low buzzing mumble hovered over the crowd as they spoke to one another, some were shaking their heads and though there was a lot of conversation, I wasn't getting the feeling that anybody actually knew anything.

  A woman – Annie, I thought her name was – shouted from near the back. “I spoke to him last night. He didn't mention anything, didn't seem upset,” she called. “We talked about Luke, but I didn't get the feeling that he was upset enough to go do something as crazy as that. He said that you and your father would handle it.”

  “My thoughts too,” I said.

  “Do you think someone set him up?” Shane asked.

  “I'm thinking it's a possibility,” I replied. “Something we need to consider, at any rate.”

  More silence. I turned to my father. “What else has happened this morning?”

  “Several of our members were attacked by the N'gasso. Reprisals for the attack on Clay,” he said. “Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but a fight broke out in town. No one was arrested, but they promised revenge.”

  “Has anyone talked to Clay today?” I asked.

  “He's not taking my calls,” my father said. “But he was also in with his doctors most of the morning, so I'm not jumping to any conclusions. Have you spoke to Mariana?”

  “I have. I told her we knew nothing about this and that we'd handle it. She's going to do her best to calm down the N'gasso so we can solve this together. Peacefully.”

  “Good,” my father said. “We can and will figure this out. Together.”

  I was glad everyone was calming down, at least for the moment. Tensions were going to be running high for awhile, until we figured out what was happening and who was behind it all. It was on me to keep everyone from going to war, which wasn't going to be easy. Luke was my cousin, third in line for the throne. It was obvious someone was coming after the leaders of our clan, and that wasn't something we'd take lying down.

  But we also had to make sure we went after the right people, or else, it could get very ugly for everyone involved. The N'gasso, us, and potentially the people of Black Salmon Falls.

  Chapter Nine

  Rose

  I was doing the last-minute work and closing
up the bookstore. Mary had already left for the day and I was just getting ready to flip the sign to closed, when Asher stopped by.

  “Better hurry,” I said with a laugh. “We close in a few minutes.”

  “I'm not here to shop,” he said and looked at me with an awkward expression on his face.

  The way he stood there, sort of shuffling his feet, avoiding eye contact, and looking all kinds of awkward was adorable. It was also not what I'd expect from a man like Asher. He was large, imposing – the seemingly typical alpha male type. And yet, there he was looking like a shy teenage boy. But, one thing I'd come to learn about Asher, was that there was definitely far more to him than met the naked eye.

  “No?” I asked. “Then, what can I do for you?”

  “I was actually hoping we could grab some dinner after you get out of here?” he said, his voice surprisingly soft. “You know, just to talk.”

  My heart flip-flopped and I froze in place for a long moment. I couldn't seem to do anything but stand there and stare at Asher for a long while before answering.

  “It's okay if you have other plans –” he said, suddenly looking sheepish. “I was hungry, in the area, and thought maybe –”

  Adrenaline was flowing through me and I thought I felt myself start to tremble. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I imagined that with my mouth opening and closing like it was, I looked like a fish pulled out of the water and thrown up onto a dock, gasping for breath. I couldn't believe what was happening – Asher was asking me out. On a date.

  There were ten thousand reasons I should have declined his invitation. Twenty thousand, maybe. And knowing that, I opened my mouth to give him a “thanks, but no thanks” answer, and yet, my brain apparently had something else entirely in mind because when I opened my mouth to speak again, the wrong words came tumbling out.

  “Sure, that sounds great, actually.”

  I felt my eyes grow wide and a shock like electricity shot through my body. I should have said no. There was no way in hell I should have agreed to dinner with Asher Blackwood. I wasn't ready to be dating anyone yet, and aside from that, my aunt had warned me about his family. I knew that I should probably stay far away from him. But something in me couldn't resist. So, to temper any expectations from him – or myself – I threw in a last second caveat.