“How do you know what I need?” she shot at him.
He raised an eyebrow and took a steady breath in.
“I’m not sure what’s bothering you, Sammy, but I’m not taking your attitude anymore. Either act like a big girl and tell me what’s wrong so I can help, or keep acting like a baby and I’ll start treating you like one.”
Her throat constricted as she thought over his words for a moment.
“With what? That stupid gag?”
“For starters. But it only takes a five-minute trip to the corner store to grab a package of diapers and some bottles.”
Her face blanched properly.
“I—you—oh…” She twisted her lips one way, then the other. “Can I take my shower alone?” She lowered her gaze.
He let out a sigh. “When you’re done, you’re going to eat your breakfast and you’re going to tell me what’s bothering you. Understood?” He pinned her with a hot glare. She wasn’t wiggling her way out of the conversation this time.
“I will.” She nodded. “It’s time we talked anyway.” The weight of the words and depths of the sadness laced into them sank his heart to his stomach.
“I’ll be right out here if you need me,” he said softly, then pulled the shower curtain back in place to give her some privacy.
Leaning against the sink, he listened as she moved around the shower. The little gasps of pain when she bent over for the soap tore at him, but he didn’t intervene. His little girl had moved away from him, and he wouldn’t force her back until she was ready.
“You okay?” he asked when she cursed for the third time.
“Yeah,” she huffed. “Washing my hair.”
He bit his tongue to keep from demanding she let him help. She was strong—it was one of the things he loved about her—but she was stubborn. If she’d just let him help, she wouldn’t have to lift her arms over her head and make more pain for herself.
The water cut off, and he stood silently on the outside, listening to her take calming breaths. His little girl was hurting.
“Fuck this,” he muttered, grabbing a towel from the wall. He yanked the curtain back. “I’m helping you.” He reached inside the shower, wrapping his arm around her waist, and carefully hoisted her out.
“Shit!” She gasped when he put her on her feet. “Fuck.”
“I know it hurts, baby.” His chest heavy with her pain. “Just stand still and I’ll dry you off.” He maneuvered to her back and wrapped the towel around her hair, squeezing as much water as he could from the locks. Bending over to put her hair up in that towel twist women did wouldn’t be happening for her.
“I can do it.” She tried to shove him away, but he ignored the motions.
“I want to know what’s going on, little girl. And as soon as I get your jammies back on you, you’re going to tell me.”
“I don’t need my jammies.” Her tone bordered on bitter, making him pause.
“What do you need then, Samantha?” He stood to his full height and stepped in front of her.
She tilted her head back, her wary gaze wandering up to his.
“I need to get dressed. I have an apartment viewing this afternoon, and I don’t want to miss it.”
What. The. Fuck.
“Excuse me?” The force of her words pushed him back a step.
She took the towel from his grip and wrapped it around her body. “I got the job at the library.”
“That’s great, but what does that—”
“It’s better this way,” she said quietly, then slipped away from him and out of the bathroom.
“You’re not in any condition to go out today,” he said, following her. She wanted to get away from him so badly, she’d put herself through the pain of all that moving around?
“I’m not putting it off anymore. I start at the library on Monday, which is only a few days away. The sooner I start looking, the sooner I’m out of your hair.” She walked into the guestroom where her clothes were still hanging in the closet and folded half neatly in the drawers.
“What is this about? Why in such a hurry?” He pushed the drawer she’d opened shut. “Stop moving around and look at me,” he demanded. He wouldn’t be brushed off. If she was hell bent on getting away from him, the least the woman could do was tell him why.
She turned toward him, her hair dripping water down her shoulders as it brushed along her skin. She grasped the towel, holding it tightly, as though it would fall and unveil some great weakness to him.
Her lips trembled when her eyes finally met his, glistening from unshed tears.
“I saw the apartment listings.” The words fell between them.
“The apartment listings?” He cocked his head to the side. What the hell was she talking about?
“On the counter. In the kitchen.”
“What—” his heart stopped. “Sam.” He rubbed his forehead. “The paper?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, lowering her gaze.
“The one that had one column for condos for sale and another for apartments for rent?” he asked.
Her brows snapped together, and she lifted her chin. Confusion warred in her sweet eyes. All the hurt she’d been sporting in her heart could have been easily avoided if she’d spoken up days ago.
“I was looking at the ads for condos. I’m looking for one to flip,” he explained.
“Flip,” she repeated.
“Yeah. Flip. It’s been a while since I took on a renovation project, and I was thinking about taking one on.”
“Oh.” Air whooshed out of her, and her lips curled softly at the edges. “You’re buying a condo. Not looking for an apartment for me?”
His shoulders fell. How the hell could she think he’d want to do that?
“Why would you think I wanted you out?” He didn’t touch her, but fuck, he wanted to. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and kiss away all her doubts.
“I—It’s not like I haven’t dragged a bunch of drama into your life.” She shrugged. “I mean, Randall showed up here!”
His jaw tensed.
“Yeah, he did.” Ryder did his best to keep his tone even. She didn’t need to feel the guilt of that prick on her shoulders. “That’s not on you. That’s on Anderson. That’s on Randall. That’s not your fault.”
She turned away, a tear sliding down her cheek.
“He—I don’t understand why I even dated him. He was such a fucking prick.” Anger leaked into her tone.
“Sometimes we don’t see the bad in people because we don’t want to,” he offered.
She nodded. “He was so nice at first. I was so busy with school and working part-time, he was fun to hang with. I thought he was a good guy ’cause he never put any ties on me, you know? Never got mad because I was busy or working. But then I realized it wasn’t because he was understanding, it was because he didn’t care. If I was around, great, if not—no skin off his back.”
Ryder fisted his hands and slid them in his pockets.
“When the cops came asking me about him, if I knew anything, I should have stayed out of it.”
“You did the right thing, answering those questions honestly. From what George told me at the hospital, Randall nearly killed an old woman.”
“What do you think he’ll do now? He’s stuck in Chicago, right? ’Cause of the accident?”
Ryder took a deep breath. “Randall’s not a problem anymore, Samantha. He didn’t make it out of the hospital.” And he would forever remember the moment that fucker’s lights flickered off.
“He’s dead?”
“Yeah, baby. He’s gone.”
“Anderson?” she asked with worry.
“He’s fine. But I don’t want to talk about him anymore. I want to talk about you. About me. About us.”
Chapter 31
Randall was dead.
She should feel something. A pang of regret, hurt, something…right? He was human, after all. A disgusting pig of a human, but still, he’d been alive and now he was dead.
<
br /> But there was no emotion. Just relief.
“Sam.” Ryder’s demand for her attention snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Us?”
“Yes, us.” He nodded. “First, get into bed.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to lay down anymore. I want—” She blew out a long breath, fighting back the grimace of the pain.
“What? What do you want?” His voice dipped. She looked up at him, waiting to see the angry scowl of a man scorned. But what she found was warmth, caring, and love. She could see it, feel it, sense it in his words, his gaze.
This wasn’t a temporary thing with Ryder—this was the real deal. The ingredients of forever.
“I want you,” she said firmly, staring up at him. “I don’t want to think this is only for right now, that we’re only playing around while I’m staying here. I want this to be…I deserve this to be…more.”
His eyes narrowed, making her breath hitch. Maybe she’d gone too far, read him wrong.
“You deserve everything you want in this world, Samantha.” He stepped closer, taking up the buffer of space between them. With a light touch to her chin, he tilted her head back. “And I’m the luckiest bastard in the world because you want me.”
His lips brushed across hers, gentle at first, then with all the power she’d come to crave and love from him. His tongue lashed against hers, taming her beneath him until she succumbed to the heat he brought to her. Melting into his arms, his kiss, she gave up the tension in her chest.
He wanted her too. Her Daddy wanted her.
“Fuck,” she muttered when he released her, tapping her nose with his before standing to his full height again.
“That’s enough with the language, Sammy,” he whispered, then kissed her again.
“You pick the weirdest things to be upset about.” She gave a soft laugh.
He grinned down at her. She would never get used to how easily he could settle her heart and warm her to the core with one upturn of this lips.
“Do you think I should cancel the apartment showing?” she asked, the fluttering of doubt starting to rise again.
“I think that’s a decision you’ll have to make on your own. I mean…” he looked around the guestroom, “this room isn’t really available anymore. If you do stay here, you’ll have to bunk in my room…”
“Oh?” She bit down on her lower lip.
“In all seriousness, Sam. I’d love if you stayed here, but I’m not making that call for you. You’ll have decide—”
“I’m staying,” she blurted out before he could finish his sentence. “I mean, the location is great for work and the beach.”
His mouth cracked into a wide smile. “The beach?”
“Yeah.” She stepped closer to him, peeling the tucked part of the towel out and letting it drop to the floor. “Plus, the roommate is pretty hot.”
He laughed. “Really?”
“Yep.” She ran her hands over his chest, fighting back the grimace when pain shot through her.
He wrapped his fingers around her wrists. “Sammy, you’re in a lot of pain.”
“I was, yes.” She rested her check to his chest. “I thought I lost you, but I have you now.”
He hugged her gently. “We have each other,” he corrected.
“Yes.” She smiled. “We have each other.”
Epilogue
Six months later…
His girl was going to be the death of him. A demise he’d gladly accept.
“Daddy, please.” She writhed on the bed, her hands sinking into his hair.
“I told you to hold still, Sammy,” he chastised, and bit the inside of her thigh. She squeezed and wiggled more before settling down.
“But you’re going too slow,” she pouted.
“Don’t rush me.” He pointed a finger at her, then slowly lowered to her sex where her pussy lips were spread open, glistening with her arousal. Swiping through her folds, he gathered up her juices, bringing his finger back to his lips and watching her eyes narrow. “You taste too good to devour in one bite.”
He lowered himself again on the bed, crawling downward until his mouth hovered over her pussy. Fuck, she smelled good, tasted good. With his thumbs, he spread her pussy lips further apart and flicked his tongue over her swollen clit.
Her hiss of pleasure drove him further into his own mist of arousal. He’d lost track of how long he’d been teasing her. He suckled her clit hard, scraping his teeth and tongue over it until her back arched and she was pushing into him.
“Please, Daddy! I have to come.” She sounded far gone. Making her wait any longer would be cruel.
He never promised sunshine and rainbows.
“Not yet, Sammy. You wait until my cock is buried deep in you.”
She grunted. She hated the waiting game, or at least she put up a good fight about it.
He shifted on the bed again, bringing the tip of his cock to nestle at her entrance. Enough pressure for her to feel it, but not to alleviate any of her need.
“Please.”
“Please what?” he asked, inching forward.
She fisted her hands. “Please fuck me. Hard. So hard.”
He wasn’t going to tease himself any longer. With one hard thrust, he was balls deep in her. Her hands came up, grasping his shoulder as he plowed into her over and over again.
Heat flooded his bloodstream. Samantha clung to him, her nails digging into his flesh and driving him harder and harder into her. He slipped his hand beneath her head, fisting her hair and yanking her up to his lips. He broke away, peppering kisses down her neck as he continued to plow into her.
“Fuck. Please?” she begged, spreading her legs wider for him.
“Now, Sam. Fuck yes,” he growled, the animal inside him clawing its way out as he pinched her nipple. The little bite of pain sent her into a wild frenzy. She screamed out her release as her cunt gripped him tighter, milking his own orgasm from him.
He rode hard into her again and again, until the last bit of his release finally ebbed into a sated dark haze.
With heavy breath and a racing heart, he kissed her again, tender, slower, but with as much power as any other touch. This was his girl, his fiancé. His heart strained at the force of her love.
“You okay?” he asked, pulling her against his chest as he settled beside her.
“I’m fine.” She smiled up at him. “Although, if you had held out much longer, you probably wouldn’t be.”
A bubble of laughter escaped him. She was too cute. “Threatening me?”
“No.” She snuggled into him. “I would never be so naughty.” She giggled and pulled the blanket up around them.
He squeezed her. “Of course, you would.”
“Yeah, probably.” She nodded, flattening her hand on his chest.
“Do you think Paul will like Chicago?” she whispered. It was late, and she was falling asleep on him.
“I think getting away from that ex-wife of his will be worth the move.”
“That’s true.” She yawned. All charges had been dropped, and Paul had celebrated by getting the hell out of Indiana.
He twisted to look down at her, needing to see her full expression.
“Are you happy here?”
“I couldn’t be happier, Ryder.” She reached up and kissed his chin. “I have a great job, I live a short walk from the lake, and in two weeks, I’ll be your wife. Nothing could be better.”
He gripped her chin and tilted her head back.
“I’m glad to hear it, little girl. Now, you’ve stayed up past your bedtime with all your sexy shenanigans, time for sleep.”
“Okay, Daddy.” She snuggled down under the covers.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against his body, enveloping her in his love and protectiveness. She was his. Had been from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
It had taken no time at all for her to wiggle her way into Daddy’s heart, and that was where she’d stay.<
br />
Forever.
* * *
Thank you so much for reading DADDY’S HEART! I hope you enjoyed meeting Ryder and Samantha. They’d love to meet all the people. So please spread the word, and tell a friend about these books!
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PROTECTING HIS PET
Chapter One
The busses were running late again. No big surprise, especially in the middle of September on a day the Cubs played at home. The game having just let out within the hour, the Addison route would be packed with half drunk or totally drunk fans making their way home.
Kara tilted her chin up into the soft wind of fall, delighting in the slight chill. The heat and humidity of Chicago summer had finally broken, leaving a more habitable environment. She hated heat above all else.
“Did we miss it?” Julie jogged up to her at the bus stop, breath heaving from the exertion.
Kara laughed. “No, it’s late. And will be crowded as hell, too.”
“I know. Damn those emergencies.” Julie pulled a pack of cigarettes from her scrub pocket and dug out a fresh smoke. Kara watched Julie light the cigarette then blow a large cloud into the air before stuffing her pack and lighter back into her pocket. “I was hoping to get out before the game ended.”
Kara looked down the street, past the line of cars waiting to get through the traffic light in hopes of sighting the bus. The eye clinic they worked at stayed open later for an emergency chemical burn, making them miss the last bus before the Cubs game destroyed traffic. “It’s times like this that I wish I owned a car.” Kara gave up trying to find the green limousine and plunked down on the bench. She sat in front of the latest photograph of the top realtor in the area.
“In the city? And where would you park it?” Julie scoffed. It was true. Parking spots were a commodity that her medical receptionist salary couldn’t cover, even in her supervisory role. “You know, you could have left. I was there, so was Dr. Conrad; you didn’t need to stay.”
Daddy’s Heart: Windy City Book Five Page 19