by Lila Fox
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2020 Lila Fox
ISBN: 978-0-3695-0226-1
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Audrey Bobak
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DADDY’S RAPTURE
Daddy Series, 3
Lila Fox
Copyright © 2020
Chapter One
Kaleb walked up to his friend Gregory’s assistant’s desk, and he couldn’t help but smile.
For as long as he’d known him, his friend had had the same secretary. She was middle-aged and married with grandchildren but devoted to making Gregory’s life easier. He’d tried several times to steel her away from him, but her loyalty was to Gregory. That wouldn’t make him stop trying to get her.
He just wished he could find someone like her. Nowadays, it was next to impossible to find good people who stuck around for more than a few years. Or if it was a young single, sometimes even a married woman, the flirtations and accidental touches drove him up the wall.
He didn’t like people to touch him except for his close friends or the woman he was sleeping with at the time, and it frustrated him because he hadn’t found a reliable assistant yet.
“Good morning, Mrs. Burns. I’m here to see Gregory.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Spencer, he’s expecting you. Go on in.”
Kaleb glanced down at the file he’d brought in as he walked through the office door, almost colliding with a young woman. She was so tiny, maybe a foot shorter than his own six-foot-three. She would have bounced off of him and landed on the floor if he hadn’t caught her. He grasped her arms to keep her from falling back onto her bottom.
“Whoa, I’m sorry, honey. Did I hurt you?”
She stared up at him. “You look like John Wayne,” she blurted.
Kaleb’s eyebrows rose. John Wayne was even before his time, but he still watched his movies when he had time. “How do you know him?”
“I like old westerns.”
“I do, too,” he said and grinned.
She smiled and waved at Gregory before pulling away from Kaleb.
“Thank you, Aleena,” Gregory called as she walked away.
Kaleb turned and watched her walk off, unable to tear his gaze away from the alluring motion of her hips. She even had a pretty name.
He hadn’t known he was standing there dazed until Gregory cleared his throat.
He turned to see Gregory scowling at him behind his desk.
“Who was that?”
“She’s one of the paralegals.”
“What’s her name?”
“She’s not for you.”
Kaleb’s eyebrows rose again at the hard tone of Gregory’s voice. “How do you know that?”
“She just isn’t.”
Kaleb walked to the desk and sat down, facing his friend. He studied him for a moment. “Does your wife know about her?”
Gregory threw down his pen and scowled. “Jesus Christ, I’m not having an affair with her, and yes, Lana knows her. She babysits for us a lot.”
“Is she seeing someone?”
“Not to my knowledge, but I wasn’t kidding. She’s not in your league.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Kaleb said, slightly offended.
“She’s a very sweet girl. She’s extremely smart but very naïve and soft-hearted. You’d crush her. She wouldn’t be able to handle being with you, and then it would devastate her when you walked away after having sex with her few times.”
“How in the hell do you know I’d walk away?”
“Because that’s all you do,” Gregory reminded him as he looked over the top of his glasses.
“Only because I haven’t found the right woman.”
Gregory shook his head. “She’s been through enough.”
He studied the older man for a moment. “You’re very protective of her. Why?”
Gregory rubbed his forehead and sighed. “One of her professors who’s a friend of mine told me about her. She was at the top of her class in law school but doesn’t have what it takes to be in the front lines. To stand up in front of people and argue a case or even deal with people on any litigation. She likes being behind the scenes. She’s very good with children, but adults intimidate her.”
“How old is she?”
“Twenty-six.”
“She looks younger.”
“Her professor asked me to hire her. He knew I wouldn’t take advantage of her and would look after her.”
Kaleb’s eyebrows pinched together. “Does she need special attention? Special needs?”
“No, not at all. She just looks at the world through…” Gregory raised his hand in the air and made a circle. “How do I say this … adolescent’s eyes. She’s probably smarter than I am but she trusts everyone and doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”
“How do you know I’d hurt her?” Kaleb asked, trying to keep the resentment out of his tone.
“Because of your track record.” Gregory ripped his glasses from his face, wiped a hand down his face, stood, and walked over to the door. He closed it and moved back to his chair.
“I had a new attorney about a year ago. Very smart and he seemed nice, but I caught Aleena and him in his office after hours. She was crying. Both were partially undressed. I had warned him to stay away from her but he didn’t listen.”
Anger twisted his stomach. “He raped her?”
“Not exactly. She just thought he was nice to her, and she loved the attention she got from him, but she didn’t realize it was him wanting her like a girlfriend and having sex. She’d been a virgin until then. He didn’t understand why she was so upset and she didn’t understand why he couldn’t just be friends with her.”
Kaleb’s stomach twisted. “Jesus. How badly was she hurt?”
“Lana and I took her to see a doctor. She was sore, but he hadn’t done any damage. She knows about men, what they want from women, and how the body works. She’s not ignorant at all. She was genuinely shocked that the attorney wanted to sex with her.”
Gregory shook his head. “Lana kept her with us for about a week and talked to her until she understood and came to grips with it. She’s more cautious now, which is a good thing, but I hated to see the change in her.”
“Where’s the guy?”
“I asked another firm to hire him. He’s a good attorney, but I couldn’t have him around her.”
Kaleb nodded. She sounded a lot like his friends Gage’s and Darian’s littles, and he’d been looking for someone like that for years. He could see how protective his friend was, and he didn’t think he’d let him near her. He’d have to think about it for a bit. In the meantime, he’d discuss what he came in for.
He handed the file over to Gregory. “Here are the contracts we wanted you to look at.”
Gregory scanned them and then nodded. “I’ll get to these today and fax them over to you.”
Kaleb stood, leaned in, and shook Gregory’s hand. “Great. Tell Lana hi for me.”
“Will do. And Kaleb, I hope I didn’t insult you. I know you’re a good man. I just don’t know how she would deal with someone like you.”
Although he did resent it, he knew Gregory did it because he car
ed. “I understand. I like that you’re protective of her. I’ll see you later.”
Kaleb walked out of the office and closed the door before he strolled down the long hallway, looking into the offices he passed that had their door open. He stopped suddenly when he saw Aleena typing quickly on her computer, oblivious to him. He thought she was incredibly pretty. With her long, straight, dark hair to her brown, doe-like eyes, he guessed she had some Mexican in her genes.
He liked her petite figure, but she still had nice rounded hips and breasts. He watched her for several moments. Even her mannerisms caught his attention. She moved in a ladylike way. The tilt of her head, the way she crossed her legs under her chair, and how her long slim fingers flew over the keyboard.
Aleena turned to look at something on her desk and caught him staring. “Hi. Do you need anything?”
Kaleb shook his head. “No, I just wanted to say goodbye, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”
She smiled brightly, showing him the twin dimples on either cheek. “Bye.”
“I hope I see you again,” he said.
She looked a little confused but nodded anyway.
He turned away and walked off.
The rest of the day was spent trying to get her out of his mind.
Several hours later, he stared up at his ceiling in his bedroom. He hadn’t been able to get anything done that afternoon. Every thought was of Aleena, and he didn’t see it getting better anytime soon. He was quickly becoming obsessed with her, which pissed him off a bit but also made him think about the future like he hadn’t in a long while. He tended to live one day at a time because before meeting her, he hadn’t had anything to look forward to.
Now he did.
Chapter Two
Five days passed without an idea on how to get past Gregory to get to her. He’d called the office to get some information on her, but they blocked all his inquiries.
He had called his private investigator a few days before to get any information on her he could, but he hadn’t heard from him yet. All he’d been able to give his guy was her first name and where she worked, so he assumed it would take longer.
That next Thursday, his mood went steadily downhill as one problem after another popped up throughout the day. It was one of those days he should have just stayed in bed.
Kaleb breathed a sigh of relief when the day was over, and he was able to go home. He planned to have a drink, or two, shower, maybe eat, and then drop into bed with the hope the next day might be better.
Generally, with a day he was having, he would have thought about asking a woman out or just to come to his house for a quick fuck, but it was out of the question. The only woman on his mind was Aleena.
He walked off the elevator of his building and headed toward the main doors. A savage curse spewed from his mouth when he saw the downpour he’d have to walk through to get to his car. A few people were still out on the sidewalks, rushing to get out of the rain.
He walked out the front doors and stood under the overhang, hugging his briefcase against his chest, and made a run for it.
He collided with another person coming out of a store a few doors down. His briefcase and a box went flying as his hands came out to the person to keep them from falling to the concrete.
“Whoa, shit. I’m sorry.”
He stared down at the person in his arms and couldn’t believe it was Aleena, and she was as drenched as he was. The water dripped from their hair and noses, and their clothes were soaked through.
“Aleena, honey. Did I hurt you?”
She gawked up at him in shock. “No, I’m okay. Did I hurt you?”
Kaleb grinned. He was twice her size, and she was worried about him. “No, baby. Do you remember me from your office?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Kaleb.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
He smiled at her politeness while standing in the middle of a storm.
“Where’s my box?” she asked and looked around frantically.
He bent and picked up her box and his briefcase. “I’ve got it. Where are you headed?”
“Home.”
“Did you drive?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t have a driver’s license.”
“How did you plan on getting home?”
“The bus.”
Something in his stomach knotted at the thought of her on her own in one of the city buses. He was afraid a lot of bad people rode them, and he didn’t like the idea of her around them.
“How about I take you home?”
She bit her lip and looked around at the mostly deserted street.
“I’m safe, baby. I really am a good friend of Gregory and Lana. They’ve known me for many years. If you’d like, we could go inside, and you could call them.”
She relaxed and looked up at him. “No, it’s okay.”
Kaleb clutched her box under his arm and held on to his briefcase with that hand. Then he reached out with his other one and was pleased she took it right away.
He got them to his Lincoln Escalade within a minute, threw the things in the back seat, and boosted her up in the front.
After starting the car, he looked over at her and scowled when he noticed how white her complexion was and the shivers that racked her body. He flipped on the heat on high, reached into the back of his vehicle, and grabbed the suit jacket he’d left in the car.
“Lean forward, baby.” He draped the jacket over her shoulders and then buttoned it. Then he slowly moved over toward her and wrapped his arms around her.
Kaleb didn’t like how cold she felt and how much she shivered. “I just want to get you warm. Let me hold you for a minute until you feel warmer.”
Aleena nodded and burrowed into his arms.
He rubbed a hand over her back and arm, hoping to warm her quicker. “How are you doing?” he asked when her shivers subsided.
“Better, thank you.”
He cupped her cheek and tilted her head up. The blue tinge around her lips was gone, and now there was a healthy rose color. “Are you sure I didn’t hurt you when I ran into you?”
“I don’t think so. Nothing hurts. I was just startled.”
He chuckled. “I can imagine being hit by a tank would startle anyone.”
She laughed.
He cleared his throat. He reached over her and grabbed the seatbelt, drew it over her lap, and secured it. “Let’s get you home.”
****
Aleena gave him the address and settled back against the seat. Her body hummed with the feeling of warmth, both from the heat coming out of the car vents and Kaleb. And something else she couldn’t identify at the moment. What made it worse was that every breath she took in, she smelled his intoxicating cologne that remained on his jacket, and it made her body soften even more.
She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was a handsome man, with rugged looks and a strong profile. He really did resemble a young John Wayne. The fact that he was one of her favorite actors made Kaleb seem even more attractive.
She looked at his hands and bit her lips. He gripped the steering wheel loosely, but she could tell he knew what he was doing, so she didn’t get nervous. His hands were large and tan, and his fingers were long and broad. The veins and tendons on the back stood out, making them look even more powerful.
She pulled her gaze from him and looked out her window. She was wet and cold and just wanted to be at home where she felt safe.
Within thirty minutes, Kaleb pulled up outside an expensive-looking condo building. “You own a place here?”
“No, I just rent.” Aleena looked at the building. It was fifteen levels of shiny metal and glass, and she didn’t like it at all. Her boss had found it for her because it had tight security, and to make him and his wife feel better, she stayed for the moment.
Eventually, she’d have enough saved to buy her own condo. One that was older and had some character in it. Old woodwork and floors. Maybe little
nooks and crannies. No more steel and glass for her.
She couldn’t hide the edge of sadness in her tone but was glad when he left it alone for the moment. She could tell he wanted to ask a question but thankfully didn’t. She’d felt his stare more than once during the drive and knew he was curious about her. Maybe as curious as she was about him.
He pulled up close to the building, turned off the car, and got out. It was still sprinkling, but nothing like it had earlier. He came around, grabbed her box out of the back seat, helped her out of his vehicle, and walked with her into her building.
The doorman had opened the door by the time Kaleb got them close.
“I’ll take her up to her place.”
The doorman looked worried and looked back and forth between them. “I can get her there, sir.”
“It’s okay, Stan, he’s a friend of Gregory and Lana’s.”
The doorman relaxed and smiled. “All right. Have a nice evening, Miss Aleena.”
“You, too.”
She gritted her teeth as Kaleb followed her onto the elevator. He stood beside her on the way up and noticed her shivering again.
“We should have kept the coat on you,” he said and wrapped an arm around her waist.
She glanced up at him. “It will be fine. I’ll change when we get to my place.”
Neither talked until the door to the condo closed behind them.
Aleena reached for her box in his arms. “Thank you for seeing me home.”
“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to wait until I know you’re okay.”
“But I’m fine,” she said.
He looked down at her with worry evident in his expression. “It would make me feel better.”
Aleena stared up at him for a moment, nodded, and then turned. “I’ll just go change. I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home.”
With a sigh, she closed the bedroom door behind her and yanked off her wet clothes. Then she pulled on the first things she grabbed, a bra, panties, an old pair of pink sweatpants, an old t-shirt, and her slippers. She used a towel to get some of the water out of her hair and then hurried back out to him.