Sugar Sentry
Sugar Daddies #13
Charity Parkerson
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About the Author
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--Warning: This book is intended for readers over the age of 18.
Copyright © 2019 Charity Parkerson
Editor: Hercules Editing & Consultants
ISBN: 978-1-946099-50-1
All rights reserved.
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Introduction
Easton’s been living one day at a time since his attack. Life has other plans for him.
Exactly one year ago, Easton’s life came crashing down. A vicious attack left him deeply scarred inside and out. From the ashes of his life, he’s rebuilt himself into someone new. His life is different in many ways, but—mostly—he’s found a better version of happiness in a new business. Opening his own bakery has been a lifesaver for him. He’s thrown himself into becoming a massive success. For the most part, he’s content. Until Nico walks in and shakes the foundation of Easton’s newfound peace.
After a year of watching over Easton from a distance, Nico has decided to take on a more hands-on approach. Easton is getting better, but he’s not really living, and Nico can’t put up with that anymore. He’s decided to take his self-imposed guardianship role to the next level and lure Easton out of his fear-encased shell. There are just a few problems with his plan. He loves Easton, Easton doesn’t think he deserves love, and Nico is carrying around one hell of a secret that could ruin everything.
Author Note
I’m hoping you’ve read every book in the series leading up to Easton’s. If so, you can pretty much guess that Easton’s story will have triggers.
One
At ten till nine, on the one-year anniversary of the night he’d almost died, Easton questioned why he’d decided to stay open so late. Maybe it had been some type of silent punishment. When he’d opened Easton’s Bakery, he’d never intended to stay open past six. He’d just wanted a tiny bakery with a small area where people could choose to stay, eat some pie or whatever, and enjoy a bit of quiet time. Unfortunately, he’d seriously misjudged how many people would place huge orders they couldn’t pick up until after work. Easton couldn’t complain about the success. He’d never dreamed he’d make it this far. In fact, for many years, he never had much of a dream for himself at all. He’d spent his entire life looking for validation from men. Now he owned his own business. Mostly thanks to his brother, Jake, and Jake’s husband, Flynn, building on to their bookstore for him, but he’d done a lot to make the place a success. It was doing amazingly well. He should be thrilled. Most days, he was. Except when it came to this. This day on the calendar had changed Easton—inside and out. Now, it was dark outside; he was alone and scared to death of walking to his car alone. Just as he’d been that night a year ago.
Easton pressed his hand to his stomach, trying to stop the shaking. His gaze moved to the clock on the register. Five more minutes. The door opened and a warm breeze blew in, stirring the air and pulling Easton from his rising panic. He should be irritated over someone coming in right at closing time. All Easton felt was relief for the reprieve.
He pasted on a fake smile. “Welcome to Easton’s.” His bright tone faltered as he caught his first glimpse of the man. Fear choked him. His gaze hit the counter. Easton had a hard time lifting his eyes. The guy was massive. His muscles were thick and hard. Tattoos ran down the length of one arm, covered his neck, and even showed beneath his close-shaven hair. He looked like he’d stumbled into the wrong side of town. Easton had never felt smaller. He couldn’t claim he’d never been more vulnerable, but he definitely didn’t feel safe. He kept his hands curled into fists so the man wouldn’t see how they shook. Easton had told Jake he would be fine on his own while Jake and his husband were out of town. Now, as he ground his back teeth to a fine dust, he wished he hadn’t lied.
“How can I help you?” His voice came out sounding small. Easton forced himself to lift his chin and meet the man’s stare. His eyes automatically skirted away. The guy’s eyes were like blue ice. They were so light, they were almost unnatural.
“Are you Easton?”
Easton gave a jerky nod as his gaze collided with the blue ice and jumped away again.
“Everyone tells me you are the best. What do you suggest? What are you most proud of?”
He tried following. The man’s thick Russian accent made it hard for Easton to understand him. Easton turned the words over in his head. A hint of pride sneaked in. Someone had recommended him. This guy wanted whatever Easton thought was his best creation. He straightened his spine.
“My five-layer chocolate cake is really popular, but it’s extremely rich. If you’re not a fan of super sweet cakes, I’d go with a lemon cupcake with strawberry icing. It’s that one,” he said, pointing at a pink creation he thought had turned out really pretty.
“Do you have coffee?”
Usually, he did, but it was late. “Not made, but if you wanted to wait, I could start a pot.”
He dipped his chin. “I wait. Coffee, chocolate cake, and I take the pink thing to go.”
The guy was gruff and scary-looking, but he was spending money. Easton told himself he would be okay. “Can I get a name for your order?” Easton kind of wanted to slap himself. It was closing time. No one else was there. The question had become pure habit.
The guy didn’t question him. “Nico.”
Easton nodded. He moved to the register and rang up his purchases. “Fourteen thirty-seven.”
Nico pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket so thick, it had to look like a second dick filling his pants. Easton hoped it wasn’t drug money. He would still take it, but he hoped. Nico peeled a fifty from the stack. “The change is yours.”
Easton’s eyebrows snapped together. “Are you sure? That’s too much.”
Nico stared him down in stony silence.
His bravery fled again. Easton dropped his chin and counted out the change. He slipped the extra bills in his pocket before turning away to make the coffee.
“Good boy.” Nico’s softly spoken praise almost made Easton miss a step. No one praised him and meant it. To hear those words from someone so intimidating was odd and messed with him a little.
Easton went through the motions, cutting Nico a slice of cake before moving to start the coffee. Nico never budged. He was so still, it was almost as if he wasn’t real. Easton felt like a fumbling mess. Nico was just big. That was the heart of things. He was a stranger and in Easton’s space. Easton didn’t want to be this person who was scared of every new encounter, but he didn’t know how to make it stop. The nightmares that came without warning. The night sweats when the pani
c attacks hit. Those were his new reality. Jake and Flynn had paid for counseling for Easton after the attack. It helped, but he was different now. All Easton could do was try to brazen this out.
He set the plate in front of Nico and moved to box up his cupcake. Easton spoke over his shoulder as he worked. “Your coffee should be ready soon. Do you need sugar and cream?”
“Black is good.”
Easton curled his nose. He’d never understood how anyone drank black coffee. This guy planned to drink it black at almost nine at night. Insane. He glanced up. A small smile hovered on Nico’s lips. It disappeared when he noticed Easton looking. With a shake of his head, Easton carried the cake box over and set it next to Nico’s plate. A whiff of expensive cologne overcame him, making Easton miss a step. There was something familiar about the scent. He probed at his memories, trying to shake something loose without luck as he poured a cup of coffee. When he turned to hand the cup to Nico, his plate was empty, even though he hadn’t sat or even moved as far as Easton could tell.
“Danke.”
Oh. The accent wasn’t Russian. It was German. His voice was deep, and Easton had never been good at telling accents apart. For all his expensive tastes, Easton had never cared for world travel. Not every country appreciated beautiful and sassy men like him. Easton’s thoughts skipped a beat and reversed. Sometimes, when his mind wandered, he forgot he wasn’t beautiful any longer. Easton dropped his gaze and avoided turning his scars in Nico’s direction.
“Can I do anything else for you?”
“No.”
With a nod, Easton moved away. He wiped down the counters and boxed up the day’s leftovers. In his head, he ran down the list of everything he needed to do before he could go home. In truth, he was stalling. His car wasn’t parked that far away. It didn’t matter. Easton always had a panic attack the second he stepped outside alone. Sometimes he thought he’d never get better. The flashbacks would never stop.
He stacked the cake boxes filled with leftovers to give his hands something to do. Easton pulled the knot loose on his apron. He tugged the pink cloth over his head and draped it over a hook by the kitchen door. With nothing else to keep him from facing the inevitable, he took a deep breath and turned. Nico still hadn’t moved. It was funny. He’d forgotten the man was there. Nico was so still and quiet. Nonetheless, Easton couldn’t believe he’d forgotten. Being around men made him uncomfortable. Normally, he always knew exactly how far he stood from every stranger. As terrifying as Nico was, he should’ve been twice as hard to forget.
Nico’s cup was empty. Easton carried the dishes to the sink, hoping Nico would take the hint. It was well past closing time. Easton turned back toward the counter. Nico held the cake boxes filled with leftovers. Easton blinked in surprise.
“It is dark. I walk you out.”
“Oh.” Easton barely stopped himself from snatching the boxes away and screeching like a wildcat. His heart raced. “You don’t have to do that.”
Nico didn’t budge. His face was set. Easton eyed the man’s cold eyes and the thick brown hair covering his jaw. He looked unmoving. Fuck it. The guy couldn’t carry boxes and kill him. Yeah, it was a thin theory, but Easton wouldn’t make it if he thought too hard to the contrary.
Easton grabbed his keys and nodded toward the door. “After you, I guess.”
Nico headed for the door. Easton eyed his massive frame as they headed out. He swallowed. Nico probably wouldn’t need both hands to kill him. He looked like he could hold cake boxes in one hand and snap Easton’s neck with the other. With each step, Easton’s panic rose. His hands shook. He pulled the door closed behind them and tried locking the door. The keys rattled in his hand. Easton bit his lip, trying to force his hands to steady. Nico shifted the boxes to one arm, plucked the keys from Easton’s fingers, and locked the door. Easton stared hard in the opposite direction. He felt like an idiot. No doubt he looked like a goddamn scared mouse. He hated being like this.
“Is this your car?” Nico asked, pulling Easton from his deepening depression.
Easton glanced toward his Audi. It was a few years old. A gift from a former lover. No one would date him now much less shower him with expensive gifts. An unexpected wave of unhappiness washed over Easton. His bakery had been a dream come true, but everything else had fallen apart in a single night a year ago. He was very tired.
“Yeah. That’s me.” There was a Harley parked next to his car. Easton motioned toward the bike. “Is that you?” He didn’t know why he asked. Silence wasn’t comfortable for him.
Nico nodded. He didn’t waste words, apparently.
Easton swiped his sweating palms on his thighs. “Well, you’ve walked me out,” Easton said, hoping Nico took the hint and gave back his keys.
Nico dipped his chin again and headed for Easton’s car. He unlocked it and opened the door for Easton. “You will be fine.” It was such an odd thing to say. Easton automatically moved to Nico’s side and slipped behind the wheel. Nico leaned down and passed the boxes to Easton. While Easton set them in the passenger side seat, Nico started the car for Easton. He hit the button, locking Easton’s door. Without a word, he closed the door and walked away. Easton sat there blinking. He had no clue what the fuck just happened to his life.
Two
Nico deliberately waited until five minutes until closing to show up at Easton’s again. As he came through the door, the smell of cake and books combined to smack him in the face. Easton looked his way. Unlike the night before, Easton didn’t immediately drop his gaze. His eyes were fucking amazing up close. The bravery he showed, defiantly holding Nico’s stare a few seconds at a time, proved Easton was a warrior. Whether he realized it or not.
“You’re back. Does that mean you liked my cake?”
Honestly, Nico didn’t particularly like sweets. He preferred things salty. “What are you proud of today?”
Easton smiled. Nico sucked in a breath. This wasn’t the fake smile Easton gave while greeting customers. His smile was genuine, filled with happiness, pride, and teasing. Nico was famished. “I tried my hand at something new today. Would you like to try it?”
“If it pleases you, ja.”
Easton’s smile turned shy. “It’s salted caramel cinnamon rolls. Would you like some coffee too?”
Nico nodded as he pulled out some money and handed Easton a fifty as he’d done last night. “The change is for you.”
For a moment, Easton hesitated. Nico worried he was getting ready to argue again. Instead, Easton kept his head down and counted out the change. He slipped the money in his pocket. “Thanks.” He still didn’t look Nico’s way as he scooped a roll onto a plate and poured a cup of coffee. He set them in front of Nico. “So... coffee at night. You must stay up late. I don’t have a very high tolerance for caffeine. One cup after lunch and I’m up all night, bouncing from the walls.”
“This is a small cup and I’m a big guy. This is nothing. Let me guess, you are a wine drinker.”
Easton shoved his hands in his back pockets and rocked from foot to foot. He still didn’t look directly at Nico for more than a few seconds at a time, but a smile hovered on his lips. His nose curled in an adorable way at Nico’s stab in the dark. “No. My family belongs to this country club and everyone there claims to be an expert on all the best wines. I’d never have to work again if I had a dollar for every time I’ve said I don’t like the taste of alcohol and someone there said, ‘that’s because you haven’t tried so and so yet.’ Elitists are exhausting.”
He did such a good job of impersonating a snooty rich voice that Nico couldn’t help but laugh. “No coffee before noon and no wine ever. What do you drink?”
A blush touched Easton’s cheeks. His gaze skirted away again. “I guess I’m somewhat boring. Usually, I just drink water.”
“You don’t look boring.” Nico shoved a bite of cinnamon roll in his mouth before he looked like he was flirting. He’d kept his tone steady, but he worried about scaring Easton. The man was alrea
dy one wrong word from bolting.
Easton flashed him a crooked smile. “How do I look?” He swiped his hand through the air and blushed again. “Don’t answer that. I know how I look.” He covered the scarred side of his face and laughed. There was no humor in the sound, even though Nico got the feeling Easton still intended the words as a joke. It was obvious Easton wanted to laugh about his injuries, but it would never be funny.
“You look feisty.” Nico infused a good dose of humor in his voice, hoping to keep Easton’s spirits up. He couldn’t say what he really thought. Easton looked like a beautiful warrior. A conqueror angel. A fighter.
Easton released a loud bark of laughter. He slapped his hand over his mouth. His blush deepened. Nico’s smile grew until his cheeks ached.
With a final shake of his head, as if he thought Nico’s claim was ridiculous, Easton turned away and started his normal end-of-the-day routine. Wiping down the counters one final time, taking off his apron, and boxing up the day’s leftovers. Nico polished off his cinnamon roll and blatantly watched. Easton moved as if he’d forgotten anyone else was there—like music played inside his head. Nico marveled over Easton’s spark. He had something others didn’t. It fascinated Nico how Easton could be so full of light and energy, yet he didn’t live. Not really.
Just as he’d done last night, Easton turned and startled slightly, as if he’d truly forgotten Nico’s presence. “You’re so still and quiet. I get lost in thought and forget you’re here.” He winced. “Sorry.”
Sugar Sentry (Sugar Daddies Book 13) Page 1