Page 27 of Taken By My Guardian's Fangs

"I'll take her with me on my next visit," Gaël promised.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?"

Etienne couldn't help smirking at the way his friend stiffened. "Take care with your words, wife," he drawled. "You speak as if Juliette were Gaël's daughter."

Spencer blinked. "I thought that was what a ward basically meant. Isn't it the same?"

"It's not."

Although Gaël's tone was courteous, Spencer couldn't help looking at Etienne worriedly as soon as their guest left. "Did I say something wrong?"

"On the contrary, my love...you said exactly what that man needed to hear."

Don't say daddy.

GAËL'S TEETH GNASHED as his mind kept returning to Spencer's words en route to Juliette's university. Since he was thirty-four to his ward's eighteen, he was admittedly old enough to have sired her...but not fucking once had he thought of her as his daughter. A child yes, but his fucking daughter?

And now, a daughter whose pussy he had already tasted and blood he had already drank?

FUCK!

Gaël tightened his grip around his steering wheel in an effort to contain his fury. He knew he was being unreasonable, and that there was no one to blame for the age gap between them. It was simply a fact of life, but...

What about Juliette? Did she also see him as a father figure? Had she ever seen him as her daddy? And what about her peers? If they saw him as her father, would that bother her? Maybe even make him less attractive in his ward's eyes?

There was only one way to find out, and a few minutes later, Gaël's text message had Juliette hurriedly excusing herself from the other wards. Although this was not Gaël's first time to attend a PTA as her guardian, he usually did so in a low-key manner. He had never sought her presence even when he was in her school, and she would only learn about what her teachers had told Gaël upon meeting him at home.

This was the first time Gaël had asked her to meet him, and Juliette couldn't help feeling nervous as she wrung her hands while waiting for—-

Oh.

Juliette's heart skipped a beat as the familiar sight of her guardian's limousine rolled up the driveway, and Gaël's chauffeur, dear old Toby, stepped out to open the door for his master.

"Hi."

The tightness in Gaël's chest eased upon hearing Juliette's breathless tone. No woman would sound like this if the man she was talking to was someone she saw as her father. Right?

Juliette's apprehension returned when she saw Gaël's gaze suddenly sweep the parking lot. "What is it?"

"Most of the students here drive their own cars," Gaël observed darkly.

"Well...of course. Not all of them can afford to hire their own personal drivers—-"

"Do you think it's better that I drive rather than take the limo?"

Juliette's brows furrowed. "What do you mean by better?"

"Which would make you more comfortable? Do you prefer riding the limo with me? Or is it more comfortable for you if I were the one behind the wheel?"

Juliette's confusion grew. "I'm still not sure what you mean, but..." She looked at him earnestly. "I think it's your comfort that should matter more. Didn't you once tell me that you preferred taking the limo because it afforded you to work and multitask while traveling? But you see, you're always so busy everyday, I also think taking the limo is ideal. That way, you can use any spare time you have to rest."

It was not the answer Gaël had expected, but damn if those words didn't make him realize just how fucking sweet his ward was. However—-

"Can I ask you one last thing?"

"Okay..." Juliette couldn't help tensing as she waited for him to speak. It wasn't like Gaël to talk about these things in public, and they couldn't get any more public than the two of them standing in front of the school entrance, with every UdLA student gaping and staring at their direction. Could this be some kind of test? Or a trick question, maybe?

"Have you ever thought of me as your father?"

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