Page 33 of The Bodyguard and the Bombshell

Daisy went slightly stiff in his arms.

Nate knew how to handle O’Donnell. “No.”

Liam got red in the face. “What do you mean no?”

“I think he means he’s not leaving.” Ian Taggart was a bastard who obviously enjoyed a good show.

Well, he had to admit his baby knew how to play out a beauty of a scene. “I mean, you can fire me, but I’m not leaving Daisy. Tell me something, Liam. Was it you or Aidan who scared all the Doms off her at The Hideout?”

Devi walked in with a pitcher of water, and her eyes went wide. “Scared off the Doms? No one would do that. The club is a place where we can be honest. You don’t understand. We have rules, and no one is going to shame anyone or scare them off. Daisy just… She hasn’t had any luck.”

“Sure, the stunningly gorgeous submissive with an hourglass figure who looks like she’ll melt in your fucking mouth can’t find a guy to top her for a night,” Nate shot back.

Daisy’s eyes fluttered open. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

Her father had done her no favors. “Of course you’re gorgeous. I thought you were gorgeous with a silly mask on your face. Taking it off didn’t make you any less stunning, love.”

“What the hell are you on about?” Liam stood, the conference table between them. “Daisy, get up. We’re leaving and we won’t come back until your uncle gets rid of the dead weight.”

“You know now that I think about it, it is kind of weird,” Devi said. “When we go out to clubs in the city, Daisy is always the one who gets hit on. Like dance clubs or bars.”

“My Daisy doesn’t go to clubs or bars,” her father insisted. “The only reason she goes to The Hideout is to be around her friends. She doesn’t play there. Daisy is a good girl.”

“And my Devi isn’t?” Erin was back, staring at her long-term partner.

Liam froze. “I didn’t say that, Erin.”

“No, you said Daisy doesn’t go to clubs because she’s a good girl.” Erin’s tone had gone cold. “Devi does go to clubs. She dances and parties and has fun because she’s young and she gets to do that. So I’ll ask again, partner, are you slut shaming my daughter?”

“Mom, I’m not… I mean the word slut is really triggering,” Devi said with a frown.

“Devi, darling, you know I adore you.” Liam O’Donnell seemed to realize the trap he was in. “Of course you’re a good girl. But Daisy is very innocent.”

Her father started going over all the ways Daisy was naïve, just a sweet babe out in the woods.

Daisy looked up at him, shifting. “What did you mean I made my choice? Are you mad?”

“I’m not particularly happy you left me sleeping last night,” he admitted. Then he looked at Liam, who was still arguing with the Taggart women. Charlotte had joined in. He totally deserved it. “Though I kind of understand. Is he always like this?”

Daisy nodded. “I don’t think he likes who I actually am very much. I love him but he doesn’t know me. But I want to know what you meant by I made my choice.”

He should be plain with her and her father. “I mean you sought me out last night. You knew who I was and you chose me, and now you’re stuck with me. You might decide to walk away after you’re safe, but from this moment until the second they put the bastard in jail, you’re mine. While I’m your bodyguard, you’re going to be my sub. So take this time, Daisy. Enjoy it. See if it’s something you want on a permanent basis.”

She sat up, looking him right in the eyes. “Are you saying you want me?”

“I think I proved how much I want you last night. I know when you walked in the kitchen this morning, you brought the sunshine with you. Maybe it’ll all go to hell, but damn, I want the ride either way.” He ran a thumb over her plump bottom lip. “Typhoon Daisy.”

Big emerald eyes stared at him. Protect me eyes. Love me eyes. “You’ll change your mind.”

“I don’t think so. Never felt this way in my life, and I’m going to trust it. So we know where I stand, and this is about you deciding what you’re willing to risk,” he replied.

“My father…”

He could put the fear to rest. “O’Donnell, you need to understand something here and now. You can’t scare me off. You can’t pay me to leave her alone. You can’t threaten me. Words won’t work and neither will fists. You won’t come between me and Daisy and if you try, well, there’s a nice place in Australia where we can hide. You’ll see her again in a couple of years.”

Liam looked like he was about to have a stroke.

“Nathan, that’s rude,” Daisy said primly.

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