Page 82 of Daddy By Design

“Dahlia!”

“Okay, okay.” I snatched the July diary and ran up the stairs and ushered him back. “She really doesn’t like you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not wild about her right now either,” he said with a growl. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.”

Another book thudded against the railing beside us.

“Now do you believe me?”

“I...” At a loss, he just shook his head. “Get up there.” He grabbed me by my wrist and yanked me forward, then he curled around me protectively as he ushered me back through the opening.

The doorway thudded closed this time, leaving us in the near dark.

“What the hell were you thinking?” He loomed over me, caging me into the wall of the tunnel with the leather-bound diary between us. There wasn’t much space to speak of in there and now it felt even more claustrophobic.

“I just wanted to see a bit more.”

“Who knows if that room is sound after all these years? You could have been hurt.”

“As if you cared.” I tipped my head to meet his gaze in the dim space. I wouldn’t let him intimidate me.

However, my stupid body didn’t know the difference between me being pissed off or being turned on.

When he didn’t say anything, I shoved him. He was a damn immovable wall. “Oh, right. No insurance. Think I’m going to sue you?”

His chest eclipsed any light in the tunnel and his voice was dark and deep. “Wouldn’t put it past you.”

Shock rocked all the sexy vibes right out of me. “You don’t know me at all.”

“That’s for fucking sure.” He stepped back and pointed. “Out.”

I ducked under his arm and hightailed it out of the tunnel for the second time today. Before we got to the stairwell access point, I turned back to him. “Nolan, we have to go back in there.”

“No way.”

“After Rob takes a look at it?” I placed a hand on his chest. “Please. I know I shouldn’t ask, but you didn’t feel what I felt in there. There was so much sadness.”

“Why the hell would you want to go back in there?”

“I want to figure it out. I’ve always been drawn to this house. Maybe this is the reason.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Maybe.” My fingertips dug into the muscles under the cotton. “But you have to be intrigued too.”

“No.”

“You’re not even going to think about it?”

“Nope. Obviously, there’s some weird shit going on in that room. It’s too dangerous.”

“But—”

“It’s my house, Hellcat. I said no.”

I hugged the book to me. “Even if the inspector says it’s fine?”

“No.”

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