Page 3 of Beauty Sleep

“Well, well, well,” says an unfamiliar voice. The warm purr drips into my ear, making heat rise to my cheeks. “Someone’s going to be the belle of the ball tonight.”

“Yeah. Just call me Beauty,” I snort, turning to see who it is.

Oh, shit.

This guy is older than me—probably by a good fifteen years—but he’shot. He’s holding himself just a little further away thanhe has to, casually leaning one elbow against the counter. Like he could walk off at any moment.

And I’m surprised at how much I don’t want him to.

The stubble across his jaw is dotted with silver hairs. His bleach-blond hair is close-cropped, and he’s wearing a simple black leather jacket. His eyes are this intense, smoky gray, but there’s something light and mischievous about them. His full lips are framed by laugh lines, and his jaw is sharp and stubborn.

He’s the definition of a Daddy… and he’s winking right at me.

“I sure will, Beauty. Which is it?”

“Which… is what?” A nervous giggle escapes me as I fidget with the empty shot glass, blushing furiously.

“A sleeping beauty, seeking the right prince to kiss him and wake him at last?” he purrs, leaning his whole weight on the bar. His forearm is on the countertop, leaving his hand just an inch or two away from mine. “Or the kind of beauty who invites a beast into his bed?”

He raises an eyebrow, but I’m still just staring at him, my jaw hanging open.

I can’t believe he stumbled on my greatest fantasy within thirty seconds.

Where did he come from, anyway? I should have noticed a face like his—especially those eyes. Stormy dark gray, fine lines around them that hint at a big heart and soul… yet carefully guarded, giving nothing away.

And now I’m way too turned on to think straight.

Heat crawls up the back of my neck. My pants suddenly feel a whole lot tighter. The tingle on my skin is like a building electric charge. Sparks are gathering at my fingertips, ready to leap from my bare skin to his… the moment he touches me.

Fuck. Iwanthim to touch me.

“Um…” My voice squeaks and I clear my throat, my tongue darting nervously across my lips.

“Uh huh?” This mysterious Daddy tilts his head, his eyes sparkling. He’s got this beautiful, wise, quiet confidence—the kind that doesn’t need to name itself out loud in order to be felt. I can feel it filling the whole damn bar right now as he watches me like he knows every thought crossing my mind.

And every desire tucked away in the back of my thoughts, where nobody can see them.

“I don’t knowwhatI want,” I murmur, frustration rising in my chest. The words spill out before I can stop them. “And the only things I know I want… I don’t think I’m supposed to. Out of the two of them, I guess that makes me Sleeping Beauty. Just waiting around for someone else to want me first. Dumb, right?”

I duck my head with mortification, bracing myself.

But he isn’t laughing at me. “Beauty,” he says softly instead, and I look up at him. He’s smiling so gently at me that I can’t help but slowly relax. “It’s not an either-or. You get to try both… and the right man canbeboth.”

Holy shit. I’ve never met anyone who can calm me down and turn me on at the exact same moment.

The silence between us stretches out, and he’s still holding my gaze. I’m squirming on the bar stool, but he won’t let me look away. I can barely remember how to breathe. The only thing I can focus on anymore—besides the depths of his eyes—are his pale pink lips.

It takes all my bravery to murmur, “You’re right. Thanks, Daddy.”

Maybe that’ll make him kiss me.

The stranger’s eyes flash with amusement, and then he winks at me. “Anytime, Beauty.” But instead of leaning down and kissing me, he just raps the counter softly with his knuckles. “Now, go ahead.”

I squint with confusion. “Go ahead and…?”Kiss him? Is he actually reading my mind?

His eyes glimmer with amusement. “Try another sip,” he tells me, pointing at the shot glass I’m still clutching between my thumb and forefinger. “That’s the only way to figure out if you like it.”

“Oh,” I breathe out suddenly, and another nervous giggle slips free. “Oh, yeah.”

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