Page 3 of Daddy's Treat

I don’t even take the time to look at the man I plowed into. I’m still looking behind me at the clown who is standing a mere three feet away. I can admit to myself I’m ashamed of what happens next. I really do it without thought because I’m being tormented by this freaking clown, and there is a perfectly big strong man directly in front of me. Any other day, this would be impossible, but I’m hopped up on adrenaline. Well, and the guy doesn’t put up a fight. I push the man in front of me and cling like a spider monkey to his back.

That’s not the part I’m ashamed of… I’m ashamed of the fact that in the process, I push a child out of his spot behind the man’s back, stealing his safe place. I’m a shoo-in for meanie pants of the year.

“What the fuck is going on here?” The man doesn’t sound mad, more shocked. I can hardly blame him. He does have a strange woman practically strangling him with his own shirt because she’s clinging so hard to him. That’s me, in case you forgot. I’m the strange woman.

“H-he w-won’t q-q-quit ch-chasing m-me,” I stutter out. No, really, I stutter on every single word. The sad thing is, I don’t have a stutter. That tells you how scared I currently am. My brain is broken.

The man reaches behind him, his arm wrapping around me awkwardly. He’s strong and sturdy. I realize I’m shivering uncontrollably. I’m not even sure it’s from the cold. Maybe partially, but mostly it’s the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

The little boy stands tall and proud beside my unintentional rescuer. If I were a crier, I would totally be crying right about now. It’s not the big tough man that comes to my defense. It’s the boy. He’s at least a foot shorter than I am and gangly like he hasn’t hit his growth spurt yet.

“You shouldn’t be scaring girls. You… you… you bully!” the boy shouts at the clown.

I can’t see the clown’s reaction, but I can hear his laughter and response. “What are you going to do about it, little boy.” How the fruit loops he makes his voice sound exactly like the clown he’s dressed up as I will never know. But it’s more than a little disturbing.

“He’s not going to do anything about it, but I sure as hell will.” The brick wall of a man that I’m hiding behind takes a step forward, causing me to take a step forward. I whimper because that means we’re getting closer to the clown, not further away. It’s the exact opposite of my goal.

The man pats me lightly with the hand he’s got on my back. I know it’s supposed to be reassuring. It’s not. The only thing that will fix this is for that clown to disappear. Poof!

“Look, man, I don’t want any trouble. Some chicks paid me twenty bucks to chase Strawberry Shortcake around the maze. Twenty bucks is twenty bucks.” This time the clown-guy uses his real voice, and it’s squeaky like he hasn’t finished puberty yet. I would find it funny if the situation were different.

“I’d say you earned your money, now go the fuck away,” the man snarls.

“Sure, sure, dude. I’m out.”

I hear his retreating footsteps, but I don’t relinquish my hold on the man. I feel a light tapping on my shoulder, and I scream.

“Whoa, sorry. Sheesh, you’re jumpy!” It’s just the little boy. “He’s gone. You can let go of Uncle Kade now.”

My brick wall of a hero has a name. A nice name. A strong name. I like it. It suits his role in my life as my temporary protector.

“I’m fine where I am thankyouverymuch.” I’m very proud that I speak without the embarrassing stutter.

My hero—Kade—chuckles. I can feel his chest move with the sound, and it does delightful things to my nipples. Mashed potatoes and gravy, I cannot be feeling sexy thoughts right now. If only my nipples would get the memo because they are pretty happy with being smooshed against our hero.

“It really is okay. I doubt that asshole will be back.” It’s Kade who tries to talk me into giving up my safe place.

I slowly release my death grip on him by small measures. There is a whole centimeter between our bodies when he betrays me by using the arm he’s been holding me with to pull me around and stand me in front of him.

I turn my head in some kind of imitation of an owl to look behind me. It’s not that I don’t trust that the clown went away. That’s a lie, I totally don’t trust that the clown left. I’m pleased to say, the clown is gone.

“Are you alright?” Kade must’ve asked me that a couple of times because he gives me a little shake to get my attention.

Reluctantly, I turn back to look at him. Did I mention I don’t trust that clown? My socks are nearly knocked plum off when I get my first real look at Kade. He’s definitely older than me, probably in his thirties, not that it matters. He’s like some crazy combination of Thor and Superman. Short-haired Thor, not long-haired Thor. I personally think short-haired Thor was much more physically appealing.

Kade has that same messy sandy blond hair that Chris Helmsworth has… and the eyes that sort of pierce right through you. Don’t get me started on his lips. I’ll just say kissable comes to mind. Not that I’ve kissed many boys. I don’t have to have the experience to know his lips are kissable. His nose and jaw are both sharp like Superman. I can never remember his name. Oh, well. You know who I’m talking about. I’ve already told you he’s tall and built like a brick wall. All-in-all, he’s a stud muffin.

Do people even say that anymore?

I don’t even care because it’s totally true. Kade is a stud muffin.

“Yeah. I’m okay. Thanks for—” I wave my arms around.

His kissable lips quirk up in a smile, which does tingly things to my body. Okay, I’m turning into a hussy. I’ve never had such a reaction to a guy before. Then again, I’ve never met a man quite like Kade. Too bad I’ve totally embarrassed myself in front of him.

“No need to thank me.”

“Yeah, Uncle Kade doesn’t mind. Do ya, Uncle Kade?” the boy smiles up at Kade then turns that mega-watt smile on me. It’s impossible to resist smiling back.

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