Page 55 of Daddy's Wild Girl

No, she’d hightailed it out of there to nurse her hurt feelings.

“Right, so you only heard a segment of what was said and jumped to a conclusion,” he told her.

“Jumped to a conclusion?”

“That wasn’t Hayes’ opinion of you,” he told her.

“I heard him say it.” She straightened up, turning toward him.

Lord, he was good-looking. It kind of took her breath away sometimes. Especially when he smiled. He went from a ten to out-of-this-stratosphere.

Had he nearly kissed her?

She had to have imagined that, right? She was manifesting or something because that’s what she really wanted.

Him to want her the way she wanted him.

“What do you mean it wasn’t his opinion?”

“He was saying something we’d read about you online. If you’d stuck around, you would have heard me ask him if that’s what he thought of you.”

“And what did he say?” she asked after he went quiet. Was he just going to leave her in suspense?

“He said no! Do you think I would be telling you this if he said that was what he thought of you?”

“I don’t know. I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion.”

“Not when they use those opinions to hurt others. Then that’s just being cruel.”

She hadn’t thought about it like that. “But he didn’t know I was listening in.”

“He doesn’t think that about you, Bebe,” he replied firmly. “And I certainly don’t.”

“You sure? Sometimes I feel like one. I mean, I do have issues with my parents. My mother in particular.”

“For good reason. They’re shitty parents. Your mother in particular.”

For some reason ,that made her smile. Then she giggled.

“Both Hayes and I like you, Bebe. We want to keep you safe. And I happen to think you’re a good person. Smart. Kind. Although you’re not very good at keeping yourself safe, you have a problem staying on task, and you’re a crappy contractor.”

“Hey! I am not!”

He grinned at her. Yep, that grin sent his attractiveness off the charts.

Damn him.

It just wasn’t fair that he kept stealing her breath when she was just a job to him.

A burden to take care of.

“I know I’m not the easiest client. I’m sorry.”

Corbin gave her a strange look. “What do you mean you’re not the easiest client?”

“Well, you probably thought you’d get to stay in a decent place, not a construction zone. With someone who would take all of this seriously, rather than thinking it’s bullshit.”

“I do wish you’d take this seriously,” he replied, placing his hand on her knee. And this time, he didn’t move it away immediately.

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