Page 9 of Dating the Daddy

I check carefully anyway. No way am I going down in flames because Lawson blabbed.

“Aidan,” I whisper-hiss to Leia, already typing.

Man of Steele… or Fairly Broken?

Guess who is on the prowl for a wifey, readers? That’s right! Rumor has it that a certain oil baron has sought professional help in finding love! Which lucky lady will see past that charming personality to the man beneath?

“Come here.” I motion for Leia and then wait patiently for her to cross to me before jabbing a finger at my screen. “What do you think? Will he crack when he reads this?”

Her gaze darts across my screen, her mouth moving as she reads. And then her eyes widen. “Holy crap, Elysa.” She blinks at me. “He will hunt you down and destroy you if you post this.”

“It’s not that bad,” I protest.

“You’ll have every gold-digger in Texas on his doorstep!”

I read it again, frowning. Crap. Maybe she’s right.

I tap my bottom lip, thinking. And then I delete the last line before adding more in its place.

Man of Steele… or Fairly Broken?

Guess who is on the prowl for a wifey, readers? That’s right! Rumor has it that a certain oil baron has sought professional help in finding love! A little birdie told me that he has his sights aimed high. Perhaps out of his league? We’ll just have to wait and see if he’s capable of pulling it off. Just between me and you…I don’t have high hopes that he’s up for the challenge. He’swayout of his depths with this one.

“There,” I mutter. “That should do it.”

“Jesus,” Leia whispers, laughing softly. “Are you trying to wage war with him?”

“No.” I bat my lashes at her. “I’m trying to break him. He actually expects me to believe that he wants to date me. As if I’m going to fall for that.” I snort. “He’s lost his freaking mind.”

“What if he hasn’t?”

I scowl at Leia. “Trust me. He has.”

“But what if he hasn’t? What if you’re exactly who he wants?” She crosses her arms, propping a curvy hip against the corner of my desk. “He’s probably been studying you as hard as you’ve been studying him lately. Maybe he’s doing all of this because he’s actually into you.”

“He doesn’t even know me.”

“So… change that,” she suggests. “Let him get to know you. The real you.”

“I can’t risk him exposing me.”

“Then do it on your own terms.” She waves a hand in the air, ‘be inventive’implied in the gesture. “You built this entire business, made yourself a freaking millionaire, and did it your way. Don’t expect me to believe you can’t handle one little billionaire with a crush.”

“It’s not that,” I mutter, my stomach churning as I glance down at my keyboard. “It’s…”

“Holy crap. You like him.”

“Shh!” I hiss, jerking my head up to glower at her.

She grins at me like a crazy person. “If you don’t go get that man, Elysa Darby, we are no longer best friends. In fact, if you don’t go get that man, I’ll tell him exactly who you are.”

“You wouldn’t,” I gasp.

She pokes me in the arm. “There is no freaking way I’m letting you sacrifice your own potential happiness for everyone else. No job is worth that. If you like him, go get him. The rest will work itself out.” She pauses, nodding at my computer screen and laughing. “Definitely print that though. It’s gold. He’s going to lose his dang mind when he reads it.”

It’safter ten o’clock when my phone rings. My heart jolts against my ribcage, and I nearly fall on my ass trying to rush out of the bathroom to grab it from my bedside table.

As soon as I see his name on the display, I sink down onto the side of the bed, still dripping wet from my shower, my knees weak. How mad is he right now? I bet he’s fuming.

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