Page 15 of Dating the Daddy

Me

I appreciate that. I don’t like feeling vulnerable.

Baby Girl

You’re pretty hot when you’re vulnerable.

She sends an eye-shaking emoji with the text, and I can’t help but chuckle a little as her text soothes me in a way nothing else could.

Friday passeslike a fucking drugged snail. At five on the dot, I rush home to shower and get ready for the most important night of my life.

Why I’m so on edge is a mystery. Yes, I’ve been texting my mystery woman for days now, letting her claw her way under my skin with her sassy words and playful challenges. But I’ve never met her, and I don’t know what to expect beyond the banter we’ve shared. And her insistence on wearing masks only adds to the intrigue that leaves me unnervingly breathless. I choose a small black mask that only covers my eyes since she already fucking knows who I am.

The moment I finally pull into the dim parking lot in front of the movie theater, adrenaline kicks in. I step out of my car and spot a figure in the shadows who immediately steals my breath away. My heart pounds like a jackhammer, and for a fleeting moment, I almost choke on my shock.

She’s standing there in a form-fitting dress that hugs her in all the right places, showcasing her luscious curves. The dress shimmers under the streetlight, and her raven hair cascades like a dark waterfall around her shoulders. Her intricate fairy Halloween mask captivates me the most. The fucking thing shrouds her face in mystery, leaving only her stunning cornflower blue eyes glimmering in the twilight. Those eyes scream mischief and intrigue combined with the air of sass emanating from her like the sweetest perfume.

I’ve seen plenty of beautiful women, but this? This is a whole new level of alluring. I approach her, half-expecting her to dissolve into mist, or worse, vanish completely. “Good Evening, baby girl.”

Her facial expression is obscured by the mask. “Aidan Steele. In the flesh. I like the mask. Very Zorro of you.”

“I’m glad you’re impressed.” I can’t help but smirk even though my insides are churning. The familiarity of her gaze lodges itself into my brain and rattles around, waking up all my nerve endings. Despite it all, she feels oddly familiar, and I shake my head to dismiss the thought.

“Shall we?” She gestures toward my car, her confidence rising like a tide around me.

We make our way to the vehicle, and I open the door for her, still too flustered by her presence. What the hell is wrong with me? The moment she slides into the seat, I can’t help but take in the heady, spicy, floral scent of her. The goddamn intoxicating fragrance wraps around my senses tighter than a straitjacket.

As I pull away from the curb, the silence hanging between us is charged with electricity. I want to say something witty, something to maintain the banter we’ve exchanged over the last few days, but my mind is blank. “You look… stunning,” I finally mutter, the words escaping before I can even process them.

“Thanks! You’re not so bad yourself. You clean up pretty well.” She laughs lightly, and it warms me. Then she leans closer, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Now, are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

A laugh escapes me, and I realize I’m genuinely amused and so turned the fuck on. “I promise you this evening will be quite memorable. Just keep an open mind.”

“I trust you.” Her voice drops an octave, brimming with sultry sincerity that makes my pulse quicken.

I replay her words in my head, my mouth going dry at the hints of what’s to come. I sense we’re headed somewhere that will strip away our layers and reveal whatever lies hidden beneath.

The drive to The Sterling Rope is spent with bursts of conversation, flirtations, and barbs leaving me craving more of her. As I pull into the club’s discreet entrance, I can feel the nervous flutter of anticipation trembling in intensity.

“Where are we?” She fidgets in her seat as I park behind the non-descript brick building.

“You’ll see.” I hop out and open her door. As I reach down for her hand, I stare into her sparkling blue eyes. “Do you trust me?”

CHAPTER 5

ELYSA

I slipmy hand into Aidan's as he waits for my answer, surprised by how easily it comes rushing to my mind. I do trust him. Perhaps I shouldn't. It may very well lead to the demise of me and my business. But… I trust him anyway.

"Don't make me regret it," I whisper, my voice trembling faintly. It's a plea more than a command. Somewhere over the last fewdays, my attraction to this man has blossomed into full-blown infatuation. I'm falling for him hard. The hint of vulnerability he showed me when his rig caught fire, and the fact that he texted me to talk about it at all, tipped me right over the edge. This man could break my heart, splinter it wide open… devastate me in a way Gavin Cochran never could.

I didn't stop dating because I loved Gavin. I stopped because, if someone I didn't love could wrought so much destruction on my life and those of the people I love, what could someone I gave my heart to accomplish? Someone like Aidan? It's a terrifying prospect, considering how much is at risk and how much I've already endured.

But Aidan knows exactly what to say to calm my nerves and silence my fears. He steps toward me, pressing his hard body up against mine, and cups the back of my head. His gorgeous eyes bore into mine. "The only thing I'm going to make you regret, baby girl, is the gauntlet you threw down when you wrote that I wasn't up to the challenge of making you mine," he growls softly. "By the time I'm finished, you'll happily print a retraction."

"Oh yeah?" I lick my lips, staring at the way his lips shape every word. "What should it say?Cranky oil baron strikes liquid gold and realizes he has a heart?"

"Smartass." His lips twitch. "I was thinking more like, 'Bossy Daddy wins war with his bratty baby girl. He got his ring on her finger and his kid in her belly.'" He leans forward when I gasp in shock, his mouth trailing across my cheek toward my ear. "Fuck exposing you, Fairy. Nothing short of your complete and total surrender will satisfy me."

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