Page 36 of Wilderness Daddy

Chapter Eight

Landon

I carry her to my truck, not knowing what I plan to do once I get her there. I’ve just admitted to being jealous. I don’t know if I’ve ever even felt that emotion before, but I’m positive it’s what I’m feeling now. And why? What do I have to be jealous over? I barely know this woman and what I know is confusing as hell. She’s beautiful, but a contradictory mess of saucy, rude, and cold at times, with a mixture of sweet, innocent, and insecure. But it doesn’t really matter what she is or why, what matters is how I feel. And I feel jealous. She’s mine. She’s my baby girl and dammit, I’m her daddy! Period.

I shake my head, swatting her backside because she’s squirming. She’s been yipping on and on this whole time as I head to my truck but I’ve been too stuck in my own head to listen.

“Honey?”

She grunts a reply and it’s so adorable I chuckle.

“I’m gonna set you down in my truck now. And you aren’t going to move. Not even one wiggle, got me?”

“You’re an archaic caveman,” she spits, so I swat her jeans-covered bottom again, a little sharper this time.

“I may be but I mean business, honey.”

“Fine!”

I chuckle again because her ‘fine’ is pouty, which means she’s not really angered by my Neanderthal ways. I let go of her with one of my hands and reach into my jeans pocket. Fishing out the keys, I click the fob and shove them back where I got them. Opening the door, I set her, feet out, into the passenger side of my truck. And before she even thinks about moving I put my palms against her cheeks and pull her face to my mouth, sucking in her pouty lip and kissing her till we’re both out of breath and senseless.

When I pull away it takes a moment for her eyes to flutter open. And those gorgeous deep pools of dark onyx look as if they’ve melted. I lean my forehead against hers.

“You can’t marry someone else. You’re already mine.”

She opens her mouth to speak but I put my finger over her lips.

“Shh, not a word. You. Are. Mine.” I put her legs in the truck and shut the door. When I get in my side of the truck she is staring at me in wonder.

“I’m taking you somewhere.” I grin when she nods, still silent.

We don’t speak for the drive, but there is no tension in the air. When I turn into the driveway of my parents’, she looks at me in question. I just give her my half smirk and drive into the garage.

I open her door and give her my hand; curiosity is still written all over her face, but she doesn’t question me. Not even as I grab a helmet off the shelf.

I walk her around the back of the house where I parked the ATV and stop her. She is looking at the machine like it’s a snake.

---