Page 17 of Kenzie's Perfect Daddies

Kenzie was pretty certain she might never move again but if that was how she went, it would have all been worth it. If there had been a doubt left in her mind, it was gone now. Kenzie was more than certain these men had been made for her, or she had been made for them. They’d been made for each other.

Cool air coasted down her spine as Papi slid from the bed and headed to the bathroom. She heard the water running in the tub but couldn’t find enough energy to contemplate why.

“Come on, princess. We need to get you into a warm bath. Don’t want you sore tomorrow,” Papi said as he returned to the room.

Kenzie snuggled closer to her Daddy and mumbled, “Don’t wanna,” into his chest.

The truth was that a bath sounded heavenly; she just wasn’t sure she had the energy for it. Before Kenzie could ponder it further, her Daddy had lifted her smoothly into his arms and carried her to the tub. He climbed in with her and held her close, making sure her head stayed above water as Papi gently cleaned her body from head to toe.

Kenzie drifted in and out of sleep as she was bathed, knowing her Daddies had her, and she was safe. They’d never let anything bad happen to her.

Chapter Fifteen

Kenzie

“Soooooooooooooo…” River’s voice trailed on for so long Kenzie wondered if maybe they were actually a vampire and didn’t need to breathe or something. Finally, she held up her hand to halt the inquiry.

“Just ask what you want to know.” Had this been a conversation of a few short weeks ago, Kenzie might have dreaded River’s questions, but now, she was laughing as she encouraged them.

“How was your weekend? How did things go with the guys? How are you feeling about the whole situation now? I need the deets, woman.” Kenzie really shouldn’t be surprised at how fast the questions tumbled out of her friend’s mouth considering she’d just been contemplating their possible undead status. Still, it was unlike River to be so rushed. River tended to be laid back. Like their name indicated, they tended to go with the flow and just let things develop naturally. Through almost everything, River remained calm and cool tempered. This level of excited interrogation from her best friend was unusual to say the least.

They really needn’t have worried, though. A smile bloomed on Kenzie’s lips as she remembered the events of the previous weekend. The pleasure, the fun, and most importantly, the crumbling of her reservations. Kenzie only became aware of the fact she’d been lost in her daydreams when River placed their hand over hers and offered a soft smile.

“I’m guessing that answers all my questions. I’m so happy for you, babes. So fucking happy.”

Kenzie looked at her friend and could clearly see the unadulterated joy they had for her, but she also couldn’t help but notice the tiny bit of sadness. River was such a special person. They deserved to have their own happiness. As the two friends placed their lunch order and Kenzie launched into a detailed account of the last few days, she wondered if maybe there was a way to help her friend find their own happiness.

Sebastian

“The Pierson claim.” Sebastian looked up as the voice interrupted his thoughts of Kenzie. He was doing it again. Daydreaming when he should be working. Trying to shake off the fog his brain had been in, he nodded in invitation to Dave, the fire marshal and a friend.

“You have something?” Sebastian wasn’t fooled. There was a reason Dave was here, and it wasn’t the Pierson claim. Dave would have called if that was all he wanted to talk about.

“It’s arson.” The words were no surprise to Sebastian. It had been suspected from the night of the fire. The only question was if the fire was the work of a stranger, or the Piersons themselves.

“Good that it’s confirmed but we already figured that.” Maybe if he pointed that out, it would have Dave coming around to his real reason for being here sooner. He knew his friend, though, he’d get to what he came for in his own time.

“Yeah. Tom Pierson is the main suspect.”Thatsnagged Sebastian’s attention.

“Any particular reason?”

“Gambling if my guess is correct.” Dave settled himself onto the chair in front of Sebastian’s desk and settled his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. “The man’s in debt up to his eyeballs. As far as I can tell, Mrs. Pierson is oblivious to it.”

“How much debt are we talking here?”

“Enough that a five-million-dollar insurance payout would seem like divine intervention.”

Sebastian let that sink in for a moment. “And the wife has no idea?” How was that even possible?

“One of those relationships where he’s the one who handles the money and she gets an allowance. At least, that’s what it seemed like when I talked to her this morning.”

“You talk to him yet?”

“Nope.” Dave looked up and locked eyes with Sebastian, “He seems to have dropped off the face of the earth.”

Well, this just kept getting more and more interesting, didn’t it? Sebastian’s instinct had been screaming fraud from the first moment the claim had landed on his desk, but everything since then just seemed to support the suspicion.

“So, listen,” Dave cut into Sebastian’s thoughts, “I was wondering…”

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