Page 15 of Her Daddy Valentine

None will come. I’ve been here for two days. I have no idea who this guy is or what he’s talking about.

“Answer me!” he roars again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” is the best thing I can come up with. Tears prick my eyes, and my blood runs ice cold.

There’s always got to be something, right? Life looks at your happiness and chooses to have a laugh at your expense.

“Yeah, you do.” His voice returns to a more neutral state. “You ruined my life. And for what? To fuc?—”

“Hey, Joel.” I hear him before I see him. My big, strong man. My protector rushing to my aid.

The monster looming over me turns around, but he never manages to meet Vaughn face to face before a massive fist connects with his jaw. Following up, Vaughn grabs his shirt and drives two more punches into his chin until Joel’s legs go limp, and the only reason he’s still standing is because Vaughn’s keeping him that way.

“Should’ve listened when I told you to go,” Vaughn says, pushing him with the hand balled in Joel’s shirt. Joel stumbles a few steps before the thunderous blows to his face take hold, and he crumbles to his ass.

He says something incoherent, but Vaughn ignores him, rushing to my side.

“Are you okay?” He rests his hand against my neck while his eyes scan my body for any obvious injuries. “Did he hurt you?”

I shake my head, feeling the tears in my eyes melt away to astonishment at how well Vaughn handled the situation.

I must have lost my mind somewhere through it all. In a matter of seconds, I went from a feeble mess about to beg for mercy to wanting nothing more than for Vaughn to take some of that ruthless aggression out on my pussy.

“Mr. Valentine.” Another voice comes from my door.

Vaughn points in Joel’s direction, and two men wearing black pants, white shirts, and guns on their hips rush over to the knocked-down brute. The security guards zip-tie his hands behind his back and drag him out of my office.

“I’ll never let anything happen to you, Claire,” he says, with the same brooding severity he had on entering my office. “You’re safe, and I’m going to keep it that way.”

I stand up on my toes and peck him on the cheek. I shouldn’t let my wants get in the way of this beautiful moment, but seeing Vaughn beat the shit out of someone to defend me is too much to ignore. So, I say the words I know will drive him crazy and fulfill my deepest, darkest wishes.

“I know you will…” —I lower myself and look at him with a pout— “Daddy.”

Exactly as I wanted it to do, that little word throws Vaughn off the deep end.

9

VAUGHN

Pavlov. He’s the guy with the dog, right? Conditioned it to come running for food anytime he rang a bell.

Well, I must be that dog, and Claire calling me Daddy is my bell. It’s a simple word. One I’ve heard a million times in my life and probably said at some point too. But with her? It’s my kryptonite. Changes me from a man into a lust-hungry monster that cannot be satiated by anything other than Claire.

I feel the sting of my bruised knuckles as I wrap my hand behind her head and take it in a firm grip. The adrenaline that surged through my body in preparation for a fight shifts south to my loins, where it nestles in my throbbing erection.

I pull her into me, then up and lock our lips. A whimpering sound passes through her and into me, confirming my suspicions that she said it on purpose. That this is where she wanted my heroic attempt at saving her to end. My free hand moves up the side of her body, stopping at her breast and cradling it through her shirt.

“Hold on a second.” She tries to pull away, but I keep her locked in place. “I need to shut the door.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Using my hand behind her head, I turn her around. She moans, flinging a hand up to her mouth to silence herself. I lay my free arm across her desk, and with a sway of my body send everything atop falling all over the floor.

“Oh God,” Claire mewls.

I press her body forward and onto the desk, pinning her ass up over the table.

“Be a good girl, and don’t move,” I order, heading for the door. I push on one end, not realizing just how revved up I really am, and it slams shut.

Claire’s looking over her shoulder at me when I face her again. A naughty smile has crept its way over her face, and a twinkle of wicked delight dances across her eyes.

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