Page 11 of Landlord Daddy's Girl

“Don’t mention it,” I say. “Let me get you two a fresh drink.”

As I start slinging drinks again, the festive atmosphere returns to the bar. The music, laughter, and conversation are lively, and the dipshit I just threw out is completely forgotten. Stu leans against the bar beside me as I whip up a few drinks.

“Cute girl,” he says. “Friend of yours?”

I glance over at Sierra and give her a grin. Moni leans close and whispers something in her ear that makes her laugh as her cheeks turn red. The smile on her face is both innocent and somehow sensual at the same time, and I feel my cock stiffening just by looking at her.

“She’s my best friend’s kid sister,” I say.

“Kind of protective of her, aren’t you?”

“That guy was harassing her. I didn’t think you’d want a sexual assault in your bar, man.”

“No, no, you’re right. I don’t. It was a good call to throw that asshole out,” he says. “But is there something going on between you two?”

“What? No. Like I said, she’s my best friend’s kid sister. I’ve known her since she was literally a kid,” I tell him.

There’s something about the way Stu’s looking at her that I don’t like. There’s a hunger in his eyes, which I recognize all too well. I turn and give him a look.

“She’s a kid,” I say. “You’re fifty-five, man.”

“What? I know,” he says with a chuckle. “I was just saying she’s a cute girl. That’s all.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Seriously, man. I didn’t mean anything by it. Just chill.”

I finish pouring the drinks and pass them on to the customers who’ve been waiting for them. All the while, I keep an eye on Stu. And he keeps stealing glances at Sierra with a look on hisface that I’m not a big fan of. When I catch him looking, he puts his hands up and offers me a smile I think is supposed to look reassuring but only makes him look like more of a creepy old guy trying to prey on a young girl.

“Seriously, bro. You need to lighten up a little,” Stu says.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

He’s probably not wrong, but for reasons that are inexplicable to me, when it comes to Sierra, lightening up just doesn’t seem to be in my skill set.

6

SIERRA

I’m not the damsel in distress kind of girl. Nor am I the kind of girl who gets turned on by violence. I know some girls are super into watching a man take up a fight for them. Moni is kind of that way. She says watching a man fight on her behalf gets her hot. Personally, I’ve never understood how watching a man beat the tar out of another man was sexy.

Not until tonight.

Maybe it’s because I never had anybody fight for me like Slater did. I mean, I’m not saying he should go around beating the snot out of people just to turn me on. I don’t think I’d like it like that. But the fact that he got in between me and that creep at the bar, that he stepped in to protect me … I’ve never felt so cared for in my entire life. I’ve never felt so protected. And there’s just something about him putting himself at risk, about putting himself in danger—for me—that sparks something deep inside of me. It turns me on.

Lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, I listen to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore outside as I process all thesefeelings coursing through me. On the one hand, I know it’s wrong. Fighting is barbaric. And yet, I can’t deny that watching Slater take up for me like that sent a quiver through me. A quiver that ended with my panties being absolutely soaked.

As I ponder the evening, I realize it was more than the fact that Slater beat that guy to a pulp that left me in such a state. It was the way he cared for me after. It was how he made sure I was all right after the confrontation, as if I was the one involved in the fight. But he doted on me and made sure everybody in the bar knew that harassing me—or any other woman—was not going to be tolerated, and offenders would end up like that other guy. Nobody harassed me for the rest of the night—though I did notice quite a few other girls swooning over Slater after that.

Normally, I’m not a jealous girl. But I’m not going to lie. Watching those other girls making eyes at Slater and trying to get his attention awakened a green-eyed beast inside of me I never even knew existed. Watching them flaunt their perfect bodies, even more perfect breasts, and doing everything except offer to blow him right there behind the bar—although I wouldn’t be surprised to learn a couple of them had—made me want to gouge their eyes out. I have no claim to Slater, and he can certainly go home with any one of those if he wants to, but I can’t lie and say the mere thought of it doesn’t make me insanely and irrationally jealous.

To his credit, if he noticed any of the girls practically throwing their panties on his face, he gave no sign of it. Surprisingly, it seemed like he only had eyes for me. He kept checking in with me, making sure I was all right, and spent more time talking to me than anybody else. It felt like he was seeing me in ways nobody ever had before. It felt really nice.

My phone buzzes with an incoming text message, so I pick it off the nightstand. When I see it’s from Slater, I squeal a little. Quickly opening my texts, I read the message.

Slater:Thanks for coming into the bar tonight. Sorry things got so out of hand. Goodnight.

I readhis words several times, my smile growing even wider. I set the phone back down as a stupid little giggle bursts from my mouth. As I think about how Slater’s silver-blue eyes bore into mine, I melt a little inside. My heart flutters, and I feel a familiar warmth between my legs. I bite my bottom lip as I squirm a little under the covers.

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