Page 6 of Who's Your Daddy?

It takes a moment for me to come out of my confused daze, and as I recover from the shock, my eyes focus on the stranger beneath me. I blink a few times to make sure I’m not hallucinating, and the second my brain fully registers his face, I fall in love. Right then. Right that second. Head over heels in love. He’sgorgeous. I’m speechless, motionless, just taking in the sight of him. No doubt this is the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on.

His bone structure was hand-crafted by the Gods themselves. Flawless features that are sharp and striking. My eyes move from his high, sculpted cheekbones down to his fleshy lips, and the three-day stubble along his jawline is just the right amount of scruff without being unkempt. That Dean Winchester kind of scruff. His jet-black hair is a stark contrast to his eyes.

Good Lord. Those eyes...

Deep green orbs, bedazzled with gray flecks, appearing more like jade crystals than actual irises.

Alexa...add to cart.

He shifts beneath me, and the hard, muscular wall of his chest presses against me. That draws my attention to the arm still firmly clasped around me. Just the strength of him further convinces me that I’ve just fallen in love. But then he opens his mouth...and I take all my love right back.

“You know, usually I have to buy a woman dinner before I get her into this position...but I guess this could work, too.”

“Ew!” Disgust scrunches my face as I try to suppress a gag. I recognize his voice. It’s that Peter dude who was sitting behind me. The epitome of arrogance. The player of fields. “What is wrong with you?” I wriggle against his hold, scraping my knee as I scramble to get off him. “Disgusting creep!”

“Jesus, relax. I was just kidding.”

I mentally scoop my love off the floor and shove it into my back pocket. I was keeping it there, readily available so I could give it back to Teddy, and after my love received a colossal stamp of rejection, I guess I was a little too impulsive to distribute it again. But I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t fall for alluring green eyes.

I quickly stand up, dusting off the tiny stones from my shins and knees. I look toward the exit and Teddy is already gone. Dammit! Maybe I can still catch him outside. A waitress rushes to me to see if I’m okay, but I quickly brush her off and move toward the foyer. I’m forced to stop when I feel the sharp pain sear across my left knee. I wince, then grit my teeth and soldier on.

“You’re limping.”

I glance back to see Peter walking behind me. “How incredibly astute of you.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“No need to be hostile.Youcrashed into me.”

I try to hobble a little faster to get away from him. “It was an accident that you turned into an uncomfortable encounter by being a pervert.”

“Fuck, you can’t even make a lighthearted joke these days,” he says, more to himself than to me. “Look, I’m sorry for what I said. It was just a stupid joke. Now, are you alright, or would you like me to get someone to look at that cut?”

As I near the reception desk, I spin around to face him. “I’m fine, okay? I’m sure you just heard me tell the waitress that a few seconds ago. I don’t need?”

At the corner of my eye, I spot Teddy walking back in. This is my chance to do something drastic. He’s alone, so my plan to humiliate him in front of his friends is no longer an option, but I’m sure I can think of a way to get under his skin. Should I just call him out right here? Should I yell out all our dirty laundry in front of everyone? Should I—

Yes! That’ll work.

“You know what?” I tell Peter. “Let’s just put this whole incident behind us. I’m fine. No hard feelings. Let’s just wipe the slate clean.”

“Great. Feelings no longer hard. Slate officially wiped.” He confirms this with a nod. “Have a good day.”

I notice he’s about to walk away and grab his wrist to stop him. “Wait! Uh...in my country, we...”What the fuck am I doing?“...we wipe the slate clean with, um, with...a kiss.” I swallow to push down the bile rising in my throat. The disbelief on his face makes me want to retract that statement, but I’m in too deep now. “It’s...it’s bad luck if we part ways with a stranger on less than...um, like, amicable terms. So, we believe the kiss is a gesture of good faith.”

He’s skeptical. “So...the people in your country just go around kissing each other to resolve their issues?”

“Yeah. Uh-huh. We’re a peaceful nation. We hate...acrimony.”

A mixture of confusion and intrigue plays with his expression. “Okay, which country are you from? And...are all the women there as hot as you?”

God, he’s a pig. I chastise myself for this thought because I’m the one who just askedhimfor a kiss. I don’t even know why I’m going through with this. Maybe I want Teddy to fly into a jealous fit of rage. Maybe I want him to doubt whether I was cheating the whole time too and make him feel like he was actuallymyside piece. Maybe I’m secretly hoping that if he sees me with another man, he’ll realize that he still wants me, and he’ll take me back. It’s unclear why I’m asking a random stranger to kiss me, but I’ll figure out my true motivations later. Right now, I just want to execute this very stupid plan, and I want Teddy’s reaction to be explosive.

“Are you going to do it or not?” I snap irritably.

“You’re very highly strung and also...kinda rude.”

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