Page 42 of Daddy, Sir

Nobody hit Sadie, and he didn’t give a fuck that it was her sister, or that he’d broken his promise.

“Bethany, you need to walk away now,” he murmured softly, stepping between them before releasing her wrist. “You’ve worn out your welcome.”

“Mmm.” As if seeing him for the first time, she looked him up and down, then dragged a long, red-painted fingernail down the center of his chest. “Who do we have here? Let’s ditch my loser of a sister and have some fun.”

Without bothering to hide his grimace of distaste, he stepped out of reach, taking Sadie with him. “I’m Sadie’s friend, and this conversation is over. Leave before the property owners call the cops.”

“I’m not going anywhere until Sadie stops this ridiculous eviction nonsense.”

“Honey…” He turned slightly to meet Sadie’s eyes and squeezed her hand gently. “File the eviction complaint and send her to collections. You don’t need to listen to her bullshit.”

“We’re sisters. I don’t owe her a dime. Sadie, if you don’t fix your problem, I’m telling Mom and Dad!”

Sadie cocked her head and was silent for several seconds while she gazed at him like she’d never seen him before. After shaking herself, she asked, “Where the hell did you even come from?”

Instead of replying to her odd question, he wrapped an arm around her waist and marched her to her truck. To his surprise, she didn’t protest, and the stiffness left her body when a stream of shouted epithets and a squeal of tires announced Bethany’s departure.

After getting her bag, she gave him a sheepish smile as she locked her truck. “Sorry about the drama.”

“I feel like we were in a live-action Reddit post.” He enfolded her in a giant hug and squeezed until she let out a breath and relaxed in his arms. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” She rested her forehead on his chest, letting him support her weight. “Am I the asshole for evicting my sister?”

“You aren’t the asshole. She is.” Keeping the thought to himself, he added her parents to the list.

“I’m really sorry she hit on you.”

“Ugh. I’m going to burn this shirt because she touched it.” He shuddered visibly, making her laugh. “I never want to hear youapologize for Bethany’s actions again, but you could make it up to me.”

“Oh?” She giggled and danced away but didn’t let go of his hand. “What can I do to make it all better?”

He tugged gently, pulling her close as her laughter faded. “Let me take care of you. Just for tonight, okay?”

With luck, she’d forgive his lie. He was done denying the urge to soothe all her hurts, and intended to make her crave his care for a lot more than one night.

“Daniel…” She hesitated, then lifted her chin. “I really appreciate you having my back with Bethany, but I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”

“I would never suggest you do.” He cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. “But what if you want it?”

Sadie

Fucking Daniel.

He had the damned nerve to make her laugh about his reaction to Bethany’s disgusting proposition, then went even further when he didn’t make excuses to leave so he could chase after her sure-thing offer.

It had happened so often that Sadie stopped bringing dates to family gatherings a long time ago. Hell, she rarely showed up to begin with, and only for long enough to say hello to the extended family members she actually liked.

And he justhadto play knight in shining armor to rescue her from Bethany’s slap and her crappy driving. Complaining abouthim stepping in, especially after he saved her from getting struck by a car, would have been asinine.

Her phone jangled with her mom’s ringtone, making her scowl as she pulled the device from her pocket and sent the call to voicemail.

“Who was that?” Daniel asked.

“My mother. She’s probably calling to guilt me into letting Bethany stay.” Knowing she’d have to listen to yet another lecture on why she should support her grown-ass sister, she stifled a heavy sigh. “Making Bethany sign a lease was smart, but I should have said no in the first place.”

“I’m getting the impression your parents don’t think contracts apply to Bethany.” To her surprise, he tugged the phone from her hand and turned it off before giving it back. Even more shockingly, she didn’t protest the autocratic gesture.

Fuck. If she wasn’t very careful, she’d let him make her soft.

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