Page 18 of Daddy's Naughty Author

His fingers flex on the wheel. “You know what I mean.”

I think about it. “Military? No, never.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

I do. I know exactly what he’s asking me. “No. But I’m not scared to date someone like you either, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

KC lets out a humorless laugh. “You should be.”

I arch a brow. “Should I?”

He finally turns to me, his gaze dark, unreadable. “I’m not a pushover, RJ. I’m not the kind of guy who lets things slide. The other night was a small sample.”

A delicious heat coils low in my belly. “You mean the whole… dominance thing?”

KC doesn’t flinch. “Yeah.”

I tilt my head, studying him. “Have you always been like that? I mean, is it just how you are, or…?”

KC is quiet for a moment before answering. “It’s not a phase. It’s who I am. Always has been. It makes me a good soldier. But not all women can handle it. I’m not easily manipulated.”

I tap my fingers against my thigh, considering. “You think I can’t handle that?”

KC exhales through his nose. “I think most women think they can handle it until they realize it’s not just a game to me.”

I roll my eyes. “You do realize I write about this kind of thing for a living, right?”

KC smirks. “Writing about it and living it are two different things. It’s all fun and games right now but what happens when you really do something wrong, and I spank your ass for real?”

I narrow my eyes. “You really think I’d back down that easily?”

KC’s gaze flicks to mine, something dark and amused dancing behind his expression. “I think you like pushing me and we don’t know what will happen when you push too far and you don’t like my response.”

I smirk. “Maybe or maybe it’ll turn me on the way it did the other day.”

KC shakes his head, muttering something under his breath. “You really are trouble, aren’t you?”

I grin. “You have no idea.”

KC chuckles, and for the first time since we left the airport, the tension in the car eases. “Listen, baby girl, you have no idea what kind of ride you are in for. The spanking the other night was merely foreplay.”

“Guess it’s a good thing you always make sure I’m buckled up.”

“Guess so.”

CHAPTER 8

He didn’t spend the night last night. Instead, KC went to his own home, and I went to mine. He needed time to think. Did his mother leaving change everything? Was he faking the relationship with me at that level, too? I refuse to believe that. What we’ve shared in and out of the bedroom in the last week has been real.

I trudge back across the lawn, my sneakers leaving a half-hearted trail in the dewy grass. The morning sun is too cheerful, too bright for my taste right now. It's like the universe hasn't gotten the memo that my heart's doing this weird tap dance of confusion and disappointment. I grab my mail and look through it. Nope. My 1099 is not there. I made the mistake of writing a couple books for a small publisher this year. My royalties had been lower than any of my independently published books, but I was trying to expand my portfolio. I needed the last 1099 to do my taxes and they swore they’d mailed it out. Sighing, I turn back to the house, and try hard not to glance over at his.

The door to my house creaks open, a familiar sound that usually brings me a sense of relief. Not today, though. Today, it feels like I'm walking into a scene where the heroine realizesshe's not as tough as she thought and starts questioning everything. Great.

I drop onto my couch, the cushions hugging me in that comforting way they do, but it's no use. All I can think about is how KC took me on this couch, the first time we had sex. Only a week ago, now it felt like months had passed.

"Focus, RJ," I tell myself. "You've got a book to write."

With a sigh, I flip open my laptop, the screen springing to life and revealing the latest exploits of my fictional couple—the kind of pair who knows how to navigate their way through a dungeon of desire without tripping on their own shoelaces. I’d given up writing third act breakup scenes a long time ago. My couples were strong, they could overcome anything. Together.

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