Page 15 of The Bride and the Baker

If Nick and Elena were starting to behave badly enough that the police needed to be called, then Daisy needed to go elsewhere. And Lee had an idea where to take her.

But he wanted to see Daisy first.

Lee entered his apartment, finding Daisy and Keith in the living room. Keith was sitting on the couch while Daisy paced around, twisting her fingers together so tightly that Lee thought they were going to snap. She turned and saw him, and Lee saw the relief flood across her face. She hurried across the room, wrapping her arms around his waist as she buried her face into his chest. Momentarily stunned, Lee put his arms around her and held her tightly, feeling his cock stirring at the knowledge that this was the first time he had touched her so intimately.

It was innocent, but it still felt erotic.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Daisy looked up at him. “I’m sorry to drag you away from work.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Lee cleared his throat and eased her away from him. She was going to find out how aroused he was if she stayed pressed against him. “When did Nick and Elena turn up?”

“About ten minutes before I called you, I think. I heard voices outside shortly before I was called, so that must have been them. There was a lot of complaining about how ‘she’ had ruined things.” Daisy wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’m guessing the ‘she’ was me. I did get them thrown off the resort in the Dominican Republic.”

“Daisy told me what she had done in the last couple of days.” Keith looked slightly amused. “If we thought Myra and Charlotte could be petty, she’s just topped them.”

Lee couldn’t argue with that. Daisy had mentioned what she wanted to do, and they had talked about it. But Lee didn’t think she would actually do it. She had never come across as that type of person. And yet he felt a little proud of her for doing this. Nick didn’t deserve to profit of her hard-earned money.

“Where do you think they are now?” Daisy asked. “They said they would be coming back later.”

“They’re probably at a hotel, I’m guessing.” Lee shrugged. “If they have any money. Did you check your bank account to make sure he hasn’t taken anything?”

“We never merged accounts together, and he doesn’t have access to any of mine, so I’m safe there.” Daisy frowned. “That was probably the only smartest thing I did in the relationship.”

“At least they can’t get at your money again.”

Daisy grunted. She turned and paced away. Lee tried not to watch her. She was wearing a fitted blouse and slacks that liked to hug her backside a little too much. It was hard to concentrate when she was walking away. Plus, Keith was giving him a knowing look. Lee cleared his throat and tried to think of something that would stop him feeling aroused.

That was not easy.

“I didn’t think Nick would try and be violent against me,” Daisy said quietly. She paced to the window and stared out into the street. “When he gets upset, he does shout a lot, and he hits the wall, but he’s never laid a finger on me. And he was really angry.”

“How did you manage to stay with him for so long if he’s like that?” Keith asked. “That’s not healthy at all.”

“I loved him. I saw the good times. I guess that meant I ignored the bad ones until it was normal.” Daisy shivered. “This was the first time he really scared me. If he had managed to get in…”

“But he didn’t. You’re safe.”

“But for how long? Nick will come back, and I know he and Elena will find a way to get inside.” Daisy glanced at Lee, looking slightly sheepish. “I do appreciate you helping me, Lee, but I need to go elsewhere. I don’t want you to get caught in the middle.”

It was too late for that. Lee was already in the middle of it. There was no way he was going to be able to walk away now.

“Where are you going to go, though? Have you managed to find a place to move into?”

“Not yet. I’ve got a couple of viewings tomorrow, but I can’t move in immediately.” Daisy sighed. “I’ll just go to a hotel. Or maybe I’ll take Marigold up on the offer to go to Vancouver and stay with her for a while. I can easily find work there if I decide to stay.”

Lee felt a flutter of panic. Daisy could leave the city? Would he ever see her again?

Get a grip of yourself. Daisy is not yours. Don’t go all caveman on her when you two are nothing to each other.

She means a lot to me. More than I can say.

He had an idea, but would Daisy take him up on it. Lee turned towards the door.

“I’ll be right back.”

He went out into the hall, where he found Myra talking to the building’s superintendent. The big man was looking grave as he and Myra talked. Lee approached them.

“I’m sorry about the noise, Mr Rankin.”

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