Page 220 of Daddies' Captive

“Don’t. Not yet. You can’t hug me yet. I’ve got to get this out.”

She nodded and curled her hands around the edge of the counter.

“I got sent to a foster home. New town. New school. But I was still a small kid for my age. Still skinny. And strange. I didn’t talk much. When I did, I sounded like a robot. I couldn’t connect with my foster family, even though they were nice people. I didn’t know how. And when they went to touch me, well, all I saw was my old man coming at me, hurting me. So they soon stopped trying.”

Shit. Shit.

She wiped at her eyes.

“Then one day, these three boys surrounded me as I was walking home. They started pushing me around and there wasn’t much I could do about it. So I disassociated. Figured I’d let them get in their kicks. I’d survived worse, right? And that’s when he came barrelling in. He’s always had a damn white knight complex. Got to be the protector.”

The last two bits were said with clear affection and she knew who he was talking about.

“Damon.”

“Damon. He ran those boys off, picked up my bag, and walked me home. The next morning, there he was outside my house, waiting to walk me to school. He was my age, but really big. He had friends, he was popular. Had this cute little sister who thought he hung the moon and for some reason, he wanted to be friends with the new weird kid. I still don’t get it.”

“I don’t like bullies.”

She startled as Steele spoke up from behind her. She turned to see him standing in the doorway, staring at them both. He wore a pair of gray sweatpants and a white, tight T-shirt. She’d never seen him in casual clothes, even the day they’d eaten lunch at the diner he’d dressed in a shirt and jeans.

And he’d looked amazing.

But this outfit . . . it was next-level amazing.

“That call lasted a while,” Grady mused.

“I had a shower.”

“That was the longest shower ever. And you’ve been taking some long ones,” Grady said to him.

“Asshole,” Steele muttered back. “I wasn’t in the shower that long. Didn’t have to . . . I’m completely spent.”

“I’ve never known you to be spent,” Grady replied.

“Me neither. Could be worrying. Could be just Effie.” Steele stared at her with a hot gaze.

“I don’t know what you two are talking about.”

Grady grinned. “I like that, Twinkletoes.”

“Um, good, then?” She was so confused.

“I had to take a call. Then I saw Effie wasn’t in bed, where I left her,” he sent her a hard look, “heard you guys in here so I figured I’d have a shower.”

“Uh-oh, someone is in trouble for moving without permission,” Grady murmured.

“But you left to take a call! And I needed coffee.”

“I was coming back.” Steele frowned at her. “I would have gotten you coffee. Don’t like you leaving my bed without me knowing.”

“There are a lot of rules to keep track of,” she said on a sigh.

“Poor sweetheart,” Grady told her. “Don’t worry, I’m going to write them up on a big board for you so you don’t forget.”

She gaped at Grady in horror. “You aren’t.”

He just smiled.

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