Page 5 of My Boyfriend's Protective Daddy

“That’s sweet,” I say, shaking my head. “But I can’t take charity?—”

“It’s not charity. It’s a job. I’m going to be putting you to work.”

The offer is intriguing, and I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t tempted. But part of me wonders if it’s because it seems to be a good way out of my current situation, or because I have this carnal pull toward the man I can’t quite understand. Either way, I don’t think it’s a good idea.

“I appreciate it, Cash. But you’ve already done far too much for me. I wouldn’t feel right putting you out like that.”

He waves me off. “You’re not putting me out. Like I said, I need help in the bar.”

I wipe my eyes again. “Thank you. But I think I’m just being dramatic. I’m sure after a night apart, he’ll have calmed down and we can talk it out. I’m sure I can make him understand what he did and how he scared me. I’m sure he’ll change.”

“You know he won’t. Guys like that don’t.”

“Maybe not. But I got myself into this. I need to be a big girl now and get myself out.”

Cash sits back in his chair and stares at me for a long moment. His gaze is intense and makes my skin prickle as an uncomfortable heat builds between my thighs. The longer he looks at me, the wetter I get. I like the way his eyes make me feel. Maybe a little too much. Especially considering the fact that I have a boyfriend—a boyfriend I don’t want to sleep with. Add to that, part of me wants Cash to throw me onto the table and have his way with me, and it makes things in my head even more complicated and confusing.

“Okay,” he finally says. “Just know that if you change your mind, the offer stands.”

I give him a small smile. “Thank you, Cash. For everything.”

3

CASH

It’s been a few days since Cassie left my place, and I haven’t been able to get her out of my head since. In my mind’s eye, I can still see the way her wet hair framed her round face, the way her emerald-colored eyes sparkled, and the way her clothes, drenched from the rain, clung to her body, revealing her womanly curves. And of course, I can still smell the faint, sweet musk of her panties.

Just thinking about it now makes me rock hard, and I would give anything for a chance to be deep inside of her. To feel her soft, supple body wrapped around mine. To hear her moans and gasps in my ear. To feel her nails scratching their way down my back and feel the way she shudders and writhes as she comes. I would give anything to look into her wide doe-eyes as I explode and fill her up with my seed.

Given that she hasn’t called or come by since she left that morning, I figure the chances of that happening are about as good as me walking on the surface of the moon, so I have to contend myself with my memories and fantasies of that sweet little thing. Unfortunately for me, that means a lot of jerking off in the shower. I sigh and shake my head as I hook the new keg to the taps. I close the door to the cabinet under the bar, wipe my hands on a rag, and use it to polish the taps as the front door opens.

“Not open yet,” I call without looking up.

“You can make an exception for me.”

I raise my eyes and smile when I see Zane walk in. He drops the gym bag in his hand beside him as he takes a seat on one of the stools across the bar from me and gives me a grin. He holds his hand out and we give each other one of those complicated bro-shakes.

“What’s up, old man?” he asks.

“Just trying to make a living, kid. You should try it.”

He looks around the bar and nods. “I like being in school. Helps me put off the cold, cruel reality of the world.”

“Yeah? And how’s that going?”

He shrugs. “It’s school. What can I really say about it?”

“You can tell me how you’re doing in your classes.”

“I could,” he replies. “But wouldn’t you rather be surprised?”

“I’ve never been one for surprises.”

“That’s sad.”

I chuckle as I run the taps, getting the air out of the lines. Zane is my son… a son I didn’t know I had until about two years ago. I joined the Army right out of high school and the girl I was with at the time, Sarah Folsom, parted ways. It was amicable. We just saw our lives heading in different directions, so we thought it best to say goodbye. For whatever reason, though, Sarah never told me she was pregnant. She carried on alone, becoming a single mother, and since then, became an attorney and built a nice little life for herself.

Zane, understandably curious about his parentage, came looking for me and eventually tracked me down. That first meeting was awkward. Zane wanted to know why I wasn’t part of his life and the only thing I could tell him was the truth… that I didn’t know a thing about him. To this day, I don’t know why Sarah kept it from me. I’m not sure she even understands it himself. The only explanation she offered up was that she feared having to tell her son that his dad was killed overseas if I didn’t come home.

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