Page 16 of Keeping Katie

“Thanks for the info, Little one. Make sure I sit by her at dinner. And set Ronan on the other end of the table.” I ruffle her hair and glance at Bash. He’s smirking.

“Something funny, asshole?” I ask.

“More entertaining than anything. Watching you lose your shit over a woman is so fucking amusing,” Bash replies.

I knew I’d regret all the crap I gave him and the other guys when they first met their women. They were all so bent out of shape over their girls, and now I’m starting to see why. I already don’t like the apartment complex Katie lives in. Once I get security cameras installed all over the property, I might feel a little better, but I’m going to hold off on those until I at least take her out on a date. Declan went full stalker on Cali. I’m trying not to follow in his footsteps. Even if I am following her to work every morning and home every night.

Six o’clock can’t get here soon enough. I need to see her. Thanks to Bash, I’ve been peeking in on her all day. Apparently, when he was pining after Chloe, he tapped into the cameras at her work to keep an eye on her. The guy might talk a lot of shit, but he still has my back. We always have each other’s backs. We’re family, as fucked up as it may be.

While the girls are doing who knows what to get ready for the evening, I find my way into one of the smaller sitting rooms in the mansion. It’s quiet and peaceful here. As soon as I sit on the plush couch, my eyes close, and my mind goes to Katie.

I want to pull her into my arms and hold her until she knows how fucking precious she is. She needs to be protected, coddled, spoiled, and taken care of. After watching her on the cameras, it’s obvious she doesn’t look after herself. I didn’t see her eat once today, other than the pastry I left for her, nor did she take any breaks besides than a quick trip to the bathroom once in a while. She’s going to wear herself into the ground unless something changes. And things will be changing because Iwillbe her Daddy.

“Why is he in here?” Cali asks quietly.

Her voice startles me, but I don’t open my eyes. I finally fell asleep.

“I don’t know. Why is he asleep? Is he drunk? Maybe we should splash cold water on his face to see if he’s still alive,” Chloe answers.

“You even think about doing that, and you’ll both go over my knee to get your bottoms spanked,” I say evenly.

I finally open my eyes and turn to look at them. Cali, Chloe, Scarlet, and Paisley are in the doorway, grinning. Right next to them, Katie stands with her mouth hanging open. Her gaze is curious, though. My cock twitches. Is my girl wondering what it would be like to be put over my knee?

Then Chloe opens her sassy mouth again. “My Daddy won’t let you spank me. He’s too possessive for that. Nice try, butthead.”

Katie’s eyes widen as she gapes at Chloe. Does Katie have no idea what kind of lifestyle the girls live? Chloe would have told her before inviting her here, right?

Quickly, I rise and stride over to the women, my gaze glued to Katie. She watches me as I get closer, but she doesn’t shrink back.

“Glad to see you made it,” I say softly, lowering my head so it’s slightly closer to hers. She has to tilt her chin up to look at me, and it takes herculean strength not to run my thumb over her plump bottom lip.

She lets out a soft exhale, smiles, then holds up a finger. “Just for the record, I wouldn’t have splashed you with cold water.”

The corners of my mouth twitch, and I wink at her. “Good thing, because you’d find yourself over my knee too if you did.”

Her gasp is so loud that the other girls start laughing. Her pupils dilate, and her chest rises sharply.

“Grady is full of it,” Scarlet tells her. “He’s the softie of the family.”

My skin heats as Katie runs her gaze from my face to my crotch and back up again. The girls might think I’m soft, but my cock hasn’t been since the moment I met this woman.

“These girls are delusional if they think I wouldn’t actually spank them if they deserved it,” I say, staring at Katie. “You might not want to underestimate me.”

She nibbles on her bottom lip, seeming to consider my threat.

“Dinner time,” Declan calls out as he approaches.

All the women follow him toward the dining room with Katie at the rear. I trail behind. The entire way, her soft floral perfume has my cock at full attention. Thank goodness we’ll be sitting at a table. Every so often, she looks over her shoulder at me and smiles shyly. I reach out and give one of her soft curls a playful tug.

I can’t remember the last time I flirted with a woman, but fuck, this is fun. It’s also a huge tease to my dick.

Chloe has placed name cards at each seat. Though she might be a bit of a brat, she put me and Katie next to each other like I asked, with Ronan at the other end. I catch her eye from across the room and wink. Chloe’s lips curl into a smile, and she uses her fingers to make a heart sign in front of her chest. I guess she’s forgiven for waking me up a few minutes ago.

Without missing a beat, I reach for Katie’s chair and pull it out for her, then push it in after she sits down, catching a whiff of her fruity shampoo.

“Would you like wine or something else to drink?” I ask quietly.

She looks over her shoulder and eyes me up and down again. “Wine, please.”

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