Page 1 of Daddy's Laws

CHAPTER1

With the fading summer sun warming her skin and the wind teasing her hair, Shannon Wright pushed the little convertible to its limits with a whoop of pure joy. She fuckinglovedsummer. And Olivia Monroe, her best friend in the world, had lent her the use of her beach house and the car she insisted went with it for ten glorious days. The convertible had been a surprise gift from Liv’s deliciously sexy husband, James. According to him, it was a ‘just because’ surprise, but Shannon had her suspicions it was more of an ‘I love you and I’m glad you’re not dead’ present.

Considering all Shannon had gotten for her own brush with death was a pile of hospital bills and weekly therapy appointments, she didn’t feel the least bit guilty about borrowing the car or the house for a few days.

Shaking off the gloom threatening to ruin her weekend, she cranked the music up another few notches and pressed the accelerator to the floor. So far, traffic was surprisingly light for a holiday weekend. According to her traffic app, she should have smooth sailing all the way to the beach. Then again, that had been half an hour ago, and traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was unpredictable, at best. It couldn’t hurt to double check, so she grabbed her phone from her purse and unlocked the screen.

A second later, the wail of a siren pierced the air.

Glancing in her rear-view mirror, she rolled her eyes at the red and blue lights behind her. “Fucking hell.”

She slowed the car with a sigh and eased onto the shoulder. Silently fuming, she sat with her hands at ten and two on the steering wheel until the trooper approached her door.

“Do you know why I pulled you over, ma’am?”

Plastering on her most apologetic smile, she looked up. “I’m not sure, officer.”

“Well, for starters, I clocked you doing eighty in a fifty-five. And then there’s the little issue of using your phone while you’re driving.”

“Oh.” She gave a breathless, ‘silly me’ laugh, which was difficult when her stomach was in knots. With Maryland’s strict laws against handheld devices, there was no way she was going to tell him she was checking her traffic app. “My friend called, and I picked it up without thinking.” When the officer’s stony expression didn’t change, she put a little more apology in her voice. “But I should have pulled over. I’m sorry, officer, I won’t let it happen again.”

“And the speeding?”

She tried for sheepish and prayed she could pull it off. “I guess I got carried away.”

The officer snorted and shook his head. “Unfortunately, ma’am, none of those are legitimate reasons for breaking the law. License and registration, please.”

Since arguing or throwing a fit would most likely just make things worse, she reached into the glove compartment and retrieved the documents he’d requested. Along with the letter James had insisted on typing up and signing that stated she had permission to borrow the car in the first place. She’d rolled her eyes as she’d waited for him to hand it over, but now she was grateful not to deal with trying to prove she hadn’t stolen the damn thing. So James was right, as usual. The jerk.

It seemed like hours before the officer returned with the ticket for her to sign. By some small miracle, he’d fudged her speed a bit and hadn’t dinged her for reckless endangerment. She scribbled her signature and handed the ticket back to him without another word.

“You have a good day, ma’am. And slow down out there.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Blowing out a shaky breath, she stuffed the paper into her purse before pulling back onto the highway.

An old, familiar ache spread through her chest as she slipped back into traffic. She knew better than to use her phone while driving, even for a second. Especially at the speed this stretch of highway demanded. If it had been Liv driving, it was doubtful she’d sit comfortably the rest of her vacation.

But for Shannon, even if James somehow found out about her ticket, the worst she might receive would be a stern glare and a long lecture. When she’d stayed with them after being released from the hospital, James had certainly laid down the law. But while he hadn’t hesitated to put her in timeout or have her write lines until she felt like her hand was going to fall off, he hadn’t physically punished her.

Bryant, James’s equally sexy twin brother, was another story. He’d made it clear he would be all too happy to spank her until she was red and sore and sobbing out her apologies. And she’d have been lying if she’d said she hadn’t used that particular fantasy as late-night fodder when she’d been alone in bed with only her vibrator for company.

But a man like Bryant wouldn’t be happy with just smacking her ass a few times and calling it a night. No, he’d want the whole package, her full submission, and she’d made herself a promise years ago to never go down that road again.

So there would be no Daddy waiting for her at the beach house to redden her bottom and then hold her and comfort her when her punishment was over. Nobody to ease the guilt churning in her stomach. The ache in her chest spread, and she hated herself for wanting the one thing she couldn’t have.

“Get a grip, Shay,” she lectured herself as she turned the volume back up to just shy of ear-splitting. “Forget about the ticket and drive like a normal person.”

Keeping her speed down turned out to be easier than she’d expected since traffic had slowed to a crawl by the time she reached the bridge. Refusing to let the cluster of cars ruin her mood any further, she used the car’s display to flip through her road trip playlist until she found the perfect song and sang along at the top of her lungs.

Two hours later, exhausted and sore from being stuck in the car, she parked in the driveway of her friend’s gorgeous house and simply sat staring in awe at the stunning home in front of her. There was a reason Liv’s face had been plastered on the front ofMaryland Homes Today—she knew real estate better than anybody in the business. And she’d known the big blue house, with its beach access and irresistible curb appeal, was going to make them money hand over fist as a rental property.

Of course, that same business savvy had made her the target of a madman, and nearly cost both Shannon and Liv their lives. But she wasn’t going to think about that. Not this week. Forcing all thoughts of psycho killers out of her mind, she grabbed her bags from the tiny trunk and headed into the house.

Since she’d be alone, the master suite was all hers. Dropping her bags on the bed, she wandered the huge, airy room, taking in all the homey little details Liv had added. The painting of the Boardwalk over the bed, the oil diffuser in a gorgeous cerulean blue that added hints of soothing lavender to the air.

Stepping up to the French doors, she opened them and walked out onto the back deck. The stairs led directly down to the sand, and it was a few short feet from there to the water.

She should unpack. She needed to run to the store and pick up supplies so she wasn’t forced to live off takeout all week.

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