Page 89 of Daddy's Laws

Oh, god. What if she had one at his house? In the middle of dinner? Would they be eating dinner together? Was he going to be at the house with her all the time? Did he have a job, other than babysitting her? He had to have some other form of income. Unless he was charging Bryant an outrageous amount.

Which was entirely possible. Dean had only said the cost was ‘being handled’, he hadn’t said how. Why would Bryant pay for private security for her when the cops would already be watching her, waiting for Nate to show up? And if Bryant was covering the cost, how was she ever going to repay him?

That vice around her chest threatened to tighten again, so she drew in another deep breath before it had the chance. And then they came to the end of the driveway, and for a few moments, all of her worries disappeared, crowded out by the sheer awe of the house rising up in front of her.

It wasn’t just the size of it, though it was massive. Three full stories, from what she could tell, with three dormers jutting out of the roof of the giant cape cod style home. But it was gorgeous as well, and lovingly maintained. White siding seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, a stark contrast against the slate gray shutters and roof.

Then there was the landscaping. Explosions of color, even in late November, lined the sides of the house and the walkway.

This wasn’t just a house. It was an oasis. A place to escape the evil of the outside world.

And she was invading it.

Before her thoughts could spiral again, she was jolted back to reality by someone tapping on the window of her car. Smothering a scream, she turned her head and locked eyes with the man on the other side of the glass.

Up close, he was even more beautiful than she’d realized back in her apartment. Anyone who didn’t think brown eyes were just as gorgeous as any other color had never come face to face with Dean Mitchell. They weren’t just flat, muddy brown, they were a kaleidoscope of different shades and emotions.

Her favorite thing about his eyes, though, was that they held no pity. Sympathy and understanding, even a little concern. But no pity.

And that was a rare thing for her these days.

“Ready to go inside, or do you need a minute?” he asked when she rolled down the window.

“Oh. Um.” How was she supposed to answer that? The idea of stepping inside that gorgeous house was overwhelming, but she couldn’t very well sit outside forever. “I’ll go in.”

Although his smile stayed in place, one dark eyebrow raised, giving her the impression he wasn’t happy with her answer. “MaryAnn, you are a guest in my home, but I do have some rules I expect you to follow. And the very first rule is that I will always be honest with you, and I expect the same courtesy in return. All right?”

At that particular moment, she felt more like a naughty child than a guest, but she nodded anyway. “Yes. Yes, of course.”

“Good. Then let’s try this again. Are you ready to go inside, or would you prefer to wait on Bryant and Shannon?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say she was ready to go in, but he was stilllookingat her, with that single eyebrow raised, and suddenly she was very certain she did not want to be anything other than completely honest, though she couldn’t exactly pin down why she felt that way. “I want to wait.”

Approval lit his eyes, lightening the brown to more of a deep amber, and his smile spread to a wide grin. “Good girl. Thank you for being truthful with me.”

Warmth infused her skin, and at first she thought the heat was from embarrassment. But after a moment she realized she didn’t feel even a tiny bit of shame. No, the warm tingly sensation spreading over her body was pure pleasure.

God, was she really so desperate for love and approval that a complete stranger calling her a good girl like she was a puppy who had just performed a trick made her this happy? No wonder she’d fallen under the spell of a complete maniac. How pathetic could she possibly be?

Luckily, she didn't have much time to reflect on how ridiculous she was, since she spotted Bryant’s sensible sedan pulling up behind her in the driveway. Relief flooded her when he and Shannon climbed out of the car.

As it almost always did whenever she saw her, it struck her how absolutely perfect Shannon was. Tall, thin, and blonde, she looked like she belonged on the cover of magazines. Even when she’d shown up at MaryAnn’s apartment without a lick of makeup, looking like some furious, avenging angel, she’d been nothing less than stunning.

By contrast, MaryAnn was… flat. Boring. Even on her best days, she couldn’t come close to Shannon’s naturally striking looks. And then there was Olivia Monroe, Bryant’s sister-in-law and the closest thing to a true friend MaryAnn had ever had. Olivia was the dark to Shannon’s light, with curves that filled out a pencil skirt in ways that would make a grown man weep. Olivia actuallyhadbeen on the cover of a magazine, which was part of why she’d become the target of a madman. Shannon, too, although Olivia had been his Grand Prize.

None of which MaryAnn had known until she’d found herself locked in an empty house, watching the man she loved torture her only friend.

“Whoa, hey, what’s going on here?”

Dean’s voice broke through the memories, dragging her back to the present. It took her a moment to realize the car door was open and he was reaching across her to unbuckle her seatbelt. And another to realize he was doing so because her breathing had turned ragged and she was once again gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were a stark white against her pale skin.

“Breathe with me, sweetheart. Deep breath in, as much air as you can get.”

Focusing on his words, she obeyed, pulling in oxygen, holding it in her lungs, and slowly letting it out. It only took a couple of breaths for the panic she hadn’t even noticed clamping down around her to ease. Far less time than usual, for which she was grateful, since Shannon and Bryant were already standing off to the side, watching the spectacle.

Get a grip, you little brat. You’re embarrassing me. Jesus, everyone is going to think you’re some kind of moron if you keep doing this shit in public.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, blinking back the tears stinging her eyes. Whatever she did next, she wasnotgoing to make things worse by breaking down and crying in front of everyone.

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