Daddy in Cowboy Boots (Montana Daddies #9) - Laylah Roberts Page 0,19
how about this? I’m going to put you to bed.”
Put her to bed? What did that mean?
“That all right?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s all right,” she agreed.
“Why don’t you put the phone down and go brush your teeth, pee, and then when you’re ready, climb back into bed and pick up the phone again.”
“Okay,” she said kind of breathily.
She threw the phone and it slid off the bedside table and fell to the floor.
“Mierda! God damn freaking crap!” She grabbed the phone picking it up to check that she hadn’t accidentally ended the call. “Are you still there?”
“Yes. Interesting language you have there, Mari-girl.”
Whoops.
“Sorry, the phone fell off the table and I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’m right here, teeny,” he said in a low croon that sent a shiver through her blood. “And if you’d lost me you know how to find me again, huh?”
Right. She sure did. She just panicked.
“Right. Sorry.” And teeny? Where had that come from?
“It’s okay. Go to the bathroom. I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”
Wow. He knew just what to say to make her knees go weak.
You met him yesterday. You’ve known him twenty-four hours. Sure, it felt like it had been longer. They’d just talked for over an hour and it had seemed like five minutes. It felt natural and right. But she had to remember that this was a temporary thing. She had to leave.
She brushed her teeth, washed her face and used the toilet. She took her blood sugar level again.
It definitely seemed like being around him was a good thing for her body and her emotions.
After climbing back into bed, she reached for the phone. “I’m in bed.”
“Good girl. Teeth brushed?”
“Yes.” She blushed a bit at the question. It was something a Daddy might ask.
Don’t think about that right now. Last thing she wanted to do was blurt something out inadvertently.
Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
“The light’s off? You got everything you need for bed?”
Her snuggly? Check. Princess Nana? Check. Nightlight? Check. She turned off the bedside lamp.
“Yes. I’ve got everything I need. And the light is off.”
“Good girl. Is there anything else you usually do before bed?”
“I read.”
“Hmm, well, I don’t have any stories here to read to you. I might have to make one up, that okay?”
“Yes.” Daddy.
Christ, that was close. She bit her lip. She really had to watch herself.
“What’s your favorite animal?”
“Dragons.”
“Dragons?”
Her eyes popped wide open and she groaned. Idiot.
“Hmm, you do realize that dragons aren’t real, don’t you?”
“Well, they could be,” she defended herself. “Just because you haven’t seen one doesn’t mean it’s not real.”
Oh dear Lord, Marisol. What are you even saying?
“You’re quite right. Dragons could very well be real.”
She let out a sigh. “I know I sound like an idiot.”
“Hey,” he said in a firm voice. “I don’t like you calling yourself names, understand?”
She chewed worriedly at her lip. This was something new to her as well. She’d gotten so used to others putting her down, it seemed almost natural to do it to herself. “I understand.”
“Okay, snuggle in. And just listen.” He started to tell her a story over the phone. It involved a prince, a princess and a dragon. He had such a nice voice that she soon found her eyes drifting shut.
And she didn’t find out the end of the story, unfortunately.
She hoped it had a happy-ever-after.
7
Marisol strode towards the diner.
She was early, but she thought it was best to get out of the house in case her aunt woke up. Although Rosalind hadn’t come in until the wee hours of the morning, so it was doubtful.
She drew out a new paperback she’d bought on her break yesterday. As she strolled along, she read it. She was chewing on a piece of gum, blowing out bubbles with it.
Suddenly, she slammed into something solid. Her book dropped as she attempted to step back and catch her balance. She sucked in her breath, forgetting about the bubblegum and started choking.
Firm hands clasped her forearms before she was turned, one arm was pressed under her breasts as a large hand whacked her between her shoulder blades. She wasn’t sure if it was the harsh smacks of his hand or just the sheer shock of being manhandled, but the gum shot back up her throat and into her mouth.
“Breathe. That’s it. Breathe,” he commanded in a low voice that wasn’t to be disobeyed.
Oh hell. She knew that voice.
He placed a large paw under her mouth. “Spit it out.”