Beast Daddy: Once Upon A Daddy

by Callahan, Kelli

  “You don’t have much of a selection.” Anabelle peered into the closet once I opened it.

  “I don’t need one. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.” I pulled a shirt that was identical to the one I was wearing off the rack.

  “These aren’t like—normal shirts though.” She ran her fingers along the fabric.

  “It’s called a tunic.” I smiled and held it up

  I guess they aren’t very popular in America.

  I took a deep breath before I finally stripped off the shirt I was wearing. Anabelle walked behind me and put her fingers on the scars. She traced them; then I felt her lips on the largest one. Those scars adorned my back. Some were worse than others—but they were all examples of my failure. I couldn’t save the woman I loved, even when I felt the flesh boiling on my back. I would have paid that price again, until nothing but bones remained, if I could have managed to pull her out of the flames. The reality was—I gave it my all, and that wasn’t good enough. My chance to move on was what I had left, and I was ready to cling to it with every fiber of my being. The scars no longer defined me, and neither did the past that had haunted me for the last ten years.

  “They’re not that bad.” Anabelle traced her way over to the ink that adorned my right arm.

  “They are…” I sighed.

  “Nah.” She kissed the back of my shoulder. “What’s the story with your tattoos? They seem to have survived the fire.”

  “A rebellious youth.” I looked down at them. “They were not acceptable in my world, but every one of them means something…”

  “The dove?” She moved her fingers to the crease of my elbow.

  “Freedom—flying away…” I pointed at the rosary underneath it. “Carrying my faith—the only thing I had when I left.”

  “The compass?” She moved her fingers to the back of my elbow.

  “Home is where you go. It points where you want,” I sighed.

  “The cherubs?” She walked around my side and touched my bicep.

  “Love—all that really matters.” I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them.

  “That’s true.” She looked up at me.

  This is getting painful—we’re getting too close to the past.

  “So, you really think I have the Daddy look going on?” I tried to change the subject, because talking about my ink reminded me of things I was trying to forget.

  “You definitely do.” She smiled and thankfully let go any lingering questions about my tattoos. “I mean—you were talking about putting leather to disobedient asses yesterday…”

  “Only when deserved.” I forced a smile.

  “If you were my Daddy, I would probably do a lot of misbehaving.” Her hand moved to mine. “I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t need leather to teach me a lesson.”

  “No.” I chuckled under my breath, and it was a real one I didn’t have to force. “I reward bad behavior with new cars and gainful employment.”

  “That’s true…” She squeezed my hand. “Maybe you should have just given me a spanking instead.”

  “There’s still time for that.” I moved my hand to the small of her back. “But right now, I just want to kiss you.”

  I was no stranger to girls that liked a little dominance in a relationship—I wasn’t a saint before I gave up my crown by any means. Nobody had ever called me Daddy before, but I liked when she said it. Maybe I would have those gorgeous curves over my knee for a little discipline at some point, but I needed her lips more. The steps that came after that were complicated, and I wasn’t there yet, even if I did have desires that went further than a kiss. I pulled her into my arms and crushed her lips against mine. My tongue pushed between them, and I savored the taste as I ravaged her mouth. I kissed her until my knees went weak, and she melted into my embrace—then I finally pulled away.

  “If you keep kissing me like that, my panties are going to disintegrate,” she exhaled sharply.

  “We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” I smirked and slid my hands down to cup her ass.

  “I do…” She leaned against my chest and sighed.

  “Not yet.” I moved one of my hands to the back of her head and held her close. “I enjoy spending time with you—that’s good enough for me right now.”

  “I’ve never done—the rest of it.” She leaned back and looked up at me. “But I know what I want.”

  “Give it time.” I nodded. “We’ll get there.”

  I don’t know why I held back. She was offering herself to me, and not just her body—but her innocence—her virginity—I had never been anyone’s first. I wanted her. My desires were flooding my veins and trying to convince me that it was a mistake to stop. I shed the shell of the beast, but a new version of it was trying to draw breath. It had retreated inside the man, but it tasted primal lust and wanted to be unleashed. I kept it contained—long enough to share one more kiss with my beauty and then lead her down the stairs after I slid on my new shirt. The girl with the honey-colored curls was my new reason for living. She deserved the truth before I took her into my bed. I couldn’t have a secret as complex as the crown I gave up resting on my conscious like a pendulum coated in razor blades.

  She needs to know how complicated a relationship will actually be—the other reason I keep myself hidden from the world. The mansion is no longer the lair of the beast, but it is still a prison for the man.

  “You said you had popcorn?” Anabelle looked up at me once we reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “I do.” I nodded. “It’s the microwavable kind. Do you want to pick out a movie while I make it?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled. “That sounds good. I’ll find something—light. Maybe a comedy?”

  “Sure.” I pressed my lips to her forehead. “A laugh or two might be nice.”

  Now that I remember how…

  Eleven

  Anabelle

  The man had won my heart, but I wanted the beast to devour my body. I had never given in to that side of desire before, and I was more than ready. It was a craving I didn’t fully understand. Those big strong hands—thinking about them on my skin—it was like wildfire in my soul. I wanted to be his in every way. Maybe my years moving between foster homes and constantly fearing the next one had made my heart fragile enough that it could be claimed easier than some, but it was beating for him. I would never be able to take the place of the woman he lost, but we could find something new in the ashes that remained. He was a phoenix that had risen, but he was struggling to spread his wings and fly.

  “Did you find something good?” Adam walked into the living room and sat down beside me.

  “I don’t know about good, but maybe it’ll be good enough to make us laugh.” I reached over and grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl.

  I tried to pick the dumbest, most ridiculous comedy movie that I could find. I wanted to avoid bad memories—I hoped that a movie would do it. We ate our popcorn, and after it was done, I snuggled in his arms. I just wanted to stay there—in those strong arms that felt like they could protect me from anything. I couldn’t help cutting my eyes towards Adam a few times during the movie. He was beyond attractive—he was hot. He wasn’t quite old enough to be my Daddy, but damn if calling him that didn’t turn me on. I had never really been attracted to older guys before, but Adam made my whole body tingle. His kiss did that before I saw the man underneath the beastly exterior—before I saw how gorgeous he was.

  “Is this supposed to be funny? It’s just crude…” He looked down at me.

  “People enjoy crude humor.” I looked up at him and smiled.

  “Perhaps I should give it more time.” He turned his attention back to the screen.

  It took about an hour before Adam finally seemed to get the humor in the movie, or maybe the conversation that preceded it was just too intense for him to easily lighten up. I was glad when he finally laughed, but that came far too late for the movie to have much of an effect on his mood. We stayed in our embrace as the credi
ts rolled. Adam’s fingers gently teased my skin and made me shiver. He wasn’t making it easy for me to forget that he wanted to wait—that he didn’t think it was time for us to take the next step in our relationship. I could understand the hesitation, especially after what he had been through, but it seemed to be deeper than that. When I finally looked up at him, I saw a troubled expression on his face, so I leaned back from our embrace.

  “Is something wrong? Was the movie really that bad?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “The movie was fine.” He smiled, but it looked forced. “There’s something I need to tell you…”

  “Okay.” I slid back on the couch. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No.” He shook his head back and forth. “I did—at least a lot of people think so—my family, friends—everyone I grew up with.”

  “What did you do?” I felt a knot forming in my stomach.

  “The woman I fell in love with? I wasn’t supposed to marry her.” He exhaled sharply. “I was supposed to marry someone else—someone that my father chose.”

  “I don’t understand…” I blinked in confusion. “Like an arranged marriage?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “People in my family have never been able to marry for love. It’s always about mutual gain.”

  “Where are you from exactly?” I raised an eyebrow, getting more confused by the second.

  “Have you ever heard of Ruilan?” He tilted his head slightly.

  “Yeah…” I hesitated. “Like—the Kingdom of Ruilan?”

  “I was born Adam Rosemont, and I used to be the Crown Prince of Ruilan,” he sighed. “I never became king—because I fell in love.”

  “Wait…” I shook my head back and forth as I tried to pull the memory to the surface. “I do remember something—no—you can’t be Adam Rosemont. He died…”

  “In an accident.” He nodded.

  “Everyone thinks you’re dead…” The realization slowly began to sink in.

  “When a member of the Rosemont royal family turns eighteen, they are sent on an excursion—four years in the outside world. It’s supposed to make them a better ruler because they get to see what the rest of the world is like and on their twenty-second birthday, they return—to wed the person that their father has chosen for them.” He leaned back against the couch. “I didn’t want to go back. I fell in love while I was away from Ruilan, and I didn’t want to give her up—so I gave up my crown instead.”

  “You faked your own death.” I moved closer to him.

  “It was the only way to escape the throne and prevent a scandal.” He shrugged. “Adam Rosemont died, and I became Adam Decker. Ruilan mourned my loss, and my younger brother, Daniel, took my place in the line of succession.”

  “So, no one in your family knows you’re alive?” I looked down at the couch. “You gave up everything…”

  “It was worth it, and I’d do it a million times over if I could.” He exhaled sharply. “The time I had with her was worth it; even if we didn’t get to spend the rest of our lives together like we planned.”

  “But you’re living here—in your family home.” I lifted my head slowly. “You don’t think anyone will ever visit?”

  “No.” He shook his head back and forth. “My mother came from a very wealthy family—one of the richest in the world. My grandfather set up a trust for all of his grandchildren, and it wasn’t hard to make it look like I was blowing mine like a fool while I was on an excursion. I was able to siphon off enough to buy this place through a shell company and live comfortably for the rest of my life.”

  “Maybe a little more than comfortably if you are buying luxury cars for strangers.” I reached over and took his hand. “What would happen if someone found out you were still alive?”

  “I would be tried for royal treason in Ruilan—and either imprisoned for the rest of my life or executed.” He squeezed my hand. “My brother would see my existence as a threat, and he’s been king for nearly ten years now, so—I doubt he would want me sitting in a cell somewhere with a valid claim to his crown.”

  “Damn…” I nodded in understanding.

  “My life will never be normal.” He looked over at me. “I’ll always have to stay hidden from the world—which makes any sort of relationship complicated.”

  “I don’t care.” I shook my head back and forth. “You’ve been nothing but generous and kind to me. My life isn’t very normal either…”

  Adam pulled me back into his arms, and I stayed there while I processed what he said. I didn’t pay much attention during World History when they briefly touched on the Kingdom of Ruilan. I remembered my teacher mentioning that it was a real monarchy that respected old traditions and vacationing there was a luxury for those who had the wealth to do so—a tourist attraction for the rich and powerful. Adam wasn’t a beast, and he wasn’t just a man. He was a prince that should have been king, but he gave up his crown for the woman he loved. That just made me respect him even more.

  * * *

  One week later

  Once Adam told me the truth about his family, and I didn’t run screaming out of his life as fast as I stumbled into it, our relationship paused where it was without moving forward. I worked at his house during the week, but I wasn’t doing much to earn my paycheck. We spent most of the time together, either reading books in the library, watching a movie if we were in the mood, or having tender moments that barely scraped past a PG rating. He stopped if my hands wandered—and sometimes his did, but they always pulled away before things got too hot or heavy. I loved being with him, but I was starting to have urges that kept me awake at night. If I wasn’t living in constant fear of having my evil little foster sisters burst through the door, I would have spent quite a few of those nights having a very X rated personal relationship with my finger.

  “Do you want to read today or try to find a movie?” Adam greeted me at the door with a hug.

  “Are those my only two options?” I looked up at him and bit down on my bottom lip.

  “Maybe we’ll get to that later…” He smiled and pulled me into the living room.

  Making out with Adam always left my panties wet and lit a fuse inside of me that was forced to smolder out. He had an awful lot of willpower—I certainly didn’t. I wanted him so bad that having my cherry popped was starting to turn into an obsession. I always heard that anticipation and waiting was its own reward, but it was just driving me crazy. I didn’t think I was misreading the signs—I had accidentally brushed against the front of his pants a couple of times, and the excitement was there. I just didn’t know what I had to do to get him to take things further. I certainly dropped enough hints—and I didn’t think most men needed much of an invitation to tear a pair of soaked panties off a girls hips.

  “I want you…” I moved my hand towards the front of his pants, but just like always, he caught my wrist before I could touch his cock.

  “I want you too, Anabelle,” he exhaled sharply.

  “Then why do you keep fighting it?” I lifted up until my lips were against his ear. “Take me upstairs. I want to be a very naughty girl for my Daddy.”

  “If I take you upstairs and claim you…” He moved his hands to my ass and squeezed. “You will become intertwined with my complicated life—I won’t be able to let you go.”

  “This is where I belong.” I kissed his neck. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

  “You’re sure about that?” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ve told you what it means—what I’ll never be able to give you.”

  “I’ve never been more sure about anything else in my life.” I nodded quickly.

  “Then you’re mine.” He stood up from the couch without letting go of me.

  There was no more hesitation—no more confusion. His lips danced along my neck as he carried me towards the stairs. I clung to his shirt and finally got his lips on mine where I wanted them. The beast was going to devour me, and I was going to love every second of it, because I was with the man that had been br
ought to the surface. Adam dropped me on the bed and lifted my t-shirt. He pressed his lips to my stomach and started kissing as he slid my t-shirt up to expose my bra. I lifted up so that he could strip off my shirt, and his fingers quickly found the clasp on my back. He unsnapped it, and when he saw my breasts for the first time, he looked at them like they were the most amazing sight on earth. He kissed the right one, swirled his tongue around my nipple until it became a hard nub, then moved over to my left on. My body was on fire—and the anticipation was building with no restraint because I knew it wasn’t going to end in disappointment once I got turned on.

  “You’re so fucking gorgeous…” He lifted up and smiled. “I’m going to worship every inch of your body. I may not have a crown, but you’re going to feel like a queen in my arms.”

  “A very naughty queen…” I squirmed on the bed and grinned.

  “The best kind.” He reached for my jeans and started to unfasten them.

  Adam stripped my jeans off and started kissing the top of my feet—slowly working his way up my legs—my inner thighs—and then his hands wrapped around my panties. They were ready to disintegrate even before he slid them down my hips. The instant that they hit the floor, his lips were against my skin again. He slowly kissed his way back up my inner thighs and pushed my legs apart. I felt the heat of his breath on my pussy, and it made my own breathing get heavier. His tongue moved against my pussy lips; then he pushed it into my wetness. I shuddered, and my muscles tensed up—it felt really good. He moved his tongue inside me a few times and then started kissing his way up to my clit—his tongue flicked against it and pleasure surged through my entire body.