Enticing Daphne

by Jessica Prince

  Oh my god. He was certifiable! Stefan’s hand came toward my stomach. I took two steps back, wishing I carried a pocket knife, or Taser, or something, because if his hand came anywhere near my belly, I was going to forcibly remove it from his body.

  A throat cleared from behind us and I spun around, slumping in relief at the sight of Bob, the sweet old man who worked the security desk in the lobby.

  “’Scuse me, Ms. King. Is this man bothering you?”

  “Of course I’m not,” Stefan snapped. “I’m her fiancé.”

  Bob’s eyes got big, so I quickly amended, “Ex-fiancé. And yes, he actually is bothering me.”

  If you had told me the man who always had a bright smile and kind word for everyone who walked through that lobby could look so menacing it’d make you want to pee your pants, I probably would have laughed in your face. The man was a bunny rabbit. But I would have been wrong, because right then even I was a little frightened of the kindly senior citizen.

  “Time to go. You either walk out of here on your own or be carried out on a stretcher.”

  Gulp.

  “Pfft. Please. Like you’d—”

  Bob cut him off. “I fought in two wars, boxed professionally for twenty years, and still find an hour at the bag every single day. You don’t want to test me, boy.”

  Huh. Well there you go, then. Guess Bob isn’t a bunny rabbit after all.

  Stefan swallowed audibly, seeing the seriousness in the old man’s eyes. “Fine,” he started, tugging nervously at his ear. “I’ll go.” Then he turned and pointed at me. “But we aren’t finished here.”

  “Oh, you’re finished,” Bob chimed in.

  “No, we aren’t.”

  “You’re finished, or you’ll be eating your meals through a straw for the rest of your life.”

  If Bob hadn’t been happily married for almost as long as I’d been alive, I would have proposed right then and there. Stefan quickly scuttled away, leaving me alone with my knight in security blues.

  “You okay, Ms. King?” he asked once Stefan was out of the building.

  I smiled at my new favorite person in the world. “I’m fine, Bob. But I think I might be a little in love with you now.”

  He winked, his aged face wrinkling with a brilliant smile. “Happens all the time. Has Loretta in fits,” he replied, speaking of his wife.

  I placed a kiss on his cheek and thanked him for saving the day. Then I took the elevator up to KTSW, ready to put my icky run-in with Stefan behind me.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Caleb

  I couldn’t get out of that god-forsaken airport fast enough. I needed a scotch and a shower to wash the stale, sickeningly floral perfume of the woman in the seat beside mine off me. Flying didn’t typically bother me that badly, but I’d been so desperate to see Daphne after a week and a half away that I’d switched my flight when my final meeting ended ahead of schedule, foregoing the comforts of first class for coach, all because I wanted to get back to her half a day early.

  It was supposed to have just been a simple business trip, but knowing that Daphne had originally grown up in New York, I took the opportunity to hook up with the private investigator I kept on retainer to try and dig up any dirt on Connie King I could find to use against her. I couldn’t stand the fact that I was once again trying to clean up after my parents, but this time was different. I wasn’t doing it for them. I was doing it for Daphne, because she didn’t need any of this bullshit blowing back on her.

  I wanted to fix it before she got dragged into the situation, and had been hopeful when I first landed in the Big Apple. But Connie was just too damn clean. Other than being a shitty mother who had more failed relationships than Jennifer fucking Lopez, there wasn’t anything to find on the bitch.

  It was exhausting and frustrating, and there was only one person who could make me feel better about my failed mission.

  I didn’t even bother stopping by my place to get clean clothes; I’d wash what I took on my trip and just live with that. After spending nearly every free moment with Daphne at her house, my apartment felt cold and sterile in comparison. Even with a few of the upstairs rooms still under construction, her house was more warm and inviting, more homey than any place I’d ever lived.

  I knew I couldn’t broach the subject, at least not right now, but my goal was to eventually engrain myself into her life to the point where she wouldn’t want me to leave.

  Pulling into her driveway was like coming home. A weight was lifted off my chest.

  Music echoed from upstairs. I dropped my bag by the door and took the stairs at a near run. She was in what I referred to as the bookshelf room, wearing those adorable overalls with a tank top that showed off a delicious amount of cleavage.

  Christ, I missed her. It felt like it had been forever. I could have sworn her tits looked even rounder, fuller. My mouth watered.

  She reached above her head, pulling at a piece of the old, outdated wood paneling on the wall, making my cock thicken behind my fly. I snuck up behind her as quietly as I could. Reaching out, I grabbed her hips and started tickling like crazy.

  “Argh!” she screamed, spinning around with her hands flat like she was about to karate chop my ass. “Caleb!” I laughed, leaning back so she couldn’t punch me in the throat. “God, you scared the crap out of me! How are you here right now? You weren’t supposed to be back until later tonight.”

  I pulled her into me, clasping my hands at the small of her back. When I held her against me, I felt like everything was right in my world. “My last meeting ended ahead of schedule and I couldn’t wait. A week and a half away from you is too damn long.”

  Her face got soft as her whole body sank into me. “Caleb,” she whispered, reaching up and wrapping her hands around the sides of my neck. “I missed you too, honey.”

  She used that word so rarely that when she called me ‘honey’ I felt ten feet fucking tall. “So what are you working on in here?”

  She turned in my arms, inspecting her work with a heavy sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  Resting my chin on her shoulder, I looked at the wall she’d been tearing apart before I walked in. “I thought you said you were keeping the paneling, that you were just going to sand and paint it white.”

  She glared at me over her shoulder. “It wasn’t white. It was eggshell. You know that, I showed you the swatch.”

  I grinned down at her, placing a kiss on her nose. “Looked white to me.”

  “Whatever,” Daphne grumbled with an eye roll as she turned back to the wall. “I woke up this morning and stupidly decided that I’d changed my mind. I saw this awesome textured wallpaper with a really pretty fleur-de-lis pattern that I thought would look amazing in here. But apparently the previous owners were in love with this paneling, because they nailed and glued it to the damn walls. It’s taking forever to rip off.”

  “Well, I’m not sure about fleur-de-lis textured walls, but if that’s what you want, then how about I go change my clothes so I can give you a hand?”

  Warmth infused her expression. “Have I told you yet that I really missed you?”

  “You did, but I’m a big fan of hearing it, so feel free to say it over and over.”

  She smiled up at me, but there was something deeper there, something more meaningful, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. “I missed you. And I’d really love your help. And maybe when we’re done we can order in some dinner? There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. It’s kind of important.”

  A knock sounded on her front door, interrupting the moment. “Hold that thought. I’ll get the door, then get changed and be right back.”

  She blew out a breath like there was something heavy weighing on her mind. “Okay.”

  The knocking came again, that time more insistent. I pulled at the door, ready to send whoever it was away so I could get back to my girl. “Listen, whatever you’re selling, we aren’t buy—” The douche who’d tried o
utbidding me at the auction was standing on the other side. “What the fuck? What are you doing here?”

  “What are you doing here?” the jackass countered. “I’m here because this is my fiancée’s house.”

  “Your what?”

  “Caleb?” Daphne called from upstairs. “Who was it at the door?”

  Like the sneaky little fucker he was, the asshole darted past me and headed up the stairs. I took the stairs two at a time, reaching him at the same time he hit the room Daphne was in.

  She jerked around at the sound of our rapid footsteps, ripping a piece of paneling off as she turned. “Stefan?” she screeched in shock. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  I spoke before he had a chance to answer. “Better question is why did this asshole just call you his fiancée?”

  “His what?”

  “Fiancée,” Stefan answered. “I called you my fiancée, because that’s what you are.”

  “I most certainly am not!” she yelled. “Omigod! What is wrong with you, you psycho? We haven’t been together in years!”

  I grabbed him by the collar and started yanking him out of the room. “Ducky, just give me a second! Please. I just want to talk to you, honey.” He struggled against me, shouting for Daphne the whole time. There was something seriously unhinged about this guy.

  “Get the hell out before I throw you out. I swear I’ll take her to the courthouse to get a restraining order my-fucking-self.”

  “Get your hands off me!” He continued to fight against my hold. “I swear to god I’ll sue you.”

  I was about to shove my fist through his fucking face when Daphne let out a pained cry that consumed all my attention. She held her arm to her chest, blood trickling down her forearm from her wrist. “Shit. Fuck, baby. Are you okay?” I released my hold on Stefan’s shirt and rushed to her. I gently pulled her arm away from her body, finding a long, jagged cut that extended halfway to her elbow. “Jesus, sweetheart. What happened?”

  “Oh god. That looks bad.” I spun my head to find Stefan had come up to inspect Daphne’s arm.

  “Will you get the fuck out of here?”

  “I cut myself on a nail sticking out of the paneling,” Daphne said, tears pooling in her eyes.

  I lifted the piece of wood lying on the ground to find a large rusted nail sticking out of it. “Fuck, okay. We need to get you to the emergency room, Daphne. I think you might need stiches.”

  “I’ll take her in my car.”

  “Touch me and I’ll rip your arm off,” she snarled at Stefan, letting me guide her from the room.

  Opening my passenger door, I got her settled in the seat and reached into the back, pulling a clean T-shirt from my gym bag and wrapping it around her forearm to try and staunch the blood. Then I drove as quickly as I could to the emergency room.

  That bastard Stefan following us the entire way.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Daphne

  “Will you shut up already?” Caleb hissed angrily.

  “I’m not going to shut up,” Stefan countered. “You shut up.”

  The two men currently standing inside the tiny curtained-off space that was supposed to be my room were going to drive me to murder.

  I sided with Caleb, obviously. There was something seriously screwy with Stefan’s head. But if the two of them didn’t stop bickering like teenage girls I was going to lose my mind. My arm burned like a mother, and the stiches I had to get didn’t make it any better.

  I exhaled slowly through my nose, dropping my head back to look at the ceiling to silently ask God for patience.

  “If you two can’t stop arguing, I’m going to ask you to leave,” the nurse said to Caleb and Stefan in a stern voice.

  I could have kissed her right on the mouth. “Actually, feel free to kick out the one who looks like a PGA reject,” I told her. “He’s not welcome. The other one can stay.” I shot Caleb a look. “If he promises to be quiet.”

  Just then the doctor threw the curtain back and stepped in. “What’s going on here?”

  The nurse pointed at Stefan and answered, “I was just about to call security to escort that one out. He’s distressing the patient.”

  All eyes turned to an affronted Stefan as the doctor spoke. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. I have to administer a tetanus shot for Ms. King, and if she doesn’t wish for you to be present, then you’ll have to step out into the waiting room.”

  “Or out of the hospital altogether,” Caleb grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Hell, while we’re at it, why don’t you just get the fuck out of Seattle completely?”

  Oblivious to most everything that was just said, Stefan looked from me to the doctor. “A tetanus shot? Is that safe for the baby?”

  Oh shit. Oh fuck, oh shit, oh damn.

  Caleb’s back went stiff. “Wait… baby? What baby?”

  “I’m sorry, sir, who are you to Ms. King?” the doctor asked the bane of my existence.

  “What baby?” Caleb repeated.

  “I’m her fiancé,” Stefan answered.

  “Ex-fiancé!” I snapped. “And we’ve been apart for seven years. He’s pretty much stalking me now.” I was going to kill him. I was going to watch as I slowly choked the life from his stupid freaking body!

  “What. Baby?” Caleb barked.

  I looked to the man I’d fallen completely and madly in love with despite my best efforts not to. “Caleb, honey, please. If you’ll just give me a minute to get him out of here, I promise I’ll explain everything.”

  “Let me guess,” Stefan snorted snidely. “You’re the asshole who knocked her up. Well, you’ll be happy to know that when she realizes you’re not worth the dirt beneath her feet and comes back to me, I’ll raise the child as my own and give it the kind of life a scumbag like you never could.”

  “Oh my god!” I shrieked. “Someone get him out of here!”

  But it was too late. With a ferocious roar and a bellowed “I’m going to kill you!” Caleb lunged.

  My temples throbbed beneath my fingers as I attempted to massage the massive pain in my skull.

  “So you’re saying that this man has been following you around, refusing to leave you alone even though you’ve asked him repeatedly?”

  I looked up at the two police officers who’d been called by the hospital when the fight broke out between Caleb and Stefan.

  “Yes,” I answered the one who was holding the notepad, taking my statement.

  “This is ridiculous!” Stefan exclaimed loudly, rattling the handcuffs that were holding his wrists behind his back. “I’m not stalking her! I’m just trying to help.”

  “By stalking her,” the second officer deadpanned.

  “I’m not—”

  The nurse who had been witness to the entire debacle decided to wade in at that point. “Officer, I haven’t been witness to all the encounters she described, but I will say that she demanded he leave countless times, and instead of doing as she asked, he instigated a fight with the gentleman who’d brought her in. He was defending his girlfriend from a man who was continuously harassing her.”

  That was it. I was kissing her as soon as this whole disaster was over. Unless that offended her. In that case, I’d write her a big fat check.

  “Oh,” she continued. “And she’s also pregnant, so she doesn’t need that kind of stress.”

  Right, could have done without that little reminder. Especially since Caleb had refused to look at me since several of the hospital staff pulled him off my ex.

  “Okay, sir.” The first officer slapped his notepad shut and glared at Stefan. “We’re going to need you to come with us.”

  “This is ludicrous!” he declared as the cops pulled him from his chair. “Okay. Okay, I’ll leave her alone. I promise. I’ll leave her alone!”

  “Too late,” Officer Number Two stated. “When a woman tells you to leave her alone, it’s time to get a clue, man.” He looked to me as Officer Number One began pulling Stefan away.
“And I’d suggest you come down to the station soon to file a restraining order against that guy. There’s a couple screws loose with that one.”

  They left shortly after. With my arm stitched up and bandaged, and my tetanus shot administered, I’d been cleared to leave, but the whole police thing had kept us at the hospital longer than necessary.

  “So….” I turned to Caleb once we were all alone. “I guess we should probably head out, huh?”

  He barely looked at me as he stood up and started for the door. Even though he was so clearly pissed at me, he still made sure to open the doors and stay close to my side like he was waiting to see if I needed anything.

  I couldn’t take the silence filling the car during the drive. It was slowly crushing me. “Caleb—”

  He cut me off. “No. You don’t get to talk right now. I’m so fucking pissed at you I can’t think straight.”

  I clamped my mouth shut for the rest of the ride. It wasn’t until we were back at my house that I found the nerve to speak again.

  “I was going to tell you. I was just looking for the right time.”

  “The right time?” he asked in a low, ominous voice, looking at me from the across the expanse of my living room. “The right time would have been when you found out you were fucking pregnant, Daphne!”

  “I was going to,” I cried, tears stinging my nose. “I wanted to, I swear. But when I was going to tell you, you made that comment about not wanting kids and thinking you’d be a bad father, and I just—”

  “Wait. That was… Jesus, Daph! That was two months ago! You’ve known for that long and didn’t say a goddamn thing?” He began pacing agitatedly. “Didn’t you think I had a right to know you were having my baby? Christ!” he thundered so loud I jumped and lost my hold on my tears.

  “I kn-know,” I stuttered. “I know what I did was w-wrong. I’m so sorry. I just… I was so scared of how you’d take it when you found out, and I… I care about you so much. I was afraid you’d hate me when you found out.”