Daddy's Baby

by B. B. Hamel

  “The husband,” Mitchell says, more of a croak than a word. “So this is him.”

  I step forward. “It’s good to meet you, sir,” I say. I shake his hand, and it’s surprisingly strong for a dying man.

  “You married my daughter,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “Why?”

  I pause, slightly surprised, and glance at Julia. She nods once, her face straight and serious. I look back at Mitchell, still locked in the handshake.

  “Because I love her,” I say.

  He hesitates a moment before letting the shake drop. “So you say. How did you meet?”

  “On vacation,” I say, the old story. “In Jamaica.”

  “And what do you do?”

  “Private security,” I say. “I was a SEAL for most of my life, though.”

  I notice him lean toward me slightly more, a gleam in his eye. “An actual SEAL?” he asks. “No bullshit?”

  “No bullshit, sir,” I say. “Gave my life to service and left with a few scars.”

  He nods once and drops his eyes from mine. He looks at Julia. “Come visit me again,” he says. “And bring your husband.”

  She smiles. “Okay, father. I will.”

  Mitchell turns away from me and Julia gestures with her head, calling me toward her. We leave Mitchell’s bedside.

  “That’s it?” I whisper to her as we head out. She shuts the doors behind us.

  “That’s it,” she says. She glances at her watch. “Nurse must have given him his meds a few minutes early.”

  “You’re really timing this down to the minute?” I ask, not sure whether to laugh or not.

  “You don’t understand, do you?” She stares at me. “This is an operation, Connor. There is a lot at stake. He seems to be interested in you. Now we just have to keep coming back, keep telling the same story, make him believe it. We have to sell it.”

  I nod once. “I understand, Julia,” I say. “Just not the sort of family I’m used to.”

  “What sort of family are you used to, then?” she asks, a bit harsh.

  I pause a second then sigh. “Sorry,” I say. “That wasn’t fair.”

  “No, it wasn’t. But I don’t care. So long as this works.” She heads toward the entrance without another word.

  I follow her, glancing around as I go. There’s so much money, so much opulence and power in this place, and yet it all looks old, like it hasn’t been updated in a century. That’s probably the case. There’s a thin layer of dust on much of it, and the place feels more like a tomb than a home.

  This is the game I’ve signed on for, and I better get used to it. I need to convince Julia’s father that this is for real, and hopefully she inherits the company and not her brother. It’s time I accept the job fully and embrace it.

  There’s only one thing still standing in my way, however, and that’s Sydney. As much as I hate to admit it, she’s a distraction, and I don’t know what to do about her.

  One thing at a time. At least her father likes me, for now. I’ll figure out what to do with Julia’s daughter soon.

  6

  Sydney

  So far, despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to get a job. Maybe the economy is as bad as everyone says, or maybe people just really don’t want to hire girls with absolutely zero experience. It’s almost depressing that nobody is giving me a shot, and I’m still stuck in my house, despite wanting so badly to move on.

  Around ten in the morning on Saturday, I’m feeling particularly depressed as I head into the kitchen. I grab a yogurt from the refrigerator and a banana from the counter, intending to head outside and eat in the sunshine, but suddenly I hear a noise from down the hall.

  I pause standing in the kitchen, and I hear it again. It’s like a grunt, or close to a grunt at least. I put down my breakfast and head toward the noise, moving tentatively.

  There are two rooms toward the side of the house. One is a laundry room and the other used to be half storage and half office. As I get closer, it becomes obvious that the noise is coming from the office space, though I have no clue why.

  The light is on in the room as I step into the doorway. Inside, it’s not an office anymore, not even close. Everything has been cleaned out, and I have no clue when that even happened. Connor is in there sitting at a weight bench, lifting barbells without a shirt.

  Sweat rolls down his body and I can’t help but stare. He’s even more muscular and toned than I thought he was. Tattoos cover most of his torso, plus a few nasty looking scars that I guess he got when he was a SEAL.

  He doesn’t know I’m here, not yet at least. He’s too busy working his arms, the muscles forced to their limit. I watch him as he grunts through his workout, but I know I should go. I’m staring at him like I want to fuck him, because I do, really badly. I want him to hold me down on that weight bench and slam himself deep inside of me, but no, no, I can’t think that way. He’s my stepfather, after all.

  I should turn around and walk away. I should stop staring at his sweaty body as he lifts weights. There’s still time. He hasn’t noticed me yet. But if he actually sees me, he’s going to know. I can’t hide the way I’m staring at him and I know it.

  Seconds pass and I stand there, transfixed. I’ve never seen a man like Connor before. He’s absolutely beautiful, almost graceful in the way he moves, and I have the insane urge to walk into the room and touch his muscles. I want to feel how hard they are.

  I take a step back from the doorway just as he finishes his set. He lets the barbell down onto the floor with a grunt, breathing deep, and then he looks up.

  Our eyes meet and I’m frozen there. He looks at me for a second and then that cocky smile drifts across his face.

  “Hey,” he says. “Sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

  “No, uh, it’s okay,” I stutter. “I was just, uh, looking for the office.”

  “I moved most of your mom’s stuff up into the extra bedroom upstairs,” he says. “I figured I’d need at least one room in this house to myself.”

  “Sure. Yeah. Of course. Whatever you want.” I want to turn and run away, but his gaze holds me there. He knows I was watching him and I can feel red tingeing my cheeks. I’m so embarrassed.

  “Good. Glad you don’t mind.” He stands up and stretches a little bit. “I was just finishing up.” He grabs his t-shirt from the bench and throws it over his shoulder.

  “Do you, um, work out a lot?” I feel stupid as soon as the words leave my mouth.

  He grins and shrugs. “Enough, I guess. Not as much as I should. I need to maintain a certain level of fitness for my job.”

  “Security,” I say. “You work a lot.”

  He shrugs. “Guess so. I like it.”

  “What are you doing right now?”

  “Working for the college down the road.”

  “Why’s a college need security?” I ask.

  He walks past me and I tag along as we head back into the kitchen.

  “They’ve gotten some bomb threats lately. There’s some symposium there, I don’t know, a bunch of smart-ass guys are getting together to talk about something. I’m supposed to make sure those bomb threats don’t happen.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Is it dangerous?”

  He laughs. “Not at all.” He heads over to the cabinet, grabs a glass, and fills it with water at the refrigerator.

  I sit down at the island, watching him. “Is it ever dangerous?” I ask.

  “Sometimes,” he says. “Usually no, though. Most of the time just being present is enough to scare away any crazies.”

  “But not always?”

  “Not always.” He looks at me. “You interested in getting into security?”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “Not at all.”

  “Come on. You look pretty tough.” He leans up against the counter.

  “Oh yeah?” I flex my right bicep. “I think you’re right. I could probably beat up some bad guys.”

  “Sure. With a little training, you’d be down
right scary.”

  “Who needs training when you’re ripped like me?”

  He laughs, grinning huge. “Great point.” He steps toward me and reaches out, taking my bicep in his arm and squeezing softly. “Rock hard. I’m impressed.”

  I laugh and drop my arm. He grins at me and crosses his arms across his chest, making his muscles pop out. I have to look away or else risk staring at him.

  “Your tattoos,” I say, changing the subject. “Where’d you get them?”

  He looks down at himself. “All over the place. These two were in Japan, this one was in Korea. This one was in Germany.” He points at a few places on his body, including a tiger and a stylized Koi fish.

  “They’re really cool,” I say.

  “I guess. Youthful stupidity, mostly.”

  “They’re not stupid. I’m jealous, actually.”

  He cocks his head. “Of my tattoos?”

  “No, I mean, of your traveling.”

  “Courtesy of the United States military.” He flashes me his smile. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

  “Still. I want to travel. I’ve never been outside of my home town.”

  “You will eventually. I could show you around Japan one day.”

  “Do you know it well?”

  “I was stationed there for two years,” he says, nodding. “Fell in love with it over there. Very different way of life, but it’s interesting.”

  “You’re a big anime fan now?” I ask him, smirking.

  He laughs, nodding. “Absolutely.”

  “No way. Seriously?”

  “Of course not.” He laughs again, grinning at me.

  I shake my head. “You’re awful.”

  “Nah. I’m great.” He leans toward me, eyes locked on mine, and my heart beats fast in my chest for a second. “And I think you know it.”

  I hold his gaze for a second and I sense something between us, but I can’t let myself dwell on it. I look away and he laughs a little bit before pulling his shirt back on over his perfect chest.

  The excitement in my chest moves down to my stomach and lingers between my legs as he gets another glass of water. He turns toward me and nods.

  “Well, feel free to watch me work out whenever you want,” he says.

  “Why would I do that?”

  He shrugs, a devilish smile on his face. “Who knows? Maybe you want to join in next time. I’d be happy to work you good and hard.”

  I can’t miss the implication. “Ah, uh, maybe next time.”

  “Suit yourself. I’m going to grab a shower.”

  “Okay.”

  He nods at me, that grin still on his face, before heading back down the hall and upstairs.

  I let out a breath and feel like my whole body might deflate. I can’t believe he was coming on to me, very clearly and without any real hesitation. He’s my freaking stepfather, and he’s supposed to be with my mother, but there’s something between us. Something I don’t want to let myself admit to.

  And I don’t ever see him with Mom. They’re basically never around each other. They both work all day and they both get home late. As far as I can tell, they might even sleep in separate rooms, since it looks like the guest room’s bed has been slept in. I’m not positive about that, but something strange is going on here.

  He’s so handsome and charming. I’m fascinated by his life, too. He’s traveled so much, way more than I ever have. He has this quiet maturity to him, like he’s completely self-confident in the man he is. Every time I talk to him, I feel this thrill in my body and can’t pretend like it’s not there, even if I’m afraid of what it means.

  I pick up my yogurt and my banana from the counter again and head out back. I eat sitting at the patio table in the shade, trying not to think about Connor’s body as he worked out.

  He’s upstairs right now, showering, naked, soaking wet. I could easily walk in on him.

  I need to get myself together. I’m seriously thinking about walking in on my stepfather showering, because apparently I’ve gone absolutely insane.

  I have to get out of this house before I do something stupid.

  7

  Connor

  That girl is going to be the death of me.

  I don’t know what the fuck I’m thinking hitting on her right in the kitchen like that. Julia wasn’t home, but still, I had no fucking shame at all. I wasn’t even being subtle about it.

  The strangest part of it though was the fact that she didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she was a little embarrassed, but she wasn’t walking way or disgusted.

  In fact, she was watching me. As I was working out, I know she was watching me. I sensed her standing there the second she walked into the doorway. I didn’t want to stop or look over for fear of spooking her. I wanted her to get a nice little show.

  Which of course is stupid of me. Julia is not a stupid woman. She’s going to notice that something is happening sooner or later. Maybe she already realizes it and she doesn’t care, but I can’t bank on that. I have to assume that she’ll be appalled if she ever realizes that I’m really here for Sydney.

  I can’t help myself. Sydney is just so fucking beautiful, and she doesn’t even seem to realize it. The way she blushes and stutters when she’s embarrassed is beyond attractive. I’ve never felt this much desire for a woman before in my life.

  Too bad she’s totally off limits. I’m going to have to get my shit together.

  After my shower, I decide to head over to the school and patrol the grounds. It’s Saturday, which means the place is pretty empty, but at least I’m not stuck at home imagining would it would be like to have Sydney.

  The day passes slowly, and eventually I have to head back home. Or at least back to the house. It’s not really my home. Julia is paying for my apartment, so I guess I could escape to there if I ever want to. But I do need to get used to living with Sydney and Julia if this whole fake marriage thing is going to work.

  Julia’s car is in the driveway when I park. I get out of my truck and head inside. It’s around seven and the sun is down. Most of the lights are off inside.

  “Honey?” I call out, heading upstairs. I get to the top of the steps and head toward our room when I nearly collide with someone.

  “Shit,” I grunt. “I’m sorry.” I grab Sydney’s shoulders to make sure she doesn’t slam face-first into my chest.

  “Oh,” she gasps, surprised.

  “You okay?” I ask, releasing her.

  She nods. “Yeah, fine.”

  I look at her and feel my cock hardening in my pants immediately. She’s wearing only a bathrobe. It’s short, thin, and white, and really doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Her body looks incredible in it, and to top it all off, one of her shoulders is showing. I must have knocked the robe down when I grabbed her.

  She glances at me and then crosses her arms under her breasts. She knows I’m looking at her body, and she probably knows what I’m thinking. She’s inches away from me in this small hallway, and I could easily have her right now. I know her pussy is dripping wet, I can see it in her eyes as she gazes up at me.

  “I was going to shower,” she says softly, a little off-balance.

  “I nearly knocked your clothes right off.”

  She smiles and looks away, a little embarrassed. “That wouldn’t be so bad.”

  Fucking hell. I have to hold back a groan. There can be absolutely no mistaking it: she’s fucking flirting right back with me. She wants it and I’m absolutely sure of it now.

  All I have to do is reach out. I can touch her, press her against the wall, kiss her, feel her soaking clit. I can make her feel so fucking good.

  But a new voice tears me from my desires.

  “Connor?”

  I look over and Julia is standing on the stairs, looking up at us.

  “Hey, honey,” I say, stepping away from Sydney quickly. “I just bumped into Sydney here.”

  “Shower time,” she says and quickly walks away, closing the bathro
om door behind her.

  Julia narrows her eyes but doesn’t say anything. “Come downstairs,” she says. “Let’s talk.”

  My heart is hammering in my chest. Did she see that moment back there? If she did, there’s no mistaking it. She’s not blind. She knows that I want her daughter, and she probably realizes that her daughter wants me, too.

  Maybe I’ve just fucked my chances at everything, all because I couldn’t control myself.

  I follow Julia downstairs and we sit at the kitchen island. Julia pours herself a glass of wine and gets me a glass of whisky. When we have our drinks, she sits down.

  “Let’s talk about my father,” she says.

  I hesitate. “Now?” I ask.

  “Of course, now.”

  I sip my drink, getting my shit under control. Whether or not she noticed, that’s not the conversation she wants to have. So my execution is stayed, at least for now.

  Though who knows how long I can keep doing this.

  “What about him?” I ask.

  “We need to go see him again soon,” Julia says. “My last conversation with Evan didn’t go very well. I suspect he’s been actively trying to poison us to father.”

  I nod. “It’s not surprising.”

  “No, it isn’t. But we need to figure out what he’s saying.”

  “Does it matter?” I ask.

  “Of course. We need to be able to counteract his narrative. Show my father you’re really a great guy.”

  I sigh and nod. “Of course.”

  “We’ll talk to my father in a few days. I hope you can get it out of him.”

  “I can try.”

  “Good. Tell more stories about your time in the military as well.”

  “I don’t talk about that much.” I say softly.

  “Then lie to him. Who cares? Just do it.” She watches me like a hawk.

  I nod again. “Fine, I will. But we’ll need more time next visit.”

  “I can make that happen.” She stands up. “By the way.” I pause, bracing myself. “I like what you did to the office. Or I guess it’s the gym now.”