by Lia Davis
“Yes, I didn’t want to use anything that wasn’t necessary. I might be down on my luck, but I’m not an entitled brat. I planned to try to leave your guest house as close to how I found it.”
His demeanor softened as he spoke, “Daryl, from the short time I’ve spent with you this morning, I can tell you’re a good person. I only have one regret.”
“Oh?” Her heart sank at this. “What’s that?”
“That I didn’t get here in time to get in on the cheese ommy lets!”
He let out a big laugh at how his son said the word. Seizing her chance to regain some power in this interaction, Daryl said, “There’s a three-egg omelet in it for you if you allow me to add some form of transportation to that deal you offered.”
His look changed back to seriousness. “Wait, you don’t have transportation? How do you manage to get around then?”
Daryl got up and pulled the bike wheel out of the closet behind the dining table.
“With this. When I first got here, I walked. I have this bike now, but it would be great if I could catch a ride into town from time to time.”
Again, he stared. Finally, he spoke. “Follow me to the main house. I should get back to Brock. There’s no telling what he’s up to. We can continue to discuss this over there.”
“Okay, but give me a moment to put on some clothes. Brock caught me in my sleep clothes.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” he said, neck getting red. “Take your time. I’ll wait here.”
“I’ll be a minute then.”
Daryl grabbed her backpack with all her notes for the project and went to the bedroom where the rest of her clothes were. He might be nice, but there was no way she was going to leave her project notes laying around. When she’d made a bathroom stop and was dressed in one of two pairs of jeans she owned with a better t-shirt, Daryl emerged to find him sitting where she’d left him.
“Good, you’re ready?” he asked.
“As ready as ever.” Seeing the sun was completely out and shining, she added, “This is a great day not to be going to jail. Lead the way.”
Chapter 8
Asher—The Main House
He knew Brock wouldn’t be in his room. As soon as they came in through the back door, Brock bum rushed them with squeals of excitement.
“Dad, she’s still here! Yay!” That was Brock’s way of saying thanks, and then he was over to Daryl, forgetting about Asher. Jumping up and down in his superhero pajamas, Brock said, “Daryl, come see my room! It’s upstairs.”
Asher loved watching how thoughtful and considerate she was. She looked down at the happy little boy, over to him and then back to Brock and said, “You know that grownup stuff your dad and I were discussing? I’m still not done with that yet. Let me get finished and then, if it’s all right with your dad, I’d love to see your room.”
Brock continued to smile and grabbed her hand. Swinging it, he said, “Dad doesn’t mind. I can tell he likes you. I told you he liked beautiful girls, and you’re beautiful, Daryl.”
Both adults in the room blushed at the candor of that five-year-old.
“What am I going to do with you, Brock? You made me blush with that compliment,” Daryl said. “You’re a very handsome young man yourself.”
“Really?” Brock asked.
“Of course. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. Now, how about you check in with your dad to see what he wants you to do while we finish up our talk?”
“Okay,” Brock said, dragging out the word. Asher was back to feeling like second fiddle to the women in his life when it came to his son.
Wait, women in his life? Daryl was a contractor to his company. Their relationship was purely business, especially now that he knew she was Daryl Livingston’s daughter. There was no way he’d go past anything not pertaining to business with her. Besides how brilliant her proposal plan had been, if she found out what happened to her father, she’d never forgive him for it. No, she was off limits. As for business, he’d bend over backward to keep her happy as a great asset to the company.
When Brock came to stand next to him, Asher felt like he was the last kid chosen for kickball with all the enthusiasm his son lacked.
“Hey there buddy. I still need you to go up to your room and wait for me. I’ll be up after I finish with Daryl to help you get ready for the day.”
“But, I want Daryl to help me.”
“She’s not your nanny. Daryl has her own day planned.”
“No, she promised to come with us today.”
Asher could tell his son had turned his desire into what he wanted his reality to be. “No, she never agreed to that. You want her to come with us, but that doesn’t mean she will.”
“Why not? She’s here right now. She can come with us too, can’t you, Daryl?” Brock asked, eyes moist with the start of tears.
Daryl gave him a look full of pleading for advice. Asher knew it was wrong, but he left her to fend for herself. Brock could be persuasive when he had a mind. He had to admit he wanted her to stick around too if nothing else so that he could learn more about her. Everything about Daryl Livingston, Junior fascinated him. How had she come to find his house out here in the middle of nowhere? What made her follow in her father’s footsteps? On and on, the questions bubbled up. If this were any other person, he’d find a way to get to know her over a late dinner.
With her, he’d have to hope details seeped out here and there with the natural interaction of business, which would be minimal based on the nature of her project.
Damn.
Daryl answered Brock. “I’ll come with you if it’s all right with your dad. But, you can’t make a habit of this. You and your dad have things to do. I can’t always tag along and take up space. Do you understand?”
Damn, she was good with Brock.
“I guess so,” the little boy said, again with the sad voice. “But you’re coming with us today.” Turning his focus on Asher, he said, “Dad, please?”
What was a guy to do? There was nothing he could do but give his son what he wanted—a chance to spend all day with this gorgeous, intriguing woman.
“Yes, Daryl, we’d love to have you come with us.”
Asher tried to keep the excitement out of his voice but knew he failed a little. Spending the day with Daryl and Brock was exciting. She was great with Brock, and he was enamored with the woman, despite how much he reminded himself she was off limits.
Once Brock was back upstairs, Asher had to see if what he had in mind would work to give Daryl transportation.
“Daryl, can you drive?”
“Yes, and I even have a driver’s license,” she added with a touch of snark. That touch was sexy coming from her.
“Good. What about manual drive—a stick shift?”
“Yeah, I learned on my dad’s old truck, why do you want to know?”
“Follow me,” was all he was willing to say. It wouldn’t matter if the thing didn’t work. Asher made a stop in the kitchen to grab a set of keys from a hook leading into the mudroom. When he was at the door leading to the garage, he turned to her and said, “I’m not sure if this will work. It’s a long shot, but let’s try it first and see if this will work for you.”
“What’s a long shot?” she asked, chocolate-drop large eyes looked back at him.
“Follow me and see.”
Asher led her to the four-car expanded garage. He walked past the Range Rover, over to a four by four heavy duty truck. The wheels were half her height, and the thing looked like it was the love child of a monster truck and high end off road vehicle. It still looked new, although Asher had left it sitting here for a few years. He said a prayer that the engine hadn’t drained itself.
Tossing her the keys, he said, “Start it up.”
“What? This… you can’t be serious. This truck is like one on Monster Truck TV. I can’t drive this.”
“Why not? You said you could drive a manual drive.”
“That I did, but I didn’t say I wasn
’t afraid of heights! The truck is two stories high. How am I supposed to get in and out of it, Ash?”
Ash.
She’d said his name, and it felt good hearing it roll off her tongue. Her screaming it in pleasure would be even better. The drive to have her roared from within. What he wouldn’t do to see how he could 10x her pleasure, as he took her over and over. That’s how he’d be extremely happy with her saying his name.
Shaking his head to clear thoughts of what he’d like to do to her and how many ways, Asher said, “Try getting in on your own. If you need help, I’m right here. It might not even start. The thing’s been sitting for a few years.”
He followed at a safe distance as his eyes drifted down to watch her plump ass move in those well-worn jeans. Daryl dripped with sexiness. The best turn on? She was completely clueless of her super power. Even his five-year-old was helpless to her innocent allure and seductive charm. He managed to catch himself in time, moving his gaze back up at the same moment she turned back to look at him.
He had to admit, the sight was comical. The door handle to the truck was above her head. Daryl might be five foot six, and the truck was meant to run wild in the outback. It could roll over tree logs, muddy terrain and shallow water. This was a great outdoor adventure type of truck. She was a cool tech startup chick with the body and face of a goddess. Asher couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped as she made her first attempt to step up on the sideboard.
“Serious? Are you going to stand there and watch? I’m taking my life in my hands to climb this truck mountain while you stand back and laugh. Not cool, Dad!” she said, mimicking Brock.
The way she’d called him Dad sent pleasure straight to his cock again. And, he was still wearing those show all runner’s shorts. Willing another hard on to chill out, Asher offered a “Sorry,” her way.
“Sorry doesn’t cut it. How about you get over here and help?”
So, she had a feisty side. He liked it—a lot. Coming to stand behind her, Asher caught a whiff of delicate flowers and citrus. Brock had been right. She did smell good.
Easy fella—she’s off limits.
Stepping back into the mental compartment of a business associate, he waited to see how she proposed he help her get into the truck.
“Put your hands around my waist to help me stay steady,” she said as if answering his thoughts. “And if I fall on you, I’m not at fault. Remember, this is your bright idea.”
“Never you worry, I’ve got you,” he said, sure he’d do whatever it took to make sure she didn’t incur a problem.
What Daryl didn’t know about his dragon strength wouldn’t hurt her. Positioning his hands around her waist, he heaved her up as she reached for the railing on the side of the truck. Successful, she opened the door and sat inside the cab.
“Whew! Made it. Thanks for the help.”
“How about you try to start it up? I need to know if we’ll have to get someone out here. I don’t know if I’ve got jumper cables or not.”
He watched as she pumped the gas a few times, waited and then turned the engine on. It almost caught but cut off. She repeated the steps and tried again, this time continuing to feed the machine gas as she turned the engine over. It caught, and the truck came to life. Asher was surprised it had cranked but seeing how she’d handled the truck gave him ease that she’d be able to handle it.
Yelling over the engine, he said, “Leave it running. It needs to run for a little while. How much gas is in it?”
“Three-fourths of a tank. You should be good to have it idle for a little while.”
“Come on down. I want to get Brock, and myself dressed so we can head out.” He turned to open the garage door to let some of the exhaust out before the air became poisonous.
“Hey, don’t leave me up here! I can’t get down. It’s too high,” she said.
Running back over, Asher hopped up and had looped an arm around her waist before he could stop himself. It might not be the best idea to show how agile he was. Monique’s words bounded back to the forefront of his mind to be careful with others. He wasn’t in the mood to have to explain how he was able to do certain things that should be inhumanly possible.
Too grateful to have his help, Daryl didn’t appear to question how he’d gotten up there so easily. Instead, she clung onto him for dear life. The woman really feared heights. Taking extra care to navigate her back down to the ground, Asher knew without a doubt she’d never be able to handle getting in and out of that truck on her own. When he got back to his phone, he’d work on another option to get her some transportation.
Eyeing the beast of a truck, he did have to admit it had been cool having a reason to touch her in such an intimate way. As they walked back into the house, Asher didn’t try to stop all the scenarios that played in his mind of how he could get her to call him Daddy.
Chapter 9
Brock—Dad’s Car
He couldn’t contain all the fun in his tummy. Brock looked at Daryl from his car seat behind her and got so excited. He liked her a lot, and he liked how his dad paid attention to her too. Daryl was so cool. Not only had she made him breakfast, but she’d talked to him, like for real and not like he was a baby.
Ready to get out of the car so he could hold her hand and show her around, Brock had to know. “Dad, are we there yet?”
His dad was driving and looked ahead, but answered, “Almost there. I told you, we have to make a stop at the Mayor’s office first and then off to do fun stuff.”
“Why do you need to get mayo from an office?” This made no sense. They could get mayo anytime. He was ready to show Daryl how cool he was. He wanted her to be his friend all the time.
His dad said something where he couldn’t hear it, and she smiled. Although he wanted to know what they said, Monique had taught him not to interrupt or ask what grownups were talking about. As long as his dad didn’t make Daryl want to leave and go away to work, he’d be all right with him hogging her time up there. The trees passing outside his window looked too close together. There were so many trees up here, even more than back home. How could people see through all the trees?
Brock started to count them, but they went by too fast for him to keep up. That meant they would get the mayo faster and then go have fun, so he didn’t try to count the trees anymore. Ugh, this was taking too long. He wanted out of here. Kicking his feet against the seat in front of him was fun until his dad said, “Please don’t do that. You’re making Daryl’s seat jump. That’s annoying. Be considerate and don’t kick the seat, okay Buddy?”
“Okay. But Dad, I don’t know what annoying means. Help me out.”
His dad and Daryl laughed, and he joined in but didn’t know what was funny.
“Brock, annoying means you’re being rude and like a pest. You know how a fly will keep messing with you, even when you swat it away?”
Brock could see his dad eyeing him in that mirror he used to look at him all the time. He wouldn’t stop using it until Brock answered and he wanted him to hurry up and get his mayo, so he said, “Yes.”
“Good, that’s what annoying means. Don’t be like a pestering fly to Daryl. She’s your friend, so be nice to her and the seat back she’s sitting in.”
“Oh, all right.” That part he understood. To make sure Daryl still liked him, Brock used his manners as Monique called them and said, “Daryl, I apologize for kicking your seat.”
She must have really liked his manners because she turned around and smiled at him. “Thank you, Brock. I accept your apology. You’re such a kind friend. That was really nice of you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, knowing that was the right thing to say.
It felt good making her smile. He wanted to do it all the time.
The car stopped, and he couldn’t help it. Brock clapped his hands and said, “Yes! We’re here!”
“We’re at the Mayor’s office,” his dad said, turning back to look at him. His dad wore his serious face. This must mean he would have to
be on his best behavior. “When we go inside, I want you to stay close and not touch anything or run off. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.”
Daryl said, “He can stay with me while you speak with the Mayor. We don’t have to go in with you if that’s all right.”
His dad smiled at her the way he did when he thought a girl was pretty. Daryl was pretty and his friend, first. Before he could speak up and remind him of that, his dad said, “Son, did you hear what Miss Daryl suggested? Are you willing to stay with her while I speak with the Mayor?”
Yes! That was perfect! He didn’t even like mayo. “Of course, Dad. Daryl’s my friend.” For Daryl, he had to hurry up and make sure she was his friend today. His dad seemed to like her a lot. He might try to take her time from him. Brock said, “I can stay with Daryl if she holds my hand.” There, that would make it where she was with him more.
Daryl turned around and spoke directly to him again. “Most definitely, I’d love to hold your hand. But, you must promise you’ll be good while we’re inside. Will you do that for me?”
He’d do anything for her. She gave the best hugs, way better than even Stacy or Monique.
His dad kept talking, not letting them get out of the car yet as he said, “Then it’s settled. You’ll hold Daryl’s hand, be on your best behavior and not run off.”
“Yes, Dad, I promise to hold Daryl’s hand and be good. Can we go now?” Brock didn’t know how long this would take, but his dad was making it last longer than necessary. “You promised we’d have lots of fun today.”
“That I did,” his dad said.
“Then can we get started? This,” he said, looking down at how tight his dad had him strapped in his car seat, “Isn’t working for me. Is it working for you? Because, this isn’t the fun part for me yet.”
Again with the laughing. The grownups laughed, and he joined in, still not sure what was so funny.
“No, son, this isn’t working for me either. How about we get you out of there?”
