Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“I . . . I . . .”
“Listen to Daddy. You need to do as Daddy says.”
“D-daddy?” Steele was her Daddy.
“You don’t think I can be your Daddy?”
“Daddy G,” she whispered.
His eyes widened with surprise. “Makes me sound like a bad rapper but I’ll take it right now. Daddy G is in charge and you need to listen to me.”
“Okay.” Her breathing slowed, the panic clearing from her mind.
He wouldn’t leave her.
He would never leave her.
“Tell me you understand,” he said firmly.
“I understand.”
“I understand, Daddy G.”
“I understand, Daddy G.”
“That’s my good girl.”
Okay. She liked that. Being his good girl.
Then he climbed out of the car and her fear returned. Her legs. She couldn’t feel her legs.
She slammed her hands into them.
Why . . . why couldn’t she feel her legs?
Harsh breaths filled the car, but it barely registered that they were coming from her. She slammed her hands down again. But it wasn’t working. She couldn’t feel anything.
Don’t hit yourself.
Daddy G won’t like it.
Okay . . . okay. She had this.
She stared out the window as Grady talked to the other driver. Although it seemed the other woman was doing all the talking. Grady shook his head at her and strode away.
That’s when the bitch reached out and grabbed him.
Oh, hell no.
That more than anything else broke through her panic. Effie reached for the door handle, opening the door as he shook off her hold.
“Do not touch me,” he told her coldly.
Whoa. She’d heard him cold before. But not like this. He was breathing pure ice at this woman. And that bitch stumbled back in shock, her rage dissipating for a moment.
What did she have to be angry about?
She was the one who’d caused the accident.
People were milling around, watching the drama unfold, but Effie barely paid them any attention as Grady turned back to her, striding to the open door.
She pressed her nails into her thighs. She was wearing a pair of thick pants, but surely she should have felt something?
Her legs.
Grady.
“Little girl, what did I say about hurting yourself.” He grabbed her hands, moving them away from her legs.
“I’m not . . . I’m not hurting myself. I can’t feel anything. Daddy G,” she cried.
“Stop,” he said firmly, taking her face between his warm hands. “Stop. You will not think. You will not worry. You will not panic.”
She wouldn’t? Because she felt like she was doing all three right now.
“Because whatever happens, you are going to be all right. Understand me? You will be fine.”
A sob broke free. “Are you . . . are you . . .”
“I’m fine, sweetheart. Not a scratch on me. I don’t even have whiplash.”
“Promise. Promise. I can’t lose you.”
Understanding filled his face. “I promise, sweetheart. I am fine.” Taking her hand, he held it to his chest.
“Hey! Who the fuck is going to pay to the damage to my car!”
That came from the other woman and it was screeched. Grady’s face grew cold, but he didn’t turn from her. He gave her his full attention. And it was incredible. She soaked it up. She needed it. His calm. His surety.
“I don’t want to move you until the paramedics get here, all right? But I just need you to stay strong a bit longer. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?” He wrapped a hand around the base of her throat. It didn’t feel like a threat though. It felt like he was trying to infuse some of his strength into her. And she finally felt like she could breathe.
“Yes.”
“Good girl. You are doing so well. Good things come to good girls, you know.”
That hadn’t been her experience in the past. But with them . . . yeah, good things had come her way.
Along with the bad.
The sound of a siren made her breath hitch. “She’s so mad.”
“Don’t worry about her. She was the one in the wrong and she knows it.”
A police car pulled up and the woman immediately went over to him.
“She doesn’t think it’s her fault.”
“Don’t look at her, Little girl. Eyes on me. That’s it. Everything will be all right.”
She wasn’t sure she believed him. But she wanted to. So she kept her gaze on him.
“Excuse me, sir. I need a word.” It was the policeman.
“Later.”
“Now. This woman claims you hit her.”
“She’s lying. She backed into us.”
“Then I need your account.”
“I’m busy looking after my girl. She’s hurt. We need paramedics.”
“Right. What’s wrong?” the policeman asked.
She glanced over at him and saw that he looked young. Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a car pull up.
Uh-oh.
She knew that car. And she also knew that it probably wasn’t a good idea that it was here right now.
Because the last thing they needed was Steele losing it in front of a policeman. And once he realized that this woman was trying to claim Grady was in the wrong and that she’d backed into Grady and risked hurting him . . .