Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Nope. He didn’t mind being called Teddy, but he sure hoped one day soon she would start calling him Daddy instead.
Reluctantly, Tarson lifted her off his lap and set her on her feet. “Let’s get you home, Baby girl.”
She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. If circumstances were different, he would take her over is knee and spank her bottom. But not tonight. She’d already received a swat tonight from a fake Daddy. No way would Tarson add to the jarring experience.
Soon. He would make sure he managed to get his palm on her little bottom in the not-too-distant future.
He tipped her chin back with a finger and met her gaze with a stern look. “You get a free pass tonight, but you might want to keep that bottom lip tucked in next time, Little girl. As your Daddy, I won’t hesitate to take you over my knee.” He lifted a brow.
Her eyes widened. “Sorry, Teddy.”
He rolled his eyes at the silly nickname, barely refraining from insisting on her calling him Daddy this time. Soon, he reminded himself. “Come on, Baby girl.” He took her hand and led her from the office.
It was a test of his willpower to tuck her into her own car, buckle her seatbelt, and shut her door. He gripped the steering wheel of his SUV the entire time as he followed her home.
When they arrived at her condo, he took her keys from her, unlocked her door, and stepped inside without asking for permission. The Daddy in him insisted he make sure her place was safe before he left her.
After a quick look around, he turned to find her smiling just inside the front door. “Did you find any monsters, Teddy?”
The little imp was teasing him, and it was cute. He loved that she was playful and could make jokes after being terrorized just a short time ago. It spoke of her strong character.
Tarson strode back to where she stood, cupped her face, and gave her a light kiss. If he let himself get carried away, he’d never get out of here.
As he released her lips, he forced another stern look. “Better get used to me, Baby girl. I’ll never risk you possibly being in a dangerous situation. After your confrontation with those thugs on Sunday night and your mistreatment by Leo tonight, I’m not likely to let you out of my sight more than necessary.”
She swallowed. “You really mean it, Teddy?”
He nodded. It was obviously going to take some time to convince her she was his. “I really mean it, Baby girl. Now, lock this door behind me. I’ll come by your shop tomorrow during the day when I visit Little Cakes’ grand opening. I’m sure I’ll have to work late tomorrow night making more cupcakes, but Friday night, I’m off. Save Friday night for me.”
She smiled and then threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. “I hope this isn’t a dream,” she whispered.
He rubbed her back. “It’s not a dream, Baby girl. I promise.”
Chapter Four
Daisy was on top of the world when she arrived at her shop the next morning. She had slept well, considering how much was on her mind. Today, she was her usual sunny self—at least she liked to think of herself as a sunny person.
Even though she’d had an unpleasant experience at Blaze last night, her time spent with Teddy had erased enough of the bad encounter to calm her racing heart so she was able to snuggle under the covers and fall into a deep sleep.
After parking behind Blooms by Daisy and locking her car, she nearly skipped up to the back door. The moment she got close, her face fell and she abruptly stopped.
Her heart rate picked up in a hurry as she stared at the dead flowers lying at her back door. Not any random flowers, but the same ones Tarson had thrown into the dumpster Sunday night after those thugs had ruined several bouquets.
She inched slowly closer, glancing around in every direction, worried someone might be watching her. There was no mistaking the wilted buds, and as soon as she was directly over them, she realized the pile was actually one entire bouquet. The only thing missing was the ribbon she’d tied around the bunch of flowers.
Scared, Daisy quickly unlocked the back door, opened it, and slipped inside. Her fingers shook as she disarmed the alarm and then reset it. Normally she would leave the alarm off after arriving, but she needed to set it at least until Erica arrived today.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to think what to do. She could call the police, but what good would it do to let them know there were some dead flowers at her back door? It sounded ridiculous. Maybe an animal dragged them out of the dumpster.