His strong, sexy arms. Not that such mattered right now. Even on her best day, she wouldn’t have a shot with this hottie. But right now, when she just fell while trespassing? Yeah. This guy’s hotness should be the last thing on her mind.
“I’m… fine, Sir,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
Annika nodded.
The smile the man wore reached his dark eyes, making them shine. It was as if he was growing hotter by the second!
Annika admonished herself not to dwell on that fact. Again, she’d never have a shot with him. But more importantly, she would probably have to run away soon. Trespassing was a major offense. She was about to be in big trouble!
The man slowly lowered her to the ground, carefully planting her feet on the patch of grass that ran between the property wall and the cement of the narrow alleyway’s road.
“Uh-oh. Your stuffie fell.” He bent down, picked it up, and then handed it to her, still wearing that smile that made Annika swoon.
The dimple on his chin was so sexy! That strong jaw. His dark skin that spoke of a Latin heritage. Mmm. How yummy could one man be?
It didn’t matter, she reminded herself. It was all irrelevant. She’d seen him around the nursery before. He worked security there. Yikes!
Despite the fact that he was being kind now, she still needed to get out of there.
But she couldn’t leave Ollie. Reaching out, she took hold of the old plush doll. He was dirty and ragged, even torn in some places, but he was all she had. And he was her best friend.
“Thank you, S-sir,” she said.
Her hands trembled as she held the stuffie.
“What are you doing out here, honey?” he asked.
The way he was talking to her was so sweet. So… like a Daddy would. But why? Did he know she was a Little? How could he? She’d never visited the nursery. At least, not in an official capacity. Spying was as close as she ever came.
Then she realized the answer was right there in her hand. What other kind of grown woman would just carry around a stuffie?
“I, uh, was just…” Annika couldn’t think of any valid reason why she’d be on the wall, so she just let her words trail off as she cast her eyes down.
“We haven’t met, have we? I don’t recall seeing you at the nursery,” the man said.
Oh crap! This is it. I’m in so much trouble. I’ve got to get out of here and never come back!
The thought made her want to cry. Watching and listening to the other Littles brought her so much joy, even when everything else in her life had fallen apart. The thought of never being able to do it again was almost too much to bear.
She’d have to worry about that later, though. Right now, it was important that she just get the heck out of there.
That’s what she did.
She darted to her right, onto the paved roadway, and past the muscular man who’d caught her.
Remembering that he had indeed caught her, she yelled over her shoulder, “Thank you for saving me! I’m sorry!”
With that, she ran as fast as she could, far away from Auntie Athena’s West Hollywood Nursery.
Chapter Three
Later that evening, sitting in the dining room of the Daddy Guard’s mansion off West Adams Boulevard, not far from the historic St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in South Los Angeles, Matteo Batista shook his head in frustration.
He’d barely touched the dinner before him, even though the grilled chicken had been cooked to perfection. The steamed asparagus had just the right amount of butter and seasoning, too.
He knew because he’d prepared the meal for everyone. That didn’t mean he was in the mood to eat, though.
