I give him a nod, standing a little taller. “That’s me.”
He grunts, unenthused. “Yeah, I’ve seen you play. Not much of an Arizona fan, though.”
Oh.
Well.
My dick shrivels at his humble praise. He’s not easy to impress, but I respect it.
“Why is a linebacker from Arizona doing chores for my daughter?”
Because we’re friendsseems like an idiotic thing to say to his face, given my state of undress.
“Lucy doesn’t bring men home,” he continues without waiting for my answer. “Not often, anyway.”
There’s a weight to his words, one that makes my spine straighten despite the fact that I look like I just rolled out of bed. His daughter’s bed, ha ha.
“I know,” I say honestly. “She told me as much.”
He grunts. “All right, well. It was nice meeting you. Now go put on a damn shirt before my wife catches a glimpse of you through the window and decides to leave me for a younger man.”
I blink. “No threats? No ‘hurt my daughter and I’ll bury you in the backyard’ speech?”
He shrugs. “Eh. I’m getting old. Besides, you’re bigger than me and could kick my ass. Seems like a waste of breath to lecture you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “That’s it? I pass?”
He squints at me like he’s reconsidering. “Do youwantme to threaten you?”
“Not exactly,” I say, shifting on my feet. “It feels like there should be more. Like a lie detector test in a secret room or have the police chief run a background check on me.”
He stares at me. “You watch too much TV.”
Guilty.
Her dad chuckles. “Relax, kid. If I thought you were a problem, you’d already know.”
“Phew.” I let out a sigh. “That’s a relief.”
“If you screw up,” he goes on, “I won’t have to do a damn thing—Lucy will handle you herself.”
I nod, because: fair point.
“She’s got a good head on her shoulders,” her dad says. “She doesn’t put up with nonsense. So if you’re still standing here, I’m sure that means you’re doingsomethingright.”
“She reallydoesn’tput up with nonsense. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
Her dad eyes me for another second, weighing his next words. “You seem all right, but I’ve seen plenty of ‘good guys’ turn out to be anything but. I reserve the right to change my mind at any time.”
“Noted.”Sir.“I’ll try to keep my approval rating up.”
We share a few more words before I turn toward the steps and make the climb back up to Lucy’s apartment, find her still in the kitchen waiting for my return.
“What was the holdup?” she teases. “Was there an animal rooting around in one of the cans down there?”
What? Animals root around down there, and she didn’t give me advance notice?
“No. I met your dad by the trash cans.”
