Weren’t fallen angels supposed to have black hair and blue eyes? Why he made her heart race the way it did, she had no clue. Well, other than the sex on a stick thing.
He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man. In a Daddy. And with that dirty blonde hair, those bright golden-amber eyes… talk about the eyes of a tiger.
Come to think of it, he was absolutely a tiger. All possessive and protective in the best of ways. The worst of ways for her. It was no wonder Reid had sent Connor after her. Connor could stalk someone and then pounce before they even knew he was there. The intensity of his stare alone could melt her panties. She was in so much trouble.
The pacing helped slow her heart rate and calm her down. She picked up the pace to get in as many steps as possible.
Think. She needed to think. As far as living went, being on the run from the Russian mob wasn’t the way to go about it. They wanted her for one reason—her virginity—and it scared her to death.
Her purity made her fate inescapable. As long as she remained untouched, she was one wealthy man’s check away from being sold. Untouched meant valuable. Untouched meant trapped.
She’d heard the stories about what happened to the young women the Society helped find husbands who would “worship” them. Those young women were lied to. They weren’t going where they’d been told. Not to anywhere they’d wanted to be.
Bliss almost screamed when the honk of a horn jarred her out of her thoughts.
“Excuse me, miss?” an older man called to her from inside the car beside her. Close. Much too close. “I’m sorry to frighten you, but we aren’t from around here. Do you know how to get to… what was it called, Dodie?”
“South Las Vegas Boulevard, Daddy.” A woman with snow-white hair and a mischievous twinkle in her soft blue eyes answered.
She tried to hide her shock, but the older couple’s knowing grins showed she hadn’t succeeded. Seeing where she stood for the first time, she stared at the orange-and-white-striped arm that was supposed to keep people out of the parking lot. Since itwas pointing straight up, it wasn’t doing its job very well. How had she made it so far from Connor’s truck?
She shook her head as if that would help. “Oh, no!”
Worry creased the man’s brow. “I guess I need to apologize again. I’m Dan, and this is my Little girl, Dodie. We couldn’t help overhearing the conversation you were having with yourself back there. You were talking about your Daddy being sex on a stick.”
Even the blood in Bliss’s veins froze. They’d heard her? She’d said that out loud? A wave of dizziness swirled over her. Did she always talk out loud when she thought she was talking to herself?
With a groan, she pressed her palms to her sizzling cheeks and bent over, resting her forehead on the car door. Could someone just dig a hole and bury her?
“I don’t know about always, but you were definitely talking out loud right then.” Dodie’s voice sounded just the way Bliss had always imagined a grandmother would sound.
“In your own world, too.” She could tell Dan was a Daddy from the irritation in his voice. “We’ve been following you for several minutes as you paraded around this parking lot, and you didn’t even notice. You need to be more careful, young lady.”
“And for the record,” Dodie added, “dark angels make the best Daddies. And the kind of trouble you’re talking about is what makes life worth living.”
For the life of her, Bliss could do nothing but stare back and forth between the couple. There were no words. None. It was too cool for words that Dan and Dodie were still enjoying their relationship. Maybe she had longer to find a Daddy than she’d thought.
Dan glanced past Bliss and smiled. “I take it you can’t help us get to South Las Vegas Boulevard. Well, it’s probably for the bestyou didn’t know. If that’s your Daddy there, I don’t think you’ll have time to explain anyway.”
Dodie leaned forward for a better look. The twinkle in her eyes grew more devilish. “Oh, my! You are about to have a very memorable time. Enjoy!”
“Well, we best be going now.” With a quick wave, Dan pulled out of the lot.
She hoped Dan and Dodie would find the street they were looking for as she turned to face her doom.
Connor stood at the truck’s tailgate, scanning the parking lot until his panicked gaze fell on her. Wait… was that fear in his eyes? If so, it shifted to anger before she could register it. Not knowing what else to do, she wiggled her fingers at him. The panic melted into momentary confusion before settling into white-hot fury.
Her stomach iced over and dropped to her toes. She’d never seen anyone that angry before. She wanted to run at the realization that all that anger was headed her way. But beneath the fury, there was something hotter. Something possessive? That couldn’t be right.
She took a moment to close her eyes and twitch her nose. She could do it just like Samantha Stevens on that old-time television show,Bewitched. Disappointment swamped her spirit when, after opening her eyes, she still stood on the other side of the parking lot. The universe could be so unfair.
Connor prowled across the lot like a lion stalking a gazelle. Maybe she should leap away. The guilt of frightening him was even worse than the fear of him being upset with her. She’d caught the disappointment in his eyes, too. That hurt more than any shout could have.
Butterfly piranhas swarmed in her tummy at the very thought. She hated being in trouble. Hated it! Because trouble meant punishment. Trouble meant being unwanted.
She tensed so much her muscle spasms came back, only now they were more like ripples, and they weren’t in her legs. No, they were slightly higher. What was up with that? She should not, under any circumstances, be getting turned on right now.
She was a good girl. There wasn’t an ounce of brat in her anywhere. So why was she excited? Her body was a traitor with terrible timing. With no answer to that, she waited for Connor to reach her. At least it couldn’t get any worse.
