Mt. Fucking Everest of mistakes.
"Who are you and why the fuck are you answering my daughter's phone at seven in the morning?" her dad growls in my ear.
Fuck. My. Life.
"Ah, good morning, Mr. Jónsson."
As soon as I say his name, Emelia sits bolt upright, smacking me in the face with my pillow in the process.
"Give me that!" she squeaks, lunging for the phone.
I turn my back on her, refusing to give it up that easily. He's going to find out about me sooner or later. It'd be ideal if it weren't while I was naked in his daughter's bed with her claw marks all over me, but fuck it. Too late.
"My name is Royce Elliot, sir," I say into the phone. "I'm crazy about your daughter."
"You're crazy about my daughter."
"Yes, sir, I am."
"No, you're just plain crazy," Emelia hisses, lunging over my back for the phone.
I hook an arm around her waist, flipping her over beneath me.
She squeaks again, staring up at me with wide eyes. "We're going to talk about how hot that was later," she whisper-hisses at me. "Give me the phone."
"Hush, baby. I'm talking to your dad right now."
"I know!" she cries. "Why do you think I want the phone?"
"He's going to find out that I'm in love with you sooner or later, babe."
"You…I…" Emelia splutters."What?"
Her dad definitely hears her shriek. The goddamn Pope at the Vatican probably hears her shriek.
"Jesus Christ," her dad mutters, and then he laughs, a booming crack of sound that rattles down the line like thunder. "I'm guessing you failed to mention that to her before now?"
"Might have," I mutter, scratching the side of my face.
"She feel the same about you?"
"She does. She's just being stubborn about admitting it to herself."
"Sounds about right," her dad chuckles. "Her mom was the same way. Want my advice?"
"Ah…sure?"
"Don't let her push you away. She'll try. She's just like her mom in that way. She thinks she needs to be superwoman and prove to the world she can tackle everything on her own. Showher that she can still be a badass and let you take care of her," he murmurs. "Eventually, she'll thank you for it."
"I'll take that under consideration, sir. Thanks," I say softly, genuinely surprised he isn't threatening to murder me right now. I know how he feels about his girls. Frankly, the whole world knows how Kris Jónsson feels about his girls.
"If you're in her bed, it's because she cares," he grunts. "I won't say I'm thrilled about it, but I've heard a lot about you. You're better than a helluva lot of other choices she could have made. At least you know how to stop a goddamn puck."
"Jesus," I chuckle, my eyes locked on her face. "I'm going to give her the phone now. She's threatening to murder me with her eyes. But, ah, I'm sure we'll be talking soon."
"We better talk soon," he growls. "I expect a ring on her finger before you plant a kid in her, Elliot."
"That's the plan, sir."
