Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“See you guys later.” He and Leo headed off.
Daddy kept an eye on them while I took my seat, trying to regroup after all the intense emotions Carter had worked up. That fucking asshole.
“He lied,” Daddy observed.
“Well, he’s good at it.” I couldn’t disguise my bitterness.
“On Hotfut, I could’ve challenged him to a fight and ended him. You would never have to worry about him again.”
Must admit it was tempting, mad as I was, but much as I hated the guy, I didn’t think he should be killed.
“A lot of people would have to die if we got rid of every asshole on Earth.”
“I suppose there was no evolutionary advantage to your species for getting rid of them to begin with.”
“Apparently not.”
He settled in his chair. I could still see the red in his cheeks from how worked up he’d gotten.
“The things he said hurt you. I can feel how much.”
Knowing Daddy had this invasive ability to read me felt so violating, and yet, also comforting because it was the sort of thing I wasn’t able to convey to many. Not as much as it had really hurt. And I could tell it just made him want to protect me. Which was nice.
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted when Daddy reached across the table and took my hand, caressing gently. The touch immediately set me at ease, had this power to alleviate all the pain Carter had inflicted, and I didn’t want him to ever let go.
Fun as our conversation had been up until Carter arrived, it was difficult for me to enjoy the date the way we had been beforehand. So we finished our meal, paid the bill, and Daddy offered to walk me back to my place, since it was on the way to his ship. Wild to think that Daddy and his ship were becoming a normal thing for me.
“Sorry it sucked there at the end,” I said. “I was thinking we’d have a great date, but Carter was eager to fuck that up, and it worked.”
Daddy moved closer, stirring this magnetic draw to him, potent, like an energy that was pulling us together, which made me curious. “So…these adaptive abilities you have. Do they make me more attracted to you the longer we know each other?”
“Yes,” Daddy confessed. “I’m not doing it on purpose, but on some level, I pick up on cues you give on things you want or need, and it helps me seduce you.” He started to step away before asking, “Does it make you uncomfortable?”
I considered this, then answered honestly. “Not really. I just wanted to know. And I must admit, it’s improving my mood.”
“That’s good. I like that. I can’t tell you how tempting it was to tear Cheating Asshole’s spine right out of his back.”
At first, I heard that as I might have from any other guy, but Daddy wasn’t any other guy, and I sensed the truth to his words, which was unsettling, to say the least.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do that,” he assured me, picking up on my discomfort. “I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said without a trace of the look I might have expected from another date—the look that meant he wanted to fuck the hell out of me. Not that I minded, typically, but given all the strangeness around Daddy, I knew I needed to take my time. Not rush anything.
“You said you haven’t seen any movies yet, right?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“Maybe you could come up and we could watch Rocky…it’s a great American classic.”
“Rocky?”
“Yeah, and if you’re real good, maybe you can stay over for the second one, but that’s probably as much as I could offer since we can’t sit through all of them. But could be good for you to get acquainted with some of the classics…to help you blend in.”
“That’s a good point,” he said, maybe a little too convincingly, as though we would only watch movies together.
“I didn’t really mean that,” I said. “I was being cute by trying to say that was the reason, but really it’s an excuse to spend more time with you.”
He grinned. “Ah, I’m still adjusting to these nuances, but any excuse to spend more time with you is something I’m interested in.”
“You’re very direct.”
“Probably because you like direct.”
“So weird,” I said. “But it’s sexy, I guess by design.”
“You don’t have to guess. That is—”
“Okay, a little more mystery wouldn’t kill you. And I didn’t mean kill as in—”
“I have heard that expression.”
“Of course you have. I’m just gonna trust that you’ll let me know the ones you don’t get because I sure as hell can’t keep up with all this.”
He didn’t respond, only watched my expression, his lips curled in a pleasant smirk, like he thought my response was adorable.
I felt my cheeks warming, something inside me probing once again, making me curious what exactly those tentacles could do…