TYRANT

RUTHLESS DADDIES 2
GIANNI HOLMES
 CONTENTS

Tyrant
Content Warning

Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One
Epilogue

Ruthless Daddies 2 Series

More Gianni Holmes
Also by Gianni Holmes
 Editor: Tanja Ongkiehong
Proofreader: Abrianna Marchesotti
Final Proofreaders: Marissa Miller, Tammy Jones, Malissa Hilton, Lori Martini, Teresa Mangrum.
Cover Designer: Charli Childs

Tyrant © 2023 Gianni Holmes

All Rights Reserved

This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
electronic or photographic, in whole or in part, without expressed written permission. This is
excluding brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
 TYRANT

Rumor has it I’m a tyrant.

The head of the Russian mob you don’t want to cross.
After all, I killed my wife when she betrayed me.
Then I buried her in the same grave as her lover, my best friend.

Rumor has it I stole their love child.

The little boy that, for the first two years of his life, I thought was mine.
They say I locked him up on a deserted estate where he’s gone mad talking
to imaginary friends.

Rumor has it the boy is mine now.

That I let him roam my mansion completely naked.
And he has a life sentence for paying for his mother’s crimes in my bed.

Rumor has it I’m obsessed with this little ray of sunshine in my dark
world.
And anyone who tries to hurt him will soon take their last breath.
Still, you shouldn’t listen to rumors. They're not always true.
Sometimes.
 CONTENT WARNING

This book contains an unconventional guardian/ward romance (a very

negligent guardian who hasn’t seen his ward in eighteen years). There’s
over-the-top jealousy and possessiveness due to the past experiences of one
character. Other warnings must be mentioned for a huge age gap, unsafe
sex, indirect prostitution, child neglect, the torture of bad guys and
subsequent murder.
PROLOGUE
 YARO

T he gut - wrenching screams of a little boy filled the night, piercing

through the cold air and into my very core. I clenched my fists, nails
digging into my palms as I forced myself to remain stoic in front of those
who’d gathered to watch the ghastly, unforgivable sin I was about to
commit.
I could almost hear their thoughts condemning me. Servants who
weren’t paid to have opinions judging me—the tyrant.
Although I was the one who’d been cheated on and lied to, somehow,
I’d still ended up as the villain in their eyes. But when I’d been born into a
life of villainy, they could hardly expect me to behave differently.
“Daaaaaaddy!” the little boy strained against his nanny, arms stretching
over her shoulders in my direction. I felt his confusion as his two-year-old
brain grappled to understand why the father who’d bonded with him, played
with him, and until two days ago ran to his every cry was suddenly not
responding to his pain.
The nanny, Polina, hesitated and half turned as if questioning whether I
was certain I was doing the right thing.
“Sir, perhaps this isn’t a good idea,” she said timidly, her voice barely
audible above the little boy’s wails.
“Enough!” I barked, and the cries quieted to whimpers. The little boy
pulled back his arms and cowered against his nanny. From my position on
the steps, the uncertainty and fear in his wet, red-rimmed eyes were hard to
miss.
He was afraid of me.
 Bile rushed into my mouth, but I couldn’t show any weakness. I
swallowed down the bitter fluid. “Take him out of here,” I forced out the
words past the lump in my throat.
“Right away, sir.”
Chase’s sobs weren’t as loud anymore as if he’d resigned in his tiny
brain that I wasn’t the father he knew. Just the man who’d been tricked into
raising him as my own for two years. How was I supposed to look at his
innocent face and not remember? He looked so much like her. His wild,
black curls needed a trim, since the locks now reached his shoulders, but he
hated getting a haircut.
“Come on, Chase. We need to go to the salon.”
The little boy darted between my legs, and I chuckled as the tall,
willowy woman in front of us crossed her arms and glared. She was
breathtaking, even when mad, her dark mahogany skin an unblemished
wonderland I loved to explore.
“You’re like a wild puppy with your hair looking like that,” she said
sternly. “Yaro, will you help me? Don’t just stand there and laugh. He needs
his hair groomed properly.”
He did, but I couldn’t forget how traumatized he’d seemed the last time
his mother had taken him to her salon. It’d been his first time, and he’d
cried the whole day while clutching a clump of his hair.
“Why does he need a haircut?” I picked up the little boy hiding behind
me and hitched him to my side. He stuffed his thumb into his mouth and
placed his head on my shoulder, swinging his legs as if he knew he was safe
now from his mother.
“You have eyes, Yaro. Are you wearing your hair this long? No, so why
should he? I’ll have them cut it all off this time, so it’ll take longer between
appointments.”
Chase popped his finger out of his mouth, clutched my neck tight, and
shook his head. “Nonono! Daddy, no! No haircut.”
How could I turn him down?
“It’s a deal, then,” I said. “I’ll let my hair grow out so we’ll look
exactly alike.”
“Sir, please.” A hand enclosed around my leg, almost tripping me. I
regained my balance—barely—and glared at the imbecile who’d fallen to
her knees and obstructed my path.
Maya was Chase’s favorite of all three nannies he had.
 “Let go.”
“No! I won’t. Not until you change your mind. This is wrong.”
I scowled at my men, who stood watching the sight, uncertain about
what to do.
“What the fuck do I pay you for?” I snapped. “Somebody get this
woman off me now.”
They rushed over all at once, and two of the men pried her off my leg.
She didn’t go easily, and it was a wonder she didn’t take a piece of the
material away in her fist.
“You can’t do this to him!” she screamed. “He’s a baby! A baby, for
god’s sake. How can you be this cruel? You’re a monster. A heartless
bastard. Please don’t do this to him.”
“Do you have a death wish?” I asked quietly.
“Go ahead. Shoot me if you want. I don’t care.” She wrestled to her
feet, shoving two of my men off her. Chest heaving and struggling to
breathe, she waved her hand at the servants and hired muscles spread out
around us in the courtyard. “Shame on you! Shame on all of you. You know
what he’s doing isn’t right, yet none of you will do anything about it. Well, I
won’t stand by and let you ruin that innocent child’s life.”
“Is that all?”
“You raised that child for two years.” Tears streamed down her face.
“He calls you Daddy, and you’re the only father he knows. It doesn’t matter
what his mother did or whose blood runs in his veins. He is your son. Even
you can’t be so cruel as to banish this child to a godforsaken place with no
future.”
“How about I banish you along with him? If you care that much, then
maybe you should go with him.”
She sucked in a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “Then I
will. You just wait and see Yaroslav Noskov! This child will be someone
great. You’ll regret what you’ve done. I’ll make sure of it as long as there’s
breath in my body. I hope you die a horrible death and burn in hell, you
cold, heartless bastard!”
She’d said enough to warrant me taking her head clean off. She’d ranted
at me in front of servants who already whispered enough behind my back.
They’d been whispering long before I got a whiff there was even anything
amiss. Had I not happened upon two of them discussing walking in on my
wife sucking my best friend’s cock in the gazebo, I would never have
known of their affair. I would still be the laughingstock, playing the
infatuated husband.
To think, every time I went out of the city, I left Oleg behind to keep my
wife and child safe.
No, not my wife. Not my child.
His lover and his child.
His child.
Why did Chase have to be his? I could have handled everything else but
that. How could I show my face to others when I was raising a bastard? The
Noskov name had been slandered enough. I would be damned to let it
happen again.
But maybe… just maybe the nanny could provide the little boy with the
love I couldn’t, so I pardoned the woman who clearly had a death wish. I
raised my hand, and Andrei halted from accosting her.
Two lives were already lost tonight. We could do without another.
Maya was still hissing at my back, cursing me, and calling me every
vile creature she knew. She wasn’t wrong. Back ramrod straight, I stalked
away from the scene unfolding in my courtyard. I didn’t need to see them
driving away. It was bad enough his sobs echoed in my head.
The front door closed behind me and muted the sounds outside. I strode
along the long foyer, the faded rectangles a constant memory of the pictures
I’d broken. Our wedding. Our family picnic. Our first Christmas.
Why would I want to see memories of the day she had promised to be
faithful when she would defile those vows for two years? Hell, maybe even
longer. For all I knew, she’d been fucking Oleg behind my back since the
beginning.
All the milestones I’d framed were now tainted memories I wished to
erase from my long-term memory.
I stomped up the stairs to the second floor and turned left. I shouldn’t.
Looking inside the room would bring nothing but heartache and pain. Still,
I opened the door and entered the room—a little boy’s paradise. Emotions
held me in a chokehold as I surveyed the room. His little bed—a Lightning
McQueen twin bed—where I sat each night and read to him was framed by
a mini basketball court. To the left was a punching bag and to the right a
climbing wall. The peekaboo portals in the walls were his crawlspace,
where he would hide from me as if he wasn’t still in plain view.
Damn you. Damn you, Olive. How could you?
 If she wasn’t already dead, I would have pulled the trigger a second
time.
A knock sounded on the door. Andrei stood framed in the doorway,
uncertain whether he should enter.
“What is it?”
He scratched the back of his neck as he often did when he was nervous
about something. “The men are here at your request, sir.”
“My request?”
What was he talking about? The last two days were still a blur.
“To remove the furniture, gut the room, and throw out everything that
belonged to the kid.”
Not the kid. He had a name. His name was Chase.
I swallowed, vaguely remembering the conversation I’d had with
Andrei. “Let them in.”
Andrei barked at the men in Russian, then stepped aside. Two muscular
guys, twins, entered the bedroom.
“Mr. Noskov,” they said in unison. When I didn’t respond, they walked
around me.
This is all wrong. They shouldn’t be touching his stuff.
“Get out,” I said.
“Huh?”
“I said to get out!” I shouted, and the guy standing at the bed jumped,
dropping the galaxy night light, which shattered on the floor. They broke
his favorite lamp. “Get the fuck out. Now!”
The two men scrambled from the bedroom, almost knocking over
Andrei in their haste.
“Yaro, this is—”
“Mr. Noskov.” The last man I’d allowed to call me Yaro had stabbed me
in the back. “From now on, you and everyone else call me Mr. Noskov.”
“As you wish.” Andrei nodded. “Should I send the men back in?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No one should enter this bedroom.” I narrowed my gaze, and Andrei
stepped back until he was standing outside. “In fact, I want it sealed off and
nailed shut.”
“And the things inside?”
“Leave it be.”
 It would serve as a reminder of how I let my guard down and was taken
for a fool. I would never let anyone take advantage of me the way those two
had. Who needed love anyway?
They thought I was a tyrant? They dared to whisper behind my back
that I was a cold-hearted bastard?
I would show them what a tyrant really was.
CHAPTER ONE
 YARO

O n a scale of one to ten, my annoyance was at an eleven. No wonder the

cute little bell that had rung above my head when I walked into the main
entrance of the sleazy motel lay shattered on the floor from the bullet I’d
put through it. If not for the bell, it would have been the “innocent” owner
cowering behind the front desk.
Behind me, my bodyguard, Andrei, all but radiated his disapproval. But
after working for me for almost twenty years, he knew all too well to give
me a wide berth when I was in the mood. Not the black mood. That was my
default. The blacker mood.
A head of dark brown curls threaded through with silver peeked up
from behind the receptionist’s desk. Slowly the man rose to his feet with his
arms raised.
Milton Ranger owned Free Range, a budget-friendly, run-down motel
frequented by prostitutes, lowlives, and the worst of them all—serial
adulterers.
“Shucks, Mr. Noskov,” he grumbled. “This is a peaceful place of
business. Why’d you have to do that for?”
“You run a prostitution ring right here. How peaceful can it be?” I
walked up to the desk and pointed at the mismatched pigeonholes stuffed
with keys at his back. “Room 12.”
“Is this really necessary? Why don’t I ring the room and have him meet
you here? Then you can bring him with you.”
For a man who’d called me the minute the soon-to-be victim had
checked into the motel, he wasn’t cooperating enough. I knew better than to
think he’d had a second thought about the part he played in this. He was
fishing for more money.
“I don’t have the patience. Will I have to come over there and get the
key myself?”
“No, no. I’ll get it.” He removed the key from the cubbyhole. With
trembling hands, he handed it to me. “Blood stains are a bitch to get rid of,
you know.”
Andrei came up to my right side and plunked down a wad of cash on the
desk. “For your troubles.”
“Room 12 is down the corridor to the right,” he mumbled, gesturing the
way, while with the other hand, he greedily snatched the money out of plain
sight. He knew damn well what was going to happen, but people like him
had no scruples when it came to money. He would sell his own mother for a
hundred bucks.
My thoughts raced as Andrei and I made our way outside and up the
corridor. Another shipment bound for East Asia had been hijacked by the
Falcons, my longtime rivals. After the first shipment went missing, I’d
suspected they had an inside man. On the third hijack, I’d figured out who
was responsible. Now I had the pleasure of sending them to meet their
maker early.
Everyone in my orbit knew betrayal was the fastest way for me to dig a
hole with their name on it.
“Yaro,” Andrei said. “I know you’re angry, but don’t do anything rash.”
He was wrong. I wasn’t angry. Being angry meant I had feelings. I’d
divorced myself from that years ago, making decisions based purely on
people’s actions. Betraying me was an action that could never happen again.
The one way to guarantee that was to get rid of the traitor.
“When have I ever done anything I regretted?”
A memory tried to force its way in, but my willpower was stronger.
Room 12 loomed in front of me at the end of the corridor, just as Ranger
had said. I handed the key to Andrei, who unlocked the door, then shoved it
open. Inside the hot, dank hotel room, the sound of heavy breathing, moans,
and the faint notes of a late-night TV infomercial in Spanish filled the air.
A cracked bedside lamp threw an unflattering, yellowish glow over the
faded floral wallpaper. I focused on the bed where a pair of dark feminine
legs were locked around the waist of a naked man.
“How’d you like that dick, you bitch!”
 “How’d you like a bullet in the ass?” It was a rhetorical question that
needed no answer. Angelo swung his head around, his wide eyes filled with
horror.
I shot him in the ass.
He howled and tumbled off the screaming broad. I aimed the gun at her.
“Shut the fuck up, or the next bullet goes through you.”
The scream ended in a whimper. The woman scrambled off the bed,
almost falling in her haste to get away from Angelo. She had a nice body,
slender curves, small tits with the cutest nipples, and a thin landing strip of
hair running down her pussy. She was a looker too, her mahogany skin
unblemished and glowing. Nothing about her said she was a hooker.
I ran my gaze down farther and found a Falcon tattoo on her left foot. I
tightened my grip on my gun.
I hated her in an instant. Angelo had worked for me for six years
without mishap. The moment he’d hooked up with her, he’d betrayed me.
What was it with these women making us do dumb shit that we knew
would get us killed? Why were they so addictive we could see the cliff they
were leading us to, but we still gladly stepped over the edge?
“This is what you betrayed me for?” I asked Angelo. “With the money I
pay you, you could have had any pussy you wanted, but you had to have a
Falcon’s, knowing the bad blood between us?”
“It’s my fault alone.” Angelo grimaced. He had the sheet clutched to his
ass, trying to stem the flow of blood. “Let her go. If you kill her, they’ll
only come after you more. You’ve already murdered one of their own.”
“Let them come.”
“Yaro—”
I held my hand up to silence Andrei. “Do you think I fear the Falcons?”
I laughed, genuinely amused he was so naïve. “Have you learned nothing in
all the time you worked for me, Angelo?”
“I know you’re the fucking bastard they say you are.”
“Yet you betrayed me. Are you thinking a bullet in the ass makes up for
the millions you’ve cost me?”
“Those millions are nothing to you. You’re fucking loaded, but we have
to walk on eggshells around you. For the past six years I’ve worked for you,
I didn’t fucking dare to make eye contact with you, didn’t dare to share my
opinion. I damn near couldn’t breathe around you lest you somehow found
that offended you. I was sick and tired of your tyrannical bullshit. The only
reason you have a small army is because you pay well, but given the
chance, do you honestly think they wouldn’t do what I did?”
“Angelo, shut up,” the woman cried. “Don’t make it worse.”
“Trust me, Милая, he can’t make it any worse than it already is.”
“Just let her go.”
“I won’t kill her,” I said. “Because I need her to deliver a message.”
“What message?” she asked.
I pumped three bullets into the man lying on the bed, the suppressor on
my gun muffling the sound. Angelo slumped against the bed, sheets stained
with his blood, and his eyes wide open, unseeing. The woman jumped, tears
streaming down her face as she stared at the man she’d been enjoying just
five minutes ago before I entered her world.
To be fair, she’d entered mine. She shouldn’t be shocked by what she
saw.
“Do you understand the message now?”
She nodded, covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her sobs.
“Get dressed and get out.”
Her limbs trembled so badly it took her a while to put her clothes on.
When she was done, she sidled by me and ran through the door with her
heels in her hands. Andrei closed the door behind her, then came up to me.
“He’s right, you know,” he said. “Blood stains are a bitch to get out.”
“Can you handle it or not?”
“I’ll get a cleaning crew in here right away, but would it kill you to use
a fucking tub? Makes the guys’ jobs a little easier.”
“I’m not paying you the obscene amount I do to make your jobs easier.”
With a sigh, Andrei plucked his phone from his pocket. He spoke
briefly into his phone in Russian, then hung up. “They’ll be here in five.”
“Let’s go.”
“Shouldn’t we wait until they get here?”
“Why? How many times have they done cleanup this year alone?”
“Good point. You’re on edge more than usual.”
My grunt was the only response he needed. He locked the door behind
us, and we returned the key to the owner.
“How bad is it this time?” he asked.
I tilted my head toward Andrei. “Give the man money for a new
mattress.”
 “Oh no,” Ranger groaned. “Not the fucking mattress. I told you last
time. It’s a fucking nightmare getting rid of a bloodstained mattress without
people asking questions.” I narrowed my eyes, and he chuckled uneasily
and held up his hands. “Respectfully, Mr. Noskov, sir.”
“Ensure no one goes into the room before the cleaners arrive. Keep up
the good work, Ranger.”
With our task accomplished, Andrei and I got into our vehicle and drove
away. He stopped at a McDonald’s Drive-Through and bought me a greasy
burger and the biggest cup they had of Hi-C. This shit would clog my
arteries one day, but it’d become my ritual. I never ate before I had to kill
someone, but after, I could chow down one of each item on the menu.
By the time Andrei pulled up outside my house, I’d devoured every
morsel. He opened my door and took the empty bag and cup from me.
“What now?” he asked. “We’ve taken care of Angelo, but that doesn’t
solve our problem with the Falcons. Their interference in your business is
getting out of hand. I never understood why you didn’t take them out. They
don’t come anywhere close to having the resources and manpower you do.”
“But we’d put ourselves even more on the FBI’s radar. My old man in
prison is enough. He needs me on the outside to take care of the family
business.” I squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I know exactly what to
do. I’ll give them what they want.”
“Which is?”
“Something we took away from them almost two decades ago. Their
sister’s child. It’s time to bring him back.”
CHAPTER TWO
 DAISY

“W hat are we going to do ?”

Footsteps echoed down the hall, and I froze. Oh no! Getting caught after
midnight in the kitchen, stuffing my face with chocolate chip cookies while
naked, was a recipe for disaster. My heart raced as the footsteps got louder
and louder.
I placed the cookie jar on top of the counter and hopped down. No, that
wouldn’t do. If they saw the half-eaten jar of cookies, they would know I
had been in the kitchen. Better to take it with me than to leave the evidence.
With the plastic jar clutched in my hands and my cheeks crammed with
cookies, I climbed into one of the base cabinets. Thank god I fit. I closed
the door in the nick of time as two sets of footsteps entered the kitchen.
Something brushed against my bare back, and I stifled a cry. I hated the
dark. The fear of something icky inside the cabinet with me almost made
me bolt out of my hiding place.
But my fear of them was stronger.
I’d already been caned once today for venturing off the property naked.
They would usually send me to bed hungry if I did something to anger
them, which, sometimes, I believed was everything. From showing my face
to simply breathing in their presence.
The caning was my punishment for being seen. By the time they’d
found me wandering the long, dirty track, I hadn’t been alone. I would have
preferred only the company of my best friend, Sparkie, but a strange man I
had never seen before had appeared out of nowhere and peppered me with
questions I couldn’t answer. Some because I genuinely didn’t know and
others because I shouldn’t talk to strangers. Especially not strangers who
tried to stick their tongue into my mouth while groping me.
I’d never been so thankful to see Nanny Pol in all my life. For once, I
hadn’t even resisted when she insisted I return to the estate. I hadn’t
protested when she convinced the man that I was a “raving lunatic” she was
in charge of. She’d used my lack of clothes to make her point, and that
seemed to have satisfied the man, though he’d still been looking at me as
we made our way back.
“We should leave,” Caretaker Joe said.
Hmm, that was strange. He was always so loud and bossy, pushing me
around to do everything. Why was his voice so shaky?
“We can’t leave,” Nanny Pol said. “Do you think there’s any place in
this world where he won’t be able to find us?”
“Then what do you suggest, Polina? This is all your fault! I should
never have listened to you!”
“My fault? You ungrateful bastard. When you were busy sharing in the
fortune I reaped from him, you were happy to do so. Now you want to
blame me?”
“You got greedy. There was always enough for the boy to be treated
well.”
Nanny Pol laughed, the sound sending shivers down my spine. I knew
that laugh only too well. It was the laugh she used just before slapping me
silly. Once she’d struck me so hard my ear had rung for days. I’d thought
I’d never get my hearing back.
“You think I don’t treat him well?” she asked. “And I suppose you are
treating him well by sneaking into his room at night?”
“I-I-I—”
“Don’t deny it, Joe. I’ve heard you.”
“But you’ve never mentioned it.”
“Because as long as you were going to his bed, you would leave me
alone.”
I huddled into myself and clutched the jar to my chest with my eyes
closed. Had I done a bad thing? Caretaker Joe had told me it was okay to do
those things with him. That making others feel good was what some people
were made for. He said men had urges they couldn’t control, urges that
would drive them mad if they didn’t relieve them.
 Had he lied to me? The only reason I’d let him use my body was that he
told me it was the right thing to do, so I never mentioned how much I hated
it.
“Polina, I’m sorry. I’ll never touch him again.”
“Now’s not the time to talk about that. We need to make a plan. How
are we going to respond to his request?”
“Can’t we just send him the boy?”
“Out of the question! If he sees the boy, he’ll know what we’ve done all
these years.”
“Why should he care? He sent the child to live here eighteen years ago.
He hasn’t visited once. Do you really believe he cares if the boy’s
ignorant?”
“He hasn’t seen the boy in eighteen years, you fool. He’s never shown
any interest until now. Don’t you find that suspicious?”
“Maybe he plans to kill him. Given his reputation, it’s not impossible.”
“We can’t take that risk. If we send that boy back to him and he’s found
out we haven’t clothed, fed, or educated him properly like he asked us to
do, it’ll be our bodies being pulled out of a burning building.”
“Then what do you suggest, Polina? He can’t know I fucked the boy.”
“He won’t. We won’t let him.”
“What will we do?”
“We’ll have to kill him.”
I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle my gasp. This was cruel,
even for them. Why would they kill me? Did they fear the one who’d asked
for me that much? Then he must be a great man.
I had to find that man.
“I’ll do it now. Smother him in his sleep with a pillow.”
“Wait! You idiot, we have to make it look like an accident.”
“How?”
“We’ll start a fire. Nail the window to his room shut and trap him inside.
We can say the little runt started the fire and got trapped in there.”
“Good idea.”
Polina huffed. “Let’s remove all our prized belongings first so they
won’t get damaged. Then we set the room on fire while he’s sleeping.”
Tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. Why did they want to
hurt me? I’d never done anything but work for them. Polina made me clean
all the floors and cook all the meals, even when I didn’t get anything to eat.
She would sit around the kitchen table with her feet up, reading a magazine
while overseeing that I didn’t eat any of the food while preparing it. I did
everything they wanted. And now they wanted to kill me?
Who am I?
If I weren’t important, they wouldn’t want me dead, would they? Did
somebody really want me?
No, I can’t let them kill me. I need to find out who’s looking for me.
“All right. I’ll go look in on him now.”
“Stop!” A crack rang out in the room. “You won’t go anywhere near
him. We’re at the brink of ruin, and all you can still think about is your
dick? You stay away from that boy’s bedroom.”
“I wasn’t going to see him for that,” the caretaker grumbled. “You
didn’t have to slap me so hard.”
“It’s the only thing that gets through to you. Help me pack our stuff—
not everything. We can’t let it be obvious what we’ve done.”
Their voices drifted farther away, becoming difficult to hear. I couldn’t
let them know I’d heard their plan. I scrambled out of the cabinet and
closed the doors quietly.
How do I get myself out of this mess? I could run away now, but then
they would know I’d heard them, and they wouldn’t stop trying to find me.
They’d found me every time I ran away. I never got far enough before they
dragged me back to the estate. In the end, I stopped trying.
Best for them to think I’m dead. Only then will I be truly free.
Yes, something good could come from my “death.” I opened the utensil
drawer and took out a knife. I closed it and ran from the kitchen, the cookie
jar still clutched in my hand. I raced down the hall to my bedroom, which
was really a storage room, cluttered with boxes and all the junk they didn’t
want. The ceiling socket didn’t even have a lightbulb. Since the fuse for the
last one blew out, they hadn’t bothered to replace it. I’d taken a bulb from
one of the rooms that wasn’t in use, but when Joe came to my room one
night and found it, he’d taken it with him after having sex with me.
The bright moon shone through the curtainless window, giving me just
enough light to find the vents to the crawlspace. Did they never wonder
how I survived when they locked me up for days without food or water?
I skipped over to the box containing my belongings which sat next to
the mattress.. I loathed wearing clothes, but if I was going to escape, I
would need some at least. When I was dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of
shorts—no one could ever get me to wear underwear—I settled on the bed
and waited.
I waited through them hammering my window shut. I waited through
Joe, sneaking into the bedroom, pretending to be asleep while he pulled my
shorts down and told me not to be afraid, that it would be all over soon. I
waited through the ache in my lower body when he left. Soon, no one
would ever touch me like this again.
The bedroom door creaked open once more, and I pretended I was
sleeping. A cloying stench filled my nostrils. They were pouring gasoline
into the room.
I swallowed back my sob and clamped my eyes shut. I had to get out
faster than the fire would spread.
A whoosh sounded just before the door slammed. I scrambled off the
bed, but tall, licking flames blocked my escape through the door. Maybe I
should give in and just let them win.
No!
I must find him. The man they all feared. Maybe he could protect me.
CHAPTER THREE
 YARO

“W hat the fuck do you mean he burned the place down?” I dragged my
gaze from the blackened ruins of the building to the couple standing in front
of me. When they hadn’t responded to my request to send Chase back to
me, I’d ordered Andrei to investigate. He’d returned with the grim news
that a fire had consumed the estate and no one had any idea if my ward was
alive or dead.
Polina dropped to her knees on the ground and held up her hands. “I’m
sorry, Mr. Noskov. It’s all my fault. If I knew what he’d planned to do, I
would have stopped him.”
Next to Polina stood her husband, Joe. The man hadn’t said a word
since Andrei and I had shown up. He shuffled his feet and wouldn’t look
me in the eye. While I was used to people avoiding looking directly at me,
something about him felt forced.
Was he worried I had two tombstones picked out for him and his wife
for losing Chase? Their clumsiness in letting the boy escape was
unforgivable. The one thing preventing me from offing them both was the
time they’d taken to raise Chase over the past eighteen years.
“This is extremely disappointing, Polina.” I shook a cigarette from its
box. Andrei lit it for me, and I took a long drag. My nerves were on end.
Where the hell was that boy?
“We’re doing everything we can to find him,” Polina replied.
“Did you notify the authorities?”
“I didn’t think you would want them involved.”
“At least you did something right.” I flicked the cigarette onto the
ground and crushed it with my boot. “You understand if I don’t get him
back, I’ll have no choice but to take your life?”
“Mr. Noskov, please.” Polina sobbed. “We’ve done the best we could in
raising him. We could have had a family of our own, but when no one else
wanted to, we volunteered to travel with your son to—”
“He is not my son!” I clenched my hands into fists, my chest heaving
and my nostrils flaring.
“Yes, yes, you’re right! He’s not yours! He’s Oleg’s.”
My dead wife’s voice rang out in my ear. After almost two decades, I
shouldn’t remember what she sounded like. Those words had been drilled
into my brain, though, and they were now a part of my core memory—
never to be discarded.
“I made a mistake, Mr. Noskov.” Polina shrank back, her face pale and
terrified, as though she was looking at a ghost. “What I meant to say is that
the boy knew who you were, so when he heard you had sent for him, he
refused to go. That’s why he set the place on fire and ran away.”
“Do you have any idea where he might have gone? Does he have any
friends we can talk to?”
“He didn’t tell us much of anything. He was always very secretive.”
“Do you have a photograph of him we can use to find him?”
“Everything burned in the fire. We lost all we had.”
I sighed. With every question, it became clearer she couldn’t help me.
“That’s fine. What’s his social media handle?”
Polina shook her head. “We don’t know.”
“What the hell do you know, Polina? Because I put you in charge of his
upbringing, and you’re not giving me a lot of answers.”
“You don’t understand. He was a difficult child to deal with. We tried
our best and took care of him, but with all the money you sent, he became
spoiled and entitled. And…”
“And what?”
“He hates you so much because of…his parents.”
Of course he did. I always knew he would grow up to despise me when
he found out the truth about his parentage, but how did he know? Had
Polina and her husband gone against my wishes and told him information I
never intended for him to know? No wonder he ran away, but what was his
plan?
If I were in his position, I would go after the man responsible for my
parents’ death. Maybe I didn’t have to look for him at all. Maybe right now
he was already on his way to see me in Conhaven.
“Is there anything else I should know?” I stared directly at Joe.
“We’ll d-d-do everything we can t-t-to locate him.”
I gestured to Andrei that we should leave. “We’ll stay in touch,” I said
to Polina. “You already know where we’re staying in the city. If you can
think of anything else, call me or visit.”
“We will, Mr. Noskov. But what about our home? We don’t have
anywhere suitable to live.”
I chuckled, stuck my hand into my pocket, and took my knife out.
“Let me get this straight.” I flicked out the blade and ran my thumb over
it, pressing into the skin until blood bubbled onto the surface. “You lost my
ward. Under your watchful eyes, he burned down the home I grew up in,
and you have the audacity to ask me about your living situation?”
“Mr. Noskov, she spoke out of turn,” Joe said. “The cottage on the
property is undamaged and where we have been staying. We’re happy to
stay here until we find the boy.”
“That’s what I thought. If I were you, I’d be praying for the boy’s safe
return.”
Andrei hurried ahead of me and unlocked the door of the sleek black
Jag. I slid into the back seat. As soon as the door closed, I clamped my eyes
shut, let out a breath, and rubbed my temples. In the past forty-eight hours,
I’d only caught a few naps so that I could function. Since I’d learned about
the fire, my whole life seemed to have turned upside down.
Chase was the key to calling a truce with the Falcons. If he was gone, I
would have no choice but to fight fire with fire. The last thing I wanted was
for Conhaven to burst into flames and for innocent people to be caught in
the middle between the mob and a volatile street gang.
I showed no mercy to the guilty but also had nothing against the
innocent.
“Where to?” Andrei asked. “Want to check in with the police station?
We might be able to bribe someone.”
“Not yet. I have a migraine. Let’s go back to the hotel. I’ll turn in for the
evening, and we can start our search tomorrow.”
Andrei handed me a small bottle of Tylenol and a bottle of Evian. Fuck.
He knew I hated pills. It took the whole bottle of water to get two pills
down.
“Need another bottle of water?”
 “I’m good.”
I checked the time on the dashboard. It was already after six in the
evening. To keep the FBI from following my travel itinerary, we’d driven
from Conhaven. The four-hour drive had been rough, but I didn’t trust
anyone else to handle this Chase situation. If only there was a way to know
what he looked like.
The estate was a good hour and a half away from Mistborne, the closest
big city in the area. Who was to say he wasn’t in the city? He’d had a
week’s head start, and surely, he wouldn’t be dumb enough to stay in a
small town where everyone would have known him.
The city was the best bet. Tomorrow, we would flush him out from
wherever he was. What kind of young man had he grown up to be? He
would be twenty now with his birthday coming up soon.
He hates you.
Just as well. He would fit right in with the Falcons.
A loud screech penetrated the light fog of me dozing off, and my body
propelled forward. I snapped my eyes open and clutched the seat to regain
my balance.
Andrei cursed. Through the windshield, I caught a glimpse of a small
figure standing frozen in the road as the car hurtled toward him. The car
jerked to a stop, and the boy disappeared.
Fuck. Had we run him over?
“Did we hit him?” He looked like a kid. Dammit. I jumped out of the
car without waiting for Andrei’s response.
“Yaro, wait!”
But if we’d hit that kid and he was lying on the streets bleeding, we
couldn’t wait. I rounded the hood and halted. The boy picked himself up off
the ground and grimaced.
“I’m sorry,” he said, eyes wide. “I didn’t mean to step in front of the car.
It’s all Sparkie’s fault!”
He wasn’t making a lick of sense. No one else was around. He dusted
off his shirt with trembling hands while shooting glances at me. He was
young, though he was clearly not a child. In his early twenties, maybe, with
fair skin sprinkled with freckles spreading from either side of his nose to his
round cheeks. His thick, long eyelashes framed big, mesmerizing gray eyes
that stared back at me with a mix of awe and curiosity.
 He swept his gaze over my body. When his eyes settled on me again,
they were filled with a heat and wonder that stirred something inside me
that had been dead for quite some time.
Interesting.
Was he checking me out?
The tension in my shoulders eased. Hmm, Andrei wasn’t a careless
driver. Had this boy seen our expensive car and decided to try his luck? He
was pretty enough, with a sort of fake innocent charm. With his crop top,
shorts, and the way he looked at me, it was hard not to understand what this
boy wanted.
I opened my mouth to send him packing.
“He’s not hurt,” Andrei said. “We should get to your hotel.”
“Hotel?” The boy’s eyes went wide. “Is it a fancy hotel? I’ve never
stayed in a hotel before.”
Just as I’d thought. Another hooker looking to put food into his mouth. I
hadn’t planned to fuck around with anyone while I was here, but why not?
He wouldn’t be the first guy who’d sucked on my dick for money. A mouth
was a mouth. I’d never had the desire to actually fuck any of them, just to
get me off with their mouths if they were pretty enough.
“You want to see the hotel?” I asked the boy.
He nodded eagerly. “Can I? Sparkie would love it too.”
“Sparkie?”
He just smiled and rocked back on his knees.
I shrugged. If Sparkie was another guy who looked just like him, then
even better. Having two men worship my cock might put me in a better
mood than I’d been in lately.
“Let’s go, Andrei.” I gestured at the boy. “Get in the car.”
Not waiting for him to follow, I strode back to the vehicle and climbed
in, leaving the door open. He climbed in after me, oohing and aahing so
much I gritted my teeth. He was overdoing it now.
“This is so fancy” He trailed his fingers over the black leather of the
seat. “Is this car really expensive?”
“It is.”
“Wow. Are you rich?”
I stared at him, but he was too busy searching in the pockets of the seats
and the door.
“I can’t believe I get to ride in such a fancy car. How cool!”
 He sat on his knees, his face pressed to the window, gazing and waving
at no one and nothing as Andrei drove along the street.
“Sit properly,” I barked.
“Oops, sorry.” He shuffled on the seat, imitating my posture.
What an odd boy.
But the more I looked at him, the prettier he seemed. He had a gorgeous
head of black curls held back from his face with a scrunchie. The ends were
in one big messy puff that oddly added to his charm.
“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do tonight.” He chuckled. “You see, I
have a roommate, and we’re supposed to split the rent, but I don’t have
mine. I’m hiding from the landlord.”
Ah, so that was the desperation that had sent him hurtling his body in
front of my car.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I know, right? Things always have a way of working out. I was lucky
to find the guy who took me in a week ago. It’s tough getting a job, though,
when you’ve never been to school.”
“Never?”
“And the city is so beautiful. I don’t regret coming here at all. It’s busier
than I’m used to, but it’s easy to get lost.”
Sweet Jesus. He had the attention span of a gnat.
“Oops, I’m such a dunce.” He beamed a smile. “My name’s Daisy.
What’s yours?”
“Your name is Daisy?”
He nodded. “There’s a funny story behind my name. Do you want to
know it? Oh, but you didn’t tell me your name.”
“My name’s not important.”
Oh boy, what a hot mess. If I hadn’t already entertained the idea of
sliding my cock between his full pink lips, I would have shoved him out of
the moving car. He was a chatterbox, and I couldn’t abide those.
I tapped my fingers on my knee and gritted my teeth as Daisy prattled
on in the most annoyingly excited voice. He was excited about everything
in the city—all the restaurants where he couldn’t afford to eat and all the
shops with the gorgeous clothes. Did I know there were movies that people
could watch on giant screens?
Either he’d been living under a rock all his life, or he thought me
gullible. Did this sort of act work on other men? I could see how. His
moving lips were more tolerable if I tuned out his words and focused on
other things—like the gold flecks in his eyes and that his mouth was rather
wide. It might just be wide enough for him to take all my cock.
Please let him be a deep throater. That could make up for his incessant
chatting.
Andrei dropped us off at the secret entrance of the only five-star hotel in
the city. A concierge met us and opened the doors. To give him credit, he
didn’t bat an eye at the sight of Daisy. I assured him we had everything we
needed and led Daisy to the restricted elevator.
“Wow.” Daisy bounced in. “I’ve never been on an elevator before.”
I frowned. His lies were getting ridiculous. I hit the Up button, and the
doors closed. The elevator flew upward, and Daisy squeaked. He threw his
arms around my waist and clung to me with his eyes closed while I stood
stiffly.
“Oh my god. Oh my god. It’s going too fast.”
The elevator slid to a stop, and the doors opened. I peeled Daisy off me.
“We’re here.”
“We are?”
“Hmm.”
“I think I’m gonna throw up.”
“Hold it in.”
Fuck.
I propelled him over to the penthouse suite and unlocked the door.
Daisy had a hand on his stomach. He seemed to have forgotten he wanted to
throw up, so fascinated he was by the expansive hotel room.
“No way! This is amazing,” he whispered.
“Do you still want to use the bathroom?”
He nodded.
I pointed to one of the two bathrooms in the suite. With a hearty thanks,
he dashed off to take care of his needs. I stripped off my jacket and
unbuttoned my shirt with one hand while pouring myself a shot of vodka.
A knock sounded on the door once. Then Andrei let himself in.
“Where is he?”
“Bathroom.”
“What do you plan to do with him?”
“Since when do I need to tell you my plans?”
 “You don’t have to, but it would sure help as your bodyguard to know
what you’re thinking. He’s a random guy I haven’t had the chance to check
out. Sure, he’s cute, but is it worth the risk?”
“I’ll deem what is worth it.”
Andrei sighed and shook his head. “What do you want me to do about
Chase? I can get started on a search, though it would help if we have
pictures to identify him. We’ll be searching for a needle in a haystack
otherwise.”
“Which you’ve found before.”
“Because of luck. Polina didn’t tell us much about the boy. Didn’t you
find that weird?”
I downed the vodka in one gulp. “She’s definitely hiding something, but
what?”
“I’ll find out. Anything else you want, or are you locking down for the
evening with this guy?”
“A blow job will hardly take all evening.”
“I could have gotten a woman for you.”
The two times I’d had my dick sucked by guys had been when we
couldn’t get our hands on a woman. At least not any who had made my
cock pay attention. I couldn’t claim that now. The concierge had made it
clear they could get me anything I wanted.
But I wanted this boy. I couldn’t explain it, but he had to be the one to
take the edge off this evening.
“He’ll do,” I said.
“All right, I’ll—”
Andrei’s mouth fell open as he fixated on something over my shoulder. I
turned. Daisy, completely naked, was checking out the room. He ran his
fingers over a painting on the wall.
“Whoa, it’s so big.”
My cock instantly got hard from a combination of his words and his
sexy little body. His small, flaccid cock was nestled in curly black pubic
hair.
“Can I watch your TV?” he asked. “And jump on the bed? It looks so
comfortable.”
“The bed is for sleeping or fucking. It’s not for jumping on.”
Daisy pouted. My dick got harder. Dammit, but why did I find him so
attractive? He’d removed the scrunchie from his hair, which now tumbled
down his face and back. There was so much of it.
“Okay, Sparkie and I won’t jump on the bed, even though we really,
really want to.” He cocked his head to the side and smiled. “Because you’ve
been so kind to bring me here to show me your hotel room. You’re one of
the kindest men I’ve ever met.”
Andrei made a choking sound at the back of his throat. Damn, I’d
forgotten he was here. He was fixated on Daisy way too much. My nostrils
flared. Unlike me, he was gay, and Daisy looked good. No wonder he was
staring at the boy.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I asked him.
“Oh no, he won’t stay?” Daisy asked. “Wouldn’t it be better with all
three of us here?”
I frowned. He wanted a threesome? The greedy little slut. Why had I
expected anything differently? They were all the same.
CHAPTER FOUR
 DAISY

M aybe I shouldn ’ t have stripped in the bathroom, but I’d been wearing
clothes all day and needed a break from the rough material on my skin.
Why more people didn’t go naked all the time, I would never understand. It
was so freeing to be myself, but that might not have been a good idea with
the two strange men standing before me.
Don’t talk to strangers.
Polina had beaten me for that before, so why had I gotten into a car with
two men I didn’t know? They’d seemed nice enough to stop and check if I
was okay after I almost ran into their car. It had been all my fault, but they
hadn’t blamed me.
After a week on my own, it was nice to meet people who were so kind. I
would eventually have to return to the shared apartment, but I was in no
hurry to go back.
Would they let me sleep here? Even the floor was more inviting than the
ratty couch I had to sleep on.
“I don’t share,” the taller man said in an accent I didn’t recognize. It
made everything he said sound harsh, so I knew not to take it personally.
After all, if he hadn’t wanted me here, he wouldn’t have brought me along.
His gaze was intense and left my nipples tingling in an unfamiliar but
not unpleasant way. He looked at me the way Joe had whenever he’d
sneaked into my room.
Did that mean he wanted to stick his cock into my ass too? If so, I
wasn’t sure about that. I didn’t like it, but something weird was happening.
My heart beat fast, my palms were sweaty, and my stomach tingled with a
nervous but exciting flutter.
 It was almost as if my brain wanted him to touch me, but it was
confusing. I’d never wanted that.
Maybe if his friend stayed, nothing would come of it, so I’d suggested
we remained together. After all, Joe and I only ever did it when we were
alone. Surely, no one did it when a third person was around?
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Andrei walked toward the door, and I bit my
tongue to stop myself from begging him to stay. I peered through my
eyelashes at the man who must be his boss.
He was beautiful.
Maybe being with him would differ from how Joe had made me feel.
How would I know if I didn’t try? Could I actually enjoy it? I’d never
gotten hard for Joe, but my cock was already sticking out. I dropped my
gaze to the front of his pants, where a big bulge had formed.
I clenched my ass. Did I want him back there?
Oh my, I might not mind that at all.
Curious, I slowly approached him. My stomach felt queasy, but I stood
my ground.
“Will you kiss me, please?”
I’d never been kissed before. Joe had never seemed interested in it, but I
wanted to know what it was like. All the good TV shows I’d been watching
had kissing in it, and they always seemed so into it.
“There will be no kissing,” he said.
He was just like Joe, then? I lowered my gaze. Did they find me ugly?
Was that the reason no one wanted to kiss me?
I stepped back, but the man grabbed my shoulder and pulled me
forward. I tumbled headlong into him. When I clutched his arm to steady
myself, an electric current ran through me. He smelled nice, a scent that
reminded me of the breeze during spring.
“Don’t play coy now,” he said. “We’re all alone. Why don’t you show
me what you’re capable of?”
I blinked several times. What did he want me to do? From his cock
poking me in the stomach, I had a good idea, but I’d never been the one to
initiate any contact with someone else. With Joe, I would lie like a log and
grit my teeth while hoping he would finish quickly and leave me alone.
“Ah, I see.” He released me, took a step back, and walked into the
bedroom. I followed him, even though I wasn’t sure he wanted me to.
“You’ll have to tell me what to do,” I said softly.
 He removed a briefcase from the closet and snapped it open on the bed.
It was chock-full of bills held together with rubber bands. It seemed like a
whole lot of money, though I wasn’t certain. He took out two wads and
dropped them on the bed.
“That’s yours.”
I picked up the money and counted it, but I got stuck, never having
learned more numbers. “Is this a lot?”
He frowned. “Are you worth more than that?”
I nodded, though I didn’t know the value of the money he’d just given
me. Nothing in this world was worth more than me.
“Prove it.”
He removed his belt and pulled down his pants and underwear. His cock
sprang up with a slight curve. Oh gosh, he was long and thick. A bead of
liquid pearled on the tip of the flush round head. I licked my lips, my mouth
watering.
Weird.
I’d never reacted this way to Joe shoving his dick down my throat. With
him, I’d always wanted to finish as quickly as possible so he would leave
me alone. But this cock in front of me was impressive. I wanted to clamp
my thighs together and hide my much smaller one.
And I really wanted to run my tongue down his length.
What was so different about him that I wanted to taste him while I
couldn’t stand the flavor of Joe in my mouth?
The man removed a condom from his wallet and slipped it down his
cock. I only knew what it was because Joe had always insisted we use one,
although he’d never explained why.
“Why do we need a condom?” I frowned. With a condom on, I couldn’t
taste him.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he growled. “I might want to fuck your
throat, but I’m not that far gone to do so recklessly. I don’t take anyone’s
word for it if they say they’re disease free.” He checked his watch. “Get
down on your knees and suck me off. I don’t have all night for this.”
I lowered myself to my knees and inched closer to him. He even looked
good from this angle. A thrill shot through me. He made me feel small. His
chest rose and fell, and his breathing was harsh. Joe had sounded just like
that when he got excited to sleep with me.
 If I put effort into it, could I make him lose control like I had with Joe?
When we’d just started sleeping together, Joe would curse that he shouldn’t
be touching me but couldn’t help himself.
I didn’t want this stranger to be able to help himself.
I’m going to make him lose control and love doing it.
“You’re sure taking your sweet time.” He plunged his fingers into my
hair and pulled me closer. “Open your mouth and take my dick between
those fuckable lips.”
Oh my.
My cock throbbed between my legs. When Joe fucked me, he was
usually quiet, his hot breath and grunts the nightmare that still haunted me.
Hearing this man talk to me was doing crazy things to my insides.
I opened my mouth and tentatively explored whether he would fit. The
latex wasn’t so bad, though I would have preferred to taste him. I could still
explore his thickness and length with my lips and tongue.
“Cute, but not exactly what I’m going for.” He held me tight by the hair
and shoved his cock farther down my throat. I gagged, but he didn’t stop.
He grabbed a clump of my hair in his other hand and, holding me firmly,
thrust into my mouth.
Tears popped into my eyes, and I tried not to gag each time he went too
far down my throat. It was worse than what Joe had done to me. At least
Joe had stopped when I gagged. This man? He seemed to take pleasure in
working his cock as far down my throat as possible.
And I loved it.
Loved him fucking my face.
I stared up at him in wonder, my vision blurry from the teardrops
clinging to my lashes. Why did this man affect me so differently? Why
didn’t I mind the things he was doing to me?
“Fuck,” he grunted. “I wish I could say you were lying, but that mouth’s
a fool’s gold. Can you take it deeper?”
I didn’t feel like I could, but I nodded anyway. Anything to please him.
I didn’t want this feeling to stop. For the first time, I felt good while having
sex with someone.
He pressed me closer and worked his cock all the way past my tonsils. I
breathed through my nostrils and relaxed my throat so he could fit better.
Until I had nothing left to swallow.
 A hiss of breath escaped him. With tiny thrusts, he used the back of my
throat, only barely pulling out an inch each time. Saliva dripped down my
chin. I was probably a mess but was too out of it to care. My dick throbbed
and throbbed. Something was happening to me. Something similar to when
I jerked off under the covers at night. But I wasn’t even touching my dick.
How in the world…? I shifted my gaze up to the stranger’s face. He
seemed almost angry, and his fingers twisting in my hair hurt. Yet when our
eyes met, a deep sense of safety rolled over me. It was so strong I gave in,
gasping and gagging on his cock while I came hard on the carpeted floor.
“Fuck, did you just come?” He detangled his hand from my hair and
stepped back. I couldn’t hide the evidence of my release. Was he angry?
Wasn’t I supposed to come? Joe had never seemed interested in me getting
off too.
I jumped to my feet, shaking. “I’m sorry. I’ll clean it up.”
He didn’t look like the sort of man you would want to make angry.
I took a step toward the bathroom, but he caught me around the waist. I
squeaked and grabbed his shoulders. Oh gosh. He was so big and strong. I
copped a squeeze of his biceps, and my stomach quivered.
He was a really good-looking man. Was that the reason I didn’t mind
what he was doing to me? Because I found him attractive?
“I’ll give you more money to use your ass,” he growled. “Having your
mouth isn’t enough.”
He yanked open the drawer of the bedside table and took out a bottle I
recognized. I seized up. This was the part that always hurt. The part I hated
the most.
“Don’t act all shy now.” He caught my hips and pulled me to the edge
of the bed on my knees. “This is what you came here for, isn’t it?”
I didn’t know how to respond, but he seemed okay with no answer. The
bottle made a funny sound as he squirted the lube onto his dick. I stiffened
up, ready for the intrusion of his cock, but he slipped a finger inside my ass
instead. Oh, that didn’t hurt at all. Joe had never used a finger. Not even the
first time.
“I guess you’re new at this,” he said. “Your ass still feels so tight.”
“I don’t like when it hurts.”
“Because I’ve never made it hurt.” He wielded two fingers inside me
like it was his cock, stretching and thrusting. “There’s nothing better than
when it hurts so bad that it’s good.”
 “But that doesn’t make any sense.”
His chuckle was low and dark, and a shiver shot down my spine. “We’ll
see. I’ll make you scream and wish you’d never met me, but when we’re
done, you’ll want to do it again and again.”
I bit my bottom lip. That didn’t sound so bad.
“Get on your back.”
I rolled over onto my back. He spread my legs and shoved his cock
against my hole.
“Wait!”
“Don’t tease me, boy.”
“It’s just that…I don’t know your name.”
“My name’s not important.”
“Can I call you anything, then?”
“Call me whatever the fuck you want.” He surged forward and thrust
inside me, bottoming out.
I cried out and gripped the sheet. Chest heaving, I clamped my eyes shut
against the tears and gritted my teeth. He was right. It hurt, but the good
part was definitely nowhere to be found.
“That’s just the beginning,” he said.
He worked his cock in and out of my body, thrusting, driving, loosening
me up enough that I was surprised that after a while, it didn’t hurt that much
anymore. In fact, he kept driving up against a particular spot that sent
tremors down my body. That spot must have been connected to several
places inside me because my brain turned to mush, my nipples tingled, my
cock was hard again, and my toes curled of their own.
Whimpering, I opened my eyes and found him hot and heavy over me,
grunting with each thrust. He still had his shirt on. I wanted to see his bare
chest. I reached for his shirt button, but he grabbed my wrists.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking your clothes off.”
“No!”
What did he mean, no? Before I could ask, he flipped me over to my
knees and drove into me hard from behind. I clutched the bedsheets and bit
into them.
“Oh!” I reached back, gripped my right ass cheek, and pushed it to the
side.
 “Look at you begging for it now.” He jerked my hips up and rammed
his cock so far inside me I bounced off his pelvis and would have crashed
into the bed hadn’t he pulled me back to receive the next thrust.
“Pleasepleaseplease,” I begged, uncertain if I was begging him to stop
or to give me something more. Something great I could sense coming.
“Please, Daddy.”
He stilled with his cock buried inside me. “What did you just call me?”
“Daddy. I overheard my roommate calling his boyfriend that. Since you
won’t tell me your name, I think I’ll call you Daddy. Don’t you like it?”
He grunted. Was that a yes or a no?
“Just shut up. I’m so close.”
A no, then.
Too bad. The word felt natural on my lips. Maybe I could call him
Daddy in my mind. He wouldn’t have to know.
Daddy. Daddy. Daddy.
I slipped a hand between my thighs and stroked my dick to the same
beat he pummeled inside me. His thrusts turned jerky, manic, and desperate.
He grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my head back so I was arching
into his thrusts.
“Yesyesyesyesyesyes!” I chanted over and over until I exploded into a
loud cry. “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddy!”
A hand crashed into my ass, smacking me twice. With a grunt, Daddy
went stiff behind me.
I collapsed onto the bed with my legs still spread. He’d slipped out of
me but had left an ache behind. A physical ache from how rough he had
been, but also one that longed to be filled again.
Oh hell, he’d said this very thing would happen.
He moved away from me, but I was too spent to raise my head. I could
fall asleep right here. The bed was comfy, and…I didn’t hate sex after all. I
just hated it with Joe. I smiled. Who was this mysterious man who refused
to tell me his name but made my body hum?
What would happen now? Would he keep me with him? Take me home
with him? He’d enjoyed using my body just as much as I’d enjoyed letting
him. That counted for something, right?
A sharp slap on my ass startled me. I scrambled up on the bed and spun
around to face the stony face of the man who’d just ravaged my body. Did
he want me again? He smelled fresh from a shower, and he was fully
dressed. What a pity. I would have loved to see him without clothes. His
body had felt amazing against mine.
The clothes I’d had on earlier landed on my face.
“Get dressed,” he barked.
I gingerly slid off the bed and pulled the shirt over my head. “Are we
going somewhere?”
“I couldn’t find your underwear.”
“Oh, I don’t wear underwear. That’s way too many clothes, especially
since no one’s going to see it, right?”
He frowned, eyebrows knitted and lips pursed. “You have two minutes.”
“Two minutes?”
“To get out.”
“To get out?”
“Will you stop repeating every fucking thing I say?” He threw the wads
of bills onto the bed. He’d added two more bundles to it. “Get your fucking
clothes on and get out. We’re done here.”
Trembling, I secured my shorts around my waist. “I don’t understand.
Was it something I did? I thought you enjoyed what happened.”
“Yes, but now it’s come to an end. What don’t you understand about
that?”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “But-but—”
“But what? You thought because my cock felt good in your ass that…
what? I’d keep you around?”
Now I felt foolish. “It’s just that I-I’ve never come like that with another
man. I thought it was special for you too.”
“It’s sex. After the first few times you’ve done it, it stops feeling
special. Every ass feels the same.”
“Oh.” But it had never felt special with Joe at all. Clearly, I didn’t
understand how this worked. I took the money. At least it would help pay
the bills. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this uncomfortable for you.
Good-bye, then.”
He didn’t say a word when he let me out of the suite. The door closed
behind my back without even a hint of hesitation. I stared at it, a deep
sadness filling my heart. Why did it feel like I was losing something
important when I’d only known him for half an hour?
Best to forget about him. At least he’d taught me one thing today. I
could enjoy sex with other men. I just needed to find one who made me feel
the same way he did.
CHAPTER FIVE
 YARO

M y tight grip on the high-pull machine handles almost tore through the
leather gloves. I was being brutal with the equipment, taking out all my
frustration and anger in each forceful repetition. Sweat poured down my
brow, and my muscles screamed in protest, but I didn’t care. I needed an
outlet for the emotions swirling inside me.
The weight area hummed with the clinks of iron and the disruptive
chatter of two women making use of the hotel gym to snap photos instead
of actually working out. Both had sidled up to me earlier, striking up a
conversation, but one scowl from me and they’d backed off and had
switched their attention to the steroid on legs down the aisle, working on
leg extensions.
I’d finished my sets on the high-pull machine, but I didn’t feel nearly
satisfied, so I started over. My muscles would simultaneously thank me and
hate me tomorrow. The burn was only a temporary distraction, though. I
couldn’t get him out of my head. That biracial boy whose ass I’d fucked
two days ago.
Finding Chase was supposed to be my priority, damn it. We still had no
lead on him, though Andrei had promised before he left the hotel this
morning he’d gotten in touch with someone who could possibly help. The
plan was for me to go with him, but after waking up for the second morning
with a hard-on and Daisy’s name silently on my lips, I’d been in too much
of a black mood. Knowing anyone who crossed my path would become a
casualty, Andrei had suggested he go out on his own while I made use of
the hotel’s gym to burn off steam.
 Exercise usually worked to keep my mind off my issues, even
temporarily, but Daisy seemed to be the exception.
Daisy.
Fucking Daisy.
What kind of name was that anyway? Were his parents high when
they’d conceived him? That would explain so much—his ditzy nature
and…and his sweet smile. A boy selling his ass shouldn’t have looked so
carefree, as if the whole thing was a discovery. I could still hear all his little
“oohs” and “aahs” as if he’d never had an orgasm.
He was a damn good actor; that was what he was. He was so fucking
good I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Or maybe it was because I’d
crossed the line and actually fucked a guy for the first time.
That had to be it. No way was I losing sleep and mental energy over
someone like that.
But fuck, he’d felt so good under me. The way that tight little hole had
budded around my cock wouldn’t leave my mind.
Will you kiss me, please?
Absolutely ridiculous. Why would I kiss a hooker?
Maybe I should have kissed him. Then I wouldn’t have to obsess
whether his lips would taste as good on mine as they had been wrapped
around my cock.
He’d fucked with my head, coming with my cock buried inside his ass
while he called me “Daddy.” I’d expected my cock to wither up and die, but
damn if it hadn’t made me more eager to finish off inside of him. Thank
fuck he didn’t know I’d been a second away from ripping off the condom to
fill him.
What the hell was wrong with me?
A guy was gawking at me. “What the fuck are you looking at?” I
snapped.
He quickly averted his gaze, mumbling an apology, then hurried to
another section of the gym. Too late. The tension in the gym mounted as it
became obvious the others were trying way too hard not to look at me.
I’m not going to blow off steam here. Might as well return to my room.
Luckily, I quit when I did. My body screamed from me overworking my
muscles. I took the elevator back to the penthouse suite, guzzled down a
bottle of water, and headed straight for the shower. I stripped my clothes off
and stepped under the high-pressure waterfall.
 Fuck, the water was frigid, but I gritted my teeth and bore it. I washed
up quickly, then stood under the shower, my arms braced on the walls while
the water cascaded over me. Slowly the tension eased from my shoulders,
leaving me mellow.
Too fucking mellow.
I became aware of the way the water ran over my nipples and how it
sluiced off my cock. If I concentrated hard enough, I could pretend it was
Daisy’s tongue lapping the droplets from my dick.
Dammit, why had fucking him felt so good? I’d treated him no
differently from the other people I’d slept with over the years. A purely
physical encounter that ended in mutual satisfaction. Then I’d kicked him
out when he got too comfortable.
After we had sex that day, I’d jumped into the shower, giving him the
chance to grab his money, put his clothes on, and leave. I’d been shocked to
find him not only lying in my bed but wearing a silly smile and with his
legs parted like he wanted more.
I should have fucked him again. He was so responsive. He’d come from
just sucking my cock. It took a special class of whore to be able to do that.
With a frustrated groan, I wrapped my hand around my dick. My
breathing came in fast pants as I fucked my fist. In my head, it was him
beneath me. His cries echoed in the glass enclosure, mingling with the
heavy beat of the water clattering on the tiles.
Fuck me.
I came with a grunt, firing my cum down the drain. Slumped against the
wall, I took a minute to get my breathing back under control, then washed
myself off again with angry movements, as if it would cure me of whatever
was ailing me. Only one thing would. I needed a new lay—another boy who
would make me forget all about that fucking Daisy.
A towel wrapped around my waist, I entered the bedroom and grabbed
my phone. I opened the hookup app I used regularly and enabled my GPS
to match me with people in my location. I scrolled through as I got dressed,
discarding suggestion after suggestion. How hard was it to find another
biracial boy with gray eyes, wild kinky hair, and a funny-sounding name
that would make me think twice?
Someone knocked on the front door.
“Come in.”
 Andrei entered the room, carrying a McDonald’s paper bag. I hated how
much he knew me after these years. Who else would know to use a Big
Mac to combat my black mood? Andrei placed the bag on the table.
“Hope you’re hungry.” He shrugged off his jacket.
“Starving. Just finished my workout and took a shower.”
He frowned at his watch. “Just finished? When I suggested you go to
the gym, Yaro, I didn’t mean to overwork your body.”
“I know my limits.” I sat at the table and ripped the paper bag. In
addition to the Big Mac and an extra serving of fries, Andrei had also
bought nuggets and baked apple pie.
He had bad news.
It was one thing for him to buy the Big Mac, but the extras meant
something was horribly wrong.
“You had no luck in finding Chase,” I said flatly, my appetite gone.
“Maybe we should let him go and find another way to settle our dispute
with the Falcons.”
Maybe I owed him that—to not drag him back into this mess his
fucking parents had started and left behind for me to clean up.
“Actually, I got useful information. Very useful information.”
“So why aren’t you giving it to me?” Unless the boy was dead after all.
“Please don’t tell me he’s fucking dead.”
“No, he’s not. Far from it.” Andrei took something out of his pocket. A
photograph. “I’m just not sure you’ll want to know who he is.”
“What’s with you making me play detective?” I unwrapped the burger
and took a bite out of it. “Lemme see the pic.”
Andrei handed the photo to me. I turned it over at the same time I
swallowed, and the food got stuck in my throat. I dissolved into a coughing
fit, whacking my chest until the food went down. Even with my eyes full of
tears, I couldn’t unsee the face grinning at me.
The face in the photo was a younger version of Daisy.
“What the hell is this?” I croaked out.
“That’s Chase.”
“This is Daisy!”
“He goes by that name, but he’s definitely Chase.”
“This can’t be Chase, Andrei!” I flung the photo at him. “Your source is
wrong.”
 My mind ran with possible scenarios. Despite my unwillingness to
accept that Chase and Daisy were the same person, Andrei wouldn’t have
given me the photograph if he wasn’t certain he had the right guy. This
could only mean one thing. Chase knew who I was yesterday. Oh, he was
fucking good. When he’d slept with me, he’d known I was his guardian.
Had that been the first step to his revenge?
“I trust the source,” Andrei said. “We had to dig hard to find this one
photograph of Chase.”
“Fuck!” I jumped to my feet and paced frantically. If he was Chase…
then I’d slept with him. But he wasn’t Chase. Not that little boy I’d given
up eighteen years ago. The boy I’d slept with was a young man who’d had
fun at my expense.
“No one can blame you for this, Yaro,” Andrei said. “You didn’t know.
We can leave, forget about him, and no one will know what happened.”
But I knew.
I knew only too well what it felt like to sink my cock into his ass. I
knew what it was like to fuck the back of his throat. His gag reflex was
practically nonexistent. The best deep throating I’d ever experienced.
“No.”
“No?” Andrei echoed. “What do you want us to do?”
“We’re going to find him. And we’re going to get the truth out of him
once and for all.”
“Then what?”
“It all depends. There’s a right answer that will guarantee he lives, and
there’s a wrong answer that can reunite him with his adulterous mother and
his backstabbing father. I need an address. How soon can we get one?”
“Will work on it right away.”
Stupid boy. Did he have any idea what he’d done? There was nothing
more I hated than liars—liars and cheaters—but then what else could I
expect from a child with a mother like her? It seemed my wife’s lying was a
legacy she’d left with her son.
CHAPTER SIX
 DAISY

“L ike I said ,”— the landlord backed me into the wall and reached behind
me to grope my ass—”if you can’t come up with the rest of the rent by
Friday, I’m sure we can make another arrangement.”
I swallowed and turned my head away from his oniony breath. The urge
to gag was strong, and I barely restrained myself.
“I’ll get the money.” I had no idea how, since I couldn’t find a job, but I
would have said anything to get him off me. The first time he’d mentioned I
could offset the rent by sleeping with him, I hadn’t cared, but since my
experience three days ago, I didn’t like the idea of having sex with just
random men anymore.
They should at least be half as good as the man with the fancy car
who’d made me feel things, then kicked me out.
“You know where to find me.” He squeezed my ass again, then released
me.
When the door closed behind him, I sagged against the wall. If only I
knew how to handle money better. Everyone around me seemed to be
making enough of it to live, but as soon as I got my hands on any, I had to
hand it over for rent and pay for food.
Maybe it would be better to go back to… no, they’d almost killed me. If
I hadn’t escaped that night, I would already be dead.
I walked over to the dingy sofa that doubled up as my bed and sat down.
Rupee, my roommate, hurried out of his bedroom, looking amazing as usual
in high-waist shorts and pasties to cover his nipples in the transparent top he
had on.
 “Why don’t you come to the club with me?” he asked. “You can meet a
rich guy to spend his money on you to help with the rent.”
I slumped my shoulders. “I don’t know. Does it really cost so much to
pay my share?” I’d already given the landlord all the money the stranger in
the fancy hotel had given me for having sex with him. How could he still
want more rent?
Sometimes I felt like he was cheating me, but Rupee would have told
me, wouldn’t he? He’d practically plucked me off the streets and invited me
to live with him if I chipped in on the rent. His Daddy had been acting
wishy-washy, and he needed help until he found a new one.
“It’s hard to survive out here,” Rupee replied. “Everything is expensive,
and rent costs the most. You never did say what you did to get that money.
You should definitely do it again.”
I hung my head and twisted my fingers in my lap. “You won’t think
badly of me if I tell you?”
He snorted. “Honey, I don’t judge. Anything you’ve done, I’m sure I’ve
done worse.”
“I had sex with someone.”
“You mean a bunch of guys?”
“No, just the one.”
“One guy paid you that much money to have sex with you?” He
frowned. “You lucky duckie. Why don’t you have sex with him again? In
fact, if I were you, I’d have sex with him many times and do whatever he
wanted for him to take care of me.”
“So it was a lot of money he gave me? Why didn’t it cover all the rent,
then? I’m so confused. Nanny Pol didn’t teach me any of these things.”
“That woman’s a bitch, but don’t worry. I’ve got you now. Go find your
rich guy and ride him real good. Or if you won’t, at least tell me where you
met him, so I can get in on some of that. Ta-ta, sweetie.”
He flittered out of the apartment, laughing, but I didn’t find his words
funny. A knot formed in my stomach, a feeling I wasn’t used to. I didn’t
like the idea of my rich guy sleeping with Rupee. I wanted him just for me.
Is that so wrong, Sparkie?
But the little inner voice I’d projected as a unicorn was nowhere present
to help me sort through my feelings. Maybe Sparkie didn’t know anything
about relationships.
 I fell back against the couch with my eyes closed. Why had he chased
me away that night? Should I go back to the hotel and see if he made a
mistake? Maybe he couldn’t stop thinking about me just like I couldn’t stop
thinking about him.
Someone pounded on the door, and I sat up straight. We didn’t get
visitors except for Rupee’s Daddy, and he didn’t come around anymore.
Had Nanny Pol found me? When they didn’t discover a body, they would
know I was still alive.
What are you going to do?
“Shh, Sparkie, I’m thinking.”
Having an imaginary unicorn for a best friend could sure be annoying at
times. Maybe if I didn’t answer the door, they would go away.
The pounding turned more urgent. The doorknob rattled. Oh crap, I
hadn’t put the chains back on when Rupee left. I scrambled to my feet and
raced toward the door. It flew open, and I jumped back to avoid it hitting
me.
A familiar man entered the apartment. Andrei? My rich Daddy’s
bodyguard. Had they come for me? It was just like those romcoms I
enjoyed on TV.
Oh, how wonderful!
“It’s you!” I threw my arms around him and hugged him. He was here
to save me from this miserable hell. They would know how to help me out
of my rent situation. “I’m so happy to see you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. I’d thought the world would be better once
I ran away from home, but most people were so mean.
“You knew we were coming?” he asked.
I sniffled. “No, but I hoped and hoped and hoped. Does he want me
back?”
“Get your hands off my bodyguard.”
My heart leaped. Oh, my. He was here, looming over Andrei’s shoulders
with the fiercest scowl on his face. Andrei pushed me away from him, and I
took a step back.
“Please don’t be mad,” I whispered, wringing my hands. “I was just so
happy to see him—both of you.”
He swept his gaze over my naked body, and his scowl deepened. “Why
aren’t you wearing clothes? Were you entertaining?”
“Entertaining?”
 “Other men. Were you fucking other men? Is that why you’re naked? Or
haven’t they gotten here yet?” He slammed the door closed behind him.
“Oh no, I haven’t slept with anyone, I swear.” I shook my head to
emphasize my point.
“Then why are you naked?”
“Because I like being naked. Why should I wear clothes because
everyone else is doing it? Being naked feels so free. You should try it.”
He and Andrei exchanged a look, one I knew too well. The one people
gave me after I opened my mouth and talked to them. One woman had even
called me crazy. Had I said too much?
“Go put something on.”
“Do I have to?”
“Go do it now,” Andrei said. “Don’t make him any more upset than he
already is.”
“Oh no, please don’t be upset. I didn’t mean to offend you by being
naked.” I rushed toward my bag next to the couch. “I guess Nanny Pol was
right to beat me for running around the yard without clothes on. So many
people get weird about it.”
I grabbed a T-shirt from the bag. I didn’t have many clothes. Hopefully,
this would be enough to no longer offend him.
Before I could put my head through the hole, a hand circled my wrist. I
gasped at the tight grip that almost crushed my bones. Hotel Daddy looked
so mad, like he would hurt me. I tried to shuffle away, but his grasp was too
firm.
“What did I do? What did I do?” I cried. “I’m putting a shirt on like you
said. I’ll put pants on too if you want. Please don’t smack me.”
He squeezed my wrist, and I hollered. “Ouch! You’re really hurting
me.” I pushed against his chest, but he didn’t budge.
“Stop pretending with me,” he said. “I know who you are.”
“I don’t understand. Of course you know who I am. You slept with me
three days ago, then chased me out of your hotel room.”
“Is that all? Why did you seem so happy to see us, then?”
A tear dripped down my cheek. “Because I thought you changed your
mind about sending me away after we did it. I thought you showing up
meant you wanted to do it again with me. That it was special to you too.
Are you here for something else?”
 “That remains to be seen.” He slackened his grip but not by much.
“Why was sex with me so special? It’s because you slept with me, knowing
who I was.”
“I still don’t know who you are. You refused to tell me your name, so I
just think of you as Daddy.”
“Don’t call me that!”
I was startled by his booming voice. He looked really mad, but I didn’t
know why, and the tears came in earnest now.
“I d-d-don’t know what you want from m-m-me. I thought the s-s-sex
was special because I’d only done it with-with Joe, and it was never like
that. With him, it hurt, and I didn’t want to, b-b-but he said I had to. But I
enjoyed it with you.”
“Yaro.” Andrei touched his shoulder. He said something I didn’t hear,
and Yaro, apparently the name he thought I already knew, stepped back
from me. He yelled at Andrei in a language I didn’t understand.
While they were at each other’s throats, I inched away from the sofa. If
I could get to the door, I could run away from them.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Busted.
I made a dash for it anyway. Before I’d made it to the door, an arm
wrapped around me and lifted me. He threw me back onto the couch. “Stay
right there until I figure out what to do with you.”
I pulled my legs up to my chest. “Please don’t kill me. I already escaped
from the people who tried to burn me alive. I don’t want to die.”
He grabbed a chair from the table in the corner and set it down in front
of me. He sat down hard.
“Put your shirt on.”
With trembling hands, I did what he said. Andrei handed me a bottle of
water. “Calm down and drink this.”
I gulped down some of the liquid, though it sloshed around in my belly.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Andrei said. He seemed kinder than Yaro, who just
sat there staring at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I swear I’m telling you the truth.”
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Daisy.”
“Daisy what?”
 “My last name?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t have one.”
The vein in his forehead throbbed. “Everyone has a last name. What do
you mean you don’t have one?”
“I might have at one point, but I don’t know what it is.”
“I hope you know if you lie to me, you’ll regret it.”
“I won’t lie. I’m telling the truth.”
“Do you have any other name besides Daisy?”
I swallowed. If I told him the truth, would he believe me?
Sparkie, why aren’t you real? I could sure use you to gallop in and save
the day.
“Chase,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Who’s Chase?” I asked.
“Nothing.” He let out a deep sigh that was full of frustration. “How did
you come by the name Daisy?”
I wrung my hands. “I didn’t have a name, so I decided I wanted to be
called Daisy. Nanny Pol and Joe refused, but in my head, I was Daisy.”
“Why Daisy?”
“They’re my favorite flowers. They grow a lot back on the estate where
I’m from. I always take care of them.”
“There weren’t daisies on that estate,” Andrei said.
“There are too! I’d take you there to see I’m telling the truth, but I can
never go back. They’ll try to kill me again.”
Yaro tilted a phone in my direction. “Are these the flowers that grow in
the backyard?”
I smiled, nodding at the field full of flowers on his phone screen.
“Yes, that’s it!”
“But those aren’t—”
“Andrei!” Yaro shook his head.
“Those aren’t what?”
“Nothing,” Yaro said. “You mentioned a Nanny Pol and a Joe—that
someone wants to kill you. Tell me about that. Where are your parents?”
I shrugged. “Nanny Pol said they didn’t want me, and they volunteered
to take care of me out of kindness, so I had to do everything they said. They
said I should be grateful, but it’s hard to be grateful when they beat me, lock
me up, and forget to feed me for days.”
 “They did that?”
“Yes. Many times. And then Joe…” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Never
mind. He said I couldn’t tell anyone ever.”
“But Joe’s not here. Tell me.”
I shook my head.
“I swear to God, if you don’t tell me, I’ll have Andrei beat you.”
My mouth fell open, and disappointment filled my chest. Maybe he
wasn’t the kind man I thought him to be.
“Joe ignored me most of the time.” I squeezed my arms around my
thighs tighter. “Except at night. He would come to my room and tell me not
to make a sound while he did what you did.” I shook my head. “No, no, no.
That came out wrong. I wanted what you did to me but not with him. He
said men have urges and it was my duty to take care of it. Is that true?
Because after you, I don’t think I want to do it with anyone else.”
“I-you-this—” Yaro seemed at a loss for words. “How did you know
they wanted to kill you?”
“I overheard them talking when I was hiding in the cupboards. Someone
asked for me, and they were terrified to send me back. Said they couldn’t let
that man know I was ignorant. They seemed really afraid of him.”
“They should be.” He rose to his feet. “That’s enough for now.”
“What do you mean? What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to kill them.”
“No, no, you can’t!” I hopped off the couch and grabbed his arm.
“Killing someone is wrong. Don’t you know that? You’ll get sent to prison,
and then… I won’t see you ever again.”
He peeled my hand off his arm. “I kill whoever I want, especially when
they betray my trust.”
I swallowed hard, taking in the sharp lines of his face. All his questions,
they were so precise. The pieces of the puzzle slowly fitted together. That
he’d barged into the apartment, believing I knew him.
“Oh my god. You are him, aren’t you? The man they were terrified of.”
“Yes.”
I placed a hand over my chest, my heartbeat thumping rapidly. “B-b-
but, are you my father?” I whispered, horrified.
Uh-oh, you’ve done a bad thing, Daisy.
Shut up, Sparkie.
“No!”
 Relief coursed through me.
You got lucky this time.
“But do you know my father? Do you know my mother?”
“Get your stuff together. We’re leaving.”
“Leaving? Where are we going? Are you taking me with you? How do
you know me? I have so many questions.”
“Don’t ask them. There’s nothing more I hate than people who talk too
much.”
I clamped my lips together. Then slowly raised my hand.
“What is it?” he snapped.
“If you’re taking me with you, can you first pay the rest of my rent? I
don’t want to owe the landlord. If I do, I’ll have to sleep with him, which I
don’t want to do.”
“Why can’t you pay your own rent? I gave you thousands of dollars just
four days ago.”
“I gave it to the landlord, but he says it’s still not enough. That I need to
pay more by Friday.”
“How far behind are you on the rent? This place shouldn’t cost more
than $400.”
“I just moved here a week and a half ago, although it feels much longer
when everything is going wrong. My roommate lets me stay here and sleep
on the couch. He’s really kind to me.”
Yaro stared at me as if I’d morphed into an alien. I twisted the shirt
around my fingers, tugging at the material.
“Don’t you know money?” Andrei asked.
I bowed my head. “Shouldn’t I have given him it all?”
When they didn’t respond, I raised my head. Andrei looked as shocked
as Yaro had a moment ago. Yaro’s nostrils flared. I followed his gaze. He
was staring at my naked bottom half. In twisting the material of the T-shirt
around my fingers, I’d unknowingly exposed myself to them. His hot gaze
seared right through me. I wanted him to touch me again.
My cock grew hard.
“Put some pants on!” Yaro snapped.
I removed my hand from my shirt so the material covered me up once
more. My erection couldn’t hide, though.
“Okay,” I squeaked.
“Where can I find this landlord?” he asked.
 “He lives downstairs.” I told him the apartment number.
“Andrei, make sure he’s packed and ready to go in fifteen.”
Yaro strode toward the door.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“To get your money back.”
Oh.
How sweet of him.
He said he’d beat you.
But the important thing was that he hadn’t.
“What are you smiling about?” Andrei asked. “Put some proper clothes
on, and stop tempting him.”
“He’s going to get my money back,” I said.
“I heard.”
“He’s so nice to me. Does that mean he likes me?”
“Yaro doesn’t like anyone, so get that nonsense out of your head.”
“Then why is he taking me with him?”
“For…reasons.”
“Yup, reason being that he likes me.”
He couldn’t convince me otherwise. I was going to prove it. And if Yaro
didn’t like me now, I would make him like me because I really liked him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
 YARO

T he look of shock on Joe’s face when he opened the door to the cottage
and saw Daisy was priceless. It was almost enough for me to take Daisy
away right there and then.
Nope.
After what Daisy had told me about this bastard, the only way I would
feel at ease was if he and his wife were dead.
I’d given them one task: take care of the boy I no longer could once I
found out he wasn’t mine. Even though I always acted as if casting him
away hadn’t affected me, out of guilt, I’d sent them a ridiculous amount of
money over the past eighteen years to ensure he lived well.
Yet again, two people I’d relied on had violated my trust. Because of
them, I’d slept with the boy who still carried my surname, since I’d never
bothered to get it changed.
“Pol! Polina, they found the boy!” Joe stepped back to allow me to enter
the small cottage that hadn’t been touched by the fire.
“What are you talking about?” Polina entered the sitting area. The color
drained from her face. “Mr. Noskov—”
“Don’t,” I said calmly. “Unless you want to make the situation worse.
Did you really think I wouldn’t find him? Is there anything I can’t find
out?”
Behind me, Daisy made a sound. His small hand clutched a handful of
my jacket.
“Can we go?” he asked, his voice timid. “I don’t like it here.”
“Not yet.” I removed my gun from my shoulder holder. Daisy’s hold on
me tightened.
 “Daddy—”
“Daisy, now’s not the time.”
Why he insisted on calling me that was beyond me. The name did all
sorts of weird things to my insides that I didn’t like.
“Please, Mr. Noskov, I can explain,” Polina said. “You can’t trust a
word that boy says. We tried our best to be good parents to him, but—”
“Was that while you were starving him?” I asked. “Or when you let
your husband rape him repeatedly?”
“Now that’s not true!” Joe held up his arms. “I never raped him. Never
forced him. He gave himself to me willingly. The little bitch loved it, so he
—fuck!”
I shot Joe in the knee. His leg folded under him, and he fell to the
ground, crying, clutching his knee.
“Tell him what you did wrong,” I said. “Tell him now!”
“I shouldn’t have slept with you.” Joe groaned. “It was wrong to tell
you it was your duty. I should have told you that you could say no.”
“Now your turn,” I said to Polina.
“I shouldn’t have starved you!” she said, her wild eyes focused on the
gun. “And beating you was wrong.”
“What about the fact you took his identity away? You raised him—if
what you did can be called that—without a name.”
“I’m guilty, Mr. Noskov. I know I am, but please give us one more
chance.”
“You know how I feel about second chances. I never offer it.” I glanced
over my shoulder. “Andrei, take him back to the car. I’ll be there shortly.”
I would have loved to torture these two for hours, but I’d already wasted
enough time beating the crap out of Daisy’s landlord to get back his money.
We still had the journey to make to Conhaven.
“Yaro, I don’t think you should do this,” Daisy said. “I don’t want you
to go to prison.”
“Come on, Daisy. Don’t interfere.” Andrei took away the distraction I
still hadn’t found time enough to process. Husband and wife cowered in
front of me. Just as the landlord had before we came here. I’d blown out
both his kneecaps, then cleaned out his safe and gave the money to Daisy.
He didn’t even know the amount was more.
Because of these two.
And because of me.
 Since I wasn’t putting a bullet through my own brain, these two would
have to atone for all three of us.
“We can make it right,” Polina said. “Just give us a chance, and you’ll
see.”
“That’s one chance too many. Let’s start with you, Joe.” I swung the
gun in his direction. “When did you start sleeping with him?”
“A year and a half ago, I swear.”
“It’s the truth,” Polina said quickly. “I would never have tolerated it
otherwise. I know you think Joe took advantage, but that boy wanted it. All
the time, he runs around naked, flaunting himself in front of my husband.
Never has he told my Joe no.”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Joe shifted, panting like a woman in labor.
“He always wanted it. As soon as I entered his room, he opened his legs.
What am I supposed to think when he does that? You’ll see for yourself that
he’ll sleep with anyone. He tempted me until I couldn’t resist.”
I squeezed the trigger several times, hitting him in the chest. He fell
back on the ground, bleeding from all the holes I’d put into his body.
He’d thought he would make a case by telling me how much Daisy
wanted it? I wanted to shoot him again for knowing what being inside the
boy was like. He shouldn’t know.
Only I should know.
I inhaled a sharp breath and took a step back.
No, this wasn’t right. I shouldn’t be killing them for touching Daisy.
The boy was none of my business. I would hand him over to the Falcons. I
should kill these two for the simple fact that they took my money and lined
their pockets with it for years. Then they disobeyed me by trying to kill him
instead of sending him back like I’d asked.
Polina sobbed quietly. “You are a true bastard.” She spat at my feet.
“You are a coward, Yaroslav, punishing us for your sins. Be honest with
yourself for once. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t sent the
boy away. At the end of the day, you’ll have to live with the truth that you
murdered his parents and took away his home. You condemned him to this
place.” She laughed manically like a woman a minute away from her
execution and didn’t give a damn anymore. “Every time I beat him was
because of you. Every time Joe slept with him was all because of you.”
I cocked my head to the side. Nothing she said was news to me. In the
halls of my home, servants whispered about how heartless I was. But I
would rather be heartless than open myself up to the heartache of believing
in people who would later break my trust. Just like they did.
“Anything else you wish to add?” I asked. “This is your last chance to
do so.”
She placed her thumbs and the first two fingers of her right hand
together and crossed herself from head to breast, then from her right
shoulder to the left. “I’ll drive you mad for the next forty days.”
“I don’t believe in your God, or in your superstitions.”
I took a knife out of the holder on my back and extended it to her.
“Either you do it, or I’ll do it for you.”
With a trembling hand, she took the knife from me. I expected her to do
something foolish and come at me, but a few minutes later, her dead body
lay next to her husband, the artery she’d opened in her neck still oozing
blood.
I took the knife and dropped it into a doggy bag. It took me almost half
an hour to go through the house, checking to ensure nothing would lead the
cops back to me. Because of the distance, the cleaning crew would get here
late. If the cops arrived before them, I didn’t intend to make their job easy.
I stepped over the bodies and let myself out of the cottage. Andrei got
out of the car and opened the back door for me. When I slipped in next to
Daisy, I peeled off my gloves and shoved them into my pocket.
“Where to?” Andrei put the car into Drive.
“Conhaven.”
“Conhaven?” Daisy asked. “Is that where you’re from? Where I’m
from?”
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.”
“But I don’t know how—”
“Enough, Daisy.” I tapped Andrei’s shoulder. “I need food.”
“Already have the nearest McDonald’s plugged into the GPS.”
“Good.” I glanced over at Daisy. “Are you hungry?”
He nodded. “But I’m used to it. I can wait.”
Fuck.
His words only made me want to kill them again. How the hell could I
hand him over to the Falcons without making some of this right?
“You’ll never be hungry again.”
“You promise?”
“Yes.”
 He flung himself at me and sent me crashing into the door. He squeezed
me tight. “I knew you’d be my hero. I didn’t know who you were, but I
wanted to find you after I heard the way they talked about you. You’re the
best Daddy ever.”
I gritted my teeth. “What do you even know about Daddies?”
“Not much. Just that my roommate calls his boyfriends that because
they take care of him.”
“Until you know what that means, don’t call me that.” I might not have
been a serious Daddy to anyone, but over the years, more than one woman
had thought of me as one. Their sugar Daddy.
I pried him off me and shoved him back down to the other side. The
insufferable boy only shuffled back closer to me. Didn’t he realize I
maimed his landlord for life and just killed two people? Why wasn’t he
trying to avoid me?
“Will you tell me what it means?” he asked.
“No.”
He sighed. “I’ll find out on my own, then.”
I grunted but kept my attention fixed on the back of Andrei’s head. It
was bad enough the boy sat next to me, fucking with my plans and screwing
everything up. Facing him would make it all too real.
When I looked at him, I didn’t see Chase. They were too different. This
was a grown man. But it didn’t make it any easier. The little boy from
eighteen years ago had become an adult.
“Yaro,” he said quietly. “I know you killed them because of me. I wish
you hadn’t, but I won’t think badly of you for it. Thank you.”
I opened my mouth to tell him the truth. That I didn’t kill Polina and her
husband for mistreating him. I killed them because they failed their duty to
me. I killed them because they lied to me and cheated me. But his wide
innocent gray eyes full of gratitude and happiness wouldn’t let me.
Would he still feel thankful when he learned everything that had
happened to him was because of me? That I was no savior at all. I was the
one he should hate most in this world.
CHAPTER EIGHT
 YARO

A ndrei eased the Bentley into the winding driveway leading to the
courtyard of my home. Finally, we’d arrived. My ass had been cramped for
the last hour. I might never get feeling back, but I hadn’t dared move lest I
disturb the boy who’d fallen asleep with his head on my shoulder and one
of his hands clutching my jacket as if he thought I would disappear unless
he held on to me.
I only let him sleep on me because it meant he wasn’t talking.
Good god but he could talk. He didn’t even need a response to keep
going. I had been contemplating whether I wanted to use my gun on him
next or myself to end the torture when he yawned. Five minutes later, he’d
slumped against me and was out like a light.
I placed a hand on his shoulder to shake him awake, but something
stopped me. He looked so relaxed. It was hard to believe he’d been through
so much. I’d seen the faded marks on his back as though someone had hit
him recently. Unlike the scars that covered mine, his would fade over time.
I’d thought his bruises were the result of a sexual kink, but now I knew
differently.
The car came to a halt in front of the steps. Andrei was watching me in
the rearview mirror, but I ignored the warning in his eyes and shook Daisy.
“Hey, wake up. We’re here.”
He jerked up with a gasp, swiveling his head from side to side as though
he was used to being woken up this way.
“Where am I?” he asked. “Yaro?” The way he breathed my name was
like a sigh. His body relaxed, and he leaned against me. “It’s just you. I
thought I was back at the estate.”
 It’s just you.
I should feel insulted that those words seemed to convey his sense of
comfort in being with me instead of the terror they would have made others
feel. He was ignorant of what true danger was. I would have to show him.
Anyone too naïve never survived for long. If he was going to live with the
Falcons, he would have to learn how to toughen up and be a man. Not
whatever the hell this was leaning against me, sending my blood boiling
and my cock disregarding common sense.
I shrugged him off my shoulder. “Get out of the car. You can sleep when
we get inside.”
He grumbled something under his breath but followed me out of the
vehicle. He grabbed the bag with his belongings while I picked up the paper
bags full of trash from the food containers. Andrei had stopped at
McDonald’s. Daisy had devoured his meal, mumbling between bites he’d
never eaten a burger or fries.
They’d denied him something so basic.
“Whoa, Yaro, is this where you live?”
“Yes.”
“And I get to live here too?”
“Yes.”
“I knew you were rich from your hotel room, but this is super duper
rich! Just how rich are you?”
“Rich enough. Come on.”
Andrei drove the car away while I walked ahead of Daisy, who ran to
catch up with me. The door opened. “Good evening, Mr. Noskov. Welcome
home.”
I grunted a noncommittal response to the maid.
“Hello! I’m Daisy! I get to live here. What’s your name? Maybe we can
be friends?”
The maid looked confused.
“Her name’s not important,” I snapped. “Will you keep up?”
I might as well have been talking to a rock. Daisy oohed at the high-
vaulted ceilings of the vast foyer. A crystal chandelier hung like a giant
dew-kissed spiderweb, casting dancing prisms across the marble floors.
“So beautiful.” He rocked back and forth on his heels. “But what are
those marks on the walls?”
 The maid gasped. I swallowed the lump in my throat. The spots he
pointed out were where my family photos had hung. I’d given orders that
the walls should remain as they were. Each time I entered the foyer, those
faded spots served as a reminder of what I’d almost lost due to my
infatuation with a woman.
Never again.
“Nothing in this house concerns you,” I said.
“But don’t I live here?”
“For now.”
He blinked several times as if confused. Then he shrugged and skipped
ahead. Clueless. I sighed and rubbed at my temple, where a headache was
developing. I needed him out of my house as quickly as possible.
“What is he doing?” the maid cried.
Daisy had stripped his shirt off and was reaching for the waistband of
his shorts. Unbothered that two people were sharing the same space with
him. He had no understanding of boundaries and what was decent.
“Daisy, stop!”
He jumped and spun around. “What?”
“Keep your clothes on.”
What was it with him and stripping every chance he got? Him parading
his naked body under my nose was exactly what I didn’t want. People
working for me moved in and out of this house. None of them knew who he
was, and I wouldn’t enlighten them either. They would brand him as having
mental issues if they found him walking around as naked as the day he was
born.
“But I’ve been wearing clothes all day.” He pouted. ”Sparkie and I want
to run free.”
Maybe those people would be right.
“Then go to your room. You”—I nodded at the maid—”take him up to
the room I asked to be prepared for him.” I turned to Daisy. “You can get
naked in there all you want, but not outside.”
“What about your room? Can I get naked there too?”
“Just go.”
“Daisy,” the maid said softly. “Come with me, please.”
“Aren’t you coming?” he asked.
“I have other things to do.” Other than watching the way his ass moved
in those shorts he had on.
 “Will I see you later?”
Damn headache just wouldn’t go away. Nor the one throbbing at the
center of my forehead. I rubbed my temples harder and walked to my office
without answering him. The second the door shut behind me with a
reassuring thud, I sighed. Finally, alone. I could hear my thoughts instead of
his squeaky voice playing hundred questions. Apparently, twenty was too
few for a chatterbox.
I leaned back, drumming my fingers on the polished mahogany desk.
What to do about Daisy? And fucking him again wasn’t an option.
Was it?
No!
It was one thing when I hadn’t known who he was, but now I did. I had
no excuse for sleeping with him again. Not when I had an escort who came
and went as she pleased and satisfied me at command.
Though using satisfied to describe our sex was a bit of a stretch.
Sending Daisy back to the Falcons the way he was now was out of the
question. If Darius found out his nephew was alive and that for the past
eighteen years, the people I’d hired had abused him, he would double down
on his efforts to undermine my business. I had to find another way to
appease him.
I picked up the phone and punched in a number I’d become way too
familiar with lately.
“Tyson,” the man barked.
“It’s Noskov.” I opened the top desk drawer and took out one of my
cigars. We smuggled the Habanos into the country from Cuba and had made
a thriving business over the years.
“I was expecting your call.” Tyson acted as the liaison between me and
the Falcons. If he were the head instead of his brother, both our businesses
would be better for it. His brother was so focused on ruining me he would
rather sacrifice his men and resources than use them to build his empire.
“You said you had a way to stop this feud? I hope you do because Darius
isn’t listening to reason, man.”
“I had something, but it fell through.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“I’ll work out something else, but if your brother’s so impatient and
keeps fucking with my business, you all be prepared for retaliation.”
 I ended the call and searched for my lighter. The door to my office
opened, and Andrei entered. He’d looked troubled during the ride back to
Conhaven. He should have been relaxed now that we were home.
“Was there any issue with the cleaning crew?” I asked.
“They should be there in the morning.”
“Good.”
He handed me his lighter. I used it to get my smoke going and tossed it
back to him.
“What’s the plan here, Yaro?” He planted his hands on the desk and
leaned forward. “I’ll do my job better if I know what to expect.”
“You’ll know what you need to know.”
“I can’t protect you fully if you’re keeping things from me.”
“What am I supposed to be keeping from you?”
“Should I sleep with one eye open, anticipating the Falcons breaking
their way in here to execute you in your sleep and rescue Chase?”
“Daisy. His name’s Daisy.”
“Daisy. Chase. They’re the same, Yaro. He might be an adult now, but
he’s that same little boy you abandoned. He looks at you like you’re his
hero, but when he finds out, what’s he going to think?”
“Get out of my office, Andrei.”
“Don’t be this way. I’m only concerned about your well-being.”
“I pay you to minimize the threats to my life. That is all. Who I sleep
with is none of your business.”
“It is if that person is sure to be your doom.”
“What the fuck do you want me to do, Andrei? He’s ignorant. He
doesn’t know anything. If I send him back to the Falcons in this condition,
do you think they’ll be grateful?”
“So you’re doing this for practical reasons?”
I took a long drag from the cigar and closed my eyes, willing myself to
relax. “What else is there?”
“I’ll take your word for it. You know how to find me if you need me.”
CHAPTER NINE
 DAISY

Y aro ’ s home !
My stomach fluttered like crazy as I drew closer to the window of my
bedroom that overlooked the courtyard. Yaro’s car had just pulled up, and I
was dying to get a glimpse of him.
I’d missed him today, but every time I asked one of the maids for him,
none would give me an answer. I only knew he wasn’t home because when
I walked in the gardens, I’d heard two giggling that they could take a break
since Mr. Noskov had gone out.
I’d expected him to join me for dinner, but I ate alone in a sprawling
dining room that intimidated me by the sheer size of the table and the
chandeliers. Having someone bring me dinner made me uneasy, but when I
told them I could help myself, they wouldn’t let me into the kitchen.
The dinner had been delicious, but I hadn’t been able to enjoy it. I
hadn’t seen Yaro since he brought me here yesterday evening. Was he
avoiding me, or was he busy?
The beauty of Yaro’s home fascinated me, and exploring every nook
and cranny kept me busy for the morning. His house had more bedrooms
than I could count, and it had even more bathrooms, some of them without
a shower. I’d counted four attached garages. He had the biggest media
room, just like in the movies. Seeing the room had made me self-conscious
about how I’d prattled on about the movies when we just met.
He must have thought I was terribly backward, but he hadn’t said
anything, which was really sweet of him. I’d wanted to watch a movie but
hadn’t been able to work the remote. The maid who I’d asked for help had
laughed and walked away, so I hadn’t bothered to ask anyone else.
 Some of Yaro’s staff were mean, but at least they didn’t try to hurt me.
The encounter had put a damper on the rest of my exploration, though,
with me hiding in corners whenever a maid walked by. One thing I’d
confirmed was that Yaro had a lot of money. What was he doing with me,
then?
Andrei got out of the car and opened the passenger door. Yaro unfolded
his frame from the vehicle. I shifted closer to the window and touched the
glass, wishing it was his sharp cheekbones. It wasn’t just my imagination.
He looked as good as I remembered. Maybe even better.
He had a phone to his ear, and although I couldn’t see his face clearly, I
imagined he was scowling. As hot as he looked with his brows furrowed
and his jaw clenched, I would love to see him smile. He would be an even
more handsome man.
Yaro jogged up the steps to the front door, and I lost sight of him. My
instinct was to go to him, but something held me back. I still didn’t
understand my role in Yaro’s home. He’d never explained who he was, how
he knew me, and what he wanted from me.
Was he still after sex?
Maybe I should wait for him to come to me. Wait for him to explain.
Should I put clothes on? He’d said I could be naked in my bedroom.
That was far more than Polina had allowed me. One day he wouldn’t mind
me walking around his house naked. If I could get him to try being nude, he
would see how relaxing it was not to have to worry about clothes.
Time seemed to pass by quickly as I waited for Yaro to come to me. A
car pulled up outside, and a tall, curvy woman got out. Her generous hips
swung from side to side as she strutted in heels. I couldn’t take my eyes off
her. She looked amazing, her dress flattering every curve of her full breasts
and hugging her generous ass.
Who is she? Does she work for Yaro too?
A knock sounded on my bedroom door. I rushed to my feet and ran my
fingers through my hair.
“Come in.”
My happiness plummeted as Andrei came in and closed the door behind
him.
“You’re not wearing clothes,” he said.
I shrugged. “Yaro said I didn’t have to in my bedroom.”
 “I suppose that should be okay.” He held his head unnaturally high as if
he was forcing himself not to look below my neck.
A giggle burst out of me. Even if he wasn’t Yaro, I was glad to see
Andrei. “You can look at me, you know.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Yaro—it just isn’t.”
“Is he coming to see me?”
“I doubt it.”
“Why not? Doesn’t he want to see me? I missed him so much today.”
“Silly boy, what do you take Yaro for? I doubt he was thinking about
you today, and it would be good for you to remember that.”
No, he was wrong! He wasn’t there in the bedroom when Yaro was
inside me. Only Yaro and I knew what that moment felt like. It was special
despite what Yaro had said.
“Why am I here?” I asked.
“Yaro will tell you in good time.”
“And in the meantime, what do I do?”
“Yaro will tell you that too.”
“Andrei.”
“Yes?”
I shuffled my right foot back and forth. “Did Yaro leave today because
he didn’t want to see me?”
“No, one of his warehouses went up in flames. He had to check that.”
“Oh no. Was anyone injured?”
“Yes, two workers died.”
How awful. Yaro had to be feeling bad about that.
“Don’t think about it. Yaro’s handling it.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
He shook his head. “I just dropped by to check on you before I leave. If
you need anything while you’re here, let me know.”
“Thank you. Andrei?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because there was a little boy I should have helped years ago, but I
didn’t, and I regret it.”
“Oh? What happened to that little boy?”
 He gave me a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t know yet.
Good night, Daisy.”
“Good night, Andrei.”
Left alone in my bedroom once more, I returned to the window and
stared at the stars twinkling in the night sky. Should I follow Andrei’s
advice and stay away from Yaro, or should I go to him?
I frowned. The maid who had led me to my room yesterday had pointed
out Yaro’s bedroom. Yaro was the one who’d asked her to show me to my
bedroom. That meant he wanted me to know where his room was, didn’t
he?
I paced the floor. Living here was so nice I didn’t want to jeopardize the
arrangement by doing something wrong. The last place I wanted to end up
was on the streets. I hadn’t been as lucky escaping Polina and Joe as I’d
thought last time. My roommate had allowed our landlord to scam me.
People weren’t kind.
But I could be kind to Yaro. He’d lost two employees tonight. He must
be sad about it.
Undecided about what to do, I threw myself down onto the bed.
“What do you think, Sparkie?”
There’s only one way for you to find out.
I ran to the bathroom and freshened up. The least I could do was take
his mind off the disaster at his warehouse.
I shrugged into a fluffy robe that hung on the hook in the bathroom. I’d
never worn such a garment before, and the material felt weird. I tossed it
onto the bed and slipped out of my bedroom naked. His bedroom was
across from mine. The house had so many bedrooms. Why had he put me
into the one opposite his if he didn’t mean for me to visit him?
I inhaled deeply, then knocked. Nothing. Had I knocked too softly? I
rapped my knuckles harder against the wood.
A muffled sound came from behind the door. I stood back and clutched
my hands.
Yaro appeared in the doorway, half-undressed, in only a shirt, boxers,
and a pair of gray socks. He held a glass of liquor in one hand.
“Daisy?” He grabbed my arm and yanked me into the room.
My heart soared.
I’m so glad I came.
“I missed you,” I said. “I didn’t see you at all today.”
 “Well, this is precious.”
I clutched Yaro’s shirt. A tall redhead entered the bedroom through what
I assumed was the bathroom. She was the same woman I’d been admiring
earlier. She looked stunning in black lacy underwear that showed off her
curves. The bra was so small her breasts seemed ready to spill out at any
moment.
Did they make underwear like these for guys too? Normally I preferred
being naked, but if underwear could make me look that good, I was willing
to give it a try.
“Who is this, Yaro?” She came up behind Yaro and rubbed his
shoulders.
“Nobody.”
Yaro’s sharp answer dug into my chest like a knife. Was that really how
he saw me? He wasn’t even looking at me but had his attention on the
woman.
“Step out to the balcony for me for a few minutes, will you?”
“No problem.” She kissed the back of Yaro’s neck. “I can’t wait for you
to join me.”
I swallowed hard. It became clear what was happening here. Yaro didn’t
need me. He already had a woman to please him. No wonder he hadn’t
come to me.
How was I such a fool?
“I’m sorry,” I squeaked. “I misunderstood. I thought…” What I thought
didn’t matter. Nothing did anymore.
“Didn’t I tell you not to leave your bedroom naked?” he snapped. “Does
it make you feel good to have men staring at your naked body? Is that why
you do it?”
“No.”
Yaro grabbed me by the shoulder, opened his bedroom door, and shoved
me out. “Don’t make the mistake of fucking anyone under my roof, Daisy.
You and he will regret it. Now go back to your room and stay there unless
you have clothes on. And don’t you ever come back to my room naked
again, or I swear to God I’ll take the invitation.”
Yaro slammed the door in my face. I blinked, trying to process
everything he’d said. Did he think I wanted to sleep with anyone else? Was
that what made him so upset?
 Loud feminine laughter filtered through the door. An unpleasant feeling
tightened around my heart, making it difficult to breathe. Yaro liked that
woman. He didn’t want me anymore. The sooner I accepted that, the better
it would be for me to live here.
CHAPTER TEN
 YARO

T he man sitting across from me in my office was a suitable match for

Daisy in every way. He was in his late thirties, good looking, had ten years
of professional work under his belt, and an impressive travel history for
someone in his field of work. His background check had also come back
clean. He didn’t have so much as an unpaid ticket. On weekends, he
volunteered to teach wheelchair-bound children how to play basketball.
He was perfect. I couldn’t find a single flaw.
And I hated him with his too-honest face and Goody-Two-shoes
résumé.
“You’ve taught for ten years at a public school,” I said. “Why would
you want to leave that job security to work for me?”
Even as I asked, I knew the answer. It was the same reason I’d been
interviewing people for the past two days to find a teacher for Daisy. But
did he have the guts to say it?
“To be frank, I enjoy teaching. Whether it’s to a classroom for fifteen
kids or one, it doesn’t make a difference to me, since I’m making a
difference. I’ve tutored others one on one over the years, and I’m very
capable. And your remuneration package is attractive. This will give me a
chance to still earn while I take a much-needed break from the classroom.”
“So what I’m hearing is that you’re burned out in the classroom.”
“I wouldn’t say burned out. More like looking to slow down.”
“Are you committed to a longer term if the one-year trial period goes
well enough for you to continue?”
“Definitely.”
“You’ll be required to sign an NDA.”
 “I understand. You’re a private man.”
He answered every question I fired at him with control and thought.
Nothing I asked rattled him, and he was so damn pleasant about it.
I didn’t like him at all.
He was a handsome man with a nerdish charm from his glasses to his
buttoned-up look. I had a feeling Daisy would get along with him.
“Is there any question you would like to ask me?” I said.
He pressed his fingers of both hands together to form a tower. “Yes, I
do. What reading level is your ward, and how old is he? I would love to get
in touch with someone who had taught him before, if it’s possible, so I can
understand his educational history and design a program for him.”
“He is twenty years old, and I’m not sure about his reading level. He’s
never been schooled.”
“Never? And he’s twenty?”
Finally, something threw him off.
“Is that going to be a problem?”
“Not at all. It’s just unusual.”
“If you work for me, you may encounter unusual things. I’ll need you
not to comment on them.”
“Not to worry. I understand. That’s what the NDA is for, after all. If you
hire me to teach him, I’ll take the first week doing some diagnostic tests to
check his ability, and that should help immensely.”
He had a solid plan. I should hand him the job already.
“We’ll get in touch,” I said. “After we finish interviewing all applicants.
Andrei, show Mr. Vargas out for me, will you?”
“Thanks for the chance, Mr. Noskov.”
Andrei led the man from the office. I picked up the phone and instructed
one of the maids to send Daisy to my office. That none of the other
applicants had asked about Daisy’s reading level was telling for this man.
He would be good for Daisy, but thinking of him and Daisy in the same
room all day made me want to smash something.
Preferably Andrei’s face.
The bodyguard returned, and I bit my tongue. It’d been four days since I
saw him slipping into Daisy’s room, and every time I thought about it, I
wanted to fire him. Maybe nothing had happened between them. Daisy had
come to my bedroom that night after all, but I couldn’t get Daisy suggesting
a threesome with Andrei out of my mind. What stopped him from sleeping
with Andrei, then coming to me for his second round?
I’d been dying to ask Andrei whether he’d fucked my ward, but the
question would give him a false impression, and Yaroslav Noskov didn’t
get hard-pressed over anyone.
Seeing Andrei slip into his room had made me so upset I’d called
Camilla to entertain me. I would have felt better had I been able to fuck her.
But it was enough that Daisy had seen her. He should know his place—that
he meant nothing to me. I would have gotten rid of him already if I didn’t
need to give him an education before sending him off to the Falcons.
Hopefully, he wasn’t a slow learner so he could be out of here soon. I
didn’t need him sowing discord between Andrei and me, but glimpsing
them that night had a sense of déjà vu written all over it.
“Why didn’t you hire him?” Andrei sat across from me. “He’s perfect
for Daisy, and he was the last of the applicants. You disliked all the others.
All twenty-five of them.”
“The teacher I hire for him will be here often. I have to make sure it’s
someone I feel comfortable being around my house.”
“Or is this something more?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. You’re not yourself with Daisy. I can never tell what
you’re thinking.”
“That’s why they’re called thoughts. They’re not meant for you to
know.”
He sighed. “What’s the matter, Yaro? You have the hots for your ward
and won’t admit it?”
“You think I’d hide that I want to fuck him?” I glared at him. “He’s a
decent lay, so yeah, I’d fuck him again, but I’m not going to. Although I
could if I decided to, and it’s nobody’s damn business. He’s an adult.”
“And nothing is wrong with that, but it’ll be messy if you sleep with
him again. Stop being picky about his teacher and just hire the last one
already. You know he’s damn perfect. Or is it that you want to keep Daisy
ignorant so he doesn’t leave?”
“Then fine. Hire him. I don’t care who it is as long as someone is
teaching him.”
“You know you act like my nephew sometimes.”
“Isn’t your nephew two?”
 Andrei grinned. “Exactly. Throwing tantrums instead of expressing
what you really feel.”
“I can fire you, you know.”
“But you won’t. I’m the best damn bodyguard you’ll ever find to put up
with your shit. Admit it. You need me.”
“I also needed a root canal last year. Didn’t mean it wasn’t still
unpleasant. If your only purpose here is to be a pain in the ass, get out, or
I’ll shoot you right here.”
“No, don’t shoot him!” Daisy ran into the office—naked—and stopped
in front of my desk. “He’s the only one here who’s nice to me.”
I gritted my teeth. “Why are you naked?”
“The maid said I didn’t have time to put clothes on, that you needed me
now.”
“It wasn’t that urgent. Don’t go running around the house naked. How
many times must I tell you that?”
“Well, you’re never home, so you won’t know what I do or don’t do.”
He couldn’t be more wrong. Every single day, the camera showed him
in my garden, tending to the flowers as if I didn’t have a gardener. He wore
gloves, but no clothes.
“He’s got a point,” Andrei said.
Daisy beamed a smile over his shoulder. “Thanks for backing me,
Andrei.”
“My pleasure.”
Andrei stared at Daisy’s ass.
“What the hell are you looking at?” I growled. “Get out.”
Andrei got to his feet, laughing. If he only knew how close he was to
finding eternal rest.
“Sit,” I snapped when Andrei had left the room.
Daisy sat, not looking the least concerned he was naked, and glanced
around my office.
“This is where you spend all your time when you’re home. I hardly ever
see you.” He tucked his bottom lip between his teeth.
“Was there something you wanted? I’m sure a maid can handle it if you
ask.”
“They only make fun of me.”
“Who makes fun of you?”
He shook his head. “Never mind. What did you want to see me for?”
 I opened the bottom drawer of my desk and took out the children’s book
that had lain there for the past eighteen years. I’d always kept a kid’s book
in the drawer for whenever Chase would knock on the door. He would sit
on my desk, kicking his little legs while I read to him.
Daisy looked nothing like that little boy. His eyes were the same and his
energy too, but that was it.
I took the book out and placed it on the desk before me.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“It belonged to a little boy once. Open it.”
He ran his fingers over the cover, then opened the book. I waited for
some reaction to find his name on the inside. From my interrogation, he
must have figured out that his real name was Chase. He would know the
book once belonged to him, that he was more connected to me and this
place than he thought.
But nothing.
He flipped the next page and the next. “The pictures are so pretty.”
An uneasy feeling landed in my gut. Could it be that he hadn’t
recognized his real name?
“Read it for me,” I said.
I didn’t need to see the pictures. Eighteen years later, I still remembered
the rhymes from reading it to him so many times. It was his favorite book.
The Little Engine That Could. He would always make train noises as I read
to him.
“Read it?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He closed the book. “I don’t want to read.”
“Read the first page, Daisy.”
“Even if I don’t want to?”
“Yes.”
He opened the book again, his face sullen. He stared at the first page,
with his lips moving.
“Read it out loud.”
“I don’t want to.”
This was getting ridiculous.
“Come here and stand right next to me.”
He got to his feet, walked around my desk, and stood beside my chair.
Big mistake with him being naked and so close.
 “Give me the book.”
I took the book from him and turned to the first page. I pointed at the
first word.
“Let’s go. Read.”
He licked his lips, then pursed them. Didn’t he recognize the word the?
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
He shook his head.
I flipped the book to the title page and pointed at the name I’d written
there years ago.
“What’s this word?”
“Stop!” He covered his ears with his hands. “Please stop. I don’t know.
Nobody taught me how to read. Nobody taught me anything. I was always
all alone, and now that I’m here, I’m still all alone. Nobody tells me
anything.”
He burst into tears and staggered back.
“Daisy.” I caught his wrist, swiveled my chair, and caught him as he
crashed into my lap. Daisy wrapped an arm around my neck and clung to
me, sobbing his little heart out.
Fuck.
I hated hearing him cry.
Damn you, Polina.
No, damn me. I had sent him to that hellhole at two years old.
This was all my fault. He couldn’t even recognize his name. What had
they done to him?
“Don’t cry,” I whispered, stroking his bare back. “It’s nothing to be
ashamed of. No one taught you. I don’t blame you.”
Daisy sat up in my lap and wiped his red-rimmed eyes with the back of
his hands. The area around his nose was red, which made his freckles stand
out.
“Will you teach me?” he asked.
“I can’t.” I didn’t know anything about teaching someone to read. “But I
hired someone today who will help you learn how to read and lots of other
stuff.”
Daisy sniffled. “You did?”
“Yes.”
He lowered his gaze and plucked at one of the buttons on my shirt.
“What is it?” I asked.
 He was starting to feel good in my lap. Now that he’d stopped crying,
my brain, the tiny one that ruled my cock, pointed out how nice his ass was
nestled in my groin. With him naked, a minor adjustment was all that was
needed for me to slide my cock inside his tight hole.
Fuck. My cock grew hard. Did he notice?
“I’m scared,” he said.
“Of what?”
“Learning. I know I’m behind by a lot. What if I can’t learn well? What
if I never catch up?”
“You’re looking at this wrong. You’re not learning to catch up with
anyone. You’re learning to gain knowledge so you can make better
decisions in the future. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
And if my brain, the real one, was melting from heartfelt words that
hadn’t left my lips in years, I ignored it. Something about this boy made me
want to cheer him up. Maybe it was knowing I was responsible for the way
he’d turned out.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “Yaro, I still don’t know much about what
a Daddy means, but I’m pretty sure you’re the best in the world.”
For him to make such a statement, he really had no idea.
He wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me.
His mother was the last woman I’d kissed. I hadn’t done it in eighteen
years, but here he was with his lips plastered to mine.
He even kissed weirdly.
But it was the sweetest kiss.
I gripped his chin. “Close your eyes.”
His eyelids drifted shut. I tightened my grip on his hips and kissed his
lips apart. I flicked my tongue inside his mouth, and he gasped, tightening
his hand on my neck.
With a groan, I thrust up against his ass and deepened the kiss. His need
overcame his shyness, and he snuck his tongue into my mouth. He was a
fast learner.
Daisy reached for the top button of my shirt, slipped it out of the hole,
then the next. He was halfway through his task when common sense hit me
like a rock in the head.
My shirt never came off around others.
I ended the kiss and rose to set him on his feet, but Daisy twined his
legs around my waist and kissed me again.
 “Yaro,” he moaned. “Will you fuck me like you did that day? No one
else makes me feel good the way you do.”
I stiffened. Was Andrei one of those he hinted at?
“Daisy, get down.”
“Huh? Where do you want me? On your desk?”
“I want you to get out.”
“But why? Didn’t you like it? The way we kissed.”
“I’m your guardian. I won’t fuck you. Now get off me.”
“But you’re not my dad. We aren’t related, so what does it matter?”
Except this whole mess came about because I wasn’t his dad. I peeled
him off me and set him on his feet.
“That can’t happen again. Like I said, I hired a teacher for you. We need
to make you presentable for him. I’ll have Camilla take you shopping and
to the salon.”
“I don’t want to cut my hair.”
I sucked in a deep breath as an image flashed through my mind of
Chase hiding behind my legs so he didn’t have to go to the salon with
Olive.
“You don’t have to.”
But his mother had insisted that if he didn’t get it trimmed, he had to
take care of his hair. She’d had a whole regime for her hair, and the
products she used were different. A salon would be able to help him with
that.
“Who’s Camilla?” he asked.
“You met her. The woman who was here the other night. She’ll be here
tomorrow around ten. Ensure you get some decent clothes. This running
around naked has got to stop.”
Without a word, Daisy slipped out of the room. He had a handprint on
his ass where I must have gripped him too tightly while kissing him.
Oh fuck. I was in trouble.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
 DAISY

“A nd we ’ re done .”
The hairstylist spun my chair around. I inhaled deeply, then slowly
opened my eyes and took the first peek at myself. My unruly curls were all
gone. Instead, straight hair cascaded down my shoulders and back. They’d
snuck blond highlights in there, which I didn’t mind, but the new hairdo I’d
let Yaro’s girlfriend talk me into made me uneasy.
I looked weird.
I wanted my curls back.
“Well, what do you think?” Camilla combed her perfectly manicured
nails through my hair.
“I don’t know.”
In truth, I was struggling not to cry and make a damn fool of myself. It
was just hair, but it was my hair, and I preferred it the way it was before.
This style was too flat and didn’t fit my face at all.
“Trust me, sweetie,” Camilla said. “You look fabulous. Doesn’t he,
Richie?”
Richie was the hairstylist who had tried convincing me that I should cut
my hair and he would give me a nice, short style. I’d refused vehemently,
climbing out of the chair until he’d agreed not to touch the length.
“He looks great,” Richie said. “You come back regularly, honey, and
we’ll keep you looking awesome.”
I’m never coming back.
“Although I still think cutting it much shorter would have fit better,”
Camilla said. “A man’s hair shouldn’t be this long.”
 “Yaro agreed to no cutting.” I slid out of the chair and removed the cape
from around my shoulders. “Thank you. I think this is enough.”
I rushed out of the hair salon, needing fresh air. My hair felt weird,
rustling around my shoulders—too light. Why did I let her talk me into
this?
“Yaro likes my hair just like this. He loves running his fingers through
the strands when we’re in bed.”
I’d let her words influence my decision and caved in. Yaro seemed to
prefer her to me, so why not try to be more like her? She dressed so well,
while I looked like a pauper’s son.
“Daisy, what’s wrong?” Andrei asked. Yaro had insisted he accompany
us today for protection, although I had no idea what we needed protection
from.
When I’d asked, Camilla had said Yaro was a special man and that
many people might want to harm him. I’d pointed out that Yaro wasn’t
coming with us, to which she’d smiled and said she was. So Yaro wanted to
protect her.
I swiped the tear streaking down my cheek and sniffled. “Nothing. I’m
fine.”
“You don’t seem fine.” He tipped my chin. “What did you do to your
hair?”
“You hate it?”
“No, no, I don’t hate it. It’s just… different.”
I fingered the strands that tumbled down my shoulders. “A good
different? Yaro’s going to hate it, won’t he?”
“He won’t. Besides, you shouldn’t be changing yourself because of
Yaro. Get the things you love for you.” He took a lock of hair and rubbed it
between his fingers. “Truly, your hair still looks wonderful.”
But I wasn’t convinced he wasn’t just being polite. Camilla walked out
of the salon, and Andrei stepped back.
“Honestly, Daisy,” she said on a huff. “Could you be any ruder? Richie
did such a good job on your hair. You’re lucky we didn’t shave you bald,
and what do you do? Storm out instead of being grateful.”
She was right. She might have talked me into getting this hairstyle I still
wasn’t sure wasn’t terrible, but she’d agreed to take me here. I could at least
be thankful for that.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. Thank you for bringing me.”
 “Well, as Yaro’s girlfriend, I have to take care of his little ward until you
can help yourself. It’s good practice because one day you’ll be on your own
and Yaro and I may have a child of our own.”
How weird was it to be jealous of someone who could give Yaro
babies? I sulked and shifted closer to Andrei.
“Should we go shopping for clothes now?” He patted my shoulder.
I nodded. Maybe buying new clothes would make me forget about my
hair. I didn’t have much faith, though. I didn’t even want to wear clothes in
the first place. Since Yaro insisted, I would have to choose ones he would
like.
And I had just the things in mind.
Although Andrei hadn’t joined us in the salon, he was right with us in
the clothes store. I headed for the section where a mannequin had a colorful
top on. I loved the peach color.
“Oh dear, you can be such a goofball.” Camilla slipped her arm through
mine. “This is the women’s section. We need to take you to the men’s.
Hmm, maybe even the kiddy’s section. You’re awfully thin. I’d be jealous
of your figure if I didn’t know that Yaro loves a full-figured woman.”
“He does?”
She giggled and jiggled her boobs right under my nose. “Yes, he does.
Who can refuse these?”
Heart sinking, I trailed after her, allowing her to pick out my clothes.
One by one jeans, polo shirts, T-shirts, and boxers piled up in my arms.
Nothing she chose for me was appealing. I hated everything. The material
of the jeans she made me try was too rough, but when I complained, she
reprimanded me.
“And you going around naked makes you look desperate. You’re not a
baby, so quit acting like one. I’m going to grab up a few items I want. Take
a look at the shoes and choose the ones you like.”
Checking out shoes was boring. I found a pair that was comfortable
enough, but I quickly lost interest. I checked that Camilla wasn’t close by,
then slipped away to the women’s section, leaving the rest of the clothes on
a comfortable looking chair that looked more suitable for someone’s living
room.
This was much better.
I grabbed several colorful tops I liked, some shorts made of a soft
material, and stretchy tights. I crammed the lacy underwear beneath some
clothes to hide them from prying eyes.
On my way back to the shoe section, I passed a slender mannequin in a
skintight tan-colored dress. Would that be too much?
“Do you like it?” A smiling middle-aged woman approached me.
“Yes, but I don’t think it’s for me.”
“Nonsense. I’m sure we could find one in your size. Why don’t you try
it? Then you can decide if you like it or not.”
“Thank you. Are you sure I can?”
“Of course, honey. With your slender figure, you can pull this dress
off.”
“But I don’t have any…” I gestured to my chest.
She laughed. “Not everyone has watermelon-sized knockers, honey.
Besides what you lack in the front, you make up for in the back.”
She winked at me, setting my mind at ease. She found the dress and
brought me to the dressing room. I quickly stripped out of my clothes and
slipped the dress on. The material was tight on my body but stretchy so it
didn’t feel like I couldn’t breathe. My flat chest looked a bit lacking, but
when I spun around to check out the back, it reminded me of the way Yaro
had palmed my ass when he was fucking me. Or how he’d grabbed my butt
cheek in the office when he was kissing me back.
I snickered, heat filling my face.
I had to buy this dress.
“How’s it, honey?” the woman asked. “Come on out.”
“I love it.”
I stepped out of the changing room. Shit, she wasn’t alone. Camilla and
Andrei stood on either side of her.
“Daisy, it’s time to cash out,” Camilla said. “Take that ridiculous dress
off and come along. I have a lunch date with Yaro, and I don’t want to miss
it.”
The woman frowned. “Honey, I think you look nice.”
“Honestly, Daisy, are you going to listen to her or me? She gets paid
extra for every item she sells. She’d tell you that it looks good on you even
if it was a paper bag. Go take it off.”
A mix of embarrassment and shame rolled through me, and I avoided
making eye contact with Andrei. I didn’t want to see ridicule in them. I
shouldn’t have let that woman talk me into trying on this dress. Again I’d
trusted someone, and they’d only abused that trust.
 I returned to the dressing room, quickly changed into my shorts and T-
shirt, and walked out.
“I still think it looked great on you.” The woman took the dress from
me. “And that’s not the commission talking.”
But how could I trust her?
Camilla ushered me to the cash register, then sorted through the clothes.
When she held up the transparent underwear, I froze. Laughing, she turned
to the cashier and told her it was all a joke. Humiliated, I watched
helplessly as she ran the credit card Yaro had given her. I still had the
money Yaro had taken from my landlord. I could buy all the items she’d
removed, but the cashier already looked uncomfortable, and I didn’t want to
cause a scene.
“Camilla.” Andrei came up to us. “Why don’t you get Daisy a donut
from the pastry shop next door, and I’ll load the bags into the car?”
She shrugged. “Sounds good. He could do with a little sugar to put
some fat on his bones.” She pinched my arm, and I gritted my teeth not to
cry out from how hard she squeezed. An ugly red mark was already
forming. “Come on, Daisy. I’ll let you have an extra donut, maybe some ice
cream too.”
I didn’t know what to make of Camilla. Sometimes I caught her looking
at me with an unpleasant expression, as if she was contemplating how to get
rid of me. But now she bought me three deliciously topped donuts,
macaroons, and a pistachio ice cream in a sugar cone. She didn’t even seem
to mind when I got ice cream on her top.
“So, what’s your story?” she asked as we walked out of the pastry shop.
“Yaro wouldn’t tell me much about you.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Yaro has all the answers.”
“Do you enjoy staying with him?”
“It’s okay. I’m comfortable and eat well, even though I eat alone.”
“I’ve been with Yaro for fifteen months,” she said. “He’s broody and
mysterious, but he’s good in bed.”
Good wasn’t the correct adjective for what Yaro was like in bed, but I
couldn’t tell her that. Yaro had cheated on this woman with me. A part of
me felt disappointed he would do something like that. Another part was
guilty. I’d slept with this woman’s man. But the greatest part of me still
wanted to do it again.
Because you have no shame, Sparkie whispered in my ear.
 I do, but I really like Yaro!
“Yaro and I will get married.” Camilla snapped me out of my mental
conversation. “It’ll happen any day now, but don’t worry. We’ll still have
you live with us when we do.”
I remained silent, mechanically licking my ice cream cone that had lost
the sweet flavor I’d loved just a second ago. Bitterness coated my tongue
with each swipe, but I couldn’t let her know how much her words affected
me.
“Are you ready to go home now?” Andrei asked when we arrived at the
car. “Or do we need to stop elsewhere?”
“Home,” Camilla said. “I have a lunch date with Yaro to get to.”
I gritted my teeth at the way she always added Yaro’s name to the
conversation. If she mentioned him once more, I just might blurt out that
Yaro had kissed me yesterday in his office. Would that get rid of her? I
almost did it, but every time I thought about Yaro’s anger, I swallowed back
the words.
“We’re here.” Andrei parked the car. I hopped out, forcing myself to
remain instead of running off inside the house to put as much distance
between me and Camilla as possible. If only I could close the front door
behind me and lock her out.
“What are you sulking about?” Andrei grabbed a few bags from the
trunk. I took up the rest.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t read too much into anything Camilla says. Yaro is the only one
you should listen to.”
“But he barely says anything to me.”
“When he does, listen.”
I was still trying to figure out what he meant when we entered the
house, Camilla trailing after us. Yaro met us in the foyer, his unsmiling face
as attractive as ever. I tilted my head to the side so my hair fell over my
shoulders. Would he like my new hairdo?
“Darling!” Camilla pushed past me and threw herself into Yaro’s arms.
“Did you miss me?”
Yaro swept his gaze over me, and I held my breath. But he didn’t say
anything and took Camilla’s hand. “Let’s go somewhere private.”
She giggled and trotted beside him. “Yaro, you don’t have to be so
eager.”
 A lump formed in my throat. I swallowed it down and headed for the
stairs. Yaro’s reaction was telling. What more did I need from him? He
might have kissed me back yesterday, but he would always choose Camilla.
He was the one who sent me to the salon and to get clothes, yet he didn’t
even show the slightest interest.
Andrei followed me up the stairs to my bedroom. He dumped my bags
on the bed beside the ones I’d carried up. I yanked open the drawer of the
bedside table and took a scrunchie out to put my hair into a ponytail.
“I’m going,” Andrei said. “You might want to take a look at this one.”
He pointed at one of the shopping bags, winked, then left.
What did he mean? I grabbed the bag and shook it out. The lingerie
Camilla had made me put back and the little tan-colored dress fell onto the
bed. How did they get here? I’d been with Camilla, and she’d definitely
pushed them to one side when she purchased the clothes for me.
Andrei.
He’d done this.
I smiled, clutching the dress to my chest. At least one person in this
house cared about me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
 YARO

“Y ou were right to have us use a decoy. The shipment arrived safely.”

Andrei’s words should have comforted me as we walked through the
French doors leading to the gardens and the poolside. The Falcons had
intercepted another shipment, but this time it was our decoy. This trick
wouldn’t always work, though. Once they realized they’d been set up, they
would double down on their efforts to undermine my smuggling business.
“I’ll have my inside man organize another meeting with members of the
Falcons.”
“Think that will work?”
“I doubt it, but I like to give a man a friendly warning before I strike.
After all, they were my in-laws. They’re still Daisy’s family.”
“Have you thought of telling him the truth?”
“Yes, why don’t I go to him right now and tell him the news of how I
killed his parents?”
“If you honestly believe he’ll turn on you, why is he here? Why are you
investing in him?”
“It’s the right thing to do.”
Andrei scoffed. “When have you ever cared about the right thing to
do?”
“He was only two years old when I sent him away and changed his life
forever. I may be a bastard, Andrei, but there are limits.”
Even if mine had presented itself eighteen years too late.
“If it helps, I think you’re doing the right thing. Daisy’s good people.”
Why was he so concerned about my ward?
“His first class starts now, and he’s late.”
 “Don’t be too harsh on him. He—”
“Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do with him. Daisy’s none of
your concern, Andrei.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself. Shouldn’t you get back to Camilla?”
I probably should. Camilla had shown up out of the blue an hour ago. I
would have had her escorted out except for the kindness she’d shown Daisy
in taking him shopping. She might have ruined his hair, which we’d argued
about, but she hadn’t done it spitefully. I’d explicitly told her not to alter his
hair in any way besides the bare necessities, but she’d said Daisy insisted
that he wanted something different.
The new style looked good on him, but I missed his wild, riotous curls.
I sighed. “Take her with you. Settle her with a decent sum and let her
know not to come here again. I no longer need her service.”
“That’s cold.”
But he should be used to this by now. Every one of my “relationships”
ended this way. Camilla had lasted the longest, but what good was she to
me when she couldn’t get my dick hard anymore? Sooner or later, I would
have to explain why we hadn’t had sex in weeks. Ever since I got a taste of
Daisy.
Laughter pealed out in the sunny morning. When was the last time I’d
heard genuine laughter in this house? I walked toward the sound that had
converted into giggles and rounded the stone wall. The garden was an oasis
of vivid colors from the variety of flowers planted. Sugar maple trees
created a canopy, attracting butterflies that Daisy seemed to have found. Or
had they found him?
Oblivious to the spectacle he was causing, he cavorted with the
butterflies, catching and releasing them. For once, he wasn’t naked, but the
skimpy black thong he wore left nothing to the imagination. His butt cheeks
bounced around with each prance, the lace material hanging on for dear life.
In the morning breeze, his straightened hair streamed around him. He
looked lovely, so at peace and carefree. He had no home of his own, no job
nor prospects to find one. He had no education to fall back on, yet he could
be happy while I had the world and an ulcer to go with it.
“Daisy! Is that you?”
Camilla teetered toward Daisy in five-inch heels. She must have taken
another way into the garden so we didn’t run into her.
“Sparkie and I are playing with the butterflies.” Daisy’s smile dimmed.
 “Sparkie?”
“He’s my imaginary unicorn friend.”
“Aren’t you pitiful? That’s the best you can do for a friend.”
Daisy clutched his hands in front of him and lowered his gaze. “It’s not
my fault I couldn’t have friends. Are you leaving?”
“Leaving? I just got here. Yaro and I still have plenty to do. I might
spend the night.”
“Oh. I wanted to ask him something but…”
“What is it? I can ask him for you. Yaro’s partial to me, you know.”
“For him to have dinner with me in the evenings. I hate eating alone and
not having anyone to talk to.”
He wanted us to have dinner together?
“Well, Yaro is a busy man. He already gives you everything you want.
You can’t manipulate his time too.”
“But it’s not a lot. Just an hour.”
“If you want company so badly, why don’t you eat with the servants?
That’s more fitting anyway.”
“I tried, but nobody wants to eat with me. They all make fun of me, but
I don’t want to tell Yaro because he’ll fire them, and I don’t want them to
lose their jobs.”
My staff bullied him? I clenched my fists; hot, blinding rage snowballed
inside me.
“Don’t be silly. Yaro wouldn’t fire someone from his staff because of
you.”
She was right. I wouldn’t just fire someone.
“Fire them all,” I said quietly.
“Maybe talk to them, and they’ll—”
I cut Andrei with a glare. “All of them must go. I don’t care how much
it costs to replace them. Do it.”
“You’re killing me, Yaro. Do you know that?”
But Daisy was talking again, so I tuned him out.
“Well, he did beat up the landlord who cheated me, so I think he would.
Yaro…cares about me.”
Camilla laughed, the sound icy and empty, unlike Daisy’s a moment
ago.
“You think Yaro cares about you?”
“I know he does.”
 “You’re a naïve boy desperately trying to get his attention. Always
parading in front of Yaro naked. Let me tell you something, Chase, Yaro
doesn’t care about anyone but Yaro.”
My blood boiled, although it shouldn’t. She was right. Even Daisy being
here was about my self-interest. I just wasn’t sure which motivated me most
right now. Wanting to sleep with him every time I saw him or using him to
get the Falcons off my back.
“It’s Daisy.”
“Daisy’s a stupid name. It’s not cute. Your name is Chase, and you, of
all people, should hate Yaro for the heartless bastard he is.”
“He’s not a heartless bastard! He’s kind and good.”
“Don’t make me laugh. Was he kind and good when he shipped you off
to live in a godforsaken place where they raised you like a wild animal?”
“I’m sure Yaro had his reasons.”
“He did. He’s a cruel tyrant who must have things go his way. Why do
you think you’re here after eighteen years? Because he cares about you?”
I should have made my presence known and thrown Camilla out, but
something held me back. Daisy’s response to her harsh criticism. She was
right, didn’t tell a lie, but Daisy refused to believe any of it.
Why was he so optimistic after all he’d been through? He knew I killed
Polina and Joe.
“I don’t know, but I trust him.” Daisy crossed his arms and raised his
chin, his stance defiant as he squared off with the woman my servants
feared. It was why I’d kept her around for this long. She had a backbone.
She was ambitious and devious. Someone like me deserved someone like
her. I had even contemplated marrying her, since we seemed compatible.
Until Daisy.
“Yaro’s kind,” he snapped. “He took care of me when nobody else did.
He defended me when people cheated me. K-killed for me when people
abused me. You can call me an animal or anything else you want, but don’t
talk bad about him. I thought you loved him, but you don’t deserve him!”
“And you do? You think I don’t know what you’ve been trying to do all
this time? From the moment you showed up in his bedroom naked, I pegged
you for a whore.”
Andrei moved around me, his intent clear, but I caught his arm and
shook my head. Daisy wasn’t his concern, and that he even thought to step
up annoyed me.
 “Leave.”
“I thought you wanted me to throw her out.”
“It’ll be my pleasure to do it.”
His footsteps thudded behind me as he walked away.
“If you felt that way about me, why did you take me shopping?” Daisy
asked.
“To cozy up to Yaro, of course. Since you showed up, he’s been
distracted.”
“That’s because he’s probably already in love with me now instead of
you.”
I sucked in a deep breath, and my heart beat fast. Was that what he truly
believed? Or was he goading Camilla?
“Will you still be so infatuated with him when you find out what he did
to your parents?”
“What?”
She laughed. “That’s right. You don’t know. If it wasn’t so terrible, why
is he hiding it from you?”
“Yaro will tell me when he’s ready. Nothing you can say will make me
not like him. And by the way, he must not be satisfied with you because he
slept with me!”
Emotions warred inside me. Anger at Camilla for the way she tried to
tear Daisy down. But more so shock that Daisy could be so frank and
deliberately cruel. He must have known Camilla wouldn’t respond well to
those words.
“You shameless bitch!” Camilla smacked Daisy across his face.
“How dare you!” The words flew from me as I stepped out of my hiding
spot behind the stone column.
Daisy smacked her back hard.
Camilla clutched her cheek. “Yaro, did you see what he just did? All
I’ve ever done is be nice to him, and he slapped me.”
Daisy’s face was red, and he had his hands clenched into fists. “You hit
me first.”
“Don’t you know not to hit a woman!” Camilla ran toward me and
threw herself at my chest.
“Why not?” Daisy cried, his eyes flashing. “I won’t let anyone hit me
anymore. I will not!”
 Goddammit, but he made me feel proud. I caught a clump of Camilla’s
hair in my hand and twined it around my fist until she screamed and
grabbed my wrist.
“Yaro, that hurts!”
I lowered my lips to her ear and whispered so Daisy couldn’t hear, “But
not as much as it will when I slit your throat and give your head to him to
make him happy. If you ever hit him again, I’ll personally dig your grave.
After I have you beaten to death.”
“Y-you would do that to me after all we’ve been to each other? You
would treat a woman like that because of him?”
I stared at Daisy. His anger hadn’t dissipated. In fact, him watching me
with Camilla seemed to only be making him angrier.
“I ruined his life once. This is my chance to undo the damage I did.
When it comes to him, I don’t care who, only that you’ve offended him.”
“And you’ll be so harsh to kill me for just a slap? Isn’t that extreme?”
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“You have twenty-four hours to get out of this town. No, to get out of
this state. It’s your only warning, Camilla. For old times. If I get wind of
you in Ohio, I’ll come for you. Consider this my restraining order.”
I released her hair. With a sob, she sprang away from me and ran on
unsteady legs toward the side doors.
“Daisy, I—”
“She doesn’t deserve you!” he cried. “She said all those awful things
about you and made me angry.” He raised his chin in defiance. “You can
beat me all you want. I’ll even let you, but I won’t regret a single thing I
said to her or slapping her back.”
My throat closed up at the passion behind his words. When had he
developed such a devotion to me? No, I couldn’t have that. Devotion was
never genuine. Hadn’t he been entertaining Andrei in his room a few days
ago?
“Now I’m without a woman to fill my bed.”
“Better a lonely bed than her!” He bridged the gap between us and
grabbed my shirt. “Oh, Yaro, don’t take her back because your bed is
lonely. Let me take her place. You must know I like you. I won’t say awful
things about you the way she did. You can trust me to stand by your side.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.
 I frowned. “You’ve got it wrong. Camilla and I were never close. To
me, she was just a hole.”
“Then let me be that hole. Whenever you want. However you want it.
I’ll never tell you no, Yaro.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Even if it hurts?”
“Even then.”
“And when you’re not in the mood?”
“I don’t think that’s possible. I’ve been waiting to do it again with you,
but even so, I still won’t tell you no. If you want my body, it’s yours.”
He looked up at me with big earnest eyes that pleaded with me to give
in to his demands. To give him a chance. All right, then, if he wanted to
sleep with the Yaro who didn’t give a damn about those who graced his bed,
then what better way to show him Camilla wasn’t wrong? What better way
to ruin his infatuation with a man who wasn’t?
“Come to me tonight,” I said.
“You mean that?”
“If you can’t satisfy me, I’ll get a new boy, and he’ll call me Daddy
while I fuck him right in front of you to show you how to do it right.”
He gasped. “I won’t let you down.”
“You understand I used to sleep with your mother?”
Daisy’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “I suspected you were…
married.”
“Yes.”
I waited for him to ask me questions, but none came. He’d meant it then
when he told Camilla he would wait for me to give him answers.
Foolish boy. Did he think I would love him? Sure, he made me feel
things I hadn’t in a while, but I wasn’t naïve. With him, I’d felt jealousy,
anger, and possessiveness. But those didn’t equate to love.
He would learn the hard way that his mother killed my ability to feel
more.
“Your teacher is here,” I said. “You’re late, for which I will punish you
later when you come to my room. Now go to the library and try hard.”
He nodded, his lips upturned in a crooked grin. “I will, Yaro!” He
sprinted off. “You’ll see! You’ll be proud of me!”
“And put some clothes on before you go to the library!”
The last thing I would want to do was blind Daisy’s teacher because of
Daisy’s lack of boundaries.
 I froze, then raised my hand and touched my lips, which were curved in
a small smile. I dropped my hand and frowned.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
 DAISY

I could have been a good student on my first day. I really could have, but
after the scene in the garden and Yaro agreeing to me taking Camilla’s
place, I could hardly concentrate on what my tutor said. Manuel had to call
my attention back to the whiteboard several times, but he was patient and
kind about it, so I rated him a ten.
Yaro had transformed a section of his library into a classroom for me.
He’d had a desk and chair and everything set up. I was now the proud
owner of a MacBook that Manuel said was expensive. Too bad I didn’t
know how to use it, so it sat on my desk untouched, still in its box while I
learned my letters.
To give him credit, Manuel hadn’t reacted when he found out how little
I knew. The first thing he taught me was how to form the letters to write my
name. Daisy. My penmanship was horrible, but when he said, ‘good job,’ I
wanted to try harder.
If only I could stop thinking about Yaro and what we would do tonight.
“Daisy, focus,” Manuel said.
I shot up in my seat. Instead of letters, I had drawn tiny hearts in my
notebook. “Sorry. I’m trying.”
“I know you are. Keep up the good work.”
Manuel had a nice smile. I felt bad for being distracted, so I forced
myself not to think about Yaro and work at copying the letters the exact
way he had written them. When I was done, Manuel came over to check my
work. I had a couple of letters turned the wrong way, so we corrected those.
“Every single word in the English vocabulary consists of some of those
letters,” he said. “And that’s why it’s important to know them.”
 He had me recite the letters in groups until I didn’t have to think too
hard anymore and they fell off my tongue from practiced repetition. He then
had me sing the alphabet as a song. That part and the games we played were
fun. I had to keep a spaceship flying in space by identifying the correct
letters.
“You’re doing amazing,” Manuel said. “You deserve a star.”
He had made a sticker chart for me, which had never interested me
before the first star went up.
“Am I really doing well, Manuel?”
“Yes, I can tell you’ll be a fast learner, but don’t worry about it. I’m
here to help you. Want to take a five-minute break?”
“Yes, please!” I shot to my feet and ran out of the library to Yaro’s
office, but he was gone.
Sulking, I rushed off to the kitchen to grab a cookie. This morning, I’d
run out to the gardens to feel the sunshine on my naked body like I did with
Sparkie every morning back on the estate, but then I got distracted by the
swarm of butterflies. Yaro’s ex had startled me and provoked me into an
argument. I’d never stuck up for myself that way before, but all those mean
things she’d said about Yaro had made me too angry to stay quiet.
When I stepped into the kitchen, no servants were whispering behind
their hands. How strange. Since I arrived, at least four servants had been at
the house. Someone was always in the kitchen.
Today’s my lucky day, then!
I grabbed a plate and loaded it with cookies. Clutching two bottles of
water in my hand, I hurried back to the library. Hopefully, Manuel wouldn’t
be upset that I was late, since I’d brought him a snack as well.
“I was just about to search for you,” he said when I entered.
I grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. I missed breakfast, so I made a stop in the
kitchen. See, I brought you some cookies too. They’re chocolate chips, and
they’re so good. Andrei says I might get cavities from eating so many. I ate
so many my tummy ached last night. I must not have learned my lesson
well.”
Manuel laughed. “Eat less this time, and you should be fine. Quickly eat
them so we can jump into numeracy.”
“What’s that?” I took my seat and placed the plate with cookies and the
bottles of water on the desk.
Manuel snagged a cookie. “It’s learning your numbers.”
 “Does that mean I’ll be able to understand money?”
“Exactly.”
“Then I want to learn.”
“You have a good attitude to learning, Daisy, and that will help you go
far.”
After we demolished the cookies, he taught me numbers. The numbers
were more interesting than the letters. When I was finished, he approved
my work.
“You were late, but you’ve actually completed the tasks ahead of our
scheduled time.” He sounded pleased, which made me feel better about
learning to read and write at my age. “Why don’t we work on your speaking
and listening skills?”
“Umm, okay. Actually, I would like to ask you a few questions.”
I wouldn’t dare to ask anyone else, and he was my teacher. It was his
duty to teach me everything.
“Shoot.” Manuel perched his ass on my desk. “What do you want to
know?”
I bit my bottom lip. Would I get into trouble for asking him?
“You’re my teacher, right?” I said. “I can ask you to teach me stuff.”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“Is it supposed to be weird having sex with someone who’s a lot older
than you are?”
“Ah.” He blinked, his brows furrowed as if he wasn’t certain of the
answer.
“It’s okay if you don’t know.”
“It’s not that. I’m just not sure Mr. Noskov meant for me to teach you
about these things. But come to think of it, if you were at a physical school,
you’d learn about sex, so why not?”
“So you’ll answer my questions?”
“If I can. Regarding your question, it depends.” He explained to me
what the age of consent was and the laws relevant to our state. “Even if it is
legal to have sex with someone, too wide an age gap may cause an
unfavorable reaction from others.”
“Like how much older?”
“It’s all subjective.”
“And what do you think?”
 “I think if people are of the age to consent and show maturity in being
able to handle such a relationship, then it’s fine. In some cases, it might be
harder to judge if the older person has some influence on the younger
person’s life.”
“Oh.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Like a guardian and a ward?”
“Well, yeah. That might be a bit taboo for some, but again consent is
integral in any sexual relationship. It’s important for you to know that you
can say no. No one is supposed to coerce, bribe, or force you to have sex
with them. That’s illegal.”
“What if—you like it?”
“Excuse me?”
“What if you like being coerced and forced?”
“I see.”
“Well?”
“It boils down to consent again. If you consent to the idea of being
coerced and forced by that person, then it’s okay. Only if both parties agree,
and it’s important for that agreement to be made when you’re both
levelheaded and not in the heat of the moment.”
Holy crap, was there a lot to learn about sex! Apparently, the physical
act was just a small part of it. Manuel taught me about using safewords,
especially when engaging in nonconsensual sexual relationships, and how
to protect myself from STDs.
“But what if I want to have sex without a condom?”
“Then you’d better have a talk with your partner and you both get
tested. While you’re at it, ask your doctor about PrEp.”
“Okay.” I nodded slowly while processing the information.
“Having an open and honest talk with your partner about sex will also
help a great deal. You can always change your mind about anything, and
they should be willing to listen.”
“I won’t change my mind about him.”
“I see. Was that all you wanted to know?” He checked his watch.
“There’s one more thing.”
“Tell me.”
“Will you tell me everything you know about Daddy kink?”
“Why? Are you interested in that kind of relationship?”
I nodded. “But I don’t know much about it.”
 “So when it comes to kink, each couple has to decide how to express it
in a way that feels authentic and natural to them. Sure, there are some
guidelines, but ultimately anything can be modified if it doesn’t suit you
and your partner.”
“Okay. Tell me more.” I propped my elbows up on the table with my
chin in my hands.
“The basis of a Daddy/boy relationship is having one that’s rooted in
care, love, and guidance.”
But Yaro doesn’t love me.
“What if there’s no love?”
He frowned. “There are different types of love. In my opinion, both
people should care about each other to the extent they are interested in the
other’s well-being. This sort of relationship is most effective when the
parties communicate well.”
Manuel talked about certain rules that may exist in the relationship. The
more he explained about the dynamic, the more I wanted to experience it
with Yaro. He was already taking care of me.
“And the sex?” I asked. “How does it work in that relationship?”
“Again, having sex with your Daddy will be dependent on what you
both want.”
“Just what the hell is this?”
I jerked in my chair and swung my head around. Andrei marched into
the library, his face set in stone. Manuel hopped off my desk and took
several steps back.
“It’s not what it looks like,” he said.
“You’re supposed to be teaching him how to read and write,” Andrei
snapped.
“He had questions,” Manuel said. “As his teacher, I was answering
them.”
“It’s true.” I rushed to my feet while Manuel crammed his tablet, laptop,
and books into his bag. “I just wanted to know more.”
After all, didn’t Yaro threaten to force me to watch him having sex with
someone else if I didn’t please him? I needed Yaro to enjoy our sex the way
I did.
“It’s not his place to talk to you about these things,” Andrei said. “If it
had been Yaro instead of me, your teacher’s head would be rolling around
on the floor.”
 “No head rolling necessary.” Manuel shut his briefcase with a click.
“I’ll leave now. Daisy, I’ll see you in the morning. I’ve left some videos for
you to watch.”
Manuel’s shoes clipped on the tiles as he walked out of the library with
a wave over his shoulder.
“What were you thinking?” Andrei said when we were alone. “Do you
know the deep shit you both would be in right now if Yaro was the one who
showed up?”
“I was asking him questions. What’s wrong with that?”
“Answer me this. Did you or did you not agree to sleep with Yaro?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s what’s wrong with this picture. You don’t get it, do you,
Daisy? Yaro isn’t an easy man to be with. I feel almost sorry for you.”
I frowned and crossed my arms. “Why is everyone making him out to
be a monster?”
“I’ve been working for Yaro for over eighteen years, Daisy, and he still
doesn’t trust me.”
“That’s not true. You’re practically together all the time. How can he
not trust you?”
“Exactly. Sooner or later, you’ll realize what you’ve done. In the
meantime, if you have questions, you ask me or Yaro. That man is just here
to tutor you. If you’re with Yaro, he won’t even want you to breathe the
same air as the rest of us.”
I licked my dry lips, waiting for Andrei to laugh and tell me this was all
a prank, but he looked concerned. Could it be that I had the wrong idea of
Yaro?
“Why did you come?” I asked. “Yaro isn’t here.”
“I’m here to wait on the new maids the temp agency is sending over.”
“New maids?”
“Yaro fired everyone this morning.”
I gasped. “Why would he do that?”
“For you.”
“For me?”
“Yes, he found out they were being unkind to you.”
What sort of man fired his entire staff because a few treated me badly?
Wasn’t that extreme?
 “That silly smile on your face is going to be to your detriment, Daisy.
You have no idea what you’re inviting into your life.”
Too bad I didn’t know what detriment meant.
I’ll just pretend it’s something good, even though Andrei’s tone suggests
otherwise.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
 YARO

“W ho would have thought ?” My half brother, Semion Voinov, stepped

into the living room, wearing nothing but a pair of gray boxers, looking
amused. “The great Yaroslav Noskov is afraid to go home because of a little
boy.”
I scowled and gritted my teeth. “I’m sorry I told you.”
“You had to, or I wouldn’t have let you stay. It’s already two in the
fucking morning, and you’re getting plastered on my couch. Did you miss
the part where we’re supposed to be enemies?”
I ignored his nonsense. He was the only one I allowed to get close. How
could we be enemies? Even if my dad was serving life in prison for killing
his dad.
“I guess he should be asleep now, so I can go home.”
“And what are you going to do tomorrow?”
“I wish I had the answer.”
“You do. You worry too much, Yaro. Fuck the boy out of your system.
Fuck knows that’s what I’m going to do to mine tonight.”
I rose to my feet and shook my head. “And how’s that working out for
you? You have your wife and the boy playing your mistress living under the
same roof.”
Sem frowned. “I must not have fucked him enough. He’s wreaking
havoc with my family. And I let him.”
“You spoil him. How the fuck did you get him a retrial and for them to
find him not guilty?”
“Damn near cost me half of my fortune.”
“And was it worth it?”
 “That remains to be seen. My Cam isn’t like anyone I’ve met.”
“You mean he’s a little psychopath.”
He sighed. “That he is, brother. That he is.”
“You love him?”
“What do men like us know about love? We’ve both been betrayed so
many times and have seen how fucked up loving someone is.”
“It was just one fuck.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I haven’t even
spent time getting to know him. How can he affect me this way?”
“Sounds like quite the lay you had. Your first time with a man?”
“First time fucking one. I’ve gotten BJs in the past.”
“They say we never forget first times. Cam was my first too, and as you
can see, he’s brazen in front of my wife, my kids hate my guts, he bosses
my staff around and spends my money recklessly.”
Sem chuckled, obviously not bothered by the obnoxious boy he’d
moved in to live with him and his wife a month ago.
“It’s not sex that’s the worst part. He has this hero worship for what he
thinks I am. He tore into Camilla today for badmouthing me. He was
brilliant. It’s not often I hear someone defend me like that.”
“Sounds interesting. Can’t wait to meet him.”
“You won’t!” announced a newcomer.
A pretty, petite redheaded boy walked in wearing a short silk wrap.
“Cam, you should be in bed.” Sem’s reaction was instant. He forgot
about me and went to his boy toy, who would be his doom one day. I could
sense it.
“I got tired of waiting for you to come back.” Cam pouted. “And now I
know why. It’s been only a month since I’ve lived here, but you’re already
planning to meet another slut.”
“You misunderstand. He’s Yaro’s.”
“And you want to share him? Over my dead body, Semion Voinov. I’ll
kill you first before that happens!”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Hah! You’re cheating on your wife with me. Who’s to say you won’t
do the same thing to me?”
“Cam, don’t be like this.”
“Hmph!” He tugged his arm away from Sem’s and flounced off,
swinging his hips. “Don’t bother coming back to my bed tonight! If you
need sex, go to your wife.”
 I waited for Sem to react. Was he going to let the boy talk to him like
that? Sem grinned. “As you can see, Yaro, I need to go calm down the
gigantic pain in my ass. Let yourself out when you’re ready to go.”
“You know this will spell disaster, don’t you, Sem?”
“What am I to do, Yaro? I’m just willing to admit what you won’t.
We’re both screwed.”
Left in the living room alone once more, I paced in front of the sofa. I
really should go home. Daisy would be asleep now. All I needed to do was
get out of the house tomorrow morning before he woke up.
Problem solved.
Temporarily.
Until I decided what to do about him.
Earlier, I’d given him a position to fill my bed in the heat of the
moment, but I regretted it. Listening to him defend me today had affected
me too much. If I touched him now, I would wind up like Sem. Either that
boy would kill him, or his wife would. No way this little arrangement
would work for long.
Andrei would lecture me for traveling on my own, but I loathed waking
him up. He knew me better than anyone else. He would take one look and
figure out Daisy haunted my every thought.
Anyone who thought Yaroslav Noskov wasn’t a coward didn’t see me
slipping into my house after three in the morning. The door clicked shut
behind me, the sound ominous in the otherwise stillness. In the hall, the
ticking of a clock mocked me and my timely arrival.
The plan had been to fuck him. He’d practically begged to slap a zip
code on my cock, but the rational side of me that was still perplexed as to
how I ended up being attracted to him held me back. That rational side that
had spent too much time today replaying his confrontation with Camilla and
how fiercely he defended me.
He didn’t even know me, yet he was willing to give me the benefit of
the doubt. But the worst thing he’d done was make me smile.
I climbed the stairs, drained. I should have stayed at Sem’s place, but I
didn’t want to be within those walls when his wife or lover snapped. His
marriage to Varvara might have been a business arrangement between two
families to get Varvara and her family a foothold in the U.S., but they’d
decided to remain married and start a family. Now that firecracker he’d met
in prison was about to ruin that arrangement.
 Varvara was an only child in the Gusev family. When they found out
where Sem’s loyalty lay, there would be hell to pay. Just what I didn’t need
—to be brought into another war.
I entered my bedroom, unbuttoning my shirt. The ceiling light came on,
and I froze. I had a lump in my bed.
I approached the figure, already knowing who I would find but hoping I
was wrong. Hell, I’d be happier if it was Camilla under those sheets.
Daisy.
He lay sleeping on his stomach, one of the pillows clutched to his chest.
He looked so young and innocent, way too young to be caught up in this
mess.
I should kick him out like I’d done before.
Fuck.
I left him alone and went to the bathroom. The shower had taken some
of the edge off, but barely. I walked back into the bedroom with a towel
wrapped around my waist. Daisy sat up in the middle of the bed, rubbing
his eyes. The sheet fell to his waist, showing his naked chest.
“Yaro?” he said sleepily. “Are you okay?”
“Go back to sleep.”
Swallowing hard, I forced my legs to carry me to the closet. I grabbed a
shirt.
“Why are you getting dressed?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Daisy had gotten off the
bed and was standing behind me, able to see all the scars from old wounds.
“Yaro? Who did this to you?” A featherlight touch ghosted over my
back. So tender and sweet as if he thought he would hurt me.
I slowly turned around, forcing him to drop his hand, and nearly
swallowed my tongue. He wasn’t naked after all. He had on sexy red
underwear with lace trimming.
Oh fuck. I was in trouble.
“Yaro? Why aren’t you saying anything? You don’t have to tell me who
hurt you if you don’t want to. Are you upset I didn’t wait up for you? I’m
sorry. I must have fallen asleep while talking to Sparkie.”
His imaginary unicorn friend. How pathetic did someone have to be to
have an imaginary friend at the ripe age of twenty? I bet he still believed in
Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
“Yaro! I know you don’t speak much, but at least say something.”
 “Get dressed.”
His brow twisted. “What? Why? You don’t like it?” He brushed his
hand over the lacy underwear. I clenched my fist to prevent myself from
trailing the same path where his fingers touched. “I saw Camilla wearing
one that night I came to your room, so I thought you’d like it on me. Do you
only like this sort of underwear on women?”
I swallowed painfully. “When did you buy it?”
“Oh, I didn’t! I wanted to, but Camilla refused to buy them.”
My chest constricted, and the muscles in my shoulders, jaw, and neck
tensed. “Then how did you get them?”
He flashed his signature grin—wide, sincere, and carefree. “Andrei
bought them for me.”
Andrei bought them for him?
My vision flashed red. As if watching a movie, I saw my hand grasp
Daisy by the throat. I shoved him toward the bed and down onto the
mattress.
“Yaro!”
They were all the same. Not a loyal bone in their bodies. Whatever
made them feel good, they did it, not caring about the people they hurt in
the process. Was he deliberately taunting me with Andrei? Was he just my
hole to use, or did he spread his legs for my bodyguard too?
I hated him.
I needed him to forget about Andrei.
“Yaro, you’re scaring me,” he whimpered.
“Am I?” I loomed over him. “I thought you wanted to be my hole.
Wasn’t that what you said? That I could do whatever I wanted to you and
you wouldn’t say no?”
He chewed on his bottom lip and nodded. “You’re right.”
He was so damn agreeable, and it only made me more upset. Was he
this calm when he fucked Andrei too?
I couldn’t get him asking for a threesome with me and Andrei out of my
mind.
And it ruined my ability to think straight.
Fuck, I hate him.
I jerked him upright and slammed my lips to his. Daisy whimpered into
my mouth but clung to me. He’d said he was afraid, but he didn’t show it.
He latched onto me with his legs around my waist, making needy little
sounds in the back of his throat.
Those whimpers should be mine alone.
I tore my head away and tugged his head back. Kissing down his neck, I
sank my teeth into his flesh. Daisy cried out and shuddered against me.
“Daddy,” he moaned.
Fuck, it sounded right when he called me that. I’d never been a full-time
Daddy before. Just for sex and fun with naughty girls, but I wouldn’t mind
hearing it from Daisy’s lips all the time.
I gazed down at him. “I want you to be a slut for Daddy tonight. Can
you do that?”
He nodded. “Anything you want?”
But first, the offending panties had to go. I would buy him new ones and
fire Andrei if I had to. I ripped the scrap of lace from his body.
“No, Daddy, don’t ruin it!”
He loved it that much? Because Andrei gave it to him?
“Open up.”
He opened his mouth, and I stuffed the underwear inside. “You spit it
out, and I’ll make you sleep on the floor tonight.”
His eyes went wide. I yanked open the bedside drawer and took out a
condom and lube. He stared at the condom and raised his head as if he
wanted to say something. I ignored the gesture, dropped the towel, and
lubed up my cock, then pinned his legs back. I slid my cock inside, taking
in the sight of his beautiful hole consuming every inch of my cock.
While his speech was limited, his moans were not. Each time I pulled
out and slowly pushed inside him, he let out a long one. His responsiveness
drove me wild. I’d always thought his mother was the best I’d ever had.
I’d been wrong.
Sweat dripped into my eyes as I picked up speed and pounded him into
the mattress. His muffled cries grew louder. A flush spread across his chest
and crept up his neck. He was close. I could feel it.
He slipped a hand between his thighs and took hold of his cock.
“Did I give you permission to touch yourself?”
He shook his head, pleading with his eyes to give him relief.
“Remove your hand. If you want to come, do so without touching
yourself.”
 His chest heaved, and tremors ripped through him. His hole tightened
around my cock. I pulled out of him and directed him to lie across the bed
on his stomach. When he flopped over, I straddled his thighs, spread his
cheeks, and exposed his hole.
“Look at that hole.” I shoved a middle finger inside him, and he tilted
his hips. “That’s a good boy.”
Except he wasn’t good at all. He wore underwear another man had
given him. He let another man into his room, and he craved threesomes. I’d
told him that first day that I didn’t share. Still, he coveted my bodyguard’s
cock.
I spat on his hole and shoved my cock back into him. I pinned him to
the bed, my legs holding him hostage and my hands pressing his into the
mattress. My pelvis smacked into the fleshy globe of his ass. Grunting, I
took the only thing he had to give that I was interested in.
The bed jerked wildly beneath us. His moans had become pitiful against
the gag. I released his arms, grabbed his hips, and angled him so my thrusts
slid in effortlessly. Smack! Smack! My palm crashed into his ass hard twice.
It felt too good, so I slapped him again, taking out some of my frustration
on him. His ass turned red, and he clenched it every time my palm
connected.
“Please,” he moaned. The cloth must have fallen out of his mouth.
“Please, Daddy.”
“Please what? You’re not begging for me to stop, are you?”
“It’s too much. Please make me come.”
I drove hard, and he grabbed the sheet and arched his back. I did it
again.
“Am I still the best you’ve had, boy?” I hated the words as soon as they
came out.
I didn’t need his answer.
I caught him by the scruff of his neck and held him down on the
mattress. I smacked his ass. “You lie there like the good little hole you are.
That’s all you’ll ever be. The fucking Daisy wrapped around my cock.
You’re an amazing little fuckhole, aren’t you?”
One I couldn’t stop thinking about.
Fuck.
His hole squeezed around me. Daisy humped into the sheet and cried
out, his muscles locking up. Fuck, he was doing it again. Coming just from
my dick inside him.
“Fuck you.” I buried my face into his neck, panting hard against him as
I chased the climax that lurked just ahead. Sweet fucking relief. I growled,
driven mad by my need to consume him. I ground into his ass as the force
of the tremors shaking me rendered me speechless.
I collapsed onto his back. He grunted but didn’t tell me to get off. If he
felt that good with a condom on, how much better would he feel bareback?
“Daisy,” I whispered.
“Yes, Daddy?”
I closed my eyes. “Do you know what that means now?”
He nodded.
“And you want to be my boy?”
“So much.”
“Then you must understand something. If you flirt with anyone else, I’ll
be angry. If you kiss anyone else, I’ll beat you. And if you have sex with
someone other than me, I will kill you both.”
Silence met my words. I got off him and lay on the bed next to him with
my eyes closed. He should start panicking just about this minute. Maybe if
I’d outlined those rules to Olive, she wouldn’t have cheated on me.
Daisy shuffled closer to me and placed his head on my shoulder. He
traced the tattoo on my chest with his finger. From the position, it had to be
the word loyalty I’d gotten done right after losing everything.
“Someone betrayed you, didn’t they?” he asked softly. “Was it…my
mother?”
I sucked in a deep breath, then let it out with much more force than I’d
intended.
“It’s okay. You can tell me when you’re ready.” An arm slipped around
my neck as Daisy climbed on top of me and hugged me. “I won’t ever cheat
on you. I’m not her.”
The hug was awkward, with both of us lying down, but goddamn, it
made it hard to breathe.
Daisy was the first person to hug me in eighteen years.
And I was in so much trouble.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
 DAISY

I bit my bottom lip , counted on my fingers, and looked again at the

answer I’d written down. I had miscalculated by one. I scratched out the
number with the eraser, then wrote the correct answer. At least I hoped it
was right. The worksheet Manuel had given me to do when he left earlier
was to help me prepare for my first test on Monday.
Although I had the entire weekend to do the assignment, I didn’t want to
put it off until the last minute. With nothing else to do, I was so bored, so I
might as well finish the work. And I wanted to do well so Yaro could be
proud of me. I already knew he enjoyed having sex with me. Every night
for the past ten days, he’d come home to screw me into the mattress, but he
didn’t give me much else.
Maybe I was a bit put out that he never made time for me during the
day. Either he was locked up in his office with the strict warning I was not
to disturb him, or he went off for the whole day and didn’t return until late
in the evening. Last night, it’d been on the tip of my tongue to ask him to
spend some time with me, but I got scared.
He’d already told me I was just a hole for him to use. He’d warned me
he could be cruel. But a cruel man would have sent me to my bedroom after
he’d used me, right?
Instead, Yaro kept me in his bed. At first, I’d thought he allowed me to
stay so he had access to me whenever he wanted, but that wasn’t it at all.
He’d only woken me up for more sex twice in those ten days.
Yaro didn’t push me away when I cuddled up to him either. Not that he
reciprocated, but at least he let me stay with him. Sometimes I went so far
as to fall asleep on his chest, and he didn’t tell me to get off.
 “Daisy, how many times have I told you to keep your clothes on?”
Thinking of the devil!
I spun around just as a scowling Yaro strode toward me. He carried my
clothes, which he must have picked up. As soon as my class ended, I’d
hurried to the patio to do my assignment by the poolside and stripped along
the way. I had given little thought to where I’d dropped each article of
clothing. Just glad to finally be naked.
“Daddy, you’re home!”
He grunted, stopped by the table, and threw the clothes. “Get dressed.
Right now.”
“Let me finish this—Yaro!”
He yanked me to my feet and jammed my shirt over my head. I spat out
a mouthful of hair, which was almost back to normal after Camilla ruined
my curls.
“Now you call me Yaro?” he asked. “Haven’t you insisted on calling me
Daddy?”
“That’s when you were nice.” I sulked, but seeing how serious he
looked today, I complied and allowed him to slip my shorts back on.
“When have I ever been nice? I think you have me confused with
someone else.”
Grinning, I wrapped my arms around his neck and my feet around his
waist. “You’re nice to me.” His lips twitched, and I poked his cheek. “See,
that’s a smile you’re trying to hide.”
It might have been the beginning of a smile, but it turned into a scowl.
“We have company. Get down.”
“Oh?”
I glanced over his shoulder. A man who had a slight resemblance to
Yaro smirked at me. A younger redhead guy stood next to him.
Guests! We had guests!
Since I came to live with him, Yaro hadn’t introduced me to anyone.
Andrei was the only one I could rely on. I couldn’t even tell if the staff were
genuinely nice to me or were afraid of Yaro. To avoid causing them trouble,
I didn’t interact with them unless I had to.
The older of the two visitors chuckled and said something to Yaro in a
language I didn’t understand. I turned my attention to the younger guy. He
seemed close to my age, but he didn’t look happy at all, with his arms
crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. His eyes darted everywhere
but at Yaro and me.
Who was he?
Yaro slapped me on the ass and gestured for me to get down. I
shimmied down his body and grinned at his sharp intake of breath as I
grazed his cock. The pointed stare he gave me was a real treat. It promised
punishment later on in the bedroom. I loved him spanking my ass best. It
always left me feeling horny.
“Daisy, this is my brother, Sem,” Yaro said, a hand on my shoulder.
“And that’s Cam, Sem’s…” Yaro ended with a shrug.
“Just Sem’s will do.” The Russian walked toward me, but the boy
cleared his throat, and he stopped and sighed. “I hope we’re not
interrupting.”
His accent was thicker than Yaro’s.
“Not anything that can’t wait.” I clasped my hands and rocked back and
forth. “It’s so cool to meet Yaro’s brother. I didn’t know Yaro had family.”
“No?” Sem arched an eyebrow. “There’s a lot of us both here in the
States and back in Russia. Yaro just prefers to isolate himself. One day I’ll
introduce you to everyone.”
“Would you? I’d like that.”
“No need,” Yaro said. “Sem and I will be gone for a few hours. Cam
will stay here until we get back. Can you keep him entertained until then?
Use the media room, watch a movie or something. Just don’t leave the
mansion.”
I hated that last rule. Apart from the day I went shopping with Camilla,
he hadn’t allowed me to leave the grounds. He was like Polina and Joe in
that regard.
“Okay, Daddy.”
“Daddy?” Sem sounded like he was choking. “Isn’t that a little too close
to home?”
“It’s none of your business. Let’s go.”
Yaro stalked off without even giving me a kiss. His lack of affection
was emphasized by the way Sem kissed Cam. At first, the boy turned his
head and tried to fend him off, but Sem gripped his jaw, told him to behave,
and he melted against his man.
You knew what you were getting into when you settled on Yaro.
Not now, Sparkie.
 Sem hurried off to catch up with Yaro. How could these men be
brothers but be so different? Why couldn’t Yaro be more like Sem? He
never touched or kissed me outside the bedroom.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Cam barked, startling me.
“What?”
“He’s mine, so don’t even think about it.”
“Think about what?”
“Stealing him from me because your Daddy is cold like a dead fish.”
I gawked at Cam. He looked so angry, and it was all directed at me.
“Why would I want to steal your Daddy?”
“Are you slow? Didn’t you hear what I just said? Because yours is
cold.”
“He’s not cold to me.”
“He didn’t kiss you.” He flounced over to the table where I had been
doing my work and sat. “He acts like he can’t even stand you.”
“That’s not true.” I rushed to the table and snatched my book out of his
hand. “Stop going through my things.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Why are you so mean?” I snapped. “I don’t even know you. I’ve never
done anything to you, but you’re acting like a bitch. If you don’t want to be
here, you can just leave already!”
He fell silent, his lips pushed out into a pout and his head bowed. “I
can’t leave.”
“Why not?”
“Because someone’s trying to kill me.”
Oh crap. If someone wanted to kill me, I would be cranky too. Someone
had tried to kill me, and I’d felt crappy about it. Maybe I would forgive
him.
I took the seat next to him. “I’m sorry. Who wants to kill you?”
“My Daddy’s wife’s father.”
Uh… I shook my head. Was my brain no longer working, or did he just
say what I thought he did?
“I’m confused.”
“It’s not so difficult, although if that’s the kind of math you’re getting
wrong, then I can see that.”
I frowned. “And we’re back to bitchy.”
“I’m sorry, okay. Things have been rather stressful.”
 “Want to talk about it?”
“What’s there to talk about?” He jumped to his feet and paced. “They
all think I’m horrible. No one likes me.”
“Who doesn’t like you?”
“Sem’s family. His wife. His wife’s family. Their kids.”
“Umm, I don’t think they’re supposed to like you.”
“They act like I wanted this to happen! I was just using him. How else
was I supposed to survive prison? But now I love him and want to be with
him, and he feels the same way.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“I guess I could be less difficult.”
“How so?”
“I could stop pressuring him to divorce her and for us to move into a
new home together. I gave him an ultimatum. Move into a new home with
me, or I would move in with them. How was I supposed to know he would
take me up on the offer and move me in with her? They think I don’t feel
bad that Sem comes to my room every night and ignores her. That he loves
me most?”
“I don’t think you feel bad at all.”
He sat back down with a plop, propped his chin in his hands and his
elbows on the table. “You’re right. I don’t. Am I a horrible person?”
“Umm.”
“Of course not. I survive! That’s all I’m doing. And while surviving, I
met the man I’m supposed to be with. Should I let him being married stop
me?”
“And her father wants to kill you?”
“He’s here from Russia, so Sem whisked me away before we could
meet. That’s why I’m here.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“Depends on what Sem decides when he comes back.” He bit on his
fingernails. Maybe he wasn’t as fearless and tough as he would like me to
believe.
“Are you worried?”
“Not about that man killing me. I’d stab him in the heart before he gets
to me. I don’t let anyone fuck with me.”
“But you are worried about something?”
 “The Gusev family is well known. They can make things difficult for
Sem. What if he decides I’m not worth the trouble? I can’t live without him.
I would have died in prison without him, if Duncan, another inmate, hadn’t
stepped in.”
“Wow, you’re in quite a mess.”
He sniffled. “I am, but enough about me. I don’t want to talk about it
anymore. Why are you doing preschool math?”
“I don’t want to talk about that either.”
“All right, then, let’s go use Yaro’s media room. He’s so filthy rich. I’m
sure everything here is perfect.”
“Umm, I don’t know how to work the media room.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ll show you. Come on.”
“I’ve gotta finish my homework first.”
“You have all weekend to do that. Besides, they’re all wrong anyway,
but tell you what? You watch a movie with me, and I’ll do it for you later.”
“I don’t know. Isn’t that cheating?”
“Who cares as long as you get them right? You don’t want your Daddy
to think you’re stupid, do you? ‘Cause that’s what he’s going to think if he
sees these answers.”
They were that bad? I stared at the worksheet. Where had I gone
wrong?
“Fine, but you better keep your promise and help me.”
“Don’t worry. I’m dependable.”
My gut told me I shouldn’t trust him, but what choice did I have? Either
he helped me, or I would be humiliated if Yaro saw my answers.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
 DAISY

“I don ’ t know what happened, Daisy.” Manuel looked visibly upset as he

placed the worksheet he’d marked back on my desk. “You were doing so
well. How could you have gotten them all wrong?”
My face burned with shame as I stared at the red x’s through every
single math problem. I’d known that horrible Cam was unreliable. Why had
I trusted him?
How could he have been so mean after I’d cheered him up? He’d been
in a foul mood after Sem told him he had to stay with us for the weekend,
but how was that my fault? I’d had dinner with him, watched a movie
marathon of Lord of the Rings with him, followed by a series of horror
flicks that had given me nightmares.
Yaro had ignored him—which I’d been secretly thrilled about, since
Cam was so damn pretty. I’d been afraid of him catching Yaro’s attention.
Not sure what to expect, the first night Cam spent with us, I’d stayed in my
bedroom. In the middle of the night, Yaro had damn near broken down the
door, scooped me out of my bed, and taken me back to his room, where
he’d spanked me for not being there when he returned home. Amid my
tears—those slaps had hurt something awful—he’d kissed and fucked me
until I’d come. Hands-free. That was always his punishment for me. If I
ever did something wrong, I never got to come with the assistance of my
hand.
I felt he took some immense pleasure in knowing he could get me to
come apart without me touching myself. I didn’t mind much. Even though it
took longer, the orgasm was always more intense.
 “There’s no way I can give you the test anymore,” Manuel said. His
shoulders slumped. “If only I could figure out where I went wrong. Did I
move too fast? But you caught on very quickly. Repeating the same things
would have only bored you. This sucks.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. Should I tell him the work wasn’t mine? That
the answers he’d written to replace the wrong ones were the exact ones I
had before Cam made me change them? But if I did, he would know I tried
to cheat.
“No, don’t be.” He trudged over to his desk and slipped his tablet and
books into his bag. “I just have to face the fact that I’m not good at this. My
approach is all wrong. I just hope Mr. Noskov will spare me when I admit
my failure to him.”
“Wait, what? Where are you going?”
“It doesn’t make sense for me to teach you anymore. You need someone
else who can get results.”
“Don’t go!” I cried. “That’s not my work, I swear. I had a friend over
for the weekend, and he played a cruel trick on me. He told me all the
answers were wrong and made me change them, but my answers weren’t
wrong at all.”
“Nice try, Daisy. I know you love our classes, but the priority is for you
to learn.”
“I swear I’m telling you the truth!” I sprang to my feet. “I know what’ll
work. Why don’t you give me the test and you’ll see that I know the
answers. If I don’t get them right, then you can see Da—I mean Yaro.”
“Hmm, okay, but you don’t have to salvage my pride by making me feel
like I’m a better teacher than I thought.”
“But you are. You’ve taught me so much. Not just from books but from
talking about life and the world. Those are my favorite lessons.”
Manuel handed me four sheets of papers stapled together. I gulped. So
many questions. But when I peered up at his hopeful face, I took up my
pencil.
I slowly solved each problem, and then, I went back through them to
double-check my answers. When that section was finished, he told me I
could use the restroom before he gave me the other test, but I declined. The
writing was more challenging, and I moved through it at a snail’s pace, but I
did my best. I could recognize so many familiar words now that I couldn’t
before he started teaching me.
 When I was done, I handed him the paper. Again, he told me I could
take a break while he marked the second paper, but I was too nervous to
leave.
“It appears you were telling the truth.” Manuel came over to my desk
and gave me back the test papers. I got everything right for the math and
only a couple of corrections for the writing and reading. “But why did you
let someone else do the work for you?”
“Because he said they were wrong. I believed him.”
“You weren’t confident in yourself,” he said. “I hope this has taught you
a lesson, Daisy.”
“I have. I’ll never trust that boy ever again.”
He chuckled. “If he’d do something like this, I wouldn’t, but the most
important lesson I want you to learn is to be confident in yourself. As you
gain more and more knowledge, people will challenge you, but you should
be able to hold your own.”
“Okay.”
He perched on my desk, and I shuffled to sit straight. Whenever he did
this, I knew we were due for another of our lengthy chats. He’d said
speaking was also an important part of reading and writing. That
developing the skill meant talking about a variety of topics. He always
indulged me in choosing the topic. Sometimes he would have me watch
videos, since I could only read basic words, and then we would have
discussions based on what I watched. Other times, I had a completely
different agenda.
“Something’s bothering you,” he said. “Why don’t you tell me? I know
from experience if we don’t get this out of the way first, you’ll be distracted
for the rest of our conversation.”
I grinned sheepishly at him. “Have you ever been in love?”
“Once. Why?”
“How do you know it’s love?”
“Well, that’s a tricky question. Love isn’t really measurable, and
everybody feels and expresses it differently.”
“That doesn’t really help.”
Manuel laughed. “No, it doesn’t. I had the same question and would get
annoyed when people told me ‘you’ll know when it’s true love,’ but the
moment I felt it, I knew. You want to make that person happy. You feel sad
when they’re sad, and you’ll even go out of your way to make them feel
special. You hurt when they hurt. Being around them makes you feel good,
and when you’re away from them, you miss them and can’t wait to see
them again.”
My heart thumped hard. He wasn’t describing anything I didn’t already
feel for Yaro. I’d suspected it for a while now but had nothing to compare it
to.
“How soon can you fall in love?” I asked.
“There’s no time period.”
“You can fall in love at first sight, then?”
“People will debate whether that is possible, but if you ask around,
you’ll find those who tell you they did just that when they met their person.
The only thing is that getting to know someone is super important so we
don’t fall in love with the wrong person.”
“Who would be the wrong person?”
“Others who don’t feel the same way about you and hurt you.” He
glanced away, but not before a sheen of tears welled up in his eyes.
“Did you fall in love with the wrong person?” I asked.
“I did, and it almost ruined me. Love makes us do foolish things, Daisy.
That’s the reason we should be careful of who we give our heart to.”
“I think I’ve already lost mine.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. You talk about him all the time. Half the
questions you ask me are about him and your relationship.” He frowned and
got off my desk.
“I don’t understand. Are you saying Yaro is the wrong person?”
Manuel stared at me as if weighing his words.
“Will you please say something?”
“He’s not a very nice man, Daisy,” he said softly, glancing over my
shoulder. “I wasn’t joking earlier about what he would do if I told him I
failed you. There are rumors about him.”
“Exactly. Rumors. Doesn’t make them true.”
“But rumors are usually founded on truths. Look, you’re naïve, and he
doesn’t even let you out of the house. You don’t know what he’s really like
out there.”
“I do. I know he can be scary, but he doesn’t frighten me. Yaro’s not a
bad man. I wish everyone didn’t make him seem like a monster.”
“To many people, he’s their bogeyman. He has you locked up like
Mother Gothel did Rapunzel. Does he ever take you out with him?”
 “No.”
“Has he introduced you to his family?”
“Yes!” But that only happened because his brother needed a place to
hide his boy. Didn’t he turn down Sem’s offer to introduce me to their
family?
“Does he hold your hand, touch you, and kiss you? During the day
when everyone else can see? Or does he have sex with you in the dark so no
one else knows his dirty little secret?”
I gulped.
“I shouldn’t say this because he’ll probably kill me like he did your…”
“My what?”
My stomach hurt so badly. Today was supposed to be a good day, but I
felt like I was having a heart attack. What if I had fallen in love with the
wrong person? And the worst thing was I had an idea of what he wanted to
say, but I didn’t want to hear it. The truth would make everything real.
Manuel shook his head and lifted his briefcase. “Don’t confuse good sex
with genuine care, Daisy. It’s bad enough you’re his ward and he’s sleeping
with you. It would be tolerable if he cared about you, but he’s only doing
that because he’s guilty.”
“Guilty of what?”
“Have you ever stopped to think that this man was cruel enough to send
a two-year-old boy to live with strangers?”
“They weren’t strangers. Polina was my nanny.”
“Some fine job they did taking care of you. He’s an evil man, and the
sooner you get away from him, the better.”
“If he’s so evil, why do you work for him?”
“Because that ex I told you about ruined my life. I lost my teaching job,
and no one else would hire me. Take care, Daisy.”
Long after he had gone, I sat at my desk, replaying his words in my
mind. I’d always shunned thinking about the fact that Yaro had me locked
away on an estate when I was a toddler. Was all this—the house, the food,
clothes, education and sex—just because he felt guilty? Didn’t he feel about
me the same way I did about him?
I ran out of the library, struggling to breathe. I really did feel like I was
having a heart attack.
Yaro’s office was just a couple of doors down. I rapped my knuckles on
the wood. The door opened, and Andrei stood in the doorway.
 “Daisy? What do you want?”
“I need to speak to Yaro.”
“Now’s not a good time.”
“Please. It’s urgent.”
“Stay there.”
He closed the door, but I couldn’t wait. Why did they want to lock me
out? If he cared about me, I would be free to come and go in every room of
this house.
I jerked the door open and rushed into the office.
Half a dozen pairs of eyes swung in my direction. And as many guns
were pointed straight at me. A man lay in the middle of the floor, blood
oozing from his lifeless body.
“Put your guns away,” Yaro snapped. He didn’t get up to acknowledge
me. He sat around his desk, his blue eyes ice cold, just like Cam had
accused him of being. “What are you doing here? Haven’t I told you never
to enter my office?”
I glanced from Yaro to the men—all Black. Tension crackled in the
office, but I had a feeling my presence had only made it worse. Before I
entered, the uneasiness had already existed.
“I-I need to talk to you,” I said.
Yaro punched the intercom on his desk and asked for a maid to come
right away. What was he doing?
“There’s something I have to ask you,” I said.
Yaro ignored me. “I’m sorry about this,” he said to the men. “The
slutboys don’t know their place anymore these days.”
I sucked in a deep breath, his words like a knife plunging into my heart.
“Is that all you think about me?” I snapped. “You don’t care about me at all,
do you?”
“Why would I? You’re just a stray I picked up because I felt sorry for
you.” The door opened behind me. “Andrei, take him back to his room, and
you,”—he pointed at the maid—”see to it that he doesn’t leave the room.
Lock him inside if you need to, to keep him inside.”
“Yaro, you don’t mean that.”
“Get him out of here. Now!”
Andrei took my arm and hustled me toward the door. Manuel was right.
Why did I think Yaro was different from what others thought about him?
My wishful thinking.
 The truth was I knew deep down in my heart that Yaro was responsible
for the death of my parents. He was the reason I was ignorant. But I never
held any of that against him. How could he treat me this way? I’d done
nothing but defend him.
“Don’t take his words to heart,” Andrei whispered. “There’s a bigger
picture, I promise.”
Yes, there was, and the picture was that Yaroslav Noskov was indeed
the tyrant and bastard everyone said he was.
I needed to stop thinking of him as anything else.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
 YARO

A dozen F alcons faced me — a meeting set up by my eyes and ears in the

gang, Tyson. Darius, their leader, was noticeably absent. He hadn’t been
invited to join us because the topic of conversation was him and how he
was ruining the gang by focusing on me and my business instead of tending
to their needs. This was my final attempt to stem the hits Darius had been
organizing against me.
Enough was enough.
When Darius’s right-hand man showed up with the others, I’d killed
him. Why he’d come, I didn’t know, but he’d met his demise after he
refused to comply with my demands, which were really simple—leave my
business alone. His death was to send a message back to Darius. I’d ordered
his body to be delivered to their leader, and I knew he was already planning
his retaliation.
The men in the room with me were the ones tired of the constant run-ins
with my operation. They wanted out to do their own thing instead of
tangling with me. That I’d gotten them to come tonight told me everything I
knew. Darius’s leadership was unsound. All I needed to do was get rid of
him and have his brother replace him. Then we could all go about our merry
way like happy pilgrims.
“I can’t make the decision for you.” I met their gaze one by one. “But
you need to know I will no longer take your interference lying down. After
eighteen years, it’s about time to let bygones be bygones. I’ve let you get
away with what you can, but as of tomorrow, I’ll see every act against my
business as a challenge, and I’ll fight fire with fire. I don’t need to tell you
if I go up against you, you cannot win.”
 “But we’re loyal to the Falcons,” a skinny guy with a beanie said. “That
means being loyal to our leader. He says ride, we ride. No offense, Mr.
Noskov, but we’re just following orders.”
“Then maybe you need someone who can give better orders.” I rose to
my feet, ready to call an end to this meeting. After the way everything
turned upside down fast with me taking out Darius’s man, I’d been away
from the house all fucking day, organizing my team to move on my
command. It was about time I got home to salvage what I could with Daisy.
The devastation on his face when I’d spoken harshly to him earlier
hadn’t left my mind. Should I let him believe every word I’d said so he
could stay away from me, or should I explain?
“What exactly do you want us to do?” another man said. “Only a few of
us are here. No telling who the others will side with.”
I shrugged. “Not my problem.” I unlocked my phone and dialed a
number.
“Hello.”
“Get it done.” I ended the call and slid the phone back into my pocket.
Curious eyes around the table pinned on me. “That was my order to target
several locations where you have your business. They’re all going up in
flames as I speak, and it still doesn’t make up for the trouble you’ve caused
me over the past eighteen years.”
“What the fuck, man!” Someone smacked their hand on the table. “This
is our livelihood. It’s how we take care of our families.”
“And what you were doing was fucking with mine.” I signaled to
Andrei and the other guys who’d traveled with me that I was ready to go.
“I’ve only burned down half of your operations, but continue to test me, and
I’ll destroy them all. This isn’t something I want to do, but I will if it
becomes necessary.”
Andrei guarded my back as we walked out of the building. “Hey!”
Tyson ran up to us, and my men blocked him.
“It’s okay.” I gestured for them to step aside.
“You didn’t say anything about torching our businesses, man.” He
scowled.
“I need you all to take my threat—no, my promise—seriously. Since
violence is the only negotiation tactic your brother understands, I hope he
gets the message now. Ball’s in your court, Tyson. Do with it what you
will.”
 When we got in the car, it was already after ten, and all I wanted was to
go back to Daisy.
“No stopping,” I said.
“But you haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”
“I’ll have something at home.”
“It’ll not take us long to get something to eat, Yaro. Daisy will
understand when you explain to him later. That boy has always given you
the benefit of the doubt.”
“I’m not sure I should explain.”
“That’s crazy talk. Of course you have to explain. Otherwise, he’ll think
you meant all that shit you said.”
“Exactly. Maybe he should believe it, so he can be safe. He came pretty
close to exposing himself today, Andrei.”
“It’s my fault. I should have sent him back.”
But it was too late for the blame game. Luckily, the Falcon members
who’d been present at my house today hadn’t figured out Daisy was Olive’s
son. Tyson had been in the same room as his nephew and hadn’t noticed.
Against my wishes, Andrei pulled up at the McDonald’s Drive-
Through. I was too exhausted to reprimand him. Although I was hungry, my
stomach was too tied up in knots for me to eat. I chewed on a fry, but
nausea crept up. I couldn’t eat until I saw Daisy. How pissed off was he?
Was he even mad? He was so understanding, always believing that I had a
good reason for all my actions.
Did he still believe that?
Andrei left me at the house, then drove away. His condo was just fifteen
minutes away, close enough to get to me in eight if it was urgent. I dropped
off the McDonald’s bag in the kitchen and climbed the stairs wearily. Some
days were tougher than others, and today had been a long one.
I entered my bedroom and turned on the light. “Daisy?” He wasn’t
there. Next, I checked the bathroom.
Shit, he was upset, then, that I’d asked them to remove him from my
office earlier. I stared at my bed, where I fucked him every single night.
Each time I hoped it would be the last, that the hold he had over me would
loosen and I could slip away.
Now’s the chance. Don’t explain. You don’t need his forgiveness.
But every night he cozied up to me in this bed, hugging me when I gave
him nothing in return.
 Screw this.
I marched to his bedroom and knocked. I fucking knocked. What the
hell was happening to me? I owned every bit of this house and could go
wherever I wanted without permission.
“Daisy,” I called softly. “Open the door.”
I knocked a few more times but nothing. I turned the doorknob, but the
door didn’t open. Was he locking me out now? Did he no longer want
anything to do with me?
Take the hint.
Uneasiness settled in my gut. I stalked down the stairs to the servants’
quarters where the housekeeper lived. I knocked on the door hard. She was
new, and I didn’t even know her name.
“It’s Yaroslav. Open up.”
“Coming.” Slippers dragged on the floor to the door, which opened. A
woman’s round face appeared. Her sleepy eyes turned sharp, and she
straightened up, dropping her gaze.
“Mr. Noskov.” Her voice trembled. “What can I do for you?”
“I need the set of master keys for the second floor.”
“Just a moment.”
She rushed inside and returned a few seconds later with a bundle of
keys.
“They’re labeled,” she said. “Is there something wrong?”
“My ward has locked the door from the inside. Did he seem okay after I
left?”
She gasped, and her eyes were filled with fear.
“What is it? And I don’t tolerate liars.”
“Mr. Noskov, sir, I’m so sorry.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “What are you sorry for?”
“You didn’t give instructions to let him out.”
My chest expanded. “You mean you’ve kept him locked up all day?”
“We were just following instructions, Mr. Noskov.”
“I’ll deal with you later.”
I took the stairs two at a time. My hands were shaky when I tried
slipping the key into the lock. I had to do it a few times before it finally
inserted, and I opened the door. The room was dark. I fumbled along the
wall, hit the switch, and light flooded the room.
 A slender, naked figure sat at the bay window, looking outside. His legs
were drawn up, with his head resting on his knees. Every bulge of his spinal
cord was visible.
He looks so vulnerable.
Guilt crashed down on me. How could he forgive me? I’d told them to
lock him up like a criminal.
The house buzzed with gossip about Daisy sleeping in my bed. The last
rumor was that I was forcing Daisy to take his mother’s place. None of the
staff had used their common sense or compassion to open the door and let
him out?
“Daisy.”
He didn’t respond but slowly turned his head, and I felt like someone
sucker-punched me in the throat. His eyes were red and swollen, and his
face was blotchy. He had been crying, but the look he gave me was lifeless.
Coming from an animated Daisy, those empty eyes affected me the most.
“I thought of you as my guardian angel,” he said softly. “You punished
the people who abused me and brought me here. You said I would never be
hungry again. Never would I have thought you would treat me the way they
did—locking me up for the whole day with no food or drink. At least I had
the bathroom sink to drink water this time. I guess that’s an upgrade.”
“They didn’t feed you?” My heart felt heavy.
“Did you tell them to feed me?”
My chest heaved from the emotions surging inside me. He was right. I
had no excuse. I’d been chasing the feud with the Falcons while I left him
to starve.
“I didn’t know.” I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. “Let me make it
right.”
I scooped him up in my arms, though he shoved at my shoulders. “Let
me go. Please let me go.” But I held on to him, refusing to put him down. I
needed Daisy’s smiles back. His special brand of zany.
“I’ll make it right, I swear.”
Daisy clung to me, clutching my shoulders and burying his face into my
neck. His whole body shook as he sobbed. “I hate being locked up most.
And we’re on the second floor, so I couldn’t get out through the window.
How could you do that to me?”
“Shh. I’m here now.”
 In everything he’d been through, I’d never seen Daisy cry. His quiet
sobs reminded me of the little boy who’d cried for me that night. And I’d
let them both down.
I brought him to the kitchen and set him down on a chair around the
island. I got a plate, warmed up the fries and burger, and put it in front of
him.
“Eat.”
Daisy bit his bottom lip.
“I know you hate me right now, and you have every right to, but you
need to eat.”
He remained silent and made no move to touch the food.
“Daisy, please.” I was desperate to get food into him, but I didn’t want
to force him.
He took up a fry and put it into his mouth. I let out a sigh of relief.
Thank god he was eating.
The fridge was practically empty. Tomorrow was the day the
housekeeper did the grocery shopping. From the looks of things, she’d
cleaned out and discarded almost everything. A bag of crackers had
survived the cleaning. I grabbed it and poured myself some vodka before
taking the seat across from Daisy.
“Biscuits?” Daisy asked.
I shrugged. “It’ll do. When I was younger, we had to go without food
some days.”
“You did?”
“Yes. My father didn’t get involved in the business until I was fifteen. I
grew up on the estate where Polina and Joe raised you.”
“What was it like?”
“Hard.”
“Why?”
I swallowed a mouthful of vodka. “Why are you being nice to me again
after today?”
He pushed around the few fries left on his plate. He’d already devoured
the burger.
“Because you gave me your food.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because there was only one burger, which you gave to me, and you’re
sitting there eating crackers that you clearly don’t want.” He slurped my Hi-
C. “Plus, you’re always bringing back empty McDonald’s bags when you
go out with Andrei. I know it’s your favorite and the reason you work out in
the gym so much is because you know it’s not good for you.”
He’d noticed a lot. What else had he learned about me since we met?
“I thought about sharing a half with you but decided you didn’t deserve
it.”
“Daisy, I didn’t mean for them to lock you up without food,” I said.
“Then why did it happen?”
“It was all my fault. I didn’t think I had to tell anyone to let you out. It’s
common sense. No one even thought of feeding you. I’ll fire the whole lot
of them tomorrow.”
“You can’t keep firing your staff whenever they do something wrong.”
“Can’t I?”
“What if I also gave you only one chance and you just blew it?”
Was he being serious? I couldn’t breathe. “Did I?”
He nodded. “You blew it big-time.”
“How can I make it up to you? Anything you want, tell me.”
“Anything?”
Please don’t make me regret this.
“Yes.”
He fell silent and scrunched up his face. “Two things!”
“You said one.”
“Do I need to remind you that your staff locked me up and starved me?”
I groaned. “Okay, but I’m surprised you’re not upset about the things I
said in my office.”
He shrugged. “Since you didn’t mean to leave me locked up, I figured
you might not have meant those words. Did you?”
“No. I was trying not to show the others how much you mean to me.”
What the…? My stomach turned queasy. I never meant to admit that to
him. I jumped to my feet and poured myself more vodka.
“You mean everything to me too, Daddy,” Daisy said. “Do you want to
know what my two wishes are?”
I closed my eyes and let out an inaudible sigh. He was back to calling
me Daddy. Why was he so forgiving?
“Sure.”
I returned to the island. Thank god he could so easily flit from topic to
topic.
 “I don’t like eating dinner alone every day. Will you be home in time to
have dinner with me?”
That was simple enough. “Whenever I can get away, I will.”
“You have to take me on a date.”
I snapped my head back. “You want to go on a date with me?”
He nodded. “And it has to be romantic like in the movies.”
Just exactly what was I agreeing to? But a dinner date was doable. It
was a small price to pay for his forgiveness.
“Consider it done.”
“Then I’m happy again.”
Good. I never want to see you unhappy.
“Your forgiveness is that cheap?”
He shrugged. “I was going to forgive you for nothing anyway.”
“You were?”
“I was upset, but I kept telling myself there had to be an explanation.
You wouldn’t deliberately treat me so badly. Not after everything you’ve
done for me.”
Wouldn’t I? Was he on to something that I treated him differently from
everyone else? Maybe I did.
“Daddy.”
“Yes?”
“Will you tell me how you became my guardian? You said you were
married to my mother. What happened?”
My throat tightened. I couldn’t find the words.
“Daddy?”
“I want to. I just…can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I tell you, you will hate me.”
Daisy got up from his chair and walked over to me. He wedged his way
between my thighs and the counter. “Daddy, I can never hate you.”
“You will this time.”
Maybe his hate would be a good thing. But dammit, was I wrong in
wanting him to keep me on a pedestal a little more before he hated me?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
 DAISY

“Y ou ’ re working so hard today ,” Manuel said. “How come?”

I frowned. “Manuel, you’re distracting me.”
“My bad.” He grinned. “Return to your work, then.”
He went back to marking my spelling words, which he’d given me
earlier, while I continued with the math problems. I enjoyed math, and I
was good at it. I hardly ever got any wrong. Today’s topic was place value
and simple calculation of money—a real skill I needed.
“I’m done.”
I brought over my book to him and looked over his shoulder while he
marked each problem. My heart swelled with each tick I got. I held my
breath until he wrote “fantastic” and gave me a sticker to place on my chart.
“You’re really coming along, Daisy,” he said. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m not done yet.”
“You can take a break.”
“Not yet. I really want to do today’s lessons.”
“Where is this extra push coming from?”
My cheeks burned. “I want to make Daddy proud of me.”
“I see.” He frowned and folded his arms. “You should be doing this for
yourself, Daisy.”
“And I am, but I want Daddy to be proud too. We had dinner for the
first time last night.”
“And?”
“It was awkward. I thought it would be great, but I ran out of things to
say.”
“You can run out of things to say?”
 I pouted. “You’re making fun of me because I talk too much.”
Sparkie never thinks I talk too much, though he’s been absent a lot
lately.
He laughed. “Just pulling your leg. What is it you think you should be
talking about with him? Maybe we can practice.”
“The important stuff. Things that are happening now.”
“Ah, you mean current affairs.”
I nodded. “But these are in the newspapers, and I can’t read that well
yet.”
“Have you tried listening to the news on podcasts? That’s a good way to
keep up with what’s going on.”
“That sounds good. Will you teach me how to find these?”
“Sure.”
Manuel and I walked up to my desk, and he tapped on the keyboard.
“This is a good one. I’ve bookmarked the page for you, so all you need
is to click right here and voilà.”
“You’re so smart,” I said. “Will I ever be as smart as you? With every
new thing I learn, I’m aware of just how ignorant I really am. For a long
time, I didn’t know any better, but now I do.”
“The good thing is that you’re working on it. One step at a time. Let’s
listen to the first podcast together, and then we can discuss it.”
“Okay.”
The podcast was about the extreme heat and something called global
warming. Apparently, it was such a big deal it was affecting countries
across the world. Some of it I didn’t understand, but I got the gist of it. The
earth was getting hot, and people, plants, and animals were being affected
by the extreme heat.
“How was listening to that episode?” Manuel asked when the podcast
ended.
“Interesting. So, this global warming is a bad thing?”
“It is. Can you tell me why?”
We talked about it for half an hour. Thanks to Manuel, I could now tell
time. What I didn’t understand, he explained, and each explanation seemed
to spiral into new information. When we were done, I felt like my head
would explode.
“And now I really feel like I know nothing,” I said at the end of our
class for the day.
 “Not true. Now you can have a conversation with Mr. Noskov about
global warming.”
“And it’s all because of you.” An overwhelming sense of gratitude filled
me and propelled me to throw my arms around him in a hug. “Thank you so
much. You’re the best teacher ever, and I’ll even ask Yaro to give you a
raise.”
Manuel burst out into laughter and patted my head. “He already pays
me an obscene amount, and it’s no hardship at all. I like teaching you,
Daisy. You’re a good student. A good person. You must take care of
yourself, and if you need anything, anything at all, tell me.”
“Why would he need to do that when he has me?” Yaro’s voice boomed
in the library. “I don’t recall touching my ward being a part of your job
description, Mr. Vargas.”
Manuel stepped away from me. “Mr. Noskov, I—”
“I came to check up on Daisy’s progress.”
Yaro’s tone was clipped, and he seemed angry. Oh god, what had I done
now? Since they’d locked me up in my room two days ago, he’d been a bit
gentler. He’d kept his promise to have dinner with me too, and we even had
a dinner date planned.
“Manuel says I’ve improved a lot.” Maybe that would make him smile.
He was frowning so hard.
No, nothing made Yaro smile.
“He has,” Manuel said. “Daisy’s quite smart. Had he been taught
properly, there’s no telling what he could have accomplished.”
Manuel showed Yaro my test scores while I stood next to my desk,
twisting my hands. Was he proud of me?
“I see,” was all he said to Manuel. “You may leave now.”
“Yes, sir.” Manuel grabbed his bag and stuffed his items inside. “When I
get home, I’ll send you a voice message on Facebook, Daisy. I’ll see you
tomorrow.”
If I’d thought Manuel leaving would put Yaro more at ease, I was
mistaken. His scowl on his face made me swallow.
“Aren’t you happy with my progress?” I asked.
“You’re doing great. I’m proud of you.”
“You are? Then why are you frowning?”
“How often does this happen?” he asked.
“What?”
 He walked up to me and tipped my chin. “You and him, so close,
hugging.”
Oh, that was the reason he was upset? “Not a lot. I was thanking him for
being patient with me.”
“A thank-you isn’t enough?”
“I wanted to hug him too.”
Why was his scowl getting deeper? “Don’t do it again.”
“Don’t hug him? But he’s my teacher and—”
“Daisy.”
“Okay, okay, I won’t hug him again. Sheesh. You make it seem like it
was something more.”
“I don’t like other people touching what’s mine.”
A thrill ran through me. I clutched the front of his shirt and leaned into
him. “I’m yours?”
“Yes. Until I tire of you.”
I stuck my tongue out and released my hold on him. “You’ll never get
tired of your Daisy.”
“Come back here.” He pointed at the spot in front of him.
I folded my arms. “What for?”
He raised his brow. “I need you to open your Facebook so I can check
what he’s been sending you.”
I gaped at him. No way! If I did, he would hear the million and one
questions I asked Manuel about relationships and sex. He would hear me
ask about things to do with him. Manuel had helped me to sign up for an
account so I could ask him questions whenever he wasn’t around and he
could send me supplemental information for class.
“I can’t do that,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a violation of my privacy.” I flashed him a smile. “Manuel
taught me that.”
“Are you going to listen to Manuel or me?”
Umm.
No, Manuel said I should stick with what I knew to be right, even if
others challenged me.
“You shouldn’t invade my privacy.”
“Daisy, you’re trying my patience here!”
“I’m still not showing you.”
 “You!” Yaro grabbed my arm and reeled me into him. My heart jumped.
Would he smack me for not obeying him? “Why are you the most
infuriating person I’ve ever met?”
Before I could reply, his lips crashed down to mine. I much prefer this
to him scowling at me. I squeaked when he lifted me and placed me to sit
on the desk. He stepped back.
“Take your clothes off.”
“All of them?”
“The one time you get permission, and you question it?”
I smacked my forehead. “Right. What am I thinking?”
The door was open and there was a bulge in Yaro’s pants. Surely he
wasn’t thinking of fucking me here? We’d never done it anywhere else but
the bedroom.
I yanked my shirt over my head and shimmied off my shorts and
underwear.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.”
I froze. Yaro had never called me that before. He was staring at me with
such hunger in his eyes I trembled. He touched his thumb to the indentation
in my bottom lip and rubbed. “Such a gorgeous mouth. You don’t kiss
anyone else with that mouth, do you?”
“No.”
“Good. It’s mine too.”
He lowered his head and kissed me. I moaned, wrapped my arms
around his neck, and kissed him back. Yaro ran his hands over my body,
caressing and touching me in places that left my skin burning and my cock
hard. When his hand closed over my erection, I hissed and tore my lips
away from him to watch the way he stroked my cock.
“Spit on it.”
“Yes, Daddy.” I spat saliva on my cock, and he used it to create a slick
tunnel for my cock.
Panting, I clutched the desk and spread my legs, leaning back to offer
up myself to him.
“Has anyone else fucked you since me?” he asked.
“No, Daddy.”
“Are you wanting to fuck anyone else?”
“No, I swear.”
He held two fingers to my lips. “Get them wet.”
 I sucked them into my mouth, leaving a trail of saliva behind, which he
brought to my hole. Yaro breached the muscles and slowly pushed his
fingers inside me.
“Oh,” I moaned.
“Feels good?”
“Yes, Daddy. Please.”
“Please what? Do you want me to make you come?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
He thrust his fingers deeper, plugging them in and out of me while
stroking my cock with his other hand. Breathing became difficult. My
nipples tightened.
Oh my god.
“Oh fuck. I’m almost there, Daddy. Please don’t stop. Please, please.”
Yaro pulled his fingers out. My eyes flew open. He had a smirk on his
face. The emotion that had engulfed me dissipated.
“Daisy,” he said, his face once more serious.
”Yes, Daddy?”
“Swear it on your life. You’ll never cheat. You’ll never leave. You’ll
never betray me. Swear it!”
“I swear!”
Yaro slipped his fingers back inside me, drawing out a long moan. “Do
you mean it?”
“I do.”
“And you know what happens to you if you betray me?”
“You’ll kill me.”
“Yes. Does it scare you?”
I nodded.
“Good.”
Crouching at the desk, Yaro dragged my hips lower and swiped his
tongue over my hole.
“Oh!” I cried, stunned. “Daddy…ooh.”
I’d been on the verge of begging him to stop, but his tongue felt so good
as he explored my hole with stabbing thrusts to broad strokes. With his
thumbs, he stretched me open and tongued me, licking around the nerve
endings. Shivers coursed through my body.
Oh god, I never thought Yaro would do something so intimate. With a
cry, I came hard, his hand stroking my cock and his tongue lapping at my
hole. When I collapsed, I almost fell off the desk, but he rose to his feet and
grabbed me. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his
chest, at a loss for words.
His heart thumped hard like mine did when I was excited or nervous.
For the first time, I wasn’t the only one who had arms around him. He held
me back, one of his hands resting in my hair and the other on my back. I
closed my eyes and smiled.
“Daisy,” he said softly.
“Hmm?”
He took my face in his hands, tilted it back, and stared into my eyes. I
blinked, surprised to find his blue ones uncertain and fearful. Was he
afraid…of me?
“You made a promise,” he said. “You should know what a promise
means to me. It means you should fulfill it. Never break it because if you
do, I’ll have no choice but to do bad things to you, and I don’t want to hurt
you.”
A chill seeped into my body. I could tell how serious he was, but it
didn’t matter, because one thing was certain. “I won’t betray you.”
Yaro lowered his lips to my forehead. “Please don’t make me have to
hurt you.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
 YARO

“I t was awful what he did to the poor boy. Locked him up without food
and water for days.”
In the pantry, I clutched the bottle of water in my hand and frowned.
The kitchen had been empty. Before I could announce my presence, the
gossiping maids had already entered.
“That’s cruel.” I recognized the voice of the new housekeeper I’d hired.
Maybe I shouldn’t bother with having staff if all they were good for was to
spread gossip.
“Then he fired the housekeeper and the maid when all they did was
follow his instructions. We all heard him say to lock the boy up inside his
room and not to let him out.”
“Why would he do something like that?”
“Because he’s Yaroslav Noskov, that’s why. I’m telling you it’s just a
matter of time before he finds fault with every one of us.”
“So why do you all stay?”
“He pays good money.”
“That’s not so bad, then.”
“Isn’t it? Some things aren’t worth the money. Why, he left the library
door open while he was forcing the poor boy to have sex with him.
Disgusting!”
“But isn’t he the boy’s guardian?”
“It’s shameful, I tell you, the way he has that boy in his bed, picking up
right where his mother left off, and the worst part is that the boy has no
idea. He—”
“What nonsense are you saying?”
 I almost dropped the bottle of water at Daisy’s voice. He was supposed
to be getting ready for our date. I’d only ducked into the kitchen to grab a
bottle of water to settle my nerves. It’d been almost two decades since I
went on a date with someone I actually cared about.
“I was just getting the new housekeeper up to date with what’s
happening.”
“You mean filling her head with lies!” Daisy’s voice was sharp and full
of disdain. “Have you no shame collecting his money while gossiping about
your boss?”
“I’m sorry, but—”
“There’s no but. You’ve taken the truth and made it into more than it
actually is. Yaro didn’t force me into doing anything. If I’m in his bed,
that’s where I want to be. You should be glad I was the one who walked in
on you talking this nonsense because Yaro might not take so kindly to it. I
won’t say anything to him, but if I hear any more gossip about him, I can’t
be held responsible for my actions.”
“Thank you for not telling Mr. Noskov. It won’t happen again.”
“See to it that it doesn’t. People talking badly about Yaro is what I hate
the most.”
As footsteps receded from the kitchen, I closed my eyes and inhaled
deeply. Didn’t he tire of defending me? How had it not sunk in that if
everyone thought so poorly of me, it was because I was indeed what they
claimed I was? I’d threatened to hurt him if he cheated on me, and he just
took it in stride as if that was healthy.
I slipped out of the pantry, and Daisy cried out.
“Shh, it’s me.”
“Yaro! What are you doing in there?”
I brandished the bottle of water, but the words to explain didn’t pass my
lips. He looked stunning in a little black dress and his curls bouncing
around his face and shoulders.
“Oh no! You heard everything!” Daisy slipped his arms up my chest and
twined around my neck. “Please don’t be angry with them.”
“Why shouldn’t I? You heard the things they said.”
“Because I’m asking you nicely.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “You think that can get me to change my mind
about something?”
 “See, I have you all figured out.” He smiled ruefully. “You can’t resist
me, and that’s why I get away with things others can’t.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
I pressed my palm to his back and pulled him even closer to me. He
inhaled sharply as our lower halves bumped.
“Because I think it’s the other way around,” I teased him. “I think
you’re the one who can’t resist me.”
Daisy raised his right hand and touched my lips gently. “You’re
smiling.”
“No, I’m not.” But now he had me grinning like an idiot. That seemed
to make him happy. Why did he care if I smiled or not?
“You have a beautiful smile,” he said. “I worry you’re unhappy with me
because you never smile.”
“I’m not unhappy.”
“But you are sad.” He pressed his lips to my neck and kissed me. “I hate
that people have made you sad, but I’ll always try to make you smile,
especially now that I know how handsome you are with a smile.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “So I wasn’t handsome before the smile?”
“You’re always handsome. Daddy, are you teasing me?” He tried to take
a step back, but I held his waist and lowered my head to kiss him. I ran my
tongue seamlessly into his mouth, toying with his tongue. Satisfied when he
moaned, I pulled back.
“We have reservations at eight,” I said. “We should go now.”
“Is Andrei going with us?”
I frowned. “You want Andrei to go with us?”
“He always goes with you.”
“Not tonight. It’s just us.”
“Okay.”
Did he sound disappointed? I was still trying to figure out if his question
about Andrei was innocent when we were in my car. I didn’t drive often, so
I relished every moment I got behind the wheel. Next to me, Daisy was
bouncing in his seat, clapping his hands.
“I can’t believe I’m going on my first date.”
Damn, there was still so much he hadn’t done or seen. Keeping him
locked up at home wasn’t much better than what Polina and Joe had done to
him. He should go out and explore.
 But what if he met someone else?
“Do you feel confined to the house?” I asked.
“Confined?”
“Yes, like I’m holding you hostage.”
“No, but I wouldn’t mind going out with you sometimes. I’d be too
scared to go off on my own.”
“All right, then. I’ll make more time to take you out.”
“If I had friends, I wouldn’t have to bother you so much to do things
with me.”
“It’s not a bother, but what about Cam? You said you had fun last time
with him.”
“He’s mean. I don’t want to be friends with him.”
“Didn’t you have fun?”
“We did, but he tricked me. I got all my math wrong because he made
me change my answers.”
“You didn’t tell me about that.”
“Because I felt like a fool falling for his trick. I should have done the
work myself.”
“Hmm, I don’t like people messing with you.”
“It’s okay.” Daisy placed a hand on my thigh. “I’m over it. It’s my fault
for being gullible. Did I use that word right?”
“Gullible? Yes.”
“Good. Manuel downloaded an app for me where I get to learn a word
each day. It teaches me how to pronounce it and use it in a sentence. It’s
been a great help.”
“I’m glad he’s working out for you.”
“He’s amazing. He knows so much about everything, and he…”
Daisy launched into all the wonderful things about Manuel and how
smart he was. He spoke with such awe and apparent fondness in his voice it
took all my restraint to snap at him not to talk about another man like that.
The more I cared about him, the more irrational I became where he was
concerned. But how could I fully trust him and these men he talked about?
Everyone was suspect.
No one could be trusted.
They were always faithful until tempted. All it took was one time to
betray someone.
 We arrived at Oasis, and I parked, satisfied to find only a few cars in the
lot. With my hand on Daisy’s lower back, I guided him toward the entrance.
“We’re on a date,” he whispered.
I chuckled at him trying to contain his excitement. A part of me took
perverse pleasure that he’d never done this with anyone else. No one else
would be associated with these important memories for him. Only me.
“Mr. Noskov,” the maître d’ greeted us. “Right this way, please.”
Daisy gripped my arm tight. I dipped my hand below his waist and
squeezed his ass.
“Daddy!” He swatted my hand.
“What? It’s mine, isn’t it?”
He nodded, the most beautiful blush staining his cheeks. I loved when
he agreed all of him belonged to me.
We bypassed the empty tables and chairs to the patio, where I’d
arranged a private table with a view of the skyline downtown. At night the
scenery was breathtaking. Even more so when I was watching Daisy’s
reactions.
The table was adorned with a pristine white tablecloth that fluttered
lightly in the breeze. A centerpiece of a delicate crystal vase held a bouquet
of fresh “daisies” similar to the ones that were planted on the estate where
we’d both grown up. The flickering light from the candles added a warm,
golden hue to the surroundings, casting dancing shadows on the table.
The chairs were positioned perfectly, facing each other. I pulled out the
chair for Daisy, then took my seat. The soft velvet cushions were
comfortable. I’d asked them for nothing but the best.
“Oh my god, Daddy! Everything’s amazing.”
To give the maître d’ his due, he didn’t bat an eye at Daisy’s outburst. I
hadn’t told him to confine his use of Daddy to when we were in private.
What harm could it do anyway? We were the only ones at the restaurant,
and the staff had been carefully selected to serve us tonight. This was
Daisy’s first day and nothing could go wrong.
“Is there anything we can get you?” the maître d’ asked. I’d made it
clear I would tip handsomely on top of the exorbitant amount I’d paid for
them to empty out the restaurant for me for two hours.
“A bottle of your finest wine,” I said.
“I’ll send your server with it right away.”
 Daisy plucked one of the flowers from the arrangement and sniffed it.
“You got these because daisies are my favorite flowers?” he asked in awe.
“But those aren’t—”
“That’ll be all.” I cut off the maître d’. He got the point and walked
away, leaving me alone with Daisy.
“Are you pleased?” I asked him.
“Yes, everything looks amazing, though I can’t help wondering why no
one else is eating here. Maybe the food is terrible.”
I chuckled. “It’s not. This is the best restaurant in Conhaven.”
“Really? So why are we the only ones here? It’s almost as if you asked
them not to let anyone else in.”
I didn’t reply.
Daisy widened his eyes. “You did, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Instead of being flattered, he looked devastated. “Are you
ashamed someone might see me with you?”
“What? Of course not.”
“Then why would you do that?”
I reached across the table and put my hand over his. “Because you’ve
never been to a restaurant like this before, and it’s your first date. I didn’t
want you to feel self-conscious or for anything to happen that may ruin your
first time.”
“Are you sure that’s it?”
“I’m positive. I’m not ashamed of anything with you.”
“Not even that you’re my guardian? Everyone seems so shocked about
that.”
“Well, I can see their point. Except I wasn’t a particularly good
guardian, nor did I raise you directly. I also didn’t know who you were
when we first met.”
“You mean that I’m Chase.”
“Yes.”
A server approached our table and saved me from a conversation I
wasn’t looking forward to having. I told him to leave the bottle of wine and
bring the appetizers—latkes with smoked salmon.
“I’ve never had wine before,” Daisy said.
“And you shouldn’t. But your birthday is coming soon, so we can let it
slide.”
 “My birthday?” He looked stunned.
“Yes, June twenty-first. You didn’t know?”
“No. No one’s ever told me.”
My throat closed up, making it difficult to swallow. How could he be
sitting there, staring up at me with adoration and gratitude like I’d done him
any favors when I’d done the opposite?
“Do you want to have a party?” I asked, desperate to make it up to him.
“Or go anywhere in the world. I can make it happen.”
“Just spending the day with you. You can’t go to work or stay locked up
in your office. I’ll need your undivided attention.”
And this is why I have to give him the world. He doesn’t ask for much.
CHAPTER TWENTY
 YARO

“Y aro , tell me about your childhood .”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. For a second I’d thought he would
want to talk about who Chase was before he became Daisy. I didn’t talk
much about my past, but I owed him something.
I dabbed my lips with the napkin, then sipped my wine. After he’d
finished his way too quickly, I’d asked our server to switch his drink to iced
tea.
“What do you want to know?” I asked.
“You said you grew up on the same estate I did.”
“Yes, but we didn’t own it. My father worked for the people who did.
Later he bought it.”
“Did you play in the field of daisies too?” He leaned forward, his
cheeks flushed from the little alcohol he’d drunk. “When Nanny Pol wasn’t
home, I’d take all my clothes off and run through the daisies.”
“Weren’t you afraid the insects would bite you?”
“They did a few times, but it was worth it. What about you?”
“I helped my father with chores around the estate. There wasn’t much
time for play.”
“But you had your brother.”
“We didn’t meet until we were adults.”
“Oh no. Why?”
“My mother cheated on my father with Sem’s. We were automatically
enemies because our fathers hated each other. My father forced my mother
to choose between Sem and us. My mother left.”
“She left you?”
 I shrugged. “She didn’t have a choice.”
“You must have been hurt by it, though. That she chose another family.”
It had hurt, but Dad and I got through it. “My father used to be involved
in a lot of illegal stuff when he was younger, but then he got married and
had a family. He was trying to do right by us. After Mom left, he didn’t see
the point anymore. He’d given up so much and for what? At the time, the
owner of the estate died. His kids didn’t want the property, so Dad bought it
and the horse. He trained the horse to compete on the race track, which
turned into a profitable gambling business, and that’s how he started. He’d
always raised me to take over for him one day.”
He glanced around as if checking we were alone. “Did your father really
kill Sem’s?”
“Yes. Sem’s father was also in the Bratva, which Dad never got over
because he gave up that life to keep his family safe. But it turned out Mom
preferred having that dangerous life and the wealth associated with it
instead of barely making ends meet. My father and Sem’s had a run-in, and
my dad offed him and his bodyguards.”
“Where’s your father now?”
“At ADX Florence—a supermax prison. He’s serving a life sentence.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“When he was sentenced. He’s not allowed visitors.”
“Oh no.” Daisy jumped up, wedged himself into my lap, and gave me a
hug. I closed my eyes and inhaled his warm vanilla scent. If he left me, I’d
go crazy. I was getting too used to his compassion, kindness, and affection.
“I’ve always wished my parents were alive so I could see and speak to
them even once,” he said softly. “But it must be tougher knowing your
father is alive but not being able to contact him.”
He was so gullible. How could there be anyone else in the world like
my Daisy?
Tell him the truth.
He would hate me if I did.
I ran my hand down his back to his ass. Tonight had been relaxing. For
once, I’d forgotten about the Falcons and enjoyed being with Daisy. I didn’t
spend nearly enough time with him. I had to change that.
“Oh, Daddy,” he said softly and twitched his ass against my erection I
hadn’t even been aware of until he rubbed against it.
 “You keep pressing up on it, and I won’t be able to wait until we get
home.”
“But there are people around.”
“Hardly.”
I cupped his head and pulled him closer so I could kiss his neck and
suck on the skin. Daisy keened against me, rolling his hips and gyrating on
my cock.
“Fuck. We need to go now, or I’m going to take you right here on the
table, and I don’t think that’s appropriate. Did you want anything else—”
Daisy slammed his lips on mine and kissed me. I groaned, tightened my
hand in his hair, and dueled with his tongue until we were both panting. I
set him on his feet and stood.
I left a generous tip on the table for a job well done of giving Daisy a
great first date, then whisked him off to the car. I buckled him in, but as
soon as I sat and shut my door, Daisy released his seat belt and crawled
over the console. I reclined my seat just in time to make room for him to
straddle my lap.
“Jesus, Daisy.”
“I need you, Daddy.” He kissed me, damn near sticking his tongue
down my throat. I’d never seen him so uninhibited, as if he let go of
everything he’d been holding back. I loved it, the mewling sounds he made
in his throat and the way he ground his ass in my lap.
“Fuck, Daisy.” I tore my lips away and pulled up the hem of his dress to
bare his bottom. Beneath the dress, I encountered a tiny scrap of lace that
disappeared between his cheeks. Sweet.
He reached for my pants and worked at releasing my cock, which put
his torso in line with my mouth. I pried the straps of the dress down to
uncover his chest and licked his nipple. Daisy cried out and sank his fingers
into my hair.
“Oh gosh, that feels so good, Daddy.”
“Hmm.” I sucked his nipple into my mouth and bit down gently on it.
Then I switched to the other.
“Yes, oh, yes.” He finally got my dick out and stroked me. “Put it in,
Daddy. I want to feel you.”
“I’ll have to use spit. I don’t have any lube.”
“I don’t care. I need you inside me now.” He sobbed like he was dying
without my cock inside him.
 “Hang on, baby.” I slicked my cock over with saliva as much as
possible, then pushed my middle finger into him. I’d fucked him so much
lately he was nicely opened up for me.
Fuck, I should get the condom in my wallet.
Just this once.
I held my cock at the base. “Sit on it, baby. Daddy’s got it right here,
ready for you.”
Daisy sank onto my cock, taking me all inside him in one impatient
movement.
“Fuck.” I groaned.
How could I ever wear a condom with him again? Skin to skin, he felt
even better. No latex barrier between my cock and his tight heat.
“Ride me, baby.”
Together we found a rhythm as much as the cramped space allowed. He
slammed his ass down, and I thrust up. Fuck, I needed to see him. I hit the
ceiling light, and a soft glow filled the car. The muscles in Daisy’s brown
thighs strained as he rode me hard.
“Fuck, yes.” I grabbed his ass and squeezed, pulled him down onto my
cock and punched up over and over. His cries echoed in the car. I took his
mouth and kissed him as we ground against each other, fucking like we
could never get enough.
“Feels so good,” Daisy murmured against my lips. “Do you like my ass,
Daddy? Do you like the way you feel inside me?”
I grunted, my throat too tight with emotions to give a coherent response.
Fuck it. I tugged at the dress, needing to expose more of him. I needed to
see all of him. A loud rip of fabric tore through the moans, but it gave me
an idea. I split the material until I had it nicely bunched around his waist.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about. You’re so fucking pretty.”
“I am?”
“You know you are. I’ve wanted to sink my cock into you since we
almost ran you down.”
“And I wanted to,” he cried out with a sob. “I just knew it would be
different with you.”
“Is it?” I bounced him on my lap.
“Yes. Oh god, yes.” He shuddered against me, then went still, his
muscles contracting around my cock.
Slap! Slap!
 I grunted, driving deep inside him and coming. Filling him for the first
time with my cum.
Daisy collapsed against my chest. We were both panting, struggling to
breathe. The car felt hot and stuffy, so I pressed the Start button and turned
the A/C on. A tremor passed through him. Shit, he was practically naked
while I still had my clothes on.
“I don’t ever want to move.”
I chuckled, rubbing his slender back. It felt so good to relax and let my
guard down.
All because of this boy.
“You don’t have to move yet. Just don’t fall asleep.”
“I’m not making any promises.”
He sounded as if he would fall asleep right there.
“Daisy, I’m not kidding. We need to get you home, baby. You can’t fall
asleep.”
He smiled, eyes still closed. “I love when you call me that—baby.”
Heat crept up my face.
What is he doing to me?
A light snore caught my ear.
“Nonono. Daisy, wake up. The sooner we get you home, the more
comfortable you can be. We’re both sticky with cum. We need a shower and
a nice comfy bed.”
“Hmm. Your cum’s in my ass.” He smiled sleepily as I helped to move
him over to his seat. “I like that.”
At the memory of taking him raw, I swallowed. It’d been a stupid thing
to do when I didn’t even know his status. Thank fuck there were options to
safeguard against a potential outcome of this stupidity. And yet I didn’t
regret it.
Together we tried to fix Daisy’s clothes, but the dress was ruined. I
shrugged my jacket off and handed it to him. “Cover up with this so you
don’t get chilly.”
He sighed and took the jacket from me, but his expression was regretful
as he traced the dress with his fingers.
“Don’t worry about it.” I locked my seat belt, then put the car into Drive
and slowly rolled out of the parking lot. “I’ll buy you another dress. A
hundred more if you want.”
I would buy him the world.
 I loved him.
Fuck.
I was in love with Daisy.
“I know you can, but this one was special. Andrei bought it for me.”
I braked hard for the red light. “What?”
“He did. This dress and the underwear. He bought them for me when
Camilla said I couldn’t have them. Wasn’t that sweet of him? Come to think
of it, I never repaid him for that.”
“Andrei bought you this dress,” I said to make sure I hadn’t heard him
wrong.
“Yes. He even added a few things I hadn’t picked out.”
The familiar coldness from the past eighteen years seeped through my
fingertips, my nostrils, the pores in my body, winding its way around my
heart. He’d worn a dress bought by another man to a dinner date with me?
I’d held that material in my hands, admired it on his form, rubbed it against
my skin while I’d been inside him.
I white-knuckled the steering wheel and pressed on the gas, my vision
blurry.
“Yaro, aren’t you driving too fast?” Daisy gasped.
I eased off the gas but didn’t respond. I couldn’t for fear the wrong
words would come out. But they screamed in my head, all the ugly words I
wanted to hurl at him.
Did you sleep with him?
Did you spread your legs and let him fuck you too?
Did you moan and whimper for him the way you do me?
Did you ever cry out his name while you shuddered?
When we arrived at the house, I was seething, but anger I was used to.
Anger I could manage. I glanced over at Daisy, who’d fallen asleep, curled
up against the door with my jacket covering him up. The feeling I dreaded
intensified. The one that wanted me to lock him up in the house with access
to no one else. To remove everyone from his orbit who he smiled at.
Anyone who wasn’t me.
I was jealous and afraid to lose him. My hands shook with the force of
it. My bones rattled from the anxiety…from the uncertainty.
What if he betrayed me too?
No, I couldn’t let that happen. But first, I needed him out of that dress.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
 DAISY

M y body hummed , an achy reminder of the awkwardness of having sex in

a car. We probably should have waited until we got home and used the bed,
but I hadn’t been able to keep my hands off Yaro. Not after he’d given me
the most perfect night—one that was even better than all the movies I’d
watched. The way he’d reserved the entire restaurant just to make me feel at
ease on my first date was so romantic. Although I wished he hadn’t so
others could see me with him.
I wanted the world to know I was Yaro’s.
And he was mine.
Smiling, I stretched the kinks out of my limbs. The details after we left
the restaurant were a blur. Snippets of Yaro trying to get me into the shower
but failing filtered into my hazy memory. Somehow I’d wound up in bed,
but I couldn’t recall getting there. Yaro must have tucked me in.
And people thought he was a vicious man.
I grabbed the pillow next to mine and pulled it into my chest. I buried
my face into the softness and inhaled deeply. His aftershave lingered on the
pillowcase. Where was he?
I peered at the clock on the night table. Shoot! It was almost ten. Why
hadn’t Yaro woken me up? I would be late for class, and Manuel made me
write lines if I was even one minute late.
I scrambled off the bed and rushed into the master bathroom that looked
like a mini version of the spa downstairs. Not only did it have a huge
shower more suitable for ten people but also a free-standing bathtub. I never
knew a bathroom could look this great. If I took a blanket and a pillow, I
could sleep comfortably there.
 I relieved my bladder and hopped into the shower. The knobs had all
been a mystery until Yaro walked in one evening to find me showering in
ice-cold water. There’d been hot water all along, and I hadn’t known. He’d
seemed angry when I told him I’d never had hot water at the estate, but then
I’d kissed him, and we ended up having sex against the bathroom wall.
My clothes were still in my bedroom, and I dashed naked from his room
to mine to get dressed. I yanked my underwear drawer open. What in the
world? The drawer was empty. Was I losing my mind? I pulled out the
drawer next to it but that one was empty too. A quick check proved all the
drawers were empty.
“Where are all my clothes?”
Had Yaro moved my stuff to his room while I’d been sleeping?
Yes, he was coming around!
I ran back to his bedroom and checked his closet, but only his clothes
hung neatly pressed and arranged according to color. None of my shirts and
shorts were there. What was going on?
I grabbed one of Yaro’s T-shirts and tugged it on. The material was soft
against my skin, a flowery note of laundry detergent lingering. I might have
just stumbled on my motivation to wear clothes more. Wearing Yaro’s.
With my assignment book in hand, I hurried downstairs. I could grab a
granola bar to eat while in class. If I were really quiet, Manuel didn’t even
have to know.
I was so intent on making it to the kitchen I didn’t pay attention to my
surroundings. I bumped into a body and almost fell, but gentle hands
grasped my arms and steadied me on my feet. I brushed my curls out of my
eyes.
“Manuel!” He had his bag in hand and his coat on as if he were leaving.
“Please don’t leave. I’m so sorry I’m late. I’ll skip breakfast and write all
the lines you want me to.”
“I have to go.”
“I don’t understand.” I grabbed his arm. “Are you that upset with me?”
“You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“You should talk to Mr. Noskov.”
The way he spat Yaro’s surname made me wince. “I will, but you can’t
leave.”
“He fired me, Daisy.”
 “What?”
“And I have five minutes to get off his property.” He checked his watch.
“Three now, so if you’ll excuse me, I’d rather not have my head separated
from my body.”
“But you can’t leave!” I cried. “I’ll talk to him. Something must have
happened.”
He laughed and shook his head. “He doesn’t need a reason to do what
he does. He’s the great Yaroslav Noskov after all. The rest of us are at his
whim, chess pieces for him to move around as he pleases. You should run,
Daisy. Run far away from this man.”
“Manuel, wait! Please wait!”
But he didn’t look back, just marched out of the door like he expected a
knife-wielding Yaro to chase after him any minute.
What kind of world had I woken up in? Was I dreaming? I pinched
myself and cried out at the sting. Ugh, why did I do it that hard?
I was tempted to go after Manuel and persuade him to stay, but only
Yaro could change his mind, so I hurried to his office but stopped short at
the shouting match behind the closed door. The last time I’d entered Yaro’s
office without permission, I’d been traumatized by the dead body, being
locked up, and denied food. I rested my hand on the doorknob and bit my
bottom lip.
Why was he arguing with Andrei? I’d never heard them go at each
other’s throats like this. If only I could understand what they were saying,
but in heated moments, they often turned to speaking Russian.
Slowly I turned the knob and poked my head inside. Yaro was leaning
over his desk, his eyes flashing with anger and the vein in his forehead
throbbing. Had I been Andrei, I would have backed out of the argument, but
he fired back at Yaro with equal heat.
“Stop it!” I’d had enough. I’d had the most amazing time the day
before. This was too much. How could everything have changed so
quickly? It was as if I’d stepped in another time.
Yaro and Andrei glared at me. Inside I was shaking, but I straightened
my spine.
Yaro said something in Russian, realized I couldn’t understand a thing,
and started over. “Get out. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Doesn’t it?” Andrei snapped. “You’re being a fucking ass, but you
won’t dare to admit it.”
 “What the hell is happening?” I asked, chucking my books onto a
couch. “I woke up this morning, and all my clothes are gone. Manuel said
you fired him, and now you’re arguing with Andrei. What’s going on,
Yaro?”
“It’s none of your business.” The chair groaned as Yaro plunked down
into it.
“None of my business that you fired my teacher? Manuel was helping
me learn.”
“We can find you another teacher.”
“I don’t want another teacher. I want Manuel!”
Yaro’s nostrils flared. “I bet you do, don’t you? You just can’t help
yourself.”
“Don’t talk to him that way,” Andrei growled. “He doesn’t deserve it
because you’ve concocted a bullshit narrative in your head.”
“How I treat Daisy is none of your business. I’ve already told you to get
the hell out of my house. If you’re not back on a plane to Russia in the next
twenty-four hours, I don’t know what I’ll do if you cross my path again.”
The words slammed into my gut, and they weren’t even directed at me.
“Wait a minute. Why does Andrei have to go back to Russia?”
Yaro fell silent, tapping away on his computer and ignoring me.
“Why don’t you tell him, Yaro?” Andrei taunted. “Tell him how you’re
overreacting because I bought him some clothes.”
“What?” I gasped. “This is over the clothes Andrei bought me?”
Yaro yanked open his desk drawer, took out his gun, and placed it on his
desk. “You have five seconds to get the fuck out, Andrei.”
“You can’t be serious.” I rushed over to Yaro. “Yaro, what’s wrong with
you? Last night was—”
“A fucking mistake.”
The door closed behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. Andrei had
walked out.
“Yaro, do something!” I cried. “Stop him from leaving, or I will.”
Yaro rose from his chair. “I forbid you to go after him.”
“Then you do it. Andrei is your best friend. Why would you treat him
this way because he bought me some clothes? He was just being nice.”
He snorted. “He’s my employee. Not my friend.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it.”
“You say one more word, Daisy, and I’ll tape your mouth shut.”
 “If you don’t listen to me, I’ll talk to him myself.”
“Daisy, if you go after him, don’t come back.”
“I will come back. You can throw me out after if you want to, but I
promised you I’d never walk out on you. Why won’t you believe that?”
I ran to the door. Andrei already had a head start.
“Daisy, I’ll punish you! Don’t you dare think I won’t.”
But he hadn’t repeated not to come back, so I went after Andrei. Yaro
lapsed into Russian, no doubt cursing me out.
Heart hammering, I sprinted along the hall. “Andrei! Andrei!”
I caught up with him at the front door, taking his coat out of the closet.
“You shouldn’t have come after me,” he said, his eyes full of pain and
hurt.
“Why not? You’re both being stubborn. Tell me you don’t believe he
meant all that.”
“That’s the problem, Daisy. He believes every crazy thing he’s thought
up between last night and this morning. Why did you tell him I bought the
dress? I never meant for him to know.”
“It’s just a dress. Why is it such a big deal?”
“Because to him, it’s not just a dress. It’s a gift from me to you. From
his bodyguard to the boy he—”
“The boy he what?”
Andrei shook his head. “The longer you’re gone, the angrier he will be.
Go back now.”
“No! Not until you promise not to leave him.”
“You think I want to go? But what choice do I have? I can hardly work
for someone who doesn’t want me to anymore.”
“I’ll talk to him and make him change his mind.”
“You shouldn’t. The more you argue with him to keep me, the more
he’ll think you like me.”
“But I do like you! You’ve been a friend to me since you both found
me.”
“Don’t you get it?” He lifted his hand to my face but then dropped it.
“You’re so innocent. Of course you don’t.”
“What don’t I get?”
“Yaro’s been betrayed before by the people he cares about. It makes him
paranoid that people want to cheat him. He especially takes it out on those
who are closest to him. It’s a wonder he’s taken this long to come after me.
He’s fired many over the years for the least imagined infraction.”
“So what do I do now?”
“Nothing. You go back to him and apologize for disobeying him and
coming to talk to me. He’ll forgive you. He cares about you.”
“But I’m not sorry.”
Andrei groaned. “Don’t you get it? He won’t adjust his thinking when
he’s like this. You gotta be the one to fold. He won’t, and if you don’t fold,
he’ll…hurt you, even if it kills him.”
I shook my head. “Yaro wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Normally, he wouldn’t. But if he thinks you’re cheating on him with
me, then yes, he’ll hurt you, Daisy. You need to know that. I’m going now.
Take care of yourself, Daisy.” He squeezed my shoulder.
An explosion echoed in the hall. Andrei cried out, body jerking back
and grabbing his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers.
“You shot me.”
I spun around, stricken to see Yaro still aiming his gun at Andrei.
“Touch him again, and the next bullet goes through your heart.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. I felt like I was trapped in somebody
else’s nightmare. No way any of this could be true.
“Screw you, Yaroslav.” Clutching his arm, Andrei stumbled out of the
house.
“Andrei!” He was hurt. I couldn’t let him leave like this. What if he
died?
“I’m warning you, Daisy. You take a foot out of this house—”
“And what? You’re going to shoot me too?” I scrubbed the tears from
my face and raised my chin. “You’re a fool, Yaro! You just shot the one
man who would have stepped in front of a bullet to protect you.”
“Because I paid him to.”
“No, because he’s your friend.”
Yaro closed the distance between us, grabbed me by the throat, and
slammed my back into the wall. His mouth fell open, but no words came
out. He was staring at something on the wall. The faded spots. I caught his
wrist, trying to pull his hand away, and he snapped his gaze back to me.
“I had a friend once—eighteen years ago,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I had a wife too and a little boy I was going to teach how to ride a bike, a
horse, take him fishing and camping. Do you know what that friend and my
wife did? They fucked everywhere they could in my home whenever my
back was turned. And the little boy? Wasn’t my son. My wife and best
friend did that to me, so the word friend means nothing to me. Nothing.”
He shook me hard, then released me. I touched my throat where he’d
held me too tightly. “But we’re not them. Yaro, we made progress last night.
Why are you destroying everything?”
“You went after him.” His eyes glimmered with hurt as if I’d betrayed
him. “I told you not to come back if you did. I even threatened to punish
you, and you still went after him. Does he mean that much to you?”
I hadn’t done anything wrong. I knew it, but when he turned his back
and walked away it felt as if I’d kicked him. No worse, as if I’d held a gun
to his head. He really thought I’d betrayed him all because of a few clothes?
I needed to make this right.
He’d returned to his office. I entered without asking his permission. It
didn’t matter what he said. He and Andrei were friends. I’d seen the way
they were with each other. They might behave with a certain aloofness and
didn’t have any physical contact, but Andrei took care of him, and, more
importantly, Yaro let it happen. He would have never let someone that close
to him unless he trusted and cared about them.
“Get out,” he said.
“Not until we talk.”
“I’m in a foul mood, Daisy. I won’t be responsible for my actions if you
decide to stay.”
“I don’t care. I have something to say to you.”
“Nothing you can say will make the situation better. Did you or did you
not wear clothes bought by another man?”
“Yes, I did. A friend!”
“A friend? The first time you went to the hotel with me, you wanted a
threesome with him.”
“I never!”
“Don’t deny it. I heard you clearly. That you wanted him to stay.”
“To lighten the mood because you were making me feel weird things he
didn’t, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alone with you.”
He snorted.
“Don’t make that sound with me, Yaroslav. I’m speaking the truth.”
“I don’t know what planet you live on, Daisy, with your imaginary little
unicorn friends, but this is the real world. And in the real world, you don’t
accept clothes from another man. And you sure as fuck don’t wear it when
you’re with the man you claim you care about.”
“I do care about you! I love you, but I don’t understand why you’re
upset with me and Andrei. We did nothing wrong. He made a sweet gesture
when your girlfriend wouldn’t buy me the clothes I wanted.”
“Stop talking.”
“I will not! Not until you’ve undone all the damage you did. Get
Manuel back and find a way to make it up to Andrei for shooting him.”
“This is your last warning, Daisy. Get out of my office, or I’ll bend you
over the desk and spank you, and I don’t mean in the fun way you like
when I’m fucking you.”
Chest heaving, I stalked over to his desk, leaned over it, and pulled my
shirt up to my waist, baring my bottom.
“Do it, then. I’m not afraid of you, Yaroslav Noskov. You’re not treating
me right, and I’m not going to pretend it’s okay. Smack me if you want, but
I’m going to say it anyway. You are wrong for the way you treated Manuel
and Andrei. And you’re wrong for the way you’re treating me. Manuel
taught me to respect myself enough not to let people treat me—oww!”
He’d slapped me! He’d actually spanked me hard with his open palm. I
bit my bottom lip to stifle my sob as his palm connected with my cheeks.
Over and over until my bottom burned like it was on fire.
“Stop! Please, please stop!” I cried, unable to take it anymore. I
collapsed onto the desk, afraid to touch my ass for how badly it hurt.
“You drove me to it.” Yaro’s tone was hollow as he took me by the arm.
I tried to shove him off me, but he was stronger. He pulled me upright and
into his chest. I covered my face with my hands and sobbed.
“You h-h-hurt me,” I gasped.
“So do you,” he said stiffly. “Every time you mention their names, it’s
like you’re hammering it into my skull that you care about them. I had to
fire them, Daisy. It’s the only way.”
I shook my head. “You can tr-trust m-m-me instead of being the worst
Daddy ever!”
I pushed my way out of his arms, and this time he let me. My ass was
aching so badly it was agony, and I doubted I would be able to sit for days,
but all I could think of was how much I didn’t mean what I’d just said to
him.
 We would get through this. He needed to calm down, and then he would
listen.
I’m not giving up on him.
I’ll never give up on you, Yaro.
But my pride was hurt. I was devastated at losing a teacher and a friend
and worried about Andrei’s wound.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
 YARO

T he eyes staring back at me weren’t gray. These were cold green,

familiar, but not that familiar as the ones I expected to see. With a groan, I
closed my eyes and shook my head. Big mistake. A gong went off inside
my skull, and I grunted.
Shit, how much vodka had I downed last night?
When the nausea in my gut settled, I opened my eyes again. The green
ones I’d been staring into now had a face. A spiteful one.
He’d played a cruel trick on Daisy.
“You!” I grabbed him by the neck, and he squeaked.
“I’d protect my stomach if I were you,” my brother said as he entered
the room. He didn’t seem bothered by the fact that I had his boyfriend in a
threatening grip.
“What do you—” The boy’s hand moved, and I managed to block the
knife inches from my face. The blade scraped along my arm, leaving a trail
of blood in its wake.
“I warned you,” Sem said.
I scowled at him, then at the boy who casually got off the bed as if he
hadn’t almost killed me. Had I not reacted fast enough, my guts would have
spilled over the sheets.
Maybe that’s not a bad thing.
Then I wouldn’t have to face Daisy anymore. I wouldn’t have to listen
to his stony silence or see the disappointment in his eyes each day we
tiptoed around each other. But more importantly, I wouldn’t have to relive
the horror of my meltdown four days ago because Andrei had bought Daisy
a dress.
 In the weeks before, one thing after another added to my growing
annoyance. The underwear, seeing Andrei leaving his room, the easy way
he got along with Andrei, the way he talked with such affection about
Manuel, him sending voice notes to the other man when classes had
finished and not allowing me to listen to them. The dress had been the last
straw, though, and I’d blown up.
I might have cooled down had everything culminated there, but he had
to go after Andrei when I told him not to. What was I supposed to think?
If only his words hadn’t been haunting me for the past four days.
You can trust me instead of being the worst Daddy ever!
He thought I was the worst Daddy. I couldn’t blame him when I thought
the same thing.
“I wasn’t going to hurt him.” I took the handkerchief Sem offered me
and pressed it to the wound. “Just shake him a little for the trick he played
on Daisy.”
“What trick?” Sem frowned.
“It was nothing!” Cam cried.
“What did you do, Cam? If he tells me, your punishment will be
worse.”
Sem punished him? The boy was so spoiled and seemed to get away
with everything. Maybe my brother wasn’t as spineless as I’d thought when
it came to this boy.
Cam mumbled something inaudible.
“I can’t hear you,” Sem said. “Speak louder.”
“I had him erase all the right answers on his math worksheet and gave
him the wrong ones.”
“He’s a little devil,” I growled. “You should light the fireplace and
throw him in.”
Cam pouted. “It was just a prank. I didn’t expect him to tattle to his
Daddy.”
“That wasn’t kind, Cam,” Sem said. “Wasn’t Daisy nice to you while
you were there? I thought you said you liked him.”
“I gave him the wrong answers because he snapped at me when you
left.”
“Daisy wouldn’t snap at you for no reason,” I said. “He’s the nicest
person you’ll ever meet.”
 The sweetest, kindest, most affectionate boy and I’d treated him that
way.
“You are such a brat,” Sem said. “I’ve indulged you way too much. If
you can’t behave when you’re a guest, I won’t bring you anywhere.”
“But, Daddy—”
“No buts. Go to your room. Since you love doing math so much, I’m
sure I can find some problems for you to do all day that’ll make you
happy.”
“I hate you!” Cam ran out of the room and slammed the door.
“If you ever find my dead body floating in the Ohio River, don’t believe
the suicide note,” Sem said.
“How do you put up with him? He’s a demon.”
“Truth? Apparently, a happy dick is the way to my shallow heart. He
knows how to work me around his finger, but don’t worry. I’ll punish him
for messing with your boy. Sorry about that. I’ll bring him around some
time to apologize.”
I shook my head with a sigh. “Don’t bother. How did I get here
anyway?”
“You showed up here in a cab drunk.”
“When was that?”
“A long time ago. You slept through breakfast and dinner.”
“What the fuck do you mean I slept through breakfast and dinner? I’ve
been sleeping for the whole day?”
“Pretty much. You looked like hell, but I couldn’t get anything out of
you. Thought you could hold your vodka better than that.”
“Screw you. I can. You have no idea how much I had to drink.”
Neither did I. I just knew it’d been like this for the past three days—
avoiding Daisy, drinking myself into a stupor, and firing anyone who
crossed my path. Did I even have any hired help left at the house?
“Want to talk about it?” Sem asked.
I chuckled, a dry humorless sound. “My old man would shoot me if he
saw me now.”
“Why? Because you’re in love.”
“I’m not…”
“I’m glad you’re not denying it. I couldn’t get anything out of you last
night, but you kept saying the same thing over and over.”
“Which was?”
 “For Daisy to forgive you.”
I groaned and scrubbed my face with my hand. My bladder was full. “I
need to take a piss.”
“No rush. I’ll be here.”
I took my time in the bathroom. No wonder my abdomen ached. My
bladder was at its tipping point. I found a disposable toothbrush and made
use of it, then returned to the guest bedroom.
“Sit down.” Sem gestured at the bed. “Let me take a look at your arm
and make sure you don’t need stitches.”
“Your boy could have killed me, and now you show concern?”
“You’re family. He wouldn’t have gutted you. I don’t think.”
“Really reassuring.”
“Hey, you were the one choking the life out of him. Cam has never not
defended himself when he’s in trouble. I like that about him. He’s not
wishy-washy.”
“A good partner for you, then.”
“Exactly, but we’re not talking about me, the wife who wants to kill me,
my boyfriend who wants to kill my wife, and her father who wants to kill
my boyfriend.”
“Fuck. You need the vodka more than I do.”
“No more drinking. You know it does nothing but delay the solution to a
problem. Now tell me what you did to that sweet boy?”
I grunted.
“That bad, huh?”
“I fucked up.”
“How so?”
“I fired Andrei.”
“Ah. I wondered how your shadow allowed you to go off on your own
last night. What’d he do?”
“He bought Daisy clothes.”
Sem’s hand stilled from wiping away the dried blood on my arm. “I’m
lost. Is clothes a euphemism for something? Like he gave Daisy an STD or
something? What am I missing?”
“Nothing. That’s it. He bought Daisy clothes—a sexy little black dress
and lingerie.”
“Well, the fucker should be glad you fired him instead of killed him.”
“I shot him.”
 “There you go. Why did he buy your boy lingerie? Who the fuck does
that?”
I should stop there and feel justified that I wasn’t wrong for feeling
offended about what Andrei did without my permission, but I had no one to
help me sort through the shit I’d done. If I needed Sem’s opinion, I had to
be honest.
“He was screwing your boy?” Sem asked.
“No.”
“Isn’t that what buying someone underwear means?”
“Maybe for others but not for Daisy. He explained that when he went
shopping with Camilla—”
“Your ex, Camilla?”
“Yeah. Apparently, Daisy chose the dress and underwear, but Camilla
refused to buy them for him. When he left them at the cashier, Andrei
bought them for him.”
“Oh.”
“What does that mean?”
“You screwed the fuck up, brother. On a scale of one to ten, how much
did you lose your shit?”
“An eight.”
“Which to someone like Daisy, is probably a fifteen.”
“Everything was going so well.” I climbed to my feet and paced. “I took
him to dinner, his first date. We had sex, and then I found out the dress he
wore was Andrei’s gift. I tried not to let it bother me. I swear I did, but
everything started coming back.”
“About your ex-wife.”
“Yes. They were so good at what they did, Sem. They were fucking for
at least three years behind my back, and I was so stupidly in love I never
noticed. I mean, who needs fucking love anyway? Look at you. Ruining
your marriage, your relationship with your kids, and angering a mob boss
all because you fell in love with a boy in prison. You damn near spent half
your fortune bribing the judge during his appeal.”
“And I don’t regret it.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t go through that again. I can’t give someone that
much of me anymore so they can make a fool out of me again.”
“But what if they don’t?”
 My stomach knotted. “I can’t do it. Sure, I can try, but I know myself.
The next time he smiles at a guy, I’m gonna get angry, and before you know
it, I’m slicing off an innocent guy’s nuts because they looked at my Daisy.”
“Did you ever see a shrink after what Olive did?”
“I don’t need a fucking shrink.”
“Sounds like it to me. You’re a bad combination waiting to explode,
Yaro. An angry, cruel son of a bitch with insecurities. And I know people
like us, we don’t usually do the shrink stuff, but if it means you can have a
functional relationship with the guy you care about, isn’t it worth it?”
I stared at Sem, expecting bubbles to come out of his ass any minute
now, but nothing. He was completely serious.
“I can’t do it.” Making myself that vulnerable again was out of the
question. Wasn’t that what had truly made me lose my shit and burn all
Daisy’s clothes? Knowing I was falling for him and what it meant. The last
person I’d loved had cut me up badly. I hadn’t just lost a wife and a friend
but a family and the last bit of my humanity.
Daisy’s red ass swam before my eyes. I’d spanked him. I hadn’t been
holding back either. His mentioning Manuel had triggered me, and I’d
reacted.
“All right, then. What are you going to do?”
“I know what I have to do to make this right. It’s what I should have
done eighteen years ago.” Eighteen years ago, I hadn’t wanted to see his
face, a reminder of his parents. At the same time, eighteen years ago, I
hadn’t wanted to completely part with him either. Wasn’t that the reason I’d
never handed him over to the Falcons?
It was time for Daisy to meet his biological family.
“Just don’t do anything you’ll regret, Yaro. You don’t have to act this
very minute. Just think about it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
 DAISY

D aisies were supposed to be my favorite flowers. In the two days since

Yaro hadn’t been home, I’d found solace in the garden, but the lack of
daisies didn’t seem right, so I’d asked the new housekeeper to buy some so
I could plant them. We were all alone in the house now. Just the two of us
and the bodyguard Yaro had allowed to stay to ensure I was safe.
In the days following our argument in his office, Yaro had terrorized his
staff until half of them left. He’d thrown the others out, leaving only the
housekeeper, Giselle, behind. I liked to think he didn’t fire the woman
because if I needed anything, she was the only one I could ask for help.
My gut told me I was right, but Yaro’s irrational behavior and keeping
the housekeeper made me confused and uncertain about everything.
I was angry with him not only for treating me like I’d done something
wrong—when I hadn’t—but I was also upset with him for not being
sensible enough to apologize. Instead of admitting he was wrong, he’d
disappeared. But his thoughtful gesture to not leave me alone in the house
showed he still cared, didn’t it?
But how could I forgive him if he didn’t say he was sorry for his
behavior?
Usually, I was quick to go to him first and make peace, but this time
was different. He’d placed someone else’s betrayal on my shoulders, and I
didn’t like it at all. I’d done nothing but be honest with him, even while
he’d kept secrets from me.
I’d never met a man more stubborn.
Where was he? He hadn’t called and hadn’t been home once to change
his clothes. I was back to taking my meals alone and not talking to anyone.
The mansion might be bigger and with better amenities, but how was this
any different from the life I had on the estate? All I’d gotten was an upgrade
of the location.
I couldn’t even talk things over with Sparkie, who had seemed to
abandon me at this time of need.
You don’t need me anymore.
I sat heavily on the ground and stared at the newly planted daisies. Their
white petals around a yellow center looked nothing like the flowers from
the estate.
Because they were not.
Polina had lied to me about the name of the flowers.
Yaro had lied to me about it too, which was the sweetest lie anyone had
ever told me. I should have known something was wrong after his and
Andrei’s reaction when I mentioned daisies growing on the estate. Yaro had
prevented him from telling me the truth that day. I was pretty sure the
maître d’ had been on the verge of telling me the truth when Yaro
interrupted him.
I wish I didn’t know.
If only I hadn’t asked the housekeeper when she was going to the
market yesterday to bring me back some daisies.
“What are these?” I gestured at the flowers in the container at the back
of the truck. The white and yellow were cute, but they weren’t the flowers I
wanted.
“Those are the daisies you asked me to purchase,” Giselle said.
“But these aren’t daisies.”
“Of course they are. These are common daisies.”
“There are other kinds, then?”
“Yes, plenty.”
“Can you show me them? Maybe it’s another kind.”
Going through the flowers with Giselle had confirmed what I’d
suspected. I’d named myself after a flower that didn’t exist. Well, daisies
existed, but not as the flowers I had in mind. They were close enough, but I
knew the subtle differences from spending all my time in the flower field
back at the estate. Last night I’d searched for similar flowers until I found
the ones I had been looking for.
Chrysanthemums. To think I could have named myself Chris, a normal
name that no one would have made fun of.
 Footsteps echoed toward me on the stone path. I braced my hands on
the ground and tilted my head back with my eyes closed to soak in what
little of the sun there was. Dark clouds filled the sky today.
Please don’t let it rain.
The plants didn’t have firm roots yet. A heavy thunderstorm would ruin
them.
Hmm.
Interesting.
Could it be that Yaro and I got ruined by our first big fight because our
relationship didn’t have strong roots? Maybe if we spent more time together
to strengthen the connection, he could learn to trust me.
A shadow fell over me, and I squinted my eyes open. Yaro’s face
loomed over me. My heart filled with joy at seeing him for the first time in
forty-eight hours.
“Yaro!” I started to get up, but the unresolved tension between us kept
me firmly seated on the ground. He owed me an apology.
“Why are you sitting on the ground?” He frowned.
“I was planting daisies. Real daisies.”
He swept his gaze over the newly planted flowers. “You know?”
I nodded. “You could have told me.”
“And ruin the meaning behind your name?”
I picked myself up off the ground and brushed off the seat of my shorts.
He might have thrown out all my clothes, but he’d also had new ones
delivered to the house.
“Why are you back?” I clutched my hands behind me. “Have you come
to your senses?”
“I have.” Yaro pushed his hands into his pockets.
“Well? Are you going to fix everything? Manuel says…” I slapped my
hand over my mouth and took a step back.
“It’s all right. You can say his name. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
I dropped my hand. “I’m not afraid of you. If I were, I would’ve left
like everyone else.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I promised you I wouldn’t leave you, and I meant it.”
“Everybody eventually leaves.”
“Not always. Sometimes you push them away.”
 “They were going to leave anyway.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You think I don’t know they only stayed because I paid them a lot?”
“Well, you don’t motivate them to work for you for anything else, Yaro.
You don’t make an effort to learn their names and—”
“Why would I want to learn the names of the people who gossip about
me? And you?”
“People will always talk, but give them a reason not to believe the
gossip.” I took a step toward him, but he shook his head.
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“If you come closer, you’re going to fuck my world up more than it
already is.”
I sucked in a deep breath, clenched my teeth, and raised my chin. “If
this is your apology, it sucks!”
He thought I’d ruined his world?
“An apology signifies nothing if I don’t mean it, if I can’t promise never
to let it happen again. I can’t make false promises to you.”
“But it’ll get better. You’ll learn to trust me in time.”
“We’ve run out of time.”
My gut churned, and my heart rate spiked. “What do you mean?”
“I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you.” He laughed softly. “What
was I thinking? There’s no alternative world where this would have been a
good idea. We have too much history between us.”
“But you knew that already when you got together with me.” Despite
his warning to stay away, I moved closer and grabbed a handful of his shirt.
“Why are you thinking this? All you need to do is apologize. You know I’ll
forgive you. I always will.”
“Maybe I don’t need your forgiveness. Your hate…is what I need right
now.”
My eyes filled with tears, and I sniffed. “I can never hate you.”
“Even after everything?”
I nodded. “It’s not so hard, Yaro. All you have to do is make it right.
You can hire back Manuel and work things out with Andrei.”
“To what end? I can’t guarantee you that the next time you smile when
you talk about Manuel, I won’t fire him again. And Andrei—I shot him,
Daisy. I fucking shot him.”
 I swallowed painfully. “So what now? You’re just going to break up
with me?” I clutched his shirt tighter. “I won’t let you. I won’t!”
“Don’t be stubborn. This is the best thing for you.”
“What’s best for me is to be with the man I love. Don’t you care about
me, Yaro?”
“I’m doing this because I care.” He took my chin in his hand and raised
my head. “Daisy, I love you.”
Hearing those words from him should have been the greatest joy in my
life, but the way he said them made my heart plummet. There was nothing
hopeful in his tone. He sounded miserable.
“Isn’t that a good thing? We love each other.”
“But I don’t want to love you.”
I blinked several times, unable to find the words to respond. Tears
trickled down my cheeks.
“I can’t love you,” he said. “I can’t love anyone. Before you came
along, my world was fine. Then you came into my life, and everything’s
been fucked up—my concentration, my mood. Loving you means facing
the possibility of losing you someday, and I’d rather lose you now before
this gets deeper.”
“But what about all the good things?”
“What good things?”
He didn’t even see any good in loving me? Why should I tell him? I
released his shirt and stepped back, but he held on to my wrist.
“I’m doing this for you.”
“Of course.”
“You saw the way I became, Daisy. I spanked you! I made you cry.”
“If I can put it behind me, why can’t you?”
“Because I don’t want you to look at me the way you did that day. It
was never going to work, but I didn’t want to face that fact, because I didn’t
want to let you go.”
“Then don’t!”
“Daisy, I killed your parents. There’s your reason to hate me.”
From all the gossip, I’d already figured it out, but hearing him say it
didn’t hurt any less. I caught the hem of my T-shirt and dabbed at my eyes.
“So that part of the rumor is all true, then.”
“Yes.”
“I want to know what happened. You had a reason, didn’t you?”
 “There’s never a reason to kill someone other than self-defense, but I do
it anyway.” He held his hands out. “These hands are used to killing. They
should never have touched someone as pure and good as you.”
“Please just tell me what happened.”
“You already know your mother was my wife. Your father was my best
friend. They were both people I trusted and shouldn’t have. They could hurt
me more than anyone else in this world, but I never suspected they would.
Not in a million years.”
“She cheated on you with him.”
“She broke me.” He curled his hands into fists. “I was a proud man, and
she broke something inside me that can never be fixed. My trust.”
“And what about me?”
“For two years, I thought Chase was my son. I loved being his father.
We had a special bond that Olive would get mad at sometimes.”
“Olive?”
“Your mother.”
My mother’s name was Olive. I couldn’t recall a face, but now that I
had a name, she seemed more than just a figment of my imagination. “How
did you two meet?”
“She was a Falcon who infiltrated one of my nightclubs. She was
supposed to get close to me, and she did. We got way too close. Before her,
I’d toyed with women, but I fell in love with her. She left the Falcons to be
with me. Her family was pissed and wasn’t altogether happy with the
union.”
“How did she get from choosing you over her family to being with
another man?”
“She was an opportunist. Played the part really well too. Why stay with
the Falcons when I was wealthier? As my wife, I trusted her with
everything, but she fell in love with Oleg.”
“My father. How did you find out?”
“Maids gossip. The thing with rumors is that there’s always some truth
to it. I confronted her about it. Hell, as upset as I was, I didn’t expect the
magnitude of what she’d done. I didn’t expect you not to be my son.”
“That must have hurt.”
“I was livid but still too stupidly in love to face the truth. What the
rumors didn’t get right is that I forgave her. I wanted my family, and I
forgave her to keep us together.”
 My heart sank. I knew something more horrible was coming.
“What did she do?”
“While I was forgiving her and planning a way for us to move forward,
she was cleaning out my bank accounts.” His bitter laugh rang out. “We had
a renewal of vows ceremony planned. I thought we needed it after I’d
discovered the truth. The day before the ceremony, my accountant called
me. She’d damn near cleaned me out and run off with Oleg. They’d left you
behind. We caught them before they got to the airport.”
“They left me behind?”
“Yes.”
“Wow.” I rubbed a hand over my chest. It was hard to feel sympathy for
people who’d left their two-year-old son behind.
“When we got them alone, Oleg tried to save his ass. He insisted she
seduced him. To prove his loyalty to me, that she didn’t mean anything to
him, he shot her during the confrontation.”
“He shot her?”
“Yes. To think she’d ruined our life together for a man who wasn’t
willing to stand by her. I killed him.”
“So that’s what happened.” The story was wild…like a movie rather
than someone’s real life.
“Not everything. There was you to deal with.”
“But I already know that part. You sent me away with Nanny Pol and
Joe.” I’d been able to piece together that part of the puzzle on my own. He
was my guardian after all. Since I hadn’t been abducted, he would have had
to send me to live with the couple.
He clamped his eyes shut. “The biggest regret of my life.”
“Not such a big one, I hope. If it hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have
been together like this.”
“But maybe that would have been better for you.”
I took his face in my hands. “I can’t force you to decide what to do, but
I’ll never regret you, Yaro. Being with you is the happiest I’ve ever been.
I’m willing to wait for you.”
He took my hands. “You don’t understand. The Falcons, your uncle is
on his way right now to take you back with him. I kept you away from your
family, but this is your chance to get to know them.”
I was right, then. He was sending me away. Tears spilled down my
cheeks. I knew better than to try and change his mind. Yaro was a stubborn
man, and he believed he was better off not loving me. He would never keep
me until he changed that view of us.
“But I don’t know them,” I whispered. “I know you.”
“They’ve been a pain in my ass for eighteen years, but they take care of
their own. You have uncles, Darius and Tyson, and aunts, cousins—they’ll
take care of you. And if they hurt you, I’ll make them pay.”
Foolish man. He already loved me. Why wouldn’t he accept it? I threw
my arms around him and sobbed into his chest.
“I’ll wait for you,” I whispered.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
 DAISY

M y bags were packed , and everything was ready for my departure. Except
my heart wasn’t. I didn’t want to leave Yaro, but if I stayed, I wouldn’t be
doing our relationship any favors. Yaro’s scarred past prevented him from
accepting how he felt about me. I even understood it.
While my heart ached for a mother and father I had never known, Yaro
had suffered at their hands. Not once did I think he hadn’t told the truth that
they’d left me behind. He’d loved that woman so much he’d given her a
second chance, and she had used it to further betray him.
Him sending Chase away as a baby was a touch extreme, but the Yaro I
knew didn’t do anything in half measure. And if he loved me, he would
love me hard. I needed him to want to love me back, and the only way to do
that was to go. He would know where to find me when he was ready to face
a future together.
A future I’d been dreaming about since I shared his bed.
A knock sounded on the door, and I quickly flicked away the tear that
had trickled down my cheek. This could be my last time seeing him.
“Come in.”
The door creaked open, but instead of Yaro, his new bodyguard, Sergei,
stood before me. I didn’t miss the way he stayed in the hallway. By now,
everyone knew Yaro had shot his last bodyguard for touching me. They all
gave me a wide berth, even when communicating with me.
“Your ride is here,” Sergei said. “Are you ready to go?”
I nodded. “Where’s Yaro?”
He shook his head and grabbed my bags. I frowned and followed him
down the stairs. Maybe Yaro was waiting for me in the hall. But he wasn’t.
 An unfamiliar man with sharp cheekbones and dark brown eyes
watched me intently. I swept my gaze over his form. He had to be Tyson,
the uncle Yaro said I should go to if I had any problems and who would
know how to get in touch with him.
“My god, you look just like her,” he said.
I did? I’d never seen a photograph of my mother. When I’d asked Yaro
earlier, he’d explained that he’d burned every single photo of our family.
No wonder Yaro didn’t want to love me if I looked like the woman
who’d betrayed him. It was bad enough that every time he looked at me, he
would be reminded of how the first love of his life let him down and turned
him into the cynical, jealous, possessive man he was today.
“You must be Tyson.” He didn’t expect me to call him uncle or
anything, right? I didn’t know him from Adam.
“I am.” Grinning, he embraced me and patted my back. “Your uncle
Tyson, but you don’t need to call me uncle or anything. I’m down with
anything.” He stepped back. “Damn, the last time I saw you, you were a
two-year-old terror following Noskov everywhere he went.”
Nothing much had changed, then. As an adult, I still wanted to do the
same. If only he would let me.
“You knew me when I was little?” I asked.
Finally, a third party to give me information about what had happened.
Not that I doubted Yaro, but another person’s perspective couldn’t hurt.
Maybe there was a reason my mom had wanted to give up this life to be
with my father. Maybe there was a reason she hadn’t wanted me.
“Sure did,” he replied. “Olive and I kept in touch after she left the
Falcons to be a Noskov.”
“Okay.” He seemed like a nice guy. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to
meet my mother’s side of the family.
“Are you ready to go?” Tyson asked. “Everyone’s excited to meet you.
My sister Shondra insisted we have a BBQ, so things will be a little noisy
today, but that’s just to welcome you home.”
“Umm, can we wait a few minutes?”
He had questions in his eyes but didn’t ask them. “Sure.”
I rocked on the balls of my feet as the clock ticked by. Was Yaro really
not going to see me off?
“Sergei, will you let Mr. Noskov know I’m leaving now,” I said.
 Sergei went off while Tyson looked on awkwardly. “Is something
wrong?” he asked. “Are you nervous? Because there’s no need to be.
Everyone loved Olive, and they will love you because you’re her son.”
But how lovable was I, really? My parents had left me behind, a
guardian had sent me away, a nanny had treated me like a slave, and now a
man closed his heart and his home to me.
Damn, my life was pitiful.
I’ll make the most of it.
Sergei returned without Yaro. “He’s working, but Mr. Noskov wishes
you well.”
I gritted my teeth. “I’ll be back.”
“Chase!” Tyson yelled. “You really shouldn’t disturb him.”
“It’s Daisy. And I won’t be long.”
I sailed my way to Yaro’s office door and knocked.
“Enter.”
I pushed the door open. Yaro sat with his back to me, facing the
bookshelf. “Is he gone yet?” he asked.
“Not without saying good-bye.”
He swiveled his chair around so fast he almost fell out of it. “Daisy!”
He jumped to his feet. “Why are you here?”
“I’ve come to say good-bye.”
I closed the door behind me.
“We already said everything we needed to in the garden.”
“Who says anything about speaking?”
I walked up to him, cupped the back of his head, and pulled his head
down to kiss him. Yaro tensed at first, but then he let out a groan. His arms
came around me, and I could have cried.
Why is he letting me go when he still wants me this much?
I was on the verge of falling to my knees and begging him to let me
stay, but he had to be the one to do it.
“Call me Daddy.” He kissed my cheek. “One more time.”
I gasped as he ran his lips down the side of my neck. “Daddy. Oh,
Daddy, please.”
“This is why I didn’t want to see you.” He released me and stepped
back, running his fingers through his hair. “You should go, Daisy.”
“Kiss me again.”
 When I left, I wanted him to remember how good it was between us.
What he was giving up. What he needed to work hard to get back.
“Daisy—”
“This might be the last time you get to touch me, Daddy. The last time
you get to have me.”
“Fuck.”
He caught me around the waist, slamming his lips to mine and putting
me on his desk. A crap load of items fell off the surface. He shoved the
computer to one side and slipped his hand beneath my shirt to stroke my
stomach.
“I’m gonna miss you so much,” I moaned. “The way you touch me,
fuck me. Sleeping in the bed next to you. Won’t you miss me too?”
His response was to loosen the tie at the front of my shorts. He tugged
at the material, and I eased my hips up so he could drag them down to my
knees. Our lips crashed into each other’s as I frantically yanked on his
lounge pants. He helped me to shove them down his hips.
“Daddy, I need you so much,” I begged. “Please.”
“They’re waiting for you.” Even as he said that, he spat in his hand and
rubbed the saliva over the head of his thick cock.
“Then do it fast and hard.”
“I don’t have a condom. It’s going to get messy.”
I wrenched his hair. “Do it!”
With a grunt, Yaro pumped into me hard. I released his hair and grabbed
the edge of the desk as he pummeled me. He captured my lips with his,
thrusting his tongue wildly into my mouth in tandem with the manic way he
claimed me. No rhythm at all. Some strokes fell short. Others hit that spot
inside me that made my toes curl.
He was a wild man, out of control, desperately having his last taste. And
good god, it tasted delicious. He couldn’t stop kissing me, biting my bottom
lip, and sucking my tongue into his mouth. I kept my legs spread for him,
trying to take in every detail to carry with me—the way his breath hitched
every time he bore down, the heat radiating off me, the warmth of his breath
on my face, the stretch of his cock inside my body.
I wanted to remember every single thing until he came for me.
He had to come back for me.
He just had to.
 “Fuck.” Yaro grunted, trailing his lips across my cheek. “You always
feel so damn good.”
I tilted my head back and moved my hips to greet each drive, which
turned more eager, more desperate. The desk scraped hard against the floor,
shifting from its original spot. Something crashed to the floor. Sounded like
his laptop.
“Yaro, your—”
“I’ll get a new one. Can’t stop.”
He drove into me, and waves of pleasure crashed around me. It hit me
then. I might never have this with him again. Yaro stilled, the prominent
vein in his neck throbbing as he pumped his release inside me.
Tears spilled down my cheeks. This could be my last time being this
intimate with him.
The tension eased out of his body, and Yaro slipped out of me. Not
wanting to let him go, I wrapped my legs around his waist and threw my
arms around him, sobbing into his neck.
“It’s better this way,” he whispered hoarsely.
Then why wasn’t either of us feeling better about it? Why did my heart
ache so much?
“You have to promise me.” I gasped.
“What?”
“If you are able to love again, it’ll be —”
“You. Always you.”
I sniffled and pulled away from him, wiping my face with the back of
my hands. “I’m not kidding, you know. You find me if you allow yourself
to love me.”
He brushed my cheek with his fingertips. “What if you’re already with
someone?”
I kissed his nose. “The Yaro I know wouldn’t let that stop him.”
I hopped off the desk, and we arranged our clothes in silence. What was
going through his head? He grimaced as he picked up the broken laptop and
set it on the table. I should feel bad about it, but I didn’t.
“You’ll need a new one.” I blinked as a thought hit me. “Unless you
want back the one you bought me. It’s—”
Yaro scowled. “It’s yours. Why would I take it back?”
I shrugged. “You’ll probably find it more useful.”
“I already spoke to your uncle. Manuel will continue to tutor you there.”
 At a loss for words, I gaped at him. He’d hired back Manuel? That
couldn’t have been easy for him to do, but he’d done it. For me.
I knew I wasn’t wrong about him.
Yaro walked me back to the front door without me asking this time. We
didn’t speak, but no words were necessary. I’d said everything I needed to.
The ball was in his court now, and until he reacted, I could meet my blood
relatives. Looking forward to meeting everyone helped me to process my
separation—hopefully a short one—from Yaro.
“I thought you changed your mind,” Tyson frowned, eyeing me and
Yaro suspiciously and probably drawing the right conclusion.
“We had last-minute things to discuss,” Yaro said without missing a
beat. “He’s yours now. I expect you to take care of him. If anyone or
anything harms him, you’ll all answer to me.”
“Relax, man,” Tyson said. “He’s our sister’s child. Of course we’ll take
care of him. In fact, you should have returned him to us a long time ago.”
“Good. Take him away.”
Yaro turned and left. Old insecurities about what he really felt for me
resurfaced. How could he have said those intimate things to me in his office
just five minutes ago, and now he was walking away from me without even
looking back?
“Come on, Chase. This place gives me the heebie-jeebies. You’ll like it
at Darius’s.”
As we walked out of the house, my heart ached. I couldn’t resist
glancing over my shoulder at the place I’d called home and thought would
be home for the rest of my life. Not necessarily this specific physical
location, but anywhere Yaro was.
He was my home.
“I take it you liked living there?” Tyson asked. He must have caught me
staring back at the house as he drove through the front entrance.
“I did.”
“Nearly pissed myself when I found out Noskov knew where you were
all this time.”
“What did you all think happened to me?”
“None of us knew. There were all sorts of rumors, but we never quite
figured out which was true. I guess this means he really did have you
locked up on an estate somewhere?”
“That’s in the past.”
 “Yeah, well, you should be aware of some things before you meet the
family.”
“What sort of things?”
This wasn’t about to turn ugly, would it? I’d already had enough
misfortune with Polina and Joe. I needed this family to accept me.
“Keep it on the down low that you and Noskov were shacking up. My
brother might have called a truce in going after him, but he’s still bitter
about the way things have gone down with our sis.”
“Why does he blame Yaro? It’s not his fault what happened.”
“And that’s exactly what you can’t say in front of Darius. In fact, unless
he brings Noskov up, don’t mention Noskov at all.”
I swallowed. So now I had to keep my thoughts of Yaro to myself. I
wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“By the way, whatever you were doing in Noskov’s bed—” He whistled
and shook his head. “You’re truly your mama’s boy.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means Noskov burned down several of our business operations
weeks ago. Now you’re coming home, and he’s sent Darius enough money
to recover the loss. A coincidence? I think not. He has a college fund for
you that none of us can touch.”
A college fund? Why would he do that? I was so behind I didn’t see
college in my future. Did he believe in me that much?
My heart ached.
Daddy, how can you not accept what you feel for me? Even when you
send me away, you still take care of me.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
 YARO

I pulled up the last of the flowers Daisy had planted and swiped a hand
across my brow. It left a muddy streak behind, but being dirty wasn’t my
most pressing concern. Discarding the daisies and replacing them was more
important. While they’d added a charm to my garden, the flowers didn’t
seem right, even if they were the right plant.
The uprooting of the daisies left behind a disheveled plot of earth, with
holes and loosened soil scattered with remnants of roots. I took a moment to
survey the task ahead. I’d spent all this morning looking up how to properly
plant the new flowers. Would I do it right? I had no clue, but I needed to set
my garden right.
Could I not have hired the gardener to do it? I could, but I had to do this
myself. The past week without Daisy was already bad enough. I missed his
disorder and the chaos that usually followed him.
Nighttime was the worst. I’d taken to sleeping in a guest room because I
couldn’t bear sleeping in my bed without him wedging his sexy little ass
into my crotch. He would always glance over his shoulder at me while he
did it and grin as if to challenge me to do something about it.
I gathered the rake and spade and set to work, sifting through the soil,
removing the last vestiges of the daisies, and leveling the ground. The earth
was dark and rich, its texture cool and gritty as it crept between my fingers.
Once the area had been cleared, I took the hoe and broke up the clumps
of earth, making them loose and aerated. I mixed in some compost for
added nutrients, turning the soil over to integrate it.
Next came the chrysanthemums, waiting in their pots, an array of colors
promising to bring a new vibrancy to the garden. I took a moment to admire
them, to imagine how they would look once they were in full bloom.
It’d been years since I’d taken time to appreciate flowers, but I could
see why Daisy enjoyed this kind enough to name himself after it. Well, at
least he’d thought he had. It wasn’t his fault Polina and Joe hadn’t known
the correct name. Or maybe they’d tricked him. If only they weren’t dead,
so I could question them about it.
The planting of the chrysanthemums required care and precision. I used
my trowel to dig the holes, gauging the depth by the size of the
chrysanthemums’ root balls. I placed each one into its hole gently, cradled
like a precious gem, then packed the soil around it, not too tight, not too
loose.
“Mr. Noskov!” Giselle hurried toward me. “Mr. Noskov, I’ve made you
lunch.”
I waved her off. “Not hungry.”
“I’ll bring it anyway. You barely touched breakfast. Before Daisy left,
he made me promise to ensure you eat.”
Even when he wasn’t here, he still showed he cared. Giselle was the
most stubborn of all the housekeepers I’d hired. Others would have been
intimidated and backed down, but not her. Hadn’t it been for her insisting
that I eat something, I would have starved since Daisy moved out. His
absence had affected me even worse than his presence.
With a watering can, I gave the flowers the first taste of their new home,
letting the water sink into the soil, which darkened with every drop.
Footsteps approached, but I didn’t look up and waved at the stone bench.
“Just set it down over there.”
The footsteps stopped a couple of inches behind me.
“Your housekeeper asked me to deliver this.”
Cold tendrils snaked down my back and caused a shiver despite the
afternoon heat. I rose to my feet and faced Andrei. My gaze immediately
went to his right arm, where a bandage bulged up his shirt.
Regret twisted my gut. Seeing him reminded me why I’d had to let
Daisy go. I’d gone deeper over the edge than I’d ever gone. No telling what
I would do next. He was better off with the family who cared about him.
From what Tyson had told me, he was enjoying being with his family. His
real family.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. Shit, I had no right to ask him. He
no longer worked for me, so he didn’t have to answer me, and I couldn’t
threaten to fire him.
“I came by because Daisy pleaded with me to check up on you.”
“You’re still talking to him.” I waited for the intense jealousy to hit, but
all I felt was this chasm in my chest whenever I thought about Daisy.
“Yes. We ran into each other and decided to keep in touch.”
“What are you after with him?”
Andrei walked over to the stone bench and put down the tray on the
table in front of it.
“I’m not sure you’ll believe me even if I tell you.”
“Well, you showed up here uninvited, so you might as well go for it.”
“You”—he stabbed a finger in my direction—”are one stupid son of a
bitch.”
I shrugged. “Won’t get any argument from me.”
“How can you think I’m interested in Daisy?”
“What the fuck were you doing buying him lingerie, then? That doesn’t
exactly scream ‘let’s be friends.’”
“Neither does it mean ‘let’s fuck and make Yaro jealous.’ It’s been
almost two weeks already. Own the fuck up to what you did wrong instead
of always blaming your delusions on other people. You screwed up, and
you did so big-time.”
“Get out.”
“Or else what? You’ll shoot me again?” Instead of withdrawing like he
should have, Andrei came up into my face, his jaw set. “I have a better idea.
Why don’t you take that shovel and beat me to death with it? Because I’m
not going anywhere until I’ve said my piece.”
“Save your breath, Andrei. I’m no longer paying you for it, nor will I
change my mind and hire you back.”
“I’m not here for your money. Jesus, if it weren’t for that boy who
thinks you’re some kind of savior, I wouldn’t even be here, but for some
dumbass reason, he’s in love with you and worried about you.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I snapped.
“Then why the hell would you send him to live with the Falcons?”
“He’s happy with them. I’ve kept tabs on him.”
“How happy can he really be when he’s not with you? That’s all he’s
ever wanted since he met you.”
“You don’t understand shit.”
 “That’s where you’re wrong. Why the fuck do you keep pushing people
away? I’m here as a friend, Yaro.”
“You’re not a friend. I fucking shot you.”
Andrei snorted. “You gave me a flesh wound.”
“I was angry. My aim was off.”
“Bullshit. The Yaro I know wouldn’t miss at that distance. My chest
was a bigger target, yet you went after my arm. After working for you for
almost two decades, Yaro, I’d like to think I know you better than you know
yourself.”
“You don’t know shit about me.”
I knelt next to the last few flowers I needed to plant. Maybe he would
get the hint and leave. I didn’t need him telling me I’d fucked things up
with Daisy. He didn’t think I’d figured that out all on my own? Didn’t mean
I would do a damn thing about it.
“I know you loved your wife so much that even when she ran off with
Oleg, you would have taken her back,” he said stiffly. “I know you became
an alcoholic and almost ran the business into the ground because you
regretted giving Chase up. I know those scars on your back are from your
father hiring some men to beat the shit out of you to get you to come to
your senses when you wanted to go back for Chase. That he threatened you
if you disgraced the family by raising a kid that wasn’t yours, that the kid
wouldn’t be safe, so you left him with Polina and Joe.”
“Stop.”
“I know you’re good at killing people, but you don’t like it. You do it
because it’s part of the job, and that’s why you don’t eat before you kill.
Because your stomach can’t take it. But you feel so guilty afterward you try
to forget about it with fast food. And then you feel guilty for eating so much
shit that you work your ass off in the gym the next day.”
“Stop.”
“I know you’ve never allowed yourself to love anyone until Daisy came
along because, like a ghost, that boy just walked right through your walls
and connected with you. But your walls are still so fucking high that now
he’s trapped between you and them. I know you had to lower your walls to
let him walk out, but that must have hurt like hell when all you want to do
is keep him locked up so no one will steal him from you.”
“Fucking stop!” I grabbed the shovel, rose to my feet, and swung it at
Andrei’s head. He didn’t even flinch. I dropped the shovel, my aching heart
pounding, hurting. Everything hurt so damn much.
“You’re jealous and possessive of Daisy because you love him more
than you’ve ever loved anyone, and that scares you. You think he’s going to
leave, that he’s going to betray you, so before that happens, you pushed him
away.”
I stared at my mud-caked hands, but in my mind, all I saw was blood—
Daisy’s blood.
“I never want to feel that way again.” I closed my hands into fists.
“Helpless, knowing I was a fool for forgiving her while she chose him over
and over. I couldn’t handle it if Daisy did that. Can’t you see I let him go to
protect him? Because I truly feel if he ever betrayed me like his mother did,
I would squeeze the life out of him. And maybe I’d have to blow my
fucking brains out after I did because I would have just taken the life of
someone I cared about, but what choice would I have had?”
“Your heart loves Daisy, but your head’s still clinging to the past. Daisy
isn’t his mother. And I’m not Oleg. You’ve been thinking, what if he
betrays you, but have you ever once thought, what if he doesn’t?”
I let out a long shuddering breath. He was right. I’d never once
contemplated what life would be like if Daisy didn’t betray me.
Was such a life even possible?
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
 DAISY

T hree weeks had slipped through the cracks since I had last seen Yaro,
and he didn’t even seem to care. He hadn’t called nor made any effort to
contact me. I’d committed myself to waiting on him, but I hadn’t expected
this radio silence.
Was I in way over my head here? Had I been wrong in leaving instead
of staying and fighting for us? What if me being away only made him
realize how much better off he was without me? I didn’t bring anything new
to the table but sex, and wasn’t he the one who had said that after doing it a
few times, nothing special remained about sex?
My emotions seesawed wildly, flitting between a stinging sense of
betrayal and fear. The gaping chasm of his absence gnawed at my heart.
Sometimes I forced myself to think about the happy times we’d had
together, but they were too few, and sporadic moments were all I could
achieve.
Did he lie awake at night and think about me the way I did him? Maybe
I should be the first to reach out, but the move was his to make. What
message would I send if I made it for him? I was willing to forgive him for
his wild accusations and tyrannical behavior during our last few days
together, but he had to ask for it.
Was that expecting too much?
“Exceptional work as usual, Daisy,” Manuel said, snapping me to
attention. He smiled, eyes crinkling with pride as he evaluated my
responses. In my second week at my uncles’ place, he’d shown up just as he
had at Yaro’s to teach me. He came four days and stayed from nine in the
morning to three in the afternoon.
 Yaro still pays for my education.
I can’t give up. He cares about me.
“You continue to impress me, Daisy,” he said. “Your progress is
outstanding.”
Normally, I basked in Manuel’s praises, but I could only manage a
strained smile. My heart was trapped in a latticework of uncertainties about
my future with Yaro. If we had a future.
“You seem distracted, Daisy.” Manuel’s voice was laced with concern.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” I tried for a more natural smile, but it felt plastic. “Don’t
worry about it.”
“Are you happy here?”
“Yes.” To an extent. My relatives all treated me well. I have so many
aunts, cousins, and uncles now. Sometimes it was surreal I had such a large
family when I’d been alone for so long. The one stain on my happiness was
Yaro. But how could explaining all that to Manuel help me to navigate the
labyrinth of my emotions?
“Well, if you ever need to talk, you know how to contact me. I’m
assigning you homework, so check your email. I’ve linked everything to
make it easy for you. If you don’t understand something, let me know.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Just as Manuel was about to leave, the door to the garage creaked open.
The library at Yaro’s had been much more comfortable, but I didn’t mind
the garage. It was spacious, quieter, and Yaro had made them carry over
everything I used back at his house. The same desk where he’d eaten my
ass for the first time. Even the chair was the same.
Tyson entered, checking out Manuel, who walked past him with a polite
nod. I chuckled at the way he stared after Manuel’s back until my teacher
had disappeared.
“I think you need a shower to cool you off,” I said.
“What’s the deal with him? Is he seeing anyone?”
“I dunno, but I don’t think you’re his type.”
He scowled. “I’m not handsome enough?”
“Oh no, you are, but I don’t think he’d be down with your lifestyle.”
Manuel had disapproved of Yaro because he understood, even better
than me, the implications of what Yaro did for a living. Since my uncles
were in a similar line of business, Manuel wouldn’t be impressed by
Tyson’s specialty—fraud. He claimed he only took from people who had
enough to lose, but somehow I didn’t think Manuel would buy that excuse.
“His loss,” Tyson said. “Although I would love me some of that ass.”
“Didn’t know you were gay.”
“I like ‘em any way I get ‘em.”
“Is that your slogan or something?”
He gave me a fake laugh and ruffled my hair. “Look who’s got jokes.
What’d you say you and I catch a movie tonight?”
I frowned. “Can’t. I have homework.”
If I were being honest, I would have told him I didn’t want to go
because I was too sad thinking about Yaro. I had only spoken to Andrei
once since I’d asked him to pretty please check up on Yaro. We’d run into
him at the mall, although I’d wondered if it had been coincidental or
whether he’d been checking up on me that day.
“Your homework can wait.”
“Not exactly what a guardian is supposed to say, although technically,
Yaro is still my guardian.”
“About that—” He reached into his back pocket and took out a brown
manila envelope. “I picked this up today.”
“From whom?”
“Noskov.”
I inhaled sharply and grabbed the envelope from him.
“I swear you only light up when it’s something to do with him. Do you
regret leaving?”
“No. He has to make room in his heart for me, or else there won’t be a
future for us.”
“Darius is going to hate it if you leave with Noskov.”
My uncle Darius was scary, but he wasn’t all bad. He doted on me—
something about him feeling guilty for cutting my mother off when she’d
married Noskov. He’d been accommodating since I got here, but I’d noticed
he did get tense whenever Yaro’s name came up.
I opened the flap of the envelope and took out a piece of paper.
Frowning, I stared at it, slowly reading the words.
“It’s a birth certificate.”
“Yours,” Tyson replied. “Noskov had it redone.”
“Redone?” It took me much longer than it should have to understand the
change. My name was now Daisy Kozlov and not Chase Noskov, which
would have been on the original.
He’d stripped me of his last name.
I couldn’t breathe. How could he be so cruel and thoughtful at the same
time? He’d changed my given name to the one I identified as while
simultaneously taking away the one that connected me to him. My eyes
blurred, and a tear fell onto the paper. Right on the unfamiliar name.
Kozlov.
I didn’t want to be a Kozlov.
I balled the paper up.
“Hey, Daisy, that’s an official piece of document you’ll need!”
I threw it into the corner. “I hate him.”
“What’s so wrong with what he did? He’s not your real father, which is
a good thing, or you’d both be screwed. Or you’d be screwed, rather.”
Why was he standing there grinning at me like an idiot? Didn’t he know
the severity of what Yaro had done?
“I guess this means you don’t want to go to the movies.”
But why shouldn’t I go and enjoy myself? Yaro was dead set on
forgetting about me and removing all contact between us.
“No, actually, I’d love to go. The funnier, the better.”
“There you go. Be ready to leave at seven-fifteen. We can catch the
eight-thirty screening.”

***
“But I wanna come too.” My thirteen-year-old cousin, Tremaine, trailed
me out of the house, his youthful excitement bubbling over in his voice.
The boy was more like a whirlwind of energy than a human being, and for
some reason, he followed me everywhere since I moved in. But I didn’t
mind. “I have my own money to pay for my tickets, and Momma says I can
come.”
I shrugged, my attention partly focused on gathering my thoughts after
the tub of tears I’d cried in the bathroom earlier. “You have to ask your
uncle.” I steered him toward Tyson’s car parked in the driveway.
“Ask me what?” Tyson’s voice floated over the roar of his classic,
cherry-red 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS. I didn’t get why a vintage car was
so grand, but Tyson was an automotive enthusiast. After seeing how
unimpressed I was, he’d explained he had painstakingly restored it to its
former glory.
 Tremaine’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as he pleaded to join us at
the cinema. “Please, Uncle Ty. Can I?”
“Not this time, son. I kind of need some time with Daisy. You and I can
go over the weekend.”
“Why can’t you have time with him tomorrow?”
“Because it can’t wait. You stand there and give me any more lip, boy,
and I’ll help you spend that allowance.”
“All right, I’m going, but you said over the weekend. You can’t take it
back!”
I laughed at Tyson’s clever way of getting Tremaine off our backs. The
boy was a miser who never let anyone see a dime of his money. Apparently,
he’d gotten it from his dad, a dead uncle I didn’t know, so Tyson had
stepped up and raised him like a son. They looked alike so much my cousin
might as well have been his child.
We got in Tyson’s car, which always smelled so clean and fresh. He
didn’t allow food or drinks in it either.
“You all right, little man?” he asked as he pulled out of the driveway.
I rolled my eyes at his nickname. “Fine, but do you think you can last
through a movie that doesn’t have violence and meaningless nudity?”
“Don’t know whatcha talking about. Homie, all nudity has meaning.”
His chuckle told me everything I needed to know about the kind of
meaning he had in mind. He connected his Bluetooth to his car radio and
blasted hip-hop music way too loud, but I didn’t mind. I was so focused on
listening to the lyrics I didn’t get a chance to wallow about Yaro.
Tyson’s car might be vintage, but it sure had a powerful engine.
Streetlights flashed past, their glow painting the night with streaks of
orange and yellow. We got to the movie theater with fifteen minutes to
spare. Tyson dropped me off at the entrance.
“Go join the line and pay for the tickets. I’m gonna park, then meet you
on the inside.”
“Okay.”
I hopped out and ran up the steps. At my uncles’ place, I had a lot more
freedom than I’d had when I lived with Yaro, who had done everything for
me or let other people do it. I was getting more comfortable spending
money and making decisions for myself.
I joined the back of the line and peered at the concession stands. I
couldn’t wait to get my hands on the buttery, salty goodness of movie
popcorn. The ones from the supermarket never tasted that good.
A guy who couldn’t be much older than me stepped in front of me,
using his bulkier frame to push me back. His friend cut in front of me and
stood by his side. I gasped and tapped his shoulder.
“Excuse me, I was in the line.”
“Yeah? Didn’t see you.”
How could he not see me? I wasn’t invisible. “You need to go to the
back of the line.”
“Or else what?” He turned around and folded his arms. “The back of the
line is where your kind belongs.”
My kind?
“I’ll get security,” I said.
“And say what?” He grabbed me by the front of my shirt.
A flash of steel glinted over the guy’s hand—a knife with a sharp-
looking blade.
“You don’t let him go in one second, and you lose the hand.”
The aggressor dropped his hand and ran off with his friend.
“Yaro?”
What was he doing here?
He looked so calm I couldn’t read his expression. A movie theater
wasn’t the sort of place I’d expected to see him. Was he here with someone?
“What are you doing here?” I whispered.
“I remember you being fascinated about movies on a big screen.” He
pocketed his knife with ease, as if it was okay for him to be carrying such a
deadly weapon. “So I thought I’d take you to one.”
“You—But Tyson…” Wasn’t coming back, was he? He’d set this up
with Yaro? No wonder he didn’t want Tremaine to come with us. “What did
you do?”
“I wanted to see you.”
Conflicting emotions warred between my head and heart. Hell, even my
lower body was in the mix. From the tightening in my shorts, apparently,
my cock liked how gorgeous Yaro looked in a dark green pullover and the
way his dark jeans molded to his choke-me-out-Daddy-I-won’t-mind
thighs.
I didn’t know what to do with the emotions, so I ran, right for the exit.
“Daisy.”
 I trampled down the steps. Tyson couldn’t have left me alone. He had to
still be around somewhere.
“Daisy.” Yaro grabbed my arm. “If you run, I’ll only come after you.”
This was just great!
I spun around to face him. “For three weeks, you haven’t said a word.
You haven’t called me, haven’t checked up on me, and now you have the
nerve to show up and watch a movie with me like nothing happened?”
“Haven’t I? Then how do I know every single thing you did in class
with Manuel? Every evening you go to bed without eating all your dinner,
or you go shopping with your cousins and buy a five-thousand-dollar dress
when you found out my credit card was paying for all of it, only to return it
two days later?”
I licked my lips, my heart beating hard. “You…know all that?”
“And more.”
I blinked rapidly. “But you took your name off my birth certificate. You
don’t want anything to do with me.”
He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. “Because it’s not
appropriate for you to have my last name and me as your father if you’re
dating me. Is it?”
“Dating you?”
“Hmm.” He nodded and smiled. Yaro was smiling voluntarily at me.
“Are you high?” I blurted out. When Tyson was high, he too smiled for
no damn good reason.
Yaro chuckled. “No, but a friend came to see me and made me realize
that even if you were to betray me in the future, I’d rather have spent a day
with you than a lifetime of not having you.”
I didn’t dare to believe him. This was everything I’d wanted from Yaro,
but now that I was getting it, how could it be true?
“Are you serious?”
“If you can forgive—”
I threw my arms around him and hugged him. “Of course, I forgive you.
I’ll always forgive you.”
I took his face in my hands, stood on my tiptoes, and kissed him. Yaro
wrapped an arm around my waist and held me to him as our lips roamed
and our tongues explored what we were both missing.
“You forgive way too easily,” he groaned.
 “We’ve wasted so much time already.” My heart was ready to burst. “I
don’t want to play games, Yaro. I want to be with you.”
“Shall we continue with our date and watch our movie, then?”
“Or we passed a couple of hotels on our way here.”
Yaro chucked my chin. “Naughty boy. We have time for that. How
about we go to a restaurant so you can tell me how everything has been
going with the Falcons?”
“I thought you had been spying on me.”
“I have, but I want to hear it from you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
 DAISY

“W ell , look at you getting all excited and shit.” Tyson gave me a long,
telling look. “You sure got over being angry at me fast.”
“Who says I’m over it?”
He raised his eyebrow. “I can see right through your shorts that you
have nothing under it. You’re wearing that to meet the guy you supposedly
are mad at me for getting you two together. Yeah, I’m not buying it.”
I grinned. “Aren’t you glad your nephew’s happy?”
He grunted. “Just don’t get knocked up. Oh, wait. I should save that
speech for your cousin, Gemma. All right, then, get nasty all you want. Just
keep it wrapped up.”
“Wrapped up?”
He scowled. “Jesus, this boy. Noskov is going to tear into you like a
tiger with fresh meat. Use a motherfucking condom. Noskov isn’t exactly
known for being celibate.”
“That’s all in the past.” I unbuckled the seat belt and opened the car
door.
Tyson got out as well, and I fell into step next to him. A long line ran
around the nightclub. The pulsing beat of the music boomed through the
walls. I could feel it too, thumping through my heartbeat.
This was exciting. I’d never been to a nightclub, but after Yaro and I
talked two nights ago, he’d invited me to the one he owned. I’d been
nervous about it when I said yes, but finally, Yaro was inviting me into his
world. I couldn’t say no.
“You sure you don’t want to stay?” I asked as we walked up to a man
wearing a black muscle shirt with the word “bouncer” on it.
 “I’ve got to meet someone. Take a load of stress off.”
“I hope you’re taking your own advice.”
“Don’t worry about me. Nothing gets set down on this dick without it
being wrapped up. I don’t play like that.”
We stopped in front of the bouncer, who barked out, “Why did you step
out of the line? I’ll call you if…” He widened his eyes, peered at me, then
glanced at the tablet in his hand.
“Hi, I’m Daisy.” I gave a half wave.
The man paled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you right away. Stay right
there.” He signaled to someone inside, and another guy, shorter but just as
stocky, walked over to us. “This is Daisy,” he said. “Take him—”
“To Mr. Noskov.”
Bewildered, I glanced at Tyson. Did everyone know who I was? How?
“Noskov’s got you.” Tyson gave me an encouraging nod. “Let him
know your curfew’s midnight.”
I scowled at his back as he walked away. I wasn’t a child. Who needed a
curfew?
As I followed the bouncer inside, the music got louder. Wow.
Everything was so loud and frantic. The booths were crammed, and the
dance floor was full. The L-shaped bar was not lacking patrons either.
Damn, Yaro’s club was successful. I wasn’t surprised. He was the kind
of man who could turn hay into gold.
A couple of guys whistled when I walked by. I kept my head straight
and trotted after the bouncer. We took a private elevator, which came to a
halt on the top floor, where we got off.
“Mr. Noskov is waiting for you,” he said.
“Where?”
But he didn’t reply. He got back into the elevator and headed down.
The floor seemed deserted. Even the noise from downstairs wasn’t as
loud. The glass separating this deck must have been soundproof. Or it was
drowned out by my heart beating in my ears as I shuffled forward, one foot
in front of the other, until I reached an intimate seating arrangement. The
chairs looked classier and more comfortable than the seats downstairs.
Yaro was watching me. I almost ran to him, but he wasn’t alone.
Cam and Sem were with him.
I stifled my groan. Just great. Sem I could tolerate, but what Cam had
done still bothered me. The wrong answers weren’t what had upset me,
though. I’d thought we clicked that day despite his off-putting personality.
We’d spent the weekend together, and he never felt bad for what he’d done.
I would ignore him tonight. Yaro and I might have made up, but we still
had a lot to navigate. For now, we’d both agreed that staying with the
Falcons was best. I didn’t necessarily want to leave them already. I was still
getting to know everyone.
Yaro rose to his feet and met me halfway. Oh crap. I felt underdressed
next to him in his expensive-looking suit. When I had to wear clothes, I
mostly wore shorts because then at least my legs were bare. I missed
running around naked. At my uncles’ place, I couldn’t get naked anywhere
other than my bedroom.
“You’re here.” Yaro embraced me and kissed the side of my neck. “You
smell so good.”
“And you look amazing. Why didn’t you tell me what to wear? I look
out of place.”
“Brace yourself because this is going to sound corny.” He took my hand
and placed it over his heart. “Your place is right here where I am. How can
you ever look out of place?”
“That’s sweet.” I kissed him on his lips, then pulled back. What if he
wasn’t out in public yet? What had I done?
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. You’re probably not out.”
“Feel free to kiss me anytime. I hope you don’t mind, but Sem and Cam
were here, so I invited them up.”
“No problem.”
He guided me to his table with a hand on my back.
“Daisy, it’s good to see you again.” Sem kissed the back of my hand. I
glanced at Yaro to see if he had noticed, but he didn’t seem bothered.
“It’s so good seeing you again.”
I nodded at Cam but didn’t acknowledge him otherwise. He sat there
sulking.
Yaro pulled me on his lap. I’d never expected him to, but my heart felt
light at his gesture. He rested a hand on my thigh that burned straight
through the skin.
“Daisy, I heard this was your first time at a club,” Sem said.
“Yes! It’s all so lively, and everybody seems so happy dancing.”
“Alcohol and music will do that.” Sem laughed.
Yaro poured just a bit of champagne into a glass. “For you.”
 He kissed the side of my neck. He was being affectionate tonight, and I
didn’t know what to make of it.
“Thank you.” I squirmed, forgetting where I was, until his hard cock
nudged against my ass. I stopped moving immediately.
“How are things going with your new living arrangement?” Sem asked.
“Will you be moving back in with Yaro now that you made up?”
I glanced at Yaro. What was he thinking?
“Daisy’s just been reunited with his family.” He stroked my thigh. “I
don’t want to take him away from that.”
“You all right, brother?” Sem grinned. “Because we’re not used to you
being this reasonable. Please, my heart can’t withstand any more shock for
the night. Daisy, did I ever tell you about the many times we tried to off
each other?”
My mouth fell open, and I shook my head.
“Well, buckle up. I’ve got a whole lot of stories to tell.”
And he told them well too. I was horrified by the way they’d initially
treated each other, both perpetuating wars that weren’t even theirs to fight
but their parents’.
“How did you get close to each other, then?” I asked.
“Someone else tried to kill him,” Sem said. “And I found out who.
When I killed the guy instead of letting him finish off Yaro for me, I
realized I didn’t want to see him dead after all. He owed me one, so he
decided to stop going after my life.”
While they talked, I kept glancing at Cam, who’d remained silent,
which was unusual for him. What had Sem done to make him so docile?
“Up you go.” Yaro lifted me from his lap and got up. “I need to show
Sem something in my office. Be right back.”
They both left before I could even blink. I stared after Yaro. I didn’t
want to be left behind with Cam.
“Not very subtle.” He downed the glass in front of him. “If you didn’t
pretend to be so vulnerable and cute, they wouldn’t be giving me such a
hard time.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry for what I did,” he snapped. “Now will you tell Sem I
apologized so he can stop saying he’s disappointed in me? I hate it.”
“That’s an apology?” I wrinkled my nose. “I’ll have to pass.”
He sputtered. “You can’t turn down my apology.”
 “You’re not sorry at all.”
“I thought it was funny.”
“You made me look stupid in front of my teacher. He almost quit the
job, thinking he hadn’t been teaching me right. It might have just been a
practical joke to you, but this is serious for me, okay? Have you been
deprived of an education? Do you know how hard I’ve been working, only
for you to do that to me? All I wanted that day was to be your friend.”
He scoffed. “You don’t want to be my friend.”
“I did, but not anymore.”
“Why would you want to be friends with someone like me? Everybody
hates me.”
“Have you ever stopped to wonder why?”
He clenched his hands into fists. “Because I’m a horrible person who
does horrible things to people. But you don’t know my life either. You don’t
know anything about me that made me the way I am. I had to be like this to
survive.”
“I’ve had it rough too, but I don’t let it change who I am. You don’t treat
Sem like you do the rest of us.”
“Sem saved me. I owe him.”
“Is that why you moved into his wife’s house? Because you owe him?”
“He’s mine. I don’t need another reason.”
I sighed. “Look, Yaro and Sem are brothers. We’re going to keep
meeting like this, so I’ll accept your apology.”
“You will?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want?”
I squinted. “What?”
“Now that I owe you. What do you want?”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“You’re a weird person.”
“And you aren’t?”
We glared at each other over the table. Then burst out laughing at the
same time.
“You should see your face,” Cam guffawed. “You look like you want to
kill me. You’d have to join the line.” His laughter dissolved into tears. “Sem
is the only one who cares.”
 “That’s not true. If you were on fire right now, I’d pour this liquor on
you.”
He gasped, got to his feet, and ran off just as Sem and Yaro returned.
“Cammy?” Sem frowned at me and ran after his boy.
“What happened?” Yaro asked. “Sem and I stepped out so you two
could clear the air.”
I shrugged. “He was crying that no one cares about him, so I told him
that’s not true. That if he was on fire, I’d pour alcohol on him.”
“You told him that?” Yaro’s voice sounded strained.
“Yes, why?”
Yaro gave a bark of laughter so loud I jumped. I’d never heard him
laugh like this before. He laughed so hard he had to hold on to the chair for
support, tears rolling down his cheeks.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“You.” He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his face.
“Oh man, that felt good.”
“I still don’t get what’s so funny. Shouldn’t I try to put the fire out? It’s
the only decent thing to do.”
Yaro caught my chin and kissed me hard. “Baby, don’t you know
alcohol is flammable? You’d only make it worse.”
My mouth dropped open. “Oh my god. I have to explain.”
“There will be plenty of time for you to do that.” He pulled me to my
feet. “I have other things to do to you. It’s not a hotel room, but what do
you think of me putting you on your knees in my office chair and fucking
you.”
“Yes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
 DAISY

“D id you enjoy tonight ?” Yaro asked me between kisses.

“Hmm.” I twined my fingers into his hair and slid my tongue alongside
his. We’d been making out in his car for the past half an hour, unwilling to
part with each other so soon. Why had I agreed to stay here when I could be
sleeping next to him? I could still see my family whenever I wanted to. I
didn’t need to be in the same house to build a relationship with them.
“Yaro,” I moaned.
“Yes?”
“I want to move back.”
He stopped kissing me. “You do?”
I nodded. “Don’t you want me back?”
“Yes, but there were a few things I wanted to do first.”
I slid my hand between his legs and cupped his hard cock. “Please,
Daddy.”
He sucked in a deep breath. “You still want to call me that despite me
being the worst Daddy ever.”
“I’ll always want to call you that. You take care of me even while I’m
living here. No one loves me better than you.”
He hadn’t said the words again, but I felt it in everything he did for me.
“Sweetheart.” He stroked the side of my face. “You know I’m not cured
of this jealousy, right? That guy on the dance floor tonight…”
After having mind-blowing sex in his office, I’d wanted to dance. Yaro
said he didn’t dance, so I had to dance alone. But after a couple of minutes
on the dance floor, a guy came up behind me. Yaro had appeared in an
instant.
 “But hey, all you did this time was shove him away. That’s a step in the
right direction.”
“Why are you always so optimistic?”
“My life has been so pitiful, Yaro. If I don’t see the good in things, I
would have quit a long time ago.”
He rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip. “I’m glad you didn’t quit.
That you waited for me to find you. Both times.”
“I’ll always wait on you, but don’t make me wait again.”
“I’m just enough of a bastard to like that you’ll wait.”
“Don’t you dare abuse it, Yaroslav!”
“How can I? I was miserable without you.”
He kissed me again, and I moaned. No, I was getting distracted. I
yanked my lips away.
“Is that a yes I can move back in right away?”
“I can’t believe you still want to move back after I kicked you out
twice.”
“Just promise whatever argument we have, you won’t ever do that
again.”
“I won’t, but I am getting us a new place.”
“You are?”
He nodded. “It’s a part of this ‘Yaro trying to be a decent boyfriend’
thing. Not that I know if it’ll work, but for you, I’ll give it a shot.”
“What do you mean?”
“The day Andrei came to see me, what he said made me realize why I
wasn’t ready to love you.”
“Why?”
“Because it would mean letting go of my hatred and anger for what your
parents did. Eighteen years of anger isn’t easily relinquished, but it was
costing me you, so I had to do it. A part of that is selling the house and
moving to a new place with no memories but the ones we make.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“I’ve found a new house, and I have a viewing tomorrow. Do you want
to go with me?”
“Yes, please!”
“And after, I’ll take you to the horse racing track.”
“What for?”
 “Because I have invested a lot of the family business into horse racing. I
want you to see all I do. That I don’t just kill people. Plus, I think you’ll like
it. I’ll teach you how to gamble.”
“But I’m no good with money.”
“Then it’s a good thing I have enough for you to experiment with.”
“I don’t know about the gambling, but I’d love to go to the track with
you.”
“Then it’s a date.”
I hugged him hard. “I’m so happy right now.”
“Good. Now get in before my cock crawls out of my pants and follows
you to your bedroom. It clearly thinks it belongs wherever you go.”
Laughing, I kissed his cheek and got out of the car.
“Don’t walk me to the door,” I said.
He scowled. “Why not?”
“I’m sneaking in, and if Darius sees you, he might get upset.”
“I’m not afraid of Darius.”
“I know, but I don’t want to cause a conflict between you. He’s my
uncle, and he’s been really kind to me.”
“Fine. But I’ll watch until you get in.”
I blew him a kiss and ran up the steps. I took out the key Tyson had
given me and slipped inside. Yaro flashed his lights and backed out of the
yard. Sighing, I closed the door and leaned against it.
I’m so happy. You hear that, Sparkie?
Except Sparkie no longer responded. The imaginary friend that had
accompanied me through life was a dull presence at the back of my mind
now that I had family and friends to talk to.
I tiptoed along the hall and made a beeline for the stairs. A light shone
farther down the hall. I didn’t expect anyone to be up. Because there were
kids in the house, Darius and Tyson never brought their “work” home with
them. They were often out until the wee hours of the morning.
I followed the light and found it on in the den. No one was allowed in
that room. When Darius was home, he spent long hours inside and didn’t
want to be disturbed.
I tiptoed farther.
“…chance to get to Noskov. What are you waiting for?”
Noskov? Were they talking about Yaro? The voice didn’t sound like
Darius’s. I moved closer and pressed my ear to the door.
 “Everyone’s happy,” Darius said. “Since we stopped going after him,
we’ve been able to focus on our shit.”
“Don’t you see that now is the perfect time to hit? His guard is down.
There’s no time like the present.”
“It’s not worth it. Noskov has too many resources. We can never win
against him.”
“What about the boy?”
My stomach churned. Who was that man trying to convince Darius to
go after Yaro? His throat was raspy. I didn’t recognize the voice.
“What boy?”
“Your nephew who just came to live with you. Hasn’t he been out with
Noskov twice this week? He’s your ticket to taking down Noskov.”
“Fuck, no, man. I’m not going to put Daisy in harm’s way. You’ve been
good to me over the past two years, but that’s how long we’ve been at this
and still not able to kill the son of a bitch. I’ve made peace with it.”
“Do I need to remind you that he killed your sister? I was there. Saw it
with my own eyes. He made her crawl on her belly while he laughed, spat
on her, before putting several bullets in her. He treated her like a dog.”
“Shut up!” A glass shattered, and I jumped. Only Yaro’s men had been
there the night my parents died. Had one of Yaro’s workers betrayed him?
He’d been through so many workers I didn’t doubt for a second someone he
fired could be this vindictive.
“Don’t you want justice for your sister? You can have it. The boy
doesn’t have to get hurt. All you have to do is use him to lure Noskov.”
“But there’s no guarantee he won’t be hurt.”
Darius couldn’t seriously be contemplating this. I’d heard enough.
I twisted the doorknob and shoved the door open. The two men in the
room swung their heads around.
“Daisy!” Darius rose to his feet, a smoking joint in the corner of his
mouth. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?”
The unfamiliar man averted his face, but not before I caught sight of his
gnarly, deformed face. The entire left side seemed to have been a failure in
reconstruction.
“I-I-”
“Leave now.”
I swallowed. “No! I heard what he said. What he wants you to do, and
you can’t listen to him.”
 “This has nothing to do with you, Daisy.”
“It has everything to do with me.” I ran up to his desk. “You must know
how I feel about Yaro.”
“Yeah, don’t think you should tell me the man who killed my sister is
getting off in her son’s ass. He threw you out, and you’re ready to be his
whore again. God, I hate that son of a bitch.”
“You’re wrong. He didn’t kill my mother.”
“Of course he killed her. What would you know? You were two when it
happened.”
“And you weren’t even there!” I fired back. “He’s lying about what
happened. Yaro told me.”
“You expect him to tell you the truth when he wants to fuck you? Don’t
you know anything about men?”
“Except I’d already fucked him when I thought he killed her.”
“You’re just like your mother!”
“I’m nothing like her,” I snapped.
“Aren’t you chasing Noskov’s money?” Darius asked. “That’s what that
idiot sister of mine did, even though I told her not to fuck with him. And
guess what happened to her, Daisy? She got burned. The same way you’re
eventually going to get burned.”
“He did not kill her! My father did.”
“What?”
“Yaro told me everything just as it happened. My father killed her, and
Yaro killed him.”
“That’s not what everyone remembers.”
“Because none of you were there. It’s all rumors. I trust Yaro. He
wouldn’t lie to me—not about this.”
“But he worked for Yaro.” Darius pointed his chin at the stranger. “He
was there that night, and when he tried to intervene, Noskov shot him and
left him for dead.”
Hands on my hips, I glared at him. “Maybe Yaro shot him. I won’t say
he didn’t, but it can’t have been that night. I’m telling you Yaro only killed
Oleg.” I pointed at the man. “You’re a fraud. Why are you trying to cause
conflict between my family and Yaro?”
“You’re wrong,” the man said. “I was there that night.”
“Liar! I trust Yaro. Why should I trust you over him?”
“Because I’m your father.”
 I stared at him. “What?”
“I’m your father, and I was there that night. Your mother loved me, and
Yaroslav couldn’t accept that, so he killed her.”
“You’re…him?”
I shook my head. He couldn’t be. This was impossible. My father was
dead. Yaro had killed him.
“My name is Oleg, and I was Yaro’s right hand.” He shifted his
attention to Darius, who looked almost as shocked as me. “Why do you
think I was able to give you so much useful information? Because I know
Yaroslav personally. Chase, listen to me. He killed your mother.”
“I don’t get it,” Darius said while I tried to remember how to formulate
words. “You knew Daisy was staying here. Why didn’t you tell me before
that he’s your son?”
“Because look at me. Who wants a father who looks like this?”
But it wasn’t his face that frightened me. It was everything I knew about
this man. He had killed my mother. He had betrayed Yaro.
I didn’t trust him.
“I don’t believe you,” I said. “Yaro’s telling the truth, and you’re lying.”
“Too bad.”
Oleg sank his fingers into my hair and yanked me back against him. The
cool nozzle of a gun pressed to my temple.
“Daisy!” Darius rushed toward us.
“Stay right where you are, or I’ll blow his brains out. Just like I did your
sister’s.”
I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks. I hadn’t been wrong
to trust Yaro.
“If what you said is true, he’s your son,” Darius said. “You won’t kill
him.”
“Won’t I? I loved his mother, and I didn’t hesitate to kill her. Because
there’s nobody I put above myself. Noskov changed my life forever, and
he’s going to pay the price with his life. If I have to use this no-good son of
mine to do that, I will. I’ve been patient, waiting for you for two years to do
the job properly, and you couldn’t.”
“Let him go.”
“No, I make the demands. Think about the little kids sleeping upstairs.
You do exactly as I say, and you won’t have to buy four child-size coffins
anytime soon.”
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
 YARO

I spewed coffee out all over my desk. I glared at the maid hovering with
terrified eyes. “What the fuck kind of coffee is this? It’s cold.”
“I’m s-sorry, sir. I—”
“I asked you to bring me coffee, and this is the best you can do? You
don’t deserve this job.”
Across from me, Andrei took out a handkerchief and dabbed coffee
drops from his shirt. He rolled his eyes. He didn’t have to say “here we go
again.” It was written all over his face.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. It didn’t help much. “Bring me
another cup of coffee.”
Second chances.
Apparently, I gave them now. Grudgingly.
“Bravo.” Andrei slow-clapped when the maid had left. “You’ve finally
learned the art of staff retention.”
“If you’re here to patronize me, you might as well get out. I already told
you I’m not hiring you back.”
“I didn’t ask for my job back, asshole.” Andrei sighed. “Then I’ll have
to respect you and shit. And not call you an asshole. I’m kind of getting
used to this.”
“Why are you here again?”
“Because you called me. Why are you so tense when you’re back
together with Daisy?”
“I had a strange call this morning. I want you to be here just in case.”
“I already told you. I won’t work for you again.”
“I want you here as a…friend.”
 “Now was that so hard to say?”
“I much prefer you when you were just a bodyguard.”
“Ah, I love you too, Yaro.”
I scowled. “You were never this fruity before.”
“Didn’t want my boss to fire me. Anyway, what’s bothering you?”
“Daisy and I are going to look at a house.”
“Nice. What’s the problem?”
“I’m picking him up in an hour, and I want you to pretend you’re still
my bodyguard. Just for today.”
“Why?”
“Because Darius was the one who answered when I called Daisy this
morning. He was the one who confirmed what time I should pick Daisy
up.”
“You saying this might be a trap?”
“Doesn’t it smell like one?”
“It does, but Daisy….”
“I’m sure he doesn’t know what Darius is planning.”
My heart pounded, and my brain screamed at me to think otherwise, but
I shut out the empty noise from my past. Daisy hadn’t betrayed me. He
wasn’t his mother.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t believe Daisy is involved either.”
“Good. It’ll just be the two of us in the main car, but we’ll have a car
parked across the street in case we need backup. We go armed, expecting
anything. We need to assess the level of danger and get Daisy. If they won’t
let him talk to me on the phone, I can only guess he’s not cooperating with
whatever they might want him to do. We must get Daisy out safely. He’s my
number one priority. I don’t care who gets killed in the process.”
“And if nothing happens?”
“I don’t think I’ll bring Daisy back today.”
“We getting paranoid again?”
“Maybe, but I’d rather err on the side of caution this time.”
Daisy’s uncles took care of him. He seemed happy with them too. I
needed my hunch to be wrong.
Sitting in the back seat of the car with Andrei at the wheel reminded me
of old times. How many times had we done similar rides? The car moved
steadily through the quaint neighborhood, brick houses standing stoic on
both sides of the street, the green leaves of old trees rustling gently in the
early morning breeze.
Despite the deceptive tranquility, my heart thudded loudly, an anxious
rhythm beating to the tune of uncertainty. Andrei held the steering wheel
firmly, his eyes scanning the quiet road. The familiarity of this situation was
comforting yet unsettling, stirring memories of past threats and dangers
we’d faced together. But this time, the potential danger was far more
personal, far more terrifying.
If there was a threat. Maybe it was as Andrei had said and I was being
paranoid.
“Call him again, Yaro,” Andrei said.
I dialed Daisy’s number. It rang a few times but went unanswered.
Just as I was about to redial, a text notification popped up on my
screen.
“I’m ready and waiting.”
Simple, direct, and entirely unlike Daisy.
Daisy never texted, since he was self-conscious about his spelling. He
only ever sent voice notes. A cold swirl of worry twisted my stomach, and I
knew in my gut I wasn’t wrong.
“Anything?” Andrei glanced at me, then back at the road. We were now
only a few blocks away from Darius’s house.
I shook my head. “He texted me.”
“That’s not Daisy. He doesn’t text.”
“Exactly,” I muttered, my throat tight with anxiety. I pocketed my phone
and instinctively moved my hand to the holster at my side, my fingers
brushing against the cool metal of the gun. A reminder of the potential
danger we might be walking into.
“We’ll get him.”
I nodded, my jaw set with grim determination. For years I’d tolerated
the Falcons because I felt partly responsible for the way their sister died,
but if those fools hurt a hair on Daisy’s head, I was going to kill them.
Andrei turned into the driveway of the house. Relief coursed through
me. Daisy was waiting for me outside. He looked unharmed, though it was
uncharacteristic of him to stand still. Darius stood next to him, his hand on
Daisy’s shoulder. A few feet away from them was Tyson.
I was right, then. Darius had something up his sleeve, and this time
Tyson hadn’t talked him out of whatever harebrained idea he had.
 “You were right.” Andrei steered with one hand while he retrieved his
gun from beneath the seat. “Daisy should be running to you by now.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror. My backup guys had arrived and were
stationed across the street.
Andrei parked the car, got out, and came around to my side. He opened
the door for me, and I stepped out. Out of habit, he was shielding me with
his body.
“Step aside, Andrei.”
He reluctantly moved back. I plastered a smile on my face and moved
forward. “Daisy, I—”
“It’s a trap!” Daisy shoved Darius back and ran toward me. “Get back in
the car!”
A bullet whizzed past me, missing my head by mere inches. Two
slammed into my chest, the force of it sending me stumbling backward. I
fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Despite the Kevlar vest absorbing
most of the impact, the force was enough to wind me.
Who the fuck had shot me? From what I’d seen, neither Darius nor
Tyson had moved.
“No!” Daisy screamed. “Yaro!”
A figure moved behind Daisy. He was too far away from me to see who
he was. He raised his gun, his aim directly at Daisy.
A sharp crack echoed across the lawn. My heart froze as Daisy’s body
jerked violently. Another rang out, and Daisy’s body twisted. He crumpled
to the ground, a cry of pain escaping his lips. My stomach lurched, a violent
rush of terror coursing through my veins.
Darius lunged at the shooter, tackling him to the ground. The two men
scuffled, their violent struggle becoming a chaotic blur.
But my attention, my every thought, was on Daisy.
“Daisy!”
I propelled myself off the ground and sprinted toward him, my ears
ringing. Daisy lay motionless, a pool of red blossoming on the back of his
shirt.
I fell to my knees beside him. I gently turned him and cradled his head
in my lap. His skin was unnaturally pale, eyes glassy with pain. “Daisy,” I
choked out, my voice a strangled whisper.
“Yaro…you were…hit…” His words came out in ragged gasps, his
hand weakly grasping at my shirt.
 I pulled my shirt apart, revealing the Kevlar vest underneath, the bullet
holes stark against the dark material. “I’m okay, Daisy. I’m okay,” I
reassured him, even though every fiber in my being was screaming
otherwise.
He let out a breath of relief, letting his hand fall away from my shirt.
“Thank…god… I don’t think I’m going to make it.”
“No, Daisy, don’t. Don’t say that. I’ve got you.”
“How is he?” Andrei ran up to me. “We have the shooter, and I called
an ambulance. They’re on their way.”
“Andrei…” Tears formed in Daisy’s eyes and spilled onto his cheeks.
“T-take care of him.” He coughed, and blood splattered my shirt. “Don’t…
let him be angry…for another eighteen years.”
“Daisy, stop talking,” I strangled out. “Conserve your energy. The
ambulance will be here soon. Stay with me.”
He took my hand and squeezed it. “Yaro…promise me you’ll open your
heart again.”
“No.” Tears streamed down my face, making my vision blurry. I wiped
them away, and I was able to see him again. His eyes were closed. “I’ll only
love you. Shh, my love. Keep your eyes open.”
He shuddered against me. Then his eyes found mine again, a sense of
desperation in them. “I didn’t…betray you, Yaro. I didn’t betray you…” he
mumbled.
“I know, Daisy. I know.” I swallowed back the lump in my throat,
tightening my grip on him. “Just hang in there, okay?”
But as the words left my mouth, his eyes fluttered closed, his body
going limp in my arms.
The wail of an ambulance in the distance drew closer. “They’re almost
here, Daisy. They’re almost here.”
He didn’t respond.
“Daisy!”
He coughed, and blood splattered my cheek. His breath, once ragged
and labored, now ceased altogether.
CHAPTER THIRTY
 YARO

T he last five days had been a blur of white hospital walls, incessant
beeping machines, and antiseptic air. Daisy lay in a sterile bed, a tangled
web of tubes and wires branching off from him, connecting him to various
machines that monitored his vitals and delivered life-saving fluids and
medication. An oxygen mask covered half his face, his breath fogging up
the clear plastic with each shallow exhale.
Each beep from the heart monitor was a harsh reminder of how close we
were to losing him, each rhythmic blip a reassurance that he was hanging
on by a thread, but he was alive.
I never left his side. I couldn’t.
The hospital room was a world away from the world outside. It was one
of the best in Ohio, reserved for VIP patients. Not that it mattered much to
me, but it meant that Daisy was receiving the best care available. The room
was spacious and impeccably clean, every surface shining under the soft
lighting.
A large floor-to-ceiling window dominated one wall, offering an
expansive view of the city’s skyline. At night, the city lights twinkled like
stars, a beautiful vista that Daisy would have loved had he been awake.
A small, plush sofa sat against the wall, my makeshift bed for the last
few nights. Next to the bed was a small table where cards, balloons, and
flowers sent by well-wishers crowded together. On the opposite wall, a flat-
screen TV was mounted, perpetually muted and ignored. My whole world
was within these four walls.
That day, the day he was shot, he’d died. His heart had stopped, and for
a moment, mine had too. I’d been in too much of a shock to react. Thank
fuck for Darius, who’d jumped into action, pumping Daisy’s chest until the
paramedics arrived and took over. His doctor had said if not for Darius’s
quick thinking, he would have died. They had brought him back, restarted
his heart, but he hadn’t woken up since.
My gaze drifted from the window back to Daisy, to his pale face on the
stark white hospital pillows. His chest rose and fell in time with the
rhythmic beeping of the machines. I traced my fingers lightly over the back
of his hand, cold under the hospital blanket.
“Daisy,” I whispered, my voice hoarse with exhaustion and worry. “I’m
here. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait for you.”
Just as he’d been willing to wait for me to love him.
“I love you.”
Why hadn’t I said it to him when he would have loved hearing it?
Five days, and it felt like a lifetime since I’d seen his gray eyes and his
infectious smile. Five days since his optimism penetrated my dark world.
With every passing day, the light he’d left behind dimmed, and with it, the
startling discovery. I didn’t want to return to being the man I was without
Daisy.
A gentle knock sounded on the door. Andrei entered, Daisy’s favorite
flowers in his arms. Sem and Cam had dropped by earlier. Darius and Tyson
had said yesterday that they would be back today. Did he know how much
change he’d brought into our lives? That we were all waiting for him to
wake up? Even the housekeeper had visited. Manuel had come the second
day and had cried. He’d told me to call if Daisy’s condition changed, but he
couldn’t bear to return and see Daisy this helpless.
“Hey.” Andrei made space for the flowers on the table. “How’s it
going? Any changes?”
“He’s stable.”
The nurse said that was a good thing as long as he didn’t get worse, so I
was holding on to that.
“Not worse, then. That’s good, right?”
I nodded. “He shouldn’t have run toward me.”
“Yaro, don’t. Don’t think about what happened. It’ll eat you up inside.
Remember what Daisy’s last words were.”
No, I refused for those to be his last words. He had to wake up.
“What are you going to do about Darius?” Andrei asked.
 “Nothing. He didn’t know who Oleg really was. My bullet had
destroyed his face so much, not even I would have recognized him unless I
was up close.”
“I still can’t believe that fucker got lucky and survived being shot at and
dumped into the river.”
“Lucky?” I chuckled, the sound containing no trace of humor. “His luck
would have been for him to die that night. Now all he craves is death, but
he only gets to die when Daisy lives.”
“I’m here now.” Andrei placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
“Go take care of your business.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, man. No thanks necessary. For Daisy.”
Choked up, I walked out of the hospital room. Every day for the past
three days, Andrei had come to sit with Daisy for two hours while I drove
out to the empty warehouse where I had Oleg imprisoned.
The drive was a blur. I moved on autopilot, didn’t see the road
stretching ahead of me, the buildings flanking either side or the people
going about their lives, oblivious to the storm brewing in mine. The
warehouse was a monstrous structure, squatting in an abandoned lot. Its
steel exterior was worn and rusted, its windows dark.
I chatted briefly with the soldier on guard duty. Assured nothing
unusual had happened while I was away, I entered the warehouse, the heavy
steel door creaking ominously as I pushed it open. The air was musty,
tainted with the stench of decay.
In the center of the room, secured to a chair, sat Oleg. He was a pitiful
sight, even more disfigured than before. The first day I’d cut off his eyelids.
It hadn’t taken long for him to lose his sight and for an infection to set in.
I’d wanted it that way. For him to suffer. He knew Daisy was his son, and
he’d shot the boy simply because he’d learned how much Daisy meant to
me.
His two feet and one of his hands were mere stubs, brutally amputated
and then cauterized to ensure he survived. The doctor sitting at a table in the
far corner of the room rose, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose,
stoic in front of all he’d witnessed. He was a neutral party with a pain fetish
and a God complex that suited my purpose just fine.
He believed life and death were in his hands.
 “You need to slow down,” he said. “If you continue at this pace, he
won’t last long. Why don’t you skip today? He’s in enough pain to last him
for a week.”
Then what would I do with my free vengeful hours?
“I want his remaining hand,” I said, my voice devoid of emotion. My
gaze locked onto Oleg, reveling in the terror spreading over his mutilated
face.
This man had once been like a brother to me. He’d killed my wife and
almost taken away the love of my life. He whimpered, his voice hoarse and
broken. “Please, Yaro… Mercy,” he begged with dry, cracked lips. He got
merely drops of water each day, enough to keep him alive without
quenching his thirst. “Kill me… Just kill me…”
His pleas for mercy should have been a sweet melody to my ears. He
had shown Daisy no mercy, so why should he find it from me?
“I made you a promise when I brought you here, Oleg.” I rolled up the
sleeves of my shirt. “For every day that Daisy is in a coma, I’ll only be
satisfied if I take something from you.”
“I don’t have anything left to give but my life. Take it.”
“You were already prepared to die that day you attacked me,” I said.
“Yes. But look at me. This is how I’ve been forced to live because of
you. Please…just kill me, and I’ll be out of your life.”
I barely heard the doctor over the deafening noise of the chainsaw, only
catching his words when he barked at me to be careful not to hit an artery. I
wouldn’t. To get the most out of this revenge, I needed him to feel pain, the
same sort of terror that had gripped me when Daisy was shot.
The blade came down onto his arm, slicing through flesh and bone with
horrifying ease. Oleg screamed, the sound bouncing off the walls as he
thrashed against his restraints.
The doctor was quick to move and pressed a hot iron against the raw
stump of Oleg’s wrist. The putrid smell of burning flesh filled the air,
adding another layer to the stench of decay. Oleg’s screams turned into low,
desperate moans as his body convulsed in pain.
I killed the engine of the chainsaw, letting the silence settle back in.
Seeing Oleg in this pitiful state made me feel nothing. No satisfaction, no
reprieve. It didn’t make the hurt any less. It didn’t fill the gaping hole in my
life that Daisy’s absence had created.
 “You’ll find me here, same time tomorrow,” I promised. As I walked
away, leaving Oleg with the doctor, his desperate pleas echoed in the vast
space of the warehouse.
“Please… just kill me…” he moaned pitifully, his voice so weak it was
barely audible. The door shut behind me with a deafening slam, cutting off
his voice but not the echo of his words in my mind.
Every day Daisy lay in that hospital bed, every day he didn’t open his
eyes, Oleg would lose another piece of himself, inch by painful inch. That
was a promise I intended to keep.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
 DAISY

T he first thing I registered was the smell: a sterile blend of disinfectant,

latex, and something vaguely medicinal that burrowed its way into my
nostrils and made my head spin. I tried to turn away from the invasive
scent, but my body felt as heavy as lead. The simple act of shifting was an
impossible task.
My mouth was dry, a thin layer of chalky residue coating my tongue
and making it stick to the roof of my mouth. I attempted to swallow, but my
throat was painfully parched, each motion causing me to wince.
The rhythm of my heart echoed in my ears, a never-ending soundtrack
to an unfamiliar setting.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
Where am I?
I pried my eyes open, but my vision was cloudy, a dense fog obscuring
everything but blurry shapes and bright lights that danced across my field of
vision. My head pounded with each pulse of light, a dull throbbing that had
me whimpering.
Yaro.
The thought of his name cut through the fog like a razor. The last
memory I could grasp was of bullets ripping into his chest. My heart
lurched.
Was he okay?
“Yaro…” The word came out as a weak whisper, my throat protesting
with sharp pain.
A figure loomed over me, blocking the harsh glare of the lights. It took
me a moment to recognize the shape as human.
 “Daisy, breathe.” The voice sounded far away yet achingly familiar.
Andrei. Relief washed over me, temporarily numbing the pain. “Breathe.
You’re okay. Yaro’s fine. He’ll be here any minute now. Just hang in there.”
Yaro was okay. I was okay.
Tears slipped down my temples. That was everything I needed to know.
A new figure approached, his white coat blinding against the harsh
fluorescent light. The doctor. His face was a blurry canvas, but his voice
was clear and firm.
“How are you feeling, Daisy?” He pressed his fingers into my wrist, and
sparks of pain shot up my arm.
My lips moved, but no sound came out. The effort it took to simply
remain conscious was overwhelming, each breath a battle in and of itself.
“It’s okay, Daisy. You’re safe now. Just rest.”
Unable to keep my eyes open, I let myself drift away, surrendering to
the darkness threatening to consume me. The sounds of the hospital grew
distant. The last thing I heard was the steady beep… beep… beep… of the
heart monitor, a lullaby lulling me back to sleep.
***
“He woke up?”
Yaro’s voice penetrated my subconscious. I’d heard his voice before but
never so clearly I could make out the words. Was he here in this room with
me?
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. Why isn’t he waking up now?”
“The doctor says he’s still weak and will need lots of rest to recover.”
“All he’s done is rest. I need to see his eyes open for myself.” A cool
hand slipped into mine, sending a jolt of comfort and familiarity up my arm.
“Daisy?”
I squeezed the hand.
“He squeezed my hand,” Yaro said, his voice unusually high. Fingers
brushed through my hair. “Hey, baby. I’m right here. I feel you. Can you
open those pretty gray eyes for me?”
He thought my eyes were pretty? I smiled.
“Look, he’s smiling.”
Andrei chuckled. “I can see that, Yaro. I’m going to take my leave.
Same time tomorrow?”
“It won’t be necessary. I’ll give the order today.”
 The order? What was he talking about?
I squinted my eyes and slowly allowed light in. Shifting my head to the
side, I took in the sight of Yaro. He was alive. I held on to his hand tighter
as a sob tore out of me. When I’d seen those bullets rip into his shirt, I’d
been terrified of losing him.
My Yaro.
My Daddy.
We still had so much to explore.
Needing to talk to him, I lowered the oxygen mask.
“What are you doing?” Yaro asked. “That’s there for a reason, Daisy.”
“I can breathe fine.” My voice came out cracked and hoarse. “Need
water.”
“Hold on.”
Yaro grabbed a cup from the table next to my bed. I smiled at the cards
and flowers.
“Those are for me?”
“Yes. Everyone’s been here.” He slowly raised the bed, then held a
straw for me to sip from the cup. The water felt refreshing going down, like
I’d gone without for too long.
I didn’t have nearly enough, but I was too tired to sip more. He took the
cup away.
“How long?” I asked.
“Since you’ve been here?” He returned the bed to its original position
and sat back down with my hand in his. “Five days.”
“Five days?”
“Yes, five long, worrisome days. Daisy, you scared me.”
“You would miss me that much if—”
“Don’t even say it. I don’t want to think about it.” He raised my hand
and kissed my fingers. “Your heart stopped beating. They had to revive
you.”
“It did?”
“Yes.”
“Yaro?”
“Hmm?”
“Please don’t be mad at Darius and the Falcons. They didn’t have a
choice. Oleg held a gun to my head. Then he took one of the other kids as a
hostage.”
 “He explained everything.”
“He was alive all this time.” I swallowed. Thank god it was easier.
“Please don’t be angry like that anymore. He’s a perfect example of what
happens when you’re angry. He was willing to kill his only son just to hurt
you.”
“Shh, don’t speak much. Conserve your energy. The doctor will be here
soon.”
“I love you.” Never had I been more sure of anything as I was certain of
that.
“And I love you,” he replied. “I won’t let you carry the guilt for anyone
else anymore. You’re Daisy, the boy I love. That’s all I need to know.”
I closed my eyes and rested until the doctor came. Dr. DuHarris was a
pleasant middle-aged man. While the man examined me, Yaro stepped to
the side, his phone to his ear. He probably was letting the others know I was
awake.
“All right, Daisy,” the doctor said, his voice clinical but kind. “Let me
know if you feel anything when I touch your legs.”
“Okay.”
Yaro came back to the bed and held my hand. As the doctor prodded at
my legs, I felt odd tingles and twinges. I confirmed each sensation with a
nod. Each time, the doctor jotted down something on his clipboard.
“This is good news,” Dr. DuHarris finally said. “There’s some damage
to your spine that will require surgery to realign your bones, but with
intensive rehabilitation, you should be back on your feet.”
I glanced at Yaro to take my cue from him. I didn’t know much about
spinal cord injuries, but from the way the doctor had checked my legs, I
figured he was worried about my ability to walk again. Was that something
Yaro could handle?
“We’ll do everything we’re instructed,” Yaro said. “And money is not
an object, so we’ll employ the best rehabilitation team to work with Daisy.”
The doctor nodded. “You’ll have a complex team working with you. I’m
the neurosurgeon, and Dr. Waites will be the orthopedic surgeon. We’ll have
to decide on a physical therapist to see you. And you’ll need a rehabilitation
psychologist to help to deal with all the emotional side of working through
your rehabilitation, but one step at a time.”
The doctor adjusted the dosage of my painkillers, then left with the
reminder I needed to rest as much as possible.
 “Are you scared?” Yaro asked.
“A little,” I said honestly. “This sounds rather difficult. What if it takes
a long time for me to be back to my normal self?”
“Then I’ll be here, waiting.”
I smiled and stroked his cheek. I yawned. “Whoever first called you a
tyrant didn’t know you at all.”
Yaro chuckled. “It’s you, Daisy. You changed the tyrant in me.” He
kissed my forehead. “Rest up.”
I clung to his hand, my eyelids already drifting shut. “You won’t leave
me?”
“Never.”
I fell asleep, confident in the certainty of his promise.
EPILOGUE
 DAISY

S ix months .
That was how long it had been since the incident that had landed me in
a hospital bed. Six months of grueling therapy, pushing my body to its
limits and then some. Six months of making progress, one tiny, painstaking
step at a time.
Today was no different.
“Good job today, Daisy,” the physical therapist, Kayla, said as we
completed our session. Yaro had been true to his word, hunting down the
best physical therapist known for spinal cord injuries, and lured her to Ohio
to work with me. She was a petite woman with a stern expression and a no-
nonsense attitude. Despite her demeanor, she was a compassionate and
patient therapist.
“Thanks, Kayla.”
“But this”—she pointed at Manuel, sitting in the corner, wearing a
scowl that matched hers—”can’t happen again.”
“It won’t,” I said sheepishly.
“See you next week. Don’t forget to log your progress.”
No sooner had she walked out of the room of our new house that Yaro
had turned into a space for my rehabilitation than Manuel got to his feet.
“She’s right, you know. This was a bad idea, thinking you could learn
while doing your therapy.”
“But I did learn. It would have worked if you and my physical therapist
could get along.”
“She’s bossy and mean.”
 “And you’re cranky and moody. What? My uncle is still not back from
Cali?”
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Manuel and Tyson had hooked up.
Tyson had always made it clear he found Manuel attractive, but by the way
Manuel always avoided him, I’d thought he would never give in to my
uncle. Manuel still claimed it was nothing but casual sex, but I doubted
even he believed that anymore.
“What does Ty have to do with anything?” Manuel asked. “But yeah,
he’s not back yet. If he doesn’t return today like he said—”
“You’ll what? Get on a plane and fly out to see him?”
“I bet he’s fooling around.”
“Oh bother.” I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t tell me Yaro’s rubbed off
on you.”
“I am nowhere in Yaro’s league, but I’m starting to think he was on to
something.” Manuel shoved his laptop into his messenger bag and got to his
feet. “You have big plans for the weekend?”
I shook my head. “Not really. Yaro and I are picking up our pet
tomorrow.”
Manuel pulled a face. “Leave it up to you two to adopt a domestic
skunk instead of something normal like a dog or a cat.”
I laughed. “She was just too cute to resist.”
“It’s a skunk. They’re stinky, not cute.”
“Their scent glands are removed, so no stinky problem to deal with.”
“Unnatural, I tell you.”
“Hey, they live five times as long as a pet than they do in the wild.”
“Whatever you say.”
I followed him out of the room. “I’m sure if you want a pet, Tyson
would be happy to get one for you.”
“Don’t even mention his name to me.”
I waved him good-bye, then went in search of my Daddy. I loved our
new home. Although it was still huge, it was smaller than his old one. We
didn’t even have servants’ quarters anymore. Our housekeeper had a
cottage on the property so she had privacy. None of the maids lived in the
house anymore. They clocked in and clocked out like regular staff.
Our house felt like a proper home. I directly handled the staff. Nothing
could cure Yaro a hundred percent from his sharp tongue. Not that I minded
that tongue, given all it could do. The staff still walked on eggshells around
him, but he mostly ignored them while running his empire. Earning his trust
would take time.
He never did rehire Andrei as his bodyguard, but his friend had taken
over the club for Yaro, who had been dedicating as much time as possible to
being there for me during my rehabilitation. He’d been the shoulder I cried
on whenever it became too much, and he knew how to motivate me.
“Giselle, have you seen my Daddy?”
She chuckled. “Mr. Noskov is in the garden.”
“Again?”
“I never understood his obsession with chrysanthemums.” She shook
her head. “One would have thought he would be more interested in planting
daisies.”
I grinned, not giving the secret away. “Thank you.”
Yaro was indeed in the garden. The only flowers we were allowed to
have were chrysanthemums. His rule, not mine. And every single one had
been planted by him.
“What’s the sense of having a gardener if you do their job for them?”
Yaro glanced up from where he was watering the plants. His hands were
muddy, and he had dirt streaked on his face.
“He has other things he can do.”
“Like what? Don’t you have other things to do?”
“Are you just here to make fun of me?” He sighed. “I remember when
—”
“Everyone feared you. I know. Those were the good old days.” I walked
up to him, stretched my hands up his damp chest, and twined my arms
around his neck.
“I’m dirty and sweaty.”
“Yes, continue talking dirty to me.”
Yaro chuckled, and I kissed him. He dropped the watering can and
cupped my lower back gently. The worst part of my therapy had been my
inability to have sex with him after I did my surgery. I had been scared he
would find someone else to satisfy him, but through it all, he’d made it
clear he was willing to wait.
“You’re the best damn thing to happen to me, Daisy,” he murmured
against my lips.
“Does that mean you no longer want to throw me out of the car when I
talk too much?”
 I’d been horrified when he’d told me he’d considered that option when
we first met.
“Oh, I still want to do that, but then I think of how much I love you, of
how close I came to losing you, and then I could listen to you talk forever.”
“Oh, Daddy, you poetic gardener,” I teased.
My heart swelled with love for him and our unlikely beginnings. The
boy he cast away and wanted to use as a bargaining chip. Now he wouldn’t
trade me for the world but in a heartbeat would give everything up to keep.
What more could a boy possibly want?
I was glad I hadn’t listened to the rumors.
Yaroslav might be a tyrant. He might have killed my father but not my
mother. He might have slept with me but not as a substitute for her. He
might allow me to roam his house naked but only because I wanted to. But
one thing was absolutely true, anyone who tried to hurt me was asking for
death.

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Problems - Brea Alepou & Skyler Snow
Lethal - Joe Satoria
Lawless - A.W. Scott
Lessons - Ashlynn Mills
Tyrant - Gianni Holmes
Beast - K.L. Hiers & Mozzarus Scout
Surrender - R. Phoenix & Adara Wolf
Enemy - R.A. Frick
Obsessed - Morticia Knight
Trouble - Skyler Snow & Brea Alepoú
 MORE GIANNI HOLMES

Gianni Holmes is a former high school Spanish teacher who is fulfilling her
dream of being an author. A mother of one, who hails from the Caribbean,
she loves her romance with a bit of danger and intrigue. Join her on this
journey of love is love.

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share lots of teasers, book covers, and author friends stop by for giveaways
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 ALSO BY GIANNI HOLMES

Also By Gianni Holmes

The Smoky Vale Alliance

Bay
Bloom
The Grimm Tales of Smoky Vale
Biker Daddy
Fable's Foes
The Mortician
Miles High
Crowe's Creed
Daddy’s Little Deviants (dark daddy kink romance)
Daddy's Stepstalker
Daddy's Adorable Assassin
A Hitman’s Bait
Lure
Hook
Daddies' Broken Boys
Dirty Deed
Standalone
Be Mine, Twisted Valentine
Class Act
Ginger Kisses
Grudge
Love in Slow M'Ocean
Dear Daddy, Please Love Me
The Love Permit Series
Let Me Love You
Let Me Hate You
Let Me Remind You
Taking Care Series (Daddy Kink)
 Take Care of You
Take Care of Me
Take Care of Us
Secrets & Scandal
Secrets
Scandal
The Simple Rules
To Not Fall for My Doc
To Not Date My Best Friend
To Not Marry My Enemy