Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
“That was the scariest day of my life,” Ivy admitted before deciding, “And ultimately, the best day ever.”
“Come on, Emerald Eyes. I want to see how many tacos you can eat.”
“Six! And you’ll eat eight.”
“I’ll just be warming up at number eight,” he teased.
Her giggles filled the hallway as they walked to the kitchen to join everyone.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Walking out of her first day of evening classes, she watched the reaction of the other grad students. They hesitated to walk through the mass of tattooed bikers stationed in a group in the parking lot. She moved forward with confidence. Waving at everyone, she wrapped her arms around the handsomest one of all. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi, Little girl. How did your first day go?”
“Great. They’re all scared of you,” she whispered.
“I can live with that. Can you?” he asked bluntly, without any sugar coating.
“I won’t tell,” she promised, smiling up at him.
“Good girl. Ready to go home?”
“Yes, please,” she answered politely as she exchanged her book bag for her helmet. She’d decorated it with a sticker bearing the emblem of a rough-looking teddy bear. Ivy was one of them now.
“What are we doing tonight?”
“I’m putting together a set of pipes we have a rush order for. You, my Little grad student, have a lot of homework to do.”
“I have all week to finish it,” she protested. When he looked at her sternly, she changed her tune. “Okay. I can work on it for a while,” she agreed.
“That’s my good girl.”
Ivy leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Do I get a reward if I finish all my work?”
“Of course, my sweet Emerald Eyes. Let’s get you on the bike.” Steele brushed away her fingers and fastened the chin strap. As he straddled the bike to hold it steady for her, all the other club members fired up their engines.
Ivy noticed several class members lingering in the area. She knew that she’d have questions to answer the following class session. That was okay. The Shadowridge Guardians had done so much for her, she considered it her personal contribution to the group to give them a hint of professionalism. They didn’t need it, of course, but she was determined people should see them as she did. Men who loved hard and protected those they cherished. She couldn’t be prouder of her Daddy.
Hugging Steele as they eased into the traffic with the other members of the Guardians, Ivy savored the feel of his hard body against her. When they turned the first right corner, she felt something poke into her leg. Looking down at his saddlebags, Ivy noticed a wooden handle poking out of the secured flap.
When she reached down to touch it at the next stoplight, Steele’s hand grasped hers and tugged it back to his waist. Ivy leaned forward to talk.
“What’s that, Daddy?”
“A present.”
“A present for me?”
“For both of us, actually,” he answered as he glided forward, heeding the green light.
Knowing her voice would have to battle the wind now, she waited for the next time they stopped to ask more questions. As they yielded to get on the highway, she took advantage of the chance.
“Who’s going to like it better?”
“I can’t even hazard a guess, Little girl.”
She pondered on that for the entire trip home. How could he not know who would like the gift more? And if it were a present for her, how could it be one for him as well?
By the time they rolled into the Guardians’ complex, she was very eager to see what he had brought for them. As always, the men stayed on their bikes until she was safely up by the building. Then they parked their cycles, joking as they always did. She ran back to his side when Steele gave her permission to join him once again.
“Can I see it?” she asked.
“Let’s get your helmet off,” Steele stated firmly.
Ivy was almost dancing by the time he started to lift the protective device from her head. With a sighed gust of impatience, she ripped it off quickly and then yelped as the buckle got tangled in her hair.
“Little girl,” he warned as he carefully freed her without ripping the hair from her scalp.
By the time he finished, they were alone. Steele stowed her helmet with his and finally opened the saddlebag to pull the mysterious present out.
“A paddle?” she asked loudly. Then clapped a hand over her mouth as she looked around to make sure no one had overheard her. Thank goodness!
“I think your head feels well enough for you to finally get that spanking I promised you.”
“I don’t think I need a spanking, Daddy. I’ve been so good.”
Steele just looked at her and held out his hand for hers.
“Can you at least hide it as we walk through crowd inside? They’re all going to know,” she pleaded.