Bad Daddy by Jayda Marx

Chapter Two

Westin

 

I crammed down a hot dog and fries as quickly as possible, excited to get back to Colt…and not just because he was going to help me with my car.

Colt was hands down the hottest man I'd ever seen in my life. He was tall and muscular with intense dark eyes. With his chiseled jaw, slicked back hair and stubble goatee, he radiated strength and masculinity.

His looks weren't the only thing that attracted me, though. He was so nice - he didn't get mad when I accidentally caused him to get hurt, and then he agreed to look at my car even though I didn't have an appointment and I was clueless about its problem. And he worried about me getting enough to eat. It had been so long since I had someone worry about me.

Colt had a guiding energy that made me feel safe. Oftentimes, I didn't know what the heck I was doing - I mean, who forgets to eat? But Colt seemed like the type of guy who had his life together and I was drawn to his confidence.

It didn't matter, though; he'd never go for a guy like me. I was a backward computer geek and he was a sexy tattooed titan.

I threw my garbage away before visiting the order window one more time to order a milkshake for Colt. He said he wasn't hungry, but I wanted to get him something. And who didn't like ice cream?

I hustled back to the garage next door and beamed when I saw Colt standing behind a counter jotting something down. Just being near him was enough to bring a smile to my face. I'm in so much trouble.

I cleared my throat and when Colt looked up from his paperwork, he smiled back at me; a smile that took up only half of his mouth and made tiny wrinkles fold up around his left eye. A smile that made my knees weak.

They only got weaker when he asked, "Did you get enough to eat?"

"Yes, Sir." Dang it. The way Colt held himself commanded attention and the name just slipped from my lips. I was afraid I offended him when his smile vanished into a dark, serious look, so I quickly added, "I got you something."

I held out the milkshake and he took it with a slightly confused expression. "I wasn't sure what flavor you'd like, so I got vanilla." A deep laugh rumbled in his chest, making my stomach flip…and then drop. He's laughing at me. He knew that he was way out of my league and was laughing at my pathetic attempt to show him that I liked him.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, staring down at the concrete floor. "It was stupid. You don't have to drink it; you can just toss it away."

Before my brain could get the message to my feet to get out of there, Colt stepped in front of me and pressed up on my chin with his fingers until I was looking up at him.

He nodded to the foam cup and told me, "This was very sweet of you, pup. Thank you." Pup? My heart skipped a beat at the cute name. "I wasn't laughing at you. I just found it funny because...well, vanilla usually isn't my flavor."

"I can go get you a different flavor if you want. I drank chocolate and it was really good. They had all kinds and-" my words stopped when the sexy smirk on his face told me that he wasn't talking about ice cream. Ohh. "Wait, are you talking about…" I dropped my voice to a whisper to finish, "Sexy stuff?"

Colt's jaw clenched when he swallowed. "I'm sorry. That was out of line."

"No, no, it's okay," I insisted quickly. "I don't mind. But I should probably mention that I know as much about that as I do about cars." I wanted to tell him because if he made a naughty joke, I didn't want to offend him if I didn't laugh because I didn't get it, or if I didn't understand something he talked about. The truth was, I was an inexperienced virgin; as vanilla as they come.

Colt stared at me for a few moments with the same dark expression as earlier before saying, "Let's go take a look at your car."

Well, shoot. As if I ever had a tiny shot with him, I just blew it. I couldn't blame him for his lack of interest, though.

"Sure, I'll take you to it."

He followed me outside and then walked next to me as he sipped the milkshake I bought for him. Just when I thought we'd walk the whole way in silence, Colt offered, "It's nice to get out of the garage for a few minutes."

"This is my favorite time of year," I replied with a smile. "I love the cool weather and fall colors. I always open my windows while I work to get fresh air."

"You mentioned that you work from home. What kind of work do you do?"

"I'm a computer support specialist. Companies call me when they’re having network issues and I connect to their system remotely to fix whatever’s going on.”

Colt stopped in his tracks and cocked his head. “How old are you?”

“Twenty.” At his confused look, I explained, “I took a few college courses when I was still in high school, and graduated when I was seventeen; I was the baby of my senior class. Then I got my Associate’s Degree in Computer Science right after high school. Most employers require a Bachelor’s Degree, but I found a great company that took me on and gave me on-the-job training.”

Colt huffed and shook his head. “I wish I had my shit together that much when I was twenty.”

“Trust me, I had a lot of help.” We continued walking and I told him, “The guidance counselor at my high school kind of took me under his wing when he saw that I was struggling. Oh, this is me.” I pointed to my red clunker which was parked along the curb; luckily, I managed to pull over right before it died. I didn’t realize we’d been walking so long. Colt was easy to talk to and made the time fly by.

He looked at the car for a moment, but then leaned his back against it and crossed his arms over his strong chest, giving me his attention instead. “Struggling how?”

I twisted my fingers together. I hadn’t talked about my past in years. As much as I wanted to tell Colt, I also didn’t want to dump too much on him. We’d just met, but I liked him, and I wasn’t sure I wanted him to see what a mess I was.

I gasped when Colt put his large, warm hand over mine to still my fidgeting. He squeezed slightly and looked into my eyes when he requested, “Talk to me, pup.”

The gentle push was all I needed to spill my guts. I took a deep breath and told him, “My dad died when I was a junior in high school. It was sudden and unexpected and it tipped my world upside down.”

“I’m sorry,” Colt offered.

I gave him a tight smile and continued, “My mom couldn’t handle it. She grieved so hard that she fell into a deep depression. She couldn’t work or even take care of herself, so I did everything I could to help her; I didn’t know how to cook very well, but I could heat up soup and stuff, and got her to eat a little. I kept her clean and I took a job in the evenings to make sure we had enough money to keep the lights on.”

“I’d always gotten good grades and enjoyed school, but all of that got pushed to the back burner with everything else going on. I guess one of my teachers tipped off the guidance counselor and he called me into his office. He asked if I was having trouble at home and I completely broke down.”

Colt rubbed his thumb across my hand, giving me the strength to keep going. “I told him everything and he jumped in to help. He made some phone calls and got my mom and me financial assistance for groceries and our bills. He was even able to get a home health aide to come in a few times a week to check on mom and help her bathe and stuff.”

“He sounds like a good man,” Colt offered, and I nodded my agreement.

“I probably would have ended up dropping out of school if it weren’t for him. But he helped me find my passion for computers and even got me enrolled in the college courses. He helped me get grants and financial aid and the cost of my schooling was completely covered. I wanted to get my degree as quickly as possible so that I could provide for my mom and myself.”

Colt gave me a proud smile that made my stomach flip. “Unfortunately, a couple of weeks after I graduated college, my mom passed away. I really think that she was holding on long enough to know that I’d be okay on my own.”

He squeezed my hand again. “Westin, I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I told him honestly. “I miss her - I miss both of them like crazy, but she wasn’t herself the last couple of years. I hated to see her so broken. I think it’s better this way. I hope that doesn’t sound cruel.”

“It doesn’t,” he assured with another squeeze.

“So as far as having my crap together, I’m far from it. I have a great job that I enjoy, but the rest of my life is kind of a mess. I get lonely and confused; I sink myself into my work for a distraction, but sometimes I forget about everything else. So many times I’ve wanted to pick up the phone and call my old counselor to get some advice or just for him to tell me that it’ll all be okay, but I know I’m not his problem anymore.” I huffed a humorless laugh and shook my head. “That sounds so pathetic, doesn’t it?”

“No,” Colt replied firmly. “Asking for help doesn’t make you weak, pup. In fact, I think that it takes a lot of strength to reach out and trust another person. It’s a strength that not everyone has. You should be proud of yourself and everything you’ve overcome and accomplished.”

My heart warmed and pounded as my eyes prickled; his words were so sweet and comforting. My spinning mind wasn’t sure what to do, but my body certainly was. Without my permission, my feet stepped closer to him and my head slowly leaned in until it rested on his firm chest.

My pulse raced even quicker as the seconds stretched on while Colt stood perfectly still. I was just about to step back and apologize when his arms snaked around my waist and wrapped me in their strength as he laid his cheek on the top of my head.

I sighed and a tear slid down my face. It had been so long since I felt a hug, and I’d never been held. I needed this in my life. I needed a strong man to help guide me when I was lost and comfort me when I was down. I needed Colt.

But my stomach dropped when I realized that he didn’t need me. How could he? I was a hot mess express. He was being so kind even though I was surely making him uncomfortable by telling him my sob story and hanging all over him.

I stepped back and swiped at my face while I cleared my throat. “I, um...I guess we should get back to my car, huh?” I didn’t want to. I wanted to spend the rest of the day talking while he held me right there on the sidewalk.

Colt stared at me with an unreadable expression for several long moments before nodding. “I need your keys.”

“Oh, right, of course.” I fished my keyring out of my pocket and handed them over. Colt rounded the car and took a seat behind the steering wheel, and I sat in the passenger seat, trying to pull my thoughts off of the perfect man beside me.