Tender Billionaire Daddy by Scott Wylder

CHAPTER THREE

Lacy

I could believe this was happening. My day had taken a turn for the worst when I got hit by the car. I was positive I was going to spend the rest of my life in a stupid amount of debt and then out of nowhere, a billionaire – a freaking billionaire – volunteered to be my personal benefactor. From what I could tell, Liam was nice. He stayed with me for a half-hour, chatting and getting to know me a little. He volunteered to help me get time off from work, but I wouldn't let him. I already owed him a lot and he was already paying out several thousand dollars for me. Sure, it might not be a lot of money for him, but it was to me. I didn't want to owe him more than I already did.

When the hospital food came, my mouth watered. Who knew dry turkey and instant potatoes would look so appetizing? At least it was a change from ramen noodles, which I more than appreciated.

Liam watched me scarf the food down with bemusement. "I'm surprised you're able to stomach it," he said. "My brother always hated the food here."

I looked at him, surprised. "Does he come here, often?"

"Often enough. He's a firefighter, so his job is pretty high risk."

"That must be hard," I said.

He shrugged. "He likes doing it."

"So, what do you do?" I blushed. I must sound like a complete idiot. "I don't keep up on the news, so I'm not sure."

"No, it's fine. I'm in tech. I've created an AI that can detect when it's being attacked by either a virus or hackers and can stop it. It's one of the most effective cybersecurity systems on the market today." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's pretty boring, honestly. But it helps corporations keep people's personal information safe."

I smiled. "It's not boring. You must find it interesting. It's pretty cool that you were able to do that."

He smiled. "Thanks," he said. "Honestly, it's probably a lot easier than being a waitress. I was a busboy in high school and hated it."

"It has its pros and cons," I said.

Honestly, it was exhausting. It was easy to get burnt out from it and then there was no real break from the burnout, because less work meant less money to pay the bills. It was just a life of trading one form of stress for another.

He nodded. "I should probably go. My brother took Peppermint to the vet, but I want to check on her myself. What's your address? I can stop by your place and pick up your things to take to my place."

I flushed, thinking about my rundown apartment. "It's okay. You don't have to do that."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're in no condition to get them yourself. Let me. Please. I just want to help. So let me."

I cringed mentally. He was right. I knew he was right, but that didn't mean I wanted him to see it. "Okay," I said, finally. "I'll text you the address. Thank you."

His stern expression melted into a smile. "My pleasure, Lacy."

I shivered a little bit when he said my name. I couldn't help it. It sounded good in his mouth.

Liam left me alone to my thoughts. I tried to process everything that had happened, but it was hard. It felt less like reality and more like a fairytale. A sexy – yes, Liam was very sexy – billionaire wanted to take care of me, and just because his dog liked me. Honestly, even if he wanted me to stay with him so he could seduce me, I wouldn't mind. Through his T-shirt, I could see his ripped muscles. He might be a computer nerd, but he was built like an athlete. He could easily pin me up against a wall, if he wanted to.

I pushed those thoughts away. He wasn't interested in me that way. Why would he be? I was just a random waitress. He was rich, handsome, and kind to boot. He could have any woman he wanted.

To distract myself, I called my boss, Maggie. "Hey, I'm not going to be able to make it into work tomorrow. I got hit by a car."

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Maggie asked. "I told you that bike was going to get you in trouble one of these days."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I'm okay, and yes you were right. Anyway, it'll be a few days before I can come back to work. I have a concussion and cracked ribs."

"Yeah, take all the time you need. I have people asking me for more hours all the time anyway. Will you be okay, though? Financially, I mean?"

"Yeah, I will be. I have a... friend helping me out, I guess." I smiled, thinking back to Liam. "I'll be fine."

"Good. Rest up and take it easy, okay? I don't want you coming back to work half dead."

"I won't. Thanks, Maggie."

After hanging up the phone with her, I closed my eyes. I felt exhausted. Maybe a few days with Liam would do me some good after all.