Daddy's Little Liar (Daddy 12)

Rylan watched Faith as she ate lunch with him, like she did every day. The last few days, she’d become more and more nervous, and the dark circles under her eyes were more pronounced.

“So, I forgot what you told me, but where are you living again?”

Her gaze jerked to him. “Um … with my friend Molly.”

From the report he’d received from his private investigator, she’d left there the day she started the job in his building, but every time he’d asked, she always gave that answer, and he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to call her on it and send her running.

What information his guy had found was depressing. She grew up in the slums with her mother, who was never around. Faith had started to go to college, but when she was twenty-one, her mother had died, and she’d had to move out of her apartment and quit school.

She’d done the best she could, but one thing after another had happened, and he wondered how she could keep going and be as sweet as she was.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” The thought of her with another man infuriated him. He’d been letting her get to know him and be comfortable with him before he tried to move their relationship to the next level.

He caught the way she looked at him and knew she was attracted to him as much as he was to her. But he didn’t want to come on too strong and scare her or have her think if she didn’t want it, they couldn’t be friends. He didn’t want her to feel sexually harassed by him.

She jolted. “No. No boyfriend.”

Rylan relaxed a bit. So, if she wasn’t with Molly or a boyfriend, where the hell was she living?

A sick feeling grew. No fucking way was she sleeping in the building. God, that had to be so scary for her, and it wasn’t safe at all.

He’d call his head of security and see if there was a way they could find out. In the meantime, he’d keep his eyes on her.

He stood and walked around his desk, helped her stand, and then kept his hands on her shoulders to steady her and keep her close. They stared at each other for a minute before he cleared his throat. “Do you have everything you need, honey?”

She nodded.

“You know you can come to me anytime for anything, right?”

She nodded, but he could tell she didn’t believe him.

“Would you mind if I gave you a hug?”

He saw the surprise and pleasure fill her eyes as her smile brightened. She nodded and walked into his arms like she’d done it many times before. He was slowly getting her used to his touches, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she enjoyed all of it, making him think she was ready for the next step, like a date outside of the building.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and heard her sigh. Her arms tightened around him. He was so close to tipping her head back and kissing her, but he knew he needed to step back.

“Does Bucky have you busy the rest of the day, honey?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

“Well, then go ahead and head down. If you need anything, call me.”

“I will, Rylan. Thank you.”