Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
She found herself squirming. Rarely did a man capture her attention, and never had one caused her to squeeze her thighs together. The only times she’d been this aroused were late at night when she was alone in her room, reading one of her favorite Daddy romances.
He gave her a slow smile that lit up his face and made her nervous. He could read her. She knew it. She had to get away from him before she started rambling nonsense. Plus, she needed oxygen.
“I’ll let you get back to work, Precious Girl, but I’ll be back tomorrow to flirt with you.” He winked before he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
When he finally released her to turn and head back to his table, she found herself unable to move a muscle. She watched his giant body move with ease. She shivered as if chilled, experiencing a loss now that he’d let go of her hand.
Finally, she jerked her gaze down to find that someone had removed the cups.
“Hmmm. That one will do just fine,” her mother said from behind her.
Maya spun around to find her mother walking away. She was standing to her full height, smugly rubbing her hands together as though she’d personally arranged this unlikely connection.
Inside, Maya groaned. Part of her wanted to run and hide and not come to work tomorrow. The thought of facing Deke again made her palms sweaty. Eventually he would see how awkward she was and lose interest. If she let herself believe he could actually be interested in her after he got to know her, she would end up with a broken heart.
But, darn, it was hard to deny the attraction. The man had stepped right off the cover of any number of her Daddy books. She couldn’t have conjured up a more perfect Daddy if she’d tried.
She doubted she’d be able to sleep tonight, and tomorrow she would pace around nervously until he arrived. It was going to be the only thing she could think about.
You’re going to get your heart broken.
Chapter Two
“Your hot man is here again, Maya!”
Maya winced at the sound of her mother’s shrill voice. Did the woman have to be so loud that everyone in the restaurant and the neighboring businesses could hear her?
As usual, Maya was hiding in the kitchen, helping Guille, their head chef, chop vegetables.
Her mother hurried to the other side of the counter, planted her hands on the surface, and leaned forward, smiling. “How many days in a row is that now? Four?”
“Mom…” she groaned. It was five. Five days since Deke had helped her pick up all the cups, declared his intentions, and then left her standing in the middle of the dining room with wet panties and mounting concerns. She’d secretly begun to worry he wouldn’t come in tonight. It was almost seven. She never knew if he’d show up for lunch or come in for dinner. He’d never been this late. What if he’d grown tired of waiting?
“He’s not going to give up,” her mother said cheerfully. “Go take his order. Talk to him. He’s such a nice man.” She leaned even closer and whispered, “Just your type.”
Maya rolled her eyes. She wasn’t about to ask for clarification about what her mother meant. She knew exactly what the woman was saying. Her mother knew she was Little. There were no secrets from Maria Rodriguez. She was omniscient. Sometimes it was downright eerie.
Maria Eugenia Rodriguez was a formidable matriarch. Maya’s father had passed several years ago. Maya had not been aware of the dynamic that had existed between her parents, but lately she suspected more and more that her mother had been in an age-play relationship with her father. She certainly hadn’t balked or flinched at the obvious dynamic between Mateo and Nora—her brother and his Little girl. And lately, she’d been hinting that she knew Maya identified as Little, too.
“Maya!” Her mother snapped her fingers.
Maya realized she’d gone into her head, as usual. “What?”
“Go take his order. He’s going to starve to death.”
Maya rolled her eyes again. “I don’t wait on tables, Mom. I’m not good at it. I’d end up getting his order wrong, and then he’d never come back.”
Her mother chuckled. “I don’t think you can do anything wrong with that man, Maya. He’s smitten.”
Good grief. Smitten?
Her mother rounded the island, took the knife out of Maya’s hand, and pointed toward the door. “Go. Bring a notepad so you can write it down.”
Realizing she wasn’t going to get out of this, Maya sighed. She removed her apron, hung it on the wall, and snagged a pad of paper and a pen from the shelf.
Taking a deep fortifying breath, Maya shuffled into the dining room. It wasn’t difficult to spot Deke. He had a regular table now. He was staring right at her with a smile on his face as she approached.