Secret Daddy (Dark Daddies Book 8) Read online

  Secret Daddy

  B. B. Hamel

  Contents

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  1. Katie

  2. Graham

  3. Katie

  4. Graham

  5. Katie

  6. Graham

  7. Katie

  8. Graham

  9. Katie

  10. Graham

  11. Katie

  12. Graham

  13. Katie

  14. Graham

  15. Katie

  16. Graham

  17. Katie

  Also by B. B. Hamel

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 by B. B. Hamel

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  1

  Katie

  “Okay, so I know it looks bad, but everyone gets locks of hair in the mail, right?”

  Norah crosses her arms and glares at me. “That’s not funny.”

  I force a smile and throw up my hands. “I mean, it seems pretty normal to me.”

  “Stop. Come on, Katie.”

  “I’m a celebrity. I mean, my whole freaking life is public. I’ve been getting stuff like this forever, and now it’s suddenly a big deal?”

  Norah sighs and sits down in the chair across from me, perched at the very end like she’s about to get up and run away at any second.

  “Listen, I know this sucks. It really, really sucks. But some creep sent you photographs of the inside of your house along with locks of hair that looks insanely like your own. Aren’t you at least a little scared?”

  I shrug again and smile at her, but inside, I’m freaking screaming.

  Okay, I know, I’m a pop singer. I live my life in the public eye and I basically don’t get any privacy at all. In exchange, I get fame and money and all that crap.

  But the idea of someone breaking into my house and cutting hair from my freaking head makes me want to vomit everywhere.

  I can’t admit that to Norah, though. If I do, she’s just going to make my life even harder than it already is. Whatever tiny little bit of freedom I might have right now is going to get flushed down the toilet. She’ll stifle it with annoyingly silent armed guards lurking around every corner, enhanced security protocols, all that absurd crap. I’ve avoided it so far by being obnoxiously against it, but I can feel the tides turning.

  “I’m not worried,” I force myself to say.

  “Well, I am.” She crosses her arms. “Besides, the blogs caught wind of the story and it’s all over the internet now. So we’re doing something about it.”

  I can’t help but laugh a little bit. Of course she’s more worried about my image than my safety. I mean, I agree with her, but still.

  She stands up suddenly, like a spooked bird. “I know it’s messed up,” she admits. “But you know the reality we live in.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Trade your soul for an ounce of fame.”

  She glares at me, but doesn’t argue.

  “Look,” I say, “I just want to have some privacy, okay? Even if it’s in my own house.”

  “That privacy is gone. Somebody broke in here, remember?”

  I roll my eyes. “Come on. You really believe that? I mean, the inside of my house isn’t exactly a secret, there are photos all over the place. And I’m not missing any hair.” That I’ve noticed at least.

  “One crew,” she says. “They’ll be invisible, but they’ll keep you safe.”

  “Absolutely not. That’s just too many guys.”

  She arches an eyebrow. “Okay then. One bodyguard.”

  I wince and realize I walked right into that trap. “No, Norah.”

  “One guard isn’t going to intrude too much. He’ll stay out of sight and mind, but he’ll keep you safe. Or would you rather some crazy fan came in here and killed you?”

  I sigh. I know I’m not going to win this argument. If I keep going, somehow she’ll get me to agree to let an entire SEAL team sleep in my living room, you know, for my safety.

  “Fine,” I snap at her. “Okay? Are you happy?”

  “Pleased as punch.” Her face is completely flat. “Would you like to meet your new bodyguard?”

  I glare at her. “Are you kidding me? You brought someone already?”

  She turns away. “Graham?” she calls out. “Come on in here, please.”

  I stand up, anger flaring through me. I get talking me into this, but already bringing him here is just out of bounds. I know this is a shitty situation, and we need to look like we’re taking it seriously, at least for the blogs, but fucking hell. She isn’t giving me any freedom of choice at all. It’s like she knows what I’ll do before I do it.

  I’m about to cut into her when a man steps into the room. Every angry word, every rude gesture, it all suddenly falls from my mind when I get a look at my new bodyguard.

  He looks like an action movie star. I don’t know how else to describe him. Muscular, with a close-trimmed beard and tattoos all over his body. He’s older than me, maybe in his late thirties or early forties, and his eyes are steel blue. His body is muscular, ripped really, and he stares back at me with a flat look, like nothing surprises or intimidates him.

  I expected… well, I don’t know what I expected. Maybe some young jock guy, or some muscle-head moron with a too-square jaw. This guy though, he’s drop-dead gorgeous.

  “Katie, this is Graham,” Norah says. “He’s a former marine and a competent bodyguard.”

  “Charmed,” he grunts at me, and I swear there’s a little smile on his lips.

  “Hi,” I manage to say.

  “Graham will shadow you,” Norah is saying as she walks over to him. “He’ll stay here, in the extra guest room. While we’re traveling, he’ll have a room adjoining yours. He’ll always be around, but out of sight and out of mind. Right, Graham?”

  The gorgeous marine grins at Norah. “Of course. I’m very good at being quiet and invisible.”

  “Mhmm.” Norah stops in front of him and stares for a second. “Be good,” she whispers.

  He winks at her. I nearly fall over on the spot. “I’m always good,” he says.

  She sighs. “Anyway, I have to go,” she says, turning back to me. “He’s going to go around the house, take a look, and then you can just… you know, do whatever you normally do. Graham will watch over you.”

  “Very closely,” he says, grinning.

  Norah glares at him and back at me. “Any questions?”

  “What the hell?” I manage to finally say, breaking my silence. “You… already brought someone without asking me? I mean, shouldn’t I have a say in who follows me around?”

  Norah looks vaguely surprised. “I didn’t think you’d care.”

  “Well… I care. This guy… he’s not going to work.” I don’t know why the words come out, but I say them anyway.

  Fact is, there’s no way I can be around Graham. He’s too handsome, too rugged, too muscular. It’s going to be a huge distraction having him around my house and I can’t stand that right now. I’m leaving for tour soon and I need to stay focused.

  Graham grins at me. I expected him to be insulted, but instead, he looks totally delighted.

  “Oh, don’t be like that,” he says. “I’m very lovely once you get to know me.”

  Norah sighs. “Really, Katie. He’s very qualified. Not many m
en like him around to hire these days.”

  I glare at the two of them. I’m so angry and distracted and… god, I’m attracted to this freaking man. I resent his presence already, but I know this is a losing battle. We’re leaving tomorrow and he’s already here, so…

  So I might as well just accept it, right? I mean, it can’t be so bad.

  “Fine,” I snap.

  “Great.” Norah doesn’t miss a beat. “See you tomorrow then.”

  She shoots Graham one last look and leaves the room.

  I stand there facing him, arms crossed. He grins at me, cocky and totally at ease, which surprises me. People are usually a little strange around me, either too doting or too shy or too… something. It’s what being famous does, like I’m not really a person anymore, but an image of a person. It’s really frustrating.

  He’s not doing any of that, though. He just seems slightly amused, if anything at all.

  “Well?” I ask him finally.

  “Well,” he says in response.

  “Are you going to, like… look around?”

  He shrugs. “I guess.”

  “You guess?”

  “Sure. I guess. I could look around. Can’t hurt, right?”

  “You’re the bodyguard, you tell me.”

  He grins even bigger and looks around the room. “Looks safe in here.”

  I gape at him. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

  “Sure.” He walks over to a window and rattles it a bit. “Safe.”

  “Oh my god. Is this a joke?”

  He grins at me. “Yep.”

  I groan and roll my eyes. “Are you always an asshole?”

  “Yep.”

  “Great.”

  He laughs and walks toward me. “Look, Katie. You don’t want me around, that much is obvious, and to be totally frank, I don’t look forward to babysitting some spoiled little diva. So how about we call a truce and stay out of each other’s way from here on out?”

  I gape at him, at a total loss for words.

  Nobody ever talks to me that way. Well, Norah does sometimes, but never that bad. He seems totally at ease, like he didn’t just insult me, and I almost want to scream at him.

  But I take a deep breath and slowly let it out instead. I’m not going to let some asshole get to me.

  “Sounds fine to me,” I snap. “We’re leaving for tour tomorrow. Stay out of my way and I’ll leave you alone. Easiest job you’ll ever have.”

  He smirks at me, head cocked slightly, and looks me up and down. His eyes drink me in and I shiver a little bit, not sure what he’s thinking. I want to know though, I want to hear every dirty thought he’s having. I bet he wants to know what I look like down on all hours, legs spread, begging for him to fuck me.

  Oh, god. I need to get control of myself.

  “Okay then, princess,” he says. “I’ll look around the house and get myself settled.”

  “Okay. Fine.”

  I don’t move. I want him to move first, but he’s just standing there, still drinking me in. I feel uncomfortable, excited, shivering with desire. I wish he’d go away but I really don’t want to see him leave.

  Finally, he turns away. It’s like a spell breaks and I can breathe again. He walks down the hall and outside. I walk to the window and watch him open the door of a vehicle parked in the driveway, some old beat-up truck. He pulls out a bag and brings it back inside.

  He doesn’t say a word as he heads upstairs like he owns the place.

  I should show him his room, set some boundaries, but I don’t want to be around him right now. I’m furious and attracted and I don’t trust what would come out of my mouth right now.

  Tour is tomorrow and things will be fine. I’ll be so busy, I won’t have any time for this asshole bodyguard. I won’t even notice him, just like Norah said. I have a million other problems, like my fake relationship with Jasper, and I guess this very real stalker.

  I don’t have time for some insanely attractive marine.

  2

  Graham

  From Afghanistan to some spoiled pop star brat’s mansion. I guess it’s not so fucking bad, but still.

  I miss the dirt under my fingernails, my unit joking around over coms, playing cards in the mess, wondering if I’ll live through the next patrol, all that blood-boiling shit.

  I never wanted to retire. I’m forty-four but I got more combat experience than the best of them. I worked my way up to sergeant and stopped. I always wanted to work with my own platoon out on the front lines, fighting the good fight. I never wanted my war to end.

  Until one day, the brass came to me, and they gave me a choice.

  Graham, they said, Sergeant, you’re getting old. You’re an old man now. You can’t keep up with the young boys.

  I told them, no, sir, not true, sir. I can keep up with anyone, anywhere, any fucking time, sir.

  Spoken like a true marine, the brass said, but you’re too old. We’re embarrassed to have you out there, you understand that, son?

  Yes, sir, I understand the words you’re using, sir, I told him.

  It’s either a desk job, somewhere comfortable, maybe even a promotion and a nice pay bump. It’s either that, or you walk.

  No other choices, sir?

  No other choices.

  So that was it, that was how I retired from the United States Marines.

  I never understood it and I still don’t. I was a damn good solder, one of the best. It wasn’t just the kills I racked up, or the friends I saved, but it was the team I built. We were a solid group, the sort of group that the brass always sent in first. Trusty, reliable, competent. That was my damn platoon.

  But they cut me out, all because I didn’t stay young forever. Well, fuck them. I’m not old, far from fucking old. I’ve got a lot more living to do.

  I have to admit, there’s one thing I did miss out on in the damn desert. That’s pussy, lots and lots of pussy. That’s more or less what I’ve been doing since I got back stateside, almost six months ago now.

  But pussy is easy and even that gets boring after a while, and I need some damn money. So when my cousin Norah offered me a security job working with that spoiled pretty singer girl, I couldn’t help myself.

  I figured I’d stand around, scare away her little pathetic fans, and make a ton of money.

  It’d be easy, I figured. I mean, why the hell not? It’d be fun.

  That’s what I thought right up until the moment I stepped into Katie Holly’s fucking mansion and saw the girl with my own damn eyes.

  Now, I know I’ve been in the desert a long time, fighting and all that, but we weren’t living in a bubble. I know who Katie is, I’ve seen the girl before. I know she’s attractive, tan skin, nice, tight little body, big blue eyes, long thick hair, the sort of lips that scream for a fucking cock, but I figured most of that’s makeup anyway. I mean, she’s a pop singer, she’s manufactured, she’s fake.

  Standing in that room, in the flesh, I realized how fucking wrong I can be sometimes.

  The girl isn’t fake. She’s not fake, not even close to fake. Her tits are perky and firm and absolutely fucking real. Her lips really are begging for a cock, even without makeup, and those big blue eyes are even bigger in real life. Her body is outstanding, the sort of fucking body a guy would jump on a grenade for, and just standing there staring at her made my cock start to get fucking hard.

  I can’t help myself, I guess. Like I said, one thing I missed out in the desert is pussy. And Katie, well…

  She’s the most incredible fucking woman I’ve ever seen in my goddamn life.

  I get why she’s famous now, at least.

  Fucking shit. As I lug my bag upstairs and head into the first room I come across, I can’t help but wonder how the hell I’m going to handle this job.

  I mean, shit. I’m going to be around this gorgeous girl all goddamn day long, alone with her at night, alone with her in the morning, alone all the goddamn time. We’re going to be getting pretty fuckin
g intimate.

  And I’m supposed to behave?

  Well, shit.

  I don’t think that’s going to happen.

  And based on the way she was staring right back at me, I’m pretty sure she’s thinking the same thing.

  I get myself settled in an empty room before I go exploring the grounds of the house. I might as well put myself to some use if I’m going to be playing bodyguard for this fucking sexy little brat.

  Her house is way too big for any rational human. I mean, there’s no way to secure it all. There are at least six unlocked windows I come across, and one unlocked back door, which drives me insane. That’s just basic home ownership bullshit, locking windows and goddamn doors. But no, of course she doesn’t do it, why would she? I bet she thinks she has people to lock her own windows.

  I finish my rounds and find a shady spot in the back yard. It’s a nice day, though getting a little late. Her pool’s nice and big, the water blowing lazily in the wind, and I park my ass at a little table under an umbrella, kick my feet up, and take a load off.

  This fucking job. Not so bad, I guess.

  “Excuse me?”

  I turn slowly around. Katie’s standing there in a bikini, a fucking bikini, her head tilted to the side, an annoyed look on her face.

  “Yeah?” I grunt at her.

  “You’re not supposed to be out here.”

  I frown a little. “Didn’t know I had limits.”

  “Of course you do, I mean, you’re my bodyguard. You can’t just…”

  “Guard your body?” I grin at her. “Looks to me like you’re about to swim. I might as well watch.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You didn’t know that. You were just sitting out here, being lazy.”

  “What would you rather me do? Follow you around? Thought we were leaving each other alone.”