Page 12 of Her Hero Daddy
God dammit.
The bastard said she needed to lose weight. Her! He guessed she only weighed a hundred pounds, if that.
Shit.
She’d been starving herself.
“That will change. You will not be starving yourself. That’s not healthy for you.”
Her eyes lowered immediately.
“Hey… I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, little one. I’m not upset with you. I’m upset with that bastard of a man you were with.”
He walked over to her slowly, not wanting to startle her or make her feel any more scared of him than she already was. He needed to figure out a way to make her trust him. She had just been badly beaten by some jackass, and now she was having to deal with him, mister not-so-warm-and-fuzzy. He reached out his hand, moving slowly enough that she could see his hand moving toward her, and gently tilted her chin up to him, swallowing hard as he was met with her sad, sweet eyes.
“You don’t need to lose a single pound, sweet girl. You are absolutely perfect. If anything, you probably need to gain some weight to be at a healthy weight for your height. Skipping meals and starving yourself is not okay and will not be allowed around me. It isn’t safe to do, for one, and for two, you should be able to eat whenever and whatever you want.”
She stared at him silently, and he wasn’t sure if she was even listening to what he had just said until she flung her arms around his waist and began to sob. He froze briefly before he wrapped his arms around her as gently as he could, knowing she had more bruises than he could see.
When she released him, her tears were gone. “Thank you. Sorry I hugged you. I just… I haven’t been able to hug anyone in a long time, and what you said… I know you’re right. It’s just hard to believe it when someone is constantly telling you otherwise.”
His chest ached for her. She hadn’t had anyone to hug? What kind of monster was this guy?
“Sweet girl, you can hug me anytime you want. Consider me your own personal stuffy to snuggle anytime you need it.”
She smiled at that, and he felt himself relax just a little, hoping she could feel that he was only trying to help her.
“Can we go into the bathroom so I can look at your head wound in the bright light?” he asked.
She nodded and followed him into the tiny bathroom, sitting on the toilet after he closed the lid. As soon as he touched her head to find the wound, she winced, and his anger boiled again. He hated that he was hurting her. Inspecting the wound, he decided that he didn’t think she needed stitches, but as soon as they got back to Pinebrook, he would call a doctor and get a professional opinion.
“I don’t think you need stitches, but I’m going to put a little bit of ointment on it to ensure it doesn’t get infected.”
He worked quickly to apply the ointment as carefully as he could. She sat quietly, letting out the occasional hiss.
“Thank you,” she whispered as soon as he threw out the cotton swab.
“You’re welcome, little one. Why don’t you go potty before we leave, and I’ll just be right out in the room if you need anything.”
7
HAYLEE
As she sat on the toilet to pee after Kane left the bathroom, Haylee’s mind wandered to his words.
Why don’t you go potty before we leave…
A shiver went down her spine. The way he talked to her at times, like she was just a little girl, made her insides feel gooey, and she had to clench her thighs together as the lower region of her body also reacted. She had never been spoken to like that, and for some reason, it made her feel safe. Something she hadn’t felt for a very long time.
As soon as she finished, she stood and pulled up the loose leggings. She had been shocked when she answered the door that morning to see Kane. When she had seen the picture that Ally had sent her of him, she didn’t know what to think. He looked stern, and she could tell he had handsome features, but it was only a headshot. What she hadn’t expected was the towering bear of a man who stood in the doorway when she opened it. Everyone was tall compared to her, but he was huge. His enormously broad shoulders and ripped arms made him seem mammoth-sized.
His dark brown eyes and sharp jawline had caught her attention immediately. He looked like he might wrestle alligators for a living, but when she really looked at his eyes, all she saw was warmth and concern. Except when she mentioned Tim—then his expression had turned so hard and cold, it made her shiver. His jaw had clenched, causing the vein in his neck to throb, and his eyes turned so dark they almost looked black. Yeah… alligators didn’t have a chance with him.
She hated that she was initially afraid of him. She didn’t feel like she needed to be, but between his size and how callous he sometimes seemed, she felt uneasy around him. She didn’t know if that uneasiness was actually him or the reaction he was causing between her legs. Either way, she saw his reaction when she stepped back from him, and she felt awful. He’d almost looked as though she had hurt his feelings, and that made her feel like shit. He was just trying to help her.
When he stood over her in the bathroom, looking at her wound, she felt so small in comparison to him. Then again, he was a very large, muscular man. She could only imagine what he would look like without a shirt on.
Don’t think about him without clothes on, dummy. He is just helping you because he is a friend of Ally’s. He probably has a girlfriend or wife.