Daddy Morebucks by Normandie Alleman Read Free Book Online Page A

heel. Broken pieces of cement and debris littered the grass along the path. Rundown buildings loitered on both sides of her. The seedy neighborhood was sparsely lit with streetlights.
    Just a few more blocks. Then I can soak in a steaming tub .
    Trudging along, her mind drifted to James. He was on her mind a lot these days. Why did he come over and help her paint that day? Was it for the sex? They did have good sex, but part of her dared to dream there was more to it.
    Okay, damn it, she liked him. Shaking her head, she admitted it. She’d developed a crush on the handsome dom. Images of him flashed through her mind. His thick head of black hair. Those piercing dark eyes. Something fluttered in her gut.
    He was a sexy man. He turned her on more than any man ever had. But it was more than his obvious physical attributes… It was like they had a connection.
    How had that happened? She was so careful to keep a wall up between herself and other people; she needed to protect herself. Life throws you enough pain as it is. Why go asking for more by investing yourself in others? You’re bound to get hurt.
    Yet, she’d let down her defenses. Being honest with herself, she had feelings for Daddy Morebucks.
    It’s okay. I doubt I’ll ever see him again. He hasn’t called.
    It occurred to her she didn’t have a phone.
    Probably should get one. She had to be one of the few people with a job who didn’t even have a phone. But she could pay her electric bill for six months for what they wanted for the latest phone these days. She shrugged. Anyway, who would I call?
    She left Abilene with the intention of never coming back. When she first got to Dallas she had a roommate, but she and Sarah hadn’t been fast friends. Once they got evicted, they parted ways. Sarah was living with a cousin in California last Marley had heard.
    Sarah was a kind person, but they’d both been working double shifts to pay the bills, and there was never much time to develop a friendship. They were both either sleeping or working.
    Besides, getting close to people was something Marley avoided. It annoyed her that she couldn’t keep her mind off James.
    She reached her apartment door, cursing under her breath while she fumbled for the key in her purse. Why can’t they have better lighting?
    “Hi,” a low voice said from the darkness.
    Marley whirled around, aiming her handbag toward the voice. “Stop right there. I have mace!”
    “Whoa, whoa. No need for that.” James stepped out of the shadows under the dim, flickering glow.
    Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh my God! You scared the crap out of me!” She punched him in the arm.
    “Ow, sorry.” He rubbed his bicep where she’d struck him.
    Marley scowled, still shaken. Grudgingly, she invited him inside.
    They sat down in the living room, her only room. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
    “You know, you could really use some work on your manners. How about ‘Hi, Sir, it’s nice to see you’?” he said, disapproval written all over his face.
    Her shoulders rose and fell as she exhaled. “Okay. Hi, Sir, it’s nice to see you. Now, why are you here?”
    “You are suspicious, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, I am ,” she said, folding her arms smugly.
    “Okay, I missed you, and since you don’t have a phone I didn’t have a choice but to drop by unannounced.”
    “Oh.”
    “And I’ve been thinking… I have a proposition for you.”
    “A proposition?” One eyebrow shot up quizzically.
    “Yes.” He reached across the space between them and picked up her hand. She didn’t shy away.
    “I’d like you to come live with me.”
    Her jaw fell open. “Live with you? What do you mean?”
    “When you came to the hotel that night and we played—it was amazing. Since then I haven’t wanted to play with anyone else.”
    A tingle spread through her down into her extremities, and she smiled in spite of herself.
    “I know you’ve started a new job and you just got this apartment, but I can