Page 13 of Daddy’s Oath (The Daddy Guard #2)

Chapter Thirteen

Lana awoke to find Ace was gone.

With the brilliant sunlight falling in the window, she wasn’t scared to be by herself. Plus, she’d seen enough of the mansion last night to know the place was secure.

It sat behind a locked gate. On the drive over, Ace and Isaiah had explained that the doors were reinforced and the windows were bulletproof.

But the biggest reason she felt secure had to do with the smoking hot, strong Daddies who called the grand old house home.

Even had it just been Ace, no one was getting to her. Not within those walls.

But she’d seen other Daddies last night. She couldn’t remember their names, but some had come out of their rooms to greet her and make her feel welcome.

Still, she wished it was a normal day. She’d love to go in to work.

The studio thought she was out sick. Her bosses were cool. Besides, she’d never taken time off. Her dedication to the job was obvious. They knew how much it fulfilled her. So, they told her to take as much time off as she needed and come back when she felt better.

Would she be able to go back at all? she wondered as she got out of her bed and left the guest room behind.

Her thoughts shifted to the mansion, though, as she continued to traverse it.

Goodness! The place was amazing!

She remembered what Ace had told her last night. She could see Theda Bara walking around the place, in all her radiant beauty.

Knowing that she was in the same space once inhabited by the silent screen vamp made Lana feel better about not being at work.

Walking down the large staircase, she held onto the polished banister, the wood feeling smooth and glossy beneath her palm. She was just coming off the staircase when a man said, “Good morning. How’d you sleep?”

She yelped, startled by the guy she didn’t recognize. He looked to be some kind of repairman or something. Why would he act like he knew her?

“Uh, yes, sir.”

The guy smiled. “You don’t recognize me.”

That voice was familiar. Was that…

“Ace?”

He laughed. “Yep. Guess my disguise works. This is going to help me sneak into your apartment.”

Lana laughed, too, as she noticed Stryker and a woman she’d never met before coming up behind Ace.

“A little movie magic,” the woman said with a proud smile.

“Hey, Lana. Meet Sheila. She’s a makeup artist at the studio.”

Stryker didn’t mention which studio, and fear clawed at Lana’s insides as she feared it might be hers. Had she just been outed as a Little to a colleague? Surely Stryker and the Daddy Guard wouldn’t do that!

As if reading her fears, Sheila stepped forward and smiled. “You are as cute as can be! And as a Mommy, I know a lot about cuties. And you’re one of the most adorable ones ever.”

It made sense to Lana now as to why this woman had been allowed into the inner sanctum. She felt more comfortable in her presence, too.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Lana replied. She felt herself sliding into Little Space. Being in the Guard’s mansion just seemed to have that effect on her.

“I need to get to work,” Sheila said.

Lana felt a little sadness. She wished she was going to work, too, even as great as the mansion was.

And as great as being with Ace was.

“If you all need anything, let me know,” Sheila continued. “I bet I could sneak you onto set and get you fixed up. But I don’t think any of that is coming off.”

Lana took the opportunity to study Ace once again. It didn’t even look like him. Sheila truly had done an amazing job. On the studio lot, she’d seen a lot of makeup artists’ work. But seeing someone she knew actually transformed into a whole other person was quite amazing.

“Goodbye. And good luck,” Sheila said as she left through the front door.

“I’m heading out, too,” Stryker said. “But call me if you need me. Can’t guarantee I can pick up while on set, but I’ll call you back on our breaks.”

“I think we’re good,” Ace said. “We just appreciate all the help.”

“I’ll check in on y’all tonight,” Stryker told them as he waved.

Once the director was gone and the front door was closed, Ace looked at Lana. “You slept good?”

“Great,” she said.

“Me too.”

There was something in his eyes that told her he’d slept great because he’d been lying next to her.

His presence was definitely the reason she’d rested so well. But she didn’t have the nerve to say that out loud.

Her stomach flipped an excited somersault, though, as she remembered one of the times she’d partially awoken during the night.

She’d rolled up against him, her head on his hard chest, and it had been magical.

Realizing it, though, she’d pulled away.

She didn’t want him to think she was coming onto him.

What if things got awkward? Besides, with someone potentially after her, now didn’t seem like the time to pursue a relationship.

Not that Ace would want a relationship with her. He was way out of her league.

“What are you thinking about, little girl?” he asked with a grin “You mind me calling you that? For some reason I kind of slide into Daddy mode around you.”

She kept her voice as casual as possible. “I don’t mind.”

“So, what were you thinking about?” he pressed again.

Shifting on her feet, her mind spun as she quickly tried to come up with a good answer. One other than the truth that she was thinking about the possibility of them together!

“Just the situation,” she lied. “I hate that you’re going to my place. It could be dangerous!”

That part wasn’t a lie. The moment he’d told her he was going to the apartment, she’d felt a sense of dread. She didn’t know Ace well. But already she couldn’t imagine anything happening to him.

She wasn’t sure she could even imagine life without him now.

“Honey,” he said, “we need to determine what’s going on. I can’t do that if I lock myself behind these walls. But I promise you that I will be careful. The guys will be with me, too. Come on. This is a good time to meet them.”

A sense of calm washed over Lana as Ace took her by the hand and led her deeper into the house. In the back den, she saw a group men hanging out, some of them playing pool while a couple sat on the posh leather furniture, chatting.

“You met Isaiah last night,” Ace said, pointing to the man sitting on the couch.

Isaiah lifted his hand in a casual wave. “Good to see you again, Lana.”

“Thank you. I’m so happy to be here,” she said.

It was true, though she wished she was visiting under different and better circumstances.

“And that right there is Kendrick,” Ace said, pointing to the guy next to Isaiah.

He had flawless, mocha-colored skin and mesmerizing green eyes. Lana assumed all the women went crazy for him.

“Welcome to the mansion,” he told her with a slight nod. “Please, make yourself at home.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said.

“And that is Matteo,” Ace said, pointing to a guy who was shooting pool. He was tall, broad, handsome, and like Lana, clearly had Hispanic ancestry.

He stopped his game, waved, and said, “Nice to have another cutie running around here. Have you met Little Iris yet?”

“No, Sir.”

“Well, she’s going to be so glad you’re here.”

“She will be,” Ace confirmed. “Right now, she’s out with her Daddy, Jack. You can meet them later. Right now, though, say hello to the last two members of the Guard. Right over there with Matteo are Ryan and Jordan.” He pointed to each one as he said their names.

Ryan had dark-blond hair, blue eyes, and a tall, lean frame. Jordan wasn’t quite as tall as Ryan and had jet-black hair with dark eyes. They both looked like they were in their thirties, though Ryan seemed to be older by about five years or so.

“I know things are stressful right now, darlin’, but we’re going to try and make your stay fun,” Ryan told her.

“Thank you, sir.”

“We sure will. But later,” Ace said. “Right now, honey, you need to get ready so we can drop you off at Auntie Athena’s place on our way to your apartment.

Me and the guys have work to do.” He took hold of her hand and looked down into her eyes.

“I have it on good authority that Auntie is making some of her famous pancakes this morning just for you. Trust me, you don’t want to miss them. ”

Lana’s stomach had been growling since she woke up. But the thought of being away from Ace just didn’t feel right.

“You’ll be careful, right?” she asked.

He smiled down at her, brushing a strand of her hair back and tucking it behind her ear.

His touch was magical.

She wanted him to keep caressing her. But now wasn’t the time, she reminded herself.

“Of course we’ll be careful. And when we’re finished, we’ll have some fun. Get your mind off everything. Sound good?”

Lana perked up. “Sounds great.”

But inside, she was still worried.

She just hoped Ace would come back to her safe and sound.