I almost choke on my food. Not only have I found out my nine year old daughter has played me for a fool, but she’s wanting Emma – of all people – to play mommy.

Fuck.

How fucked up is my life right now?

What the hell is going on? Have I lost it?

When we finish our food, I tell Emma thank you, and tell Olivia to get ready to go home. Emma pulls me in for a hug, but it’s just cover for her to whisper in my ear. “Go easy on her. She needs a friend, not an angry dad.”

As she says it, I flash back to my dad finding out I’d lied to him. He’d belted me until I couldn’t walk that time. But his anger, his anger had shut me down. I felt like he never heard me, like he didn’t understand me. Like he didn’t give two shits about how I felt.

I never wanted to be him, yet here I am, grounding her rather than hearing her out. Like my dad did to me, I’m invalidating her feelings. Like an asshole.

I’m a fucking asshole.

I’ll make it right.

“I’m sorry.” The words feel weird.

Olivia looks up at me, her face alight with love. “It’s okay, daddy. We all screw up.”

I’d ungrounded her. We’d talked until three am about everything and nothing. I’d finally gotten to hear her heart, her thoughts, her fears and dreams. Things I’d felt cut off from up until now. And it was all thanks to Emma.

My phone lights up and I answer it.

“Mr. Knight,” Nikki purrs.

“Yes?” I say, wanting her to get over it.

“The tenants are out. You’re free to remodel the Birch property.” She sounds ecstatic, and I realize that I’m going to be busy.

How about my messages?” I ask, trying not to ask in a way that might clue in Olivia.

She pauses. “Oh! No, she hasn’t been calling.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. No more calls from Cami.

“Thank you, Nikki,” I tell her. Hanging up the phone, I look down at Olivia.

“Go,” she says, “I’ve got to make Sandy work for that paycheck.” An evil grin crosses her lips and I laugh.

“Be nice. I’ll be back in a while.” I give her a hug and she presses a kiss to my cheek. “I love you,” I whisper in her ear.

“I love you too,” she says.

Carefully setting her on her feet, I watch her scramble off in search of her nanny. Everything is right in the world. Well, most things are right in the world. I need to talk to Emma.

I park before the house and see Emma come out, a smile on her face. When I get out, I know she’s looking for Olivia. As she realizes I’m alone, the smile leaves her face. And I get it. Now that Olivia’s not here, she doesn’t have to play nice. She can let me have every ounce of anger she pent up before.

She stalks up on me, an angry finger pointed my direction. “You’re a terrible human being!” She shouts. “You’ve been using me all along. You’ve gone everything you can to manipulate me!” She turns and walks a quick circle, fury radiating off her.

“Kyle was right about you!” She says, but this time, the pain of the ugly words is less.

“You’re right.”

She stops, her face filling with confusion. “I’ll never sell! You’re a despicable human being!”

I step in closer to her, craving something from her. Something she’ll never forgive me for. And she shouldn’t. Pulling her into a kiss, I push past the barrier of her lips to plunder the sweetness of her mouth.

Her hands come to rest on my chest, and I wait for her to push me away. But she doesn’t. Instead, she meets me, her tongue twirling around mine as if she can soften me with her sweetness.

She can’t.

With quick hands, I pull at her shirt. But she jerks out of my grasp and turns to walk toward the house, an angry, sexy sway to her hips. I follow, desperate to taste her again. At the door, she pulls me into another kiss, her teeth capturing my lower lip as she lets out a sexy little growl.

We migrate across the living room toward the stairs, her lips and teeth working mine. I grab her ass and lift her. As her legs wind around my hips, I push her back into the wall right by the stairs as she cups my face with both her hands.

I can feel the heat of her pussy through both our pants. And my cock pulses, ready for her. Her lips leave mine to tear into my shoulder before her hands pull at my shirt. It hits the floor and she’s desperate to be close again.

I hold her, bracing her against the wall as she kisses my lips, my cheek, my throat. I feel the sting of her teeth and know her anger is still red-hot. Bring it on. Her arms come around my shoulders and her teeth sink into the meat of my shoulder as I press my lips to her neck and walk up the stairs.

At the top, she reaches back and pushes open her bedroom door. When I lower her onto the bed, she bucks her hips. I let her change positions so she’s riding me. With furious fingers, she pulls her top off, and I scowl at the damn bra she’s wearing.

But it quickly lands in a heap on the shirt. And I stare up at her perfect tits. She grabs a handful of her loose hair and wraps it up in a hair tie she’d had on her wrist. When it’s up in a cute, messy bun, she glares down at me like I’m her next meal.

But I’m done letting her be in charge.

With a quick buck of my hips, I unseat her and roll her onto her back. She yelps as my hands find her wrists and I hold her captive. I jerk back as she nips at me. I hear the click of her teeth and grab both her wrists in one hand before flipping her over. With her on her belly, I press into the cleft of her ass.

She whimpers, looking at me over her shoulder.

Fuck, she feels amazing. And her fury only adds to the pleasure of it all.

Returning the favor, I sink my teeth into her shoulder, then suck the soft skin into my mouth. She whimpers again, the small sound so pathetic, I release the skin. A red spot blossoms, and she begs me not to leave marks.

“Why?” I ask, my eyes on hers as I take another spot of her skin between my lips.

Her eyes widen. But she doesn’t respond as I release her wrist. Her fists ball up the pretty lavender sheet on her bed.

“Bad girl,” I say, blowing on the damp spots on her skin. “You didn’t make your bed.”