Daddy’s Heart: Windy City Book Five Read online

  Daddy’s Heart

  Windy City Book Five

  Measha Stone

  Copyright © 2019 by Measha Stone

  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.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  Protecting His Pet

  Acknowledgments

  About Measha Stone

  Also by Measha Stone

  Chapter 1

  Ryder Welding chucked his duffel bag over his shoulder and hiked up two floors of stairs. The summer heat followed him into the stairwell, entangling with the stale air. He made a note to tell George to talk to the building maintenance people again.

  Gallant Domination belonged to George, a longtime friend. Ryder volunteered, helping man the dungeon parties and do light equipment repair in exchange for free membership. The club wasn’t exclusive, but it wasn’t cheap, and on Ryder’s construction salary, it would be hard, but not impossible. He worked enough overtime to keep the accounts full, but he preferred to stash as much away as he could for when his muscles finally gave out and he couldn’t depend on the forklifts to do the work for him anymore.

  “Ryder, thanks for coming in today,” George greeted him at the entrance.

  “No problem.” Ryder slid his duffel off his shoulder and dropped it on the bar top. The lounge setup was like any other club. Bar, high tables, a few leather couches sprinkled in, and two armchairs made it all a relaxing atmosphere.

  “I have the painters coming to paint the purple and black rooms, so we need to move out the equipment. We can put one cross and one spanking bench in the main room, and the other stuff we’ll have to move into the meeting room and close it off until we can move everything back into the private rooms,” George explained as they walked down the hall to the private rooms he rented out to the members.

  Private play didn’t need special rentals, but groups often wanted the room for a full night, and they didn’t mind renting out the space since George wasn’t one to overcharge.

  “Got it.” Ryder entered the purple room and surveyed the equipment to be moved. “Is it just the two of us?”

  “Yeah, Barry had to take his girl to the doctor this morning. She’s been having some spotting.” George raised his eyebrows and scrunched his lips.

  Ryder laughed. “He told you that?”

  “Yeah. He’s worried something’s wrong with the baby.”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Ryder said, having no idea if spotting at seven months was normal.

  “Hope not. That man’s been waiting long enough to find the right girl and start a family. Hate to see something bad happen now.” George made his way to a spanking bench and motioned for Ryder to grab the other end.

  “He got lucky, that’s for sure.” Ryder picked up the bench with George and walked backward toward the door.

  Barry had gotten lucky. Not everyone would find a woman well-suited to them. Normal life compatibility was hard enough to find, but to add kink to it? Ryder didn’t hold much hope of finding it. Some fun at the dungeon and a few short relationships was fine for him. He’d adjusted to it.

  “Luck has nothing to do with it.” George grunted as he maneuvered the bench through the doorjamb and turned down the hall to the main playroom.

  “I’m not having this discussion again. It’s not like you’ve settled down either.” Ryder backed into the main space and found a cleared area to put the bench.

  They set the hulking equipment down and walked back to the purple room to get the St. Andrew’s cross.

  “When’s the last time you even played here?” George pressed as he motioned Ryder toward the cross.

  “A few weeks ago with Sara.”

  “And?” George hoisted his side of the cross.

  Ryder lifted his part with ease, but used the excuse of carrying the cross to keep his mouth closed. Playing with Sara had been fun, a night of kinky excitement, but that’s all it was—all it could be.

  “It was fun.” Ryder pushed the cross into the corner, moving the angle until he was happy with the placement. “There are stocks in there. You want them in here or the main room?”

  “Main room,” George said. “That reminds me, I put in an order for another stock set for the lounge area. I’m going to put it up on a platform—like a punishment corner.” George grinned.

  Ryder chuckled. “I like it.” He could think of plenty of willing participants, and a few who would be less joyful about it.

  “I’m looking into hiring a general manager around here.” George talked while he pointed to the next item to be moved.

  “Oh yeah? Finally realized the tower of papers and mail on your desk was going to crash down and kill you?” Ryder laughed.

  George shot him a quick glare. “I handle shit fine around here, but I’m tired of chasing invoices and all that garbage. I want to be out here more, with the guests—”

  “With the women, you mean,” Ryder shot back, positioning the last large piece that needed two men to move. He could do the rest on his on his own.

  “Them too.” George winked.

  Ryder shook his head and waved him off. “Well, go on back to your work. I can clear the rest of this out myself.”

  “Actually…” George shuffled his feet, “there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

  Ryder started folding up the chairs lining the walls and stacking them.

  “Oh yeah? What?”

  George rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “You remember me mentioning my college fraternity brother needing a place for his sister to crash for a few weeks?”

  Ryder stacked another chair onto the pile and straightened his back. “Yeah?” He dragged out the word, a sinking sensation pulling at his spine.

  “She’s coming next week. The thing is, my mom’s apartment is being worked on. The landlord finally got around to working on the electrical in the building and she’s gonna be without electricity for a few days.”

  “In the middle of summer? Are they nuts?” Chicago summers were not the time to be without fans or air conditioning.

  “He’s not the brightest. But I guess they failed the city inspection. Best course really is to get her a new apartment. And he’s willing to let her out of her lease if she’s able to get moved out by Friday.”

  Ryder picked up another chair. “And she’s going to move in with you while you find her a better place, which leaves this frat girl out?”

  “She wasn’t in the frat—never mind that, but yeah. I could give her the couch, but you have a spare room. And with your schedule, you’d never even see her,” George said.

  “How long?” Ryder asked, snapping
another chair closed.

  “A week, maybe two at the most…I think. She just finished her degree and is moving up here from Indiana. She has interviews all lined up for libraries in the area and a few out in the ’burbs. If she’s still there after I get ma settled, she can come to my place.”

  Ryder’s jaw clenched. “How old is she?”

  “Twenty-five. Just finished her masters.”

  Ryder sighed. “Just a week or two?”

  “The most.”

  “Is this why you’re pushing about me not playing here often?” Ryder raised a brow. He’d never pegged George for a matchmaker, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t start.

  “No,” George protested. “Not at all. She’s a friend’s sister—out of bounds.” He pointed a finger at Ryder. “She needs a safe place to stay, not with someone trying to get down her pants at every turn.”

  “Which is why you didn’t ask Jaxson.” Ryder laughed.

  The severity left George’s eyes. “Yeah. He’d be all up on her, and she doesn’t need that shit.”

  Ryder caught the undertone. “She coming up here ’cause she loves the city, or she coming to get away from Indiana?”

  “She’s had a bad time of it, but she can tell you if she wants to. Not my place.”

  Ryder let the silence linger for a long moment. “She can have the spare room. I’ll stay out of her way, and she can do what she needs. I’m sure I’ll be working longer hours with this new job coming up, she won’t have to worry about me.”

  George heaved a sigh. “Great. Thank you. I’ll let her know the change in plans. I’ll give her your number and tell her to give you call. She gets into town on Saturday.”

  Ryder ran his hand over his beard. “Okay, then. Just have her call me.”

  “You good in here?” George was already backing out of the room as he asked the question.

  Ryder waved him away. “I got this.”

  “Great. You sticking around for the demo tonight or is that your gym bag you brought in?”

  “My gym bag.” Ryder frowned. The match making might still be lingering in George’s mind. “Stop being an old hen and let me find my own fun. Just go clear your desk and put an ad out for a manager.”

  George laughed and disappeared down the hall toward his office.

  Chapter 2

  City traffic wasn’t much worse in Chicago than it had been in Indianapolis. Though, Samantha doubted that would be as true during rush hour instead of a lazy Saturday morning drive.

  She’d made the trek from Indiana with little fanfare. Having said her goodbyes to her brother the night before, she’d been able to get up and get in the car first thing. Leaving her hometown behind should have been harder, but Samantha couldn’t get the view in her rearview mirror fast enough.

  A fresh start. Clean slate. And safe.

  She blew out a long breath as she merged onto the off ramp. George said he’d meet her at a coffee shop. While sitting at a red light, she flicked through her phone until she found his text and put the information into her maps app.

  A horn blew behind her, making her drop her phone.

  “Fuck!” She grabbed it from the console and swiped the screen back to life while she made her left turn. The driver in the car next to her caught her attention for a brief moment. His lips were pinched together, his dark brow line lowered, and he shook his head with disappointment.

  Within a blink, he was gone, and she forced her focus back onto the street. She had the map pulled up with navigation on, so she could listen to the directions without having to mess with the phone while she drove.

  The traffic became thicker as she maneuvered farther into the city, but she managed well enough without missing a turn. Getting into an accident or having to call George because she was lost wasn’t how she wanted to kick off her new life. George was a good friend to her brother and helping her find a place to crash while she got settled was a huge favor. She’d find a way to repay him—and the stranger giving her a bed to borrow.

  When George had called her to tell her the change of plans, her anxiety had rushed up her throat and choked her for a full day. She could either take the spare room at his friend’s apartment or could get a hotel. If she went the hotel route, her brother would insist on following her, and she’d had enough of his protecting to last a lifetime.

  He needed to be home with his wife trying to salvage their marriage, not gallivanting off to take care of his little sister—again.

  “Parking…parking,” Samantha spoke to herself, driving past the coffee shop she was meeting George at. “Where the fuck is the parking?” She growled her frustration and turned down another street until she found a spot.

  Once parked, she leaned her head back against the headrest of her lime green beetle and took in several deep breaths. She’d made it. Five hours straight without stopping or getting lost.

  And she really needed to pee.

  Samantha gathered up her purse and threw her phone inside before climbing out of the car. Once on her feet, she reached her hands over her head, enjoying the stretch. Maybe she should have stopped at least once, but she’d been too nervous.

  Leaving the car behind, she walked to the corner and turned toward the coffee shop. The summer heat rose up from the sidewalk, swirling around her ankles. She could already feel the humidity puffing up her hair. It would need to be put into a ponytail soon if she was going to stay outside for very long.

  “Sam!” a voice called. George stood outside the coffee shop, waving an arm in the air like she couldn’t see through the five people walking ahead of her.

  “I see you.” She laughed and hurried toward him. He grabbed her into a hard bear hug.

  “You made it okay,” he said, pulling back and looking her over.

  “George, it’s a few hours car ride. In a car. Not on a horse. Of course I made it.” He looked more aged than she remembered, but it had been at least five years since he’d taken a trip down to Indiana to visit.

  “I know. Paul trusts me to take care of you while you’re here, and I already had to find you somewhere else to stay.” He dropped his hands to his sides.

  “It’s fine. I could have gotten a hotel room for a few weeks. They have those now, those extended-stay places.”

  He was already shaking his head before she finished speaking.

  “No way. You’ll stay with Ryder. It’s second best to my place.” He looked behind her. “Where’d you park?

  “Around the corner.” She gestured.

  “We should probably get it off the street soon. People see all your stuff in the back and they might be interested in it.”

  “I don’t have much. Just a few suitcases.” She shrugged. “But first, I need the bathroom.” She smiled and reached for the door. He was faster, and grabbed the handle, pulling the door open and guiding her inside.

  The smell of coffee surrounded her. She breathed in, reveling in it, then pushed away the urge to look at the menu and headed straight to the back of the shop for the restroom.

  Once she finished, she took a quick peek at herself in the mirror, then turned away. There was no hope for it. If she couldn’t fix the mess the humidity and driving had created with her tired eyes and hair, she just wouldn’t look at it.

  She found George sitting at a table in the corner with another man. Assuming it was Ryder, her host for the next few weeks, she took a deep breath. Maybe she should have taken a second to try to fix her hair. George motioned toward her as she got closer to them, and his companion turned in his chair to look at her.

  She paused.

  It was the man from the honking car. His curious glance fell away as he locked eyes with her. His left eyebrow arched with obvious recall.

  Well, hell. Perfect first impression.

  “Ryder, this is Samantha.” George stood up from his chair, and Ryder followed.

  He was at least two heads taller than her. She tilted her head back to look up at him better, then retreated a step to put space betwe
en them.

  “Hi.” She forced a lightness to her voice, hoping he didn’t actually remember their very short, very unimportant encounter.

  “Hey,” he said, putting his hand out to her. She’d noticed the bulk of his shoulders and chest when he’d stood up, but with his hand outreached, she could make out the muscles of his forearm and the callouses on his fingers. This man knew hard work. And it showed.

  She swallowed—drooling over him wouldn’t make his opinion of her any higher—and seized his hand. He gripped it and gave a gentle shake before letting go.

  “Hi,” she finally managed to say.

  “I’ll grab you a tea,” George said, escaping from the situation.

  “Actually, I think I’d like a coffee. Caramel Macchiato?” She glanced up at the menu board hanging over the bakery selection.

  “Sure thing. You hungry? Did you stop on the way up to eat?” George fired off his questions.

  “I’m fine. Just a small coffee, thanks.” She smiled at him and found a chair between his and Ryder’s to sink into. The sooner she could get head level with Ryder, the sooner her mind would stop reeling.

  “Do you usually play with your phone while you drive?” Ryder’s question fell between them. George was already in line and couldn’t overhear them. She supposed she should be grateful he hadn’t said it in front of him.

  “No.” She wrapped the thin strap of her purse around the bag and placed it on the table in front of her. “I was getting the directions to meet here. That’s all,” she explained, feeling defensive.

  He didn’t know her. Who was he to make judgements about her from a three-second encounter on the road?