He cleaned up his desk and locked his office, then headed out of the building, his heart pounding, anticipating being with Ashley again. She was alone and lonely and she’d called on him. He would do everything he could to leverage this in his favor. To win her heart and her body.

* * *

Dare walked along the stone path toward the front door of his house. God, he missed Ashley. He wished she was coming over tonight and he could hold her in his arms. Kiss her smooth, sweet skin. Feel her soft hands on him.

He unlocked the door then stepped inside. Helen sat in the living room and stood up when he entered.

After their unfortunate event the other night, she’d slipped out the next day and stayed away. He hadn’t known if she’d decided to return home to Cambria or gone to stay with friends, but she’d left her big suitcase behind and a lot of her clothes, so he’d been pretty sure she was still in town. Though you never knew with Helen.

“Dare, I’m sorry about the other night. About getting drunk and…” She bit her lip. “For what I did.”

This was a good sign. She wasn’t calling him Daddy, and she actually seemed contrite about what had happened.

“Do you forgive me?” she asked.

“If you really mean it. And if you’ll really try to stop drinking again.”

“Yes, of course. I really will.”

She stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a hug. He relented and wrapped his arms around her, too.

Then she gazed up at him, her head resting on his shoulder.

“You know I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too, Helen. And I’ll always be there for you.”

“I’m glad. But I don’t mean like a stepdaughter. I knew Mom wasn’t right for you. And she didn’t deserve you. But I would be so good for you. I’d do anything you want. I’d be the best possible wife, and—”

“Wife?” He stepped back, disentangling himself from her arms. “Helen, listen to yourself. You are my ex-stepdaughter, and that’s all our relationship is. I care about you, but I have no romantic feelings here. I know you have a need for stability, and to have a strong father image in your life permanently. But this isn’t the way.”

“No, I want you. It has nothing to do with any of that other stuff.”

“Don’t keep pushing this, Helen. It’s never going to happen and if you persist, it will destroy the relationship we do have.”

She frowned, her eyes glittering in anger. “And yet you’ll fuck that tramp Ashley. Who is exactly the same age as me.” Her eyes flared with rage.

“That’s not the same.”

“Really? I don’t see the difference.” She planted her hands on her hips. “So will she wind up being my new stepmother?”

“The relationship between Ashley and me is none of your business.”

Helen huffed out a loud sigh. “So you don’t really care about me. And you never have.”