Dirty Daddy (Sinners Welcome #2)

Chapter 1

ONE

TESS

Don’t ever agree to drive eight hours in the freaking snow to meet your best friend's future in-laws! I lost cell service about an hour ago and my phone is nearly dead. I’ve never gone camping, road tripping or even left my fucking hometown until I applied for Brown and got accepted. Living in Rhode Island has been… an experience. I come from a small town where everyone knows everybody’s business and they all go to church every Sunday and praise God.

That was never where I wanted to spend the rest of my life.

I’ve always had this restless need to escape the confines of that town and get out into the world. It’s weird to explain, but I can just feel within myself that there is something more out there for me. I’m not destined to marry the boy I have known my whole life and went to school with like my mom wants. She was fucking livid when I told her I was moving. I haven’t spoken to her since I left. I’m majoring in English Lit. I want to be a writer.

I was born to be one!

I grip the steering wheel and lean forward, trying to see out the windshield better as the snow continues to fall without mercy. It’s starting to get dark and I’m worried I’m lost, but the GPS says to keep heading straight for another three miles and my destination will be on the right. I haven’t seen any other mailboxes or cars for at least forty minutes.

I spot the driveway up ahead and sigh with relief. I pull in but stop when my phone begins to ping with notifications. I could weep at finally having service again. I put the car in park and bring up my chat with Peyton.

Pey

We’re running late!

We’re on the way.

Why aren’t you replying?

Tess?????

We can’t get through!

The roads are closed.

Tess? I’m worried, where are you?

Van just told me that you won’t have cell service until you reach the cabin. The roads are closed because of the snow. Me and the guys can’t get through. I hope you get this before you get there.

“What the fuck?” I breathe out as I begin to type out a reply.

Me

I just pulled into the driveway!

Pey

Oh my God!

Finally you reply.

Me

-What the hell am I supposed to do now?

My phone begins to ring with an incoming call, I answer and bring it to my ear.

“Peyton, what the hell do I do?” I hiss.

“Tess, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say, I didn’t think the weather would turn this fast!” I scrub a hand down my face, this is what I get for having anxiety and always needing to be fucking early instead of late!

“Pey, I’m sitting at the end of the driveway. The snow is falling faster and it's nearly dark,” I whine. I’m not mad at her, I’m just pissed I’m in this situation because of my damn self.

“Hang on, Van wants to talk to you.” Before I can protest, Van's voice comes through the speaker.

“Tess?”

I smirk. “Priest.” He growls, causing me to chuckle.

“My dad and brothers will put you up until the roads open again.” His gruff tone suggests he isn’t exactly thrilled about this idea either.

“I’d rather sleep in my car,” I mutter.

“If you want to freeze to death, then be my guest, but I can assure you, they already know you’re there.” My eyes widen at his declaration.

“How?” I screech.

“They live in the middle of nowhere, Tess. They have sensors and cameras set up around the property so they can track prey to hunt. The roads should be open tomorrow. Spend the night there and we should be able to make it up in the morning.” Van isn’t one for chit-chat so the asshole ends the call without allowing me to speak to Peyton. Resigned to my fate, I pull up my message thread with the guy I’ve been speaking to online. We’ve been texting for a couple months and FaceTime every day. He’s older than me and a single father. I never thought I would be into the whole daddy kink but here we are. We had planned to meet up over winter break but it seems we both have other plans. Clayton has family visiting and I promised Peyton I would accompany her and the guys here, so we had to reschedule.

Me

So, I have shit cell service and if you don’t hear from me in the next twenty-four hours send help! I’m spending the night alone with my friend’s future in-laws and I can already picture them being creeps and unsocialized with the opposite sex.

I drop him a pin on my location and wait for his reply. I wait five minutes but still the three dots never appear. My attention is snagged when I see a light flick on in the cabin up ahead. When the front door opens I sigh, knowing I have no other choice but to bite the bullet and drive the remainder of the way. I drop my phone onto my lap and put the car in drive. Awkward doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this situation. I’m not a people person and I tend to stick to myself.

I refuse to look at the person on the porch as I park my car, then exhale a long breath as I kill the engine. I take a single moment to myself before I garner the courage to step out. The instant I do the frigid air slaps against my cheeks. I cross my arms over my chest and slowly lift my head to finally look at the person.

What in the seven fucking hells!

“Tess?” His gravelly tone washes over me. The sight of him standing there in the flesh, wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a flannel, long-sleeve shirt giving off that classic lumberjack vibe, sends tingles down my spine. The beard I spent many nights envisioning running my fingers through is right there. His striking blue eyes are wide with surprise, his black hair with tinges of gray slicked back.

My mouth pops open as my shock slowly ebbs away. I open my mouth to say something, but all that escapes is an ear-piercing scream. He covers his ears with his hands as the front door swings open and two guys come to stand beside him with varying looks of worry. My head begins to spin and my vision turns blurry as my world starts spinning on its axis.

“Shit, she’s gonna pass out,” I hear someone growl a second before everything turns black.