Taylor's Unexpected Daddy

By Stella Moore

She needs a Daddy. And she’s about to get one from the most unexpected place.

Taylor Dawson is a hot mess. From her disaster of an apartment to her failing grades, nothing in her life seems to be going to plan.

Until her best friend’s older brother steps in and makes her an offer she thought she’d only get in her wildest dreams.

An offer that could change her life, and their small town, forever...

Author's note: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stella Moore
• Release date: Feb 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9798215707630

Stella Moore

Sassy heroines? Check. Strict, dominant heroes? Check. Pages and pages of spice, kink, and happily ever afters? Oh, yeah. Triple check.Stella Moore is a USAToday Bestselling author of irresistibly sassy romances with a little something for everyone. From everyday heroes to men who rule the criminal underworld, Stella just straight up loves a good love story. Especially if it involves a naughty heroine going over someone's knee a time or two. You'll also find lovers of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities in Stella's books because she believes everyone deserves their own happily ever after.Want a taste of Stella? Sign up for her newsletter and get a free book! https://www.stellamooreromance.com/subscribeYou can also find Stella:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorstellamooreFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorstellamInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.stellam/BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/stella-moore

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

I ’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m late! I know I’m late!

Skidding to a stop in the doorway between the back room and the main shop, Taylor Dawson tossed the strap of her purse over one hook and grabbed the cheerful green apron with her name embroidered across the top in gold lettering from another. She slipped it over her head as she dashed toward the single register where Noelle was standing with her arms crossed, trying to look annoyed.

You know, if this was any other job, you’d have been fired within the first month.

Pulling a face at her best-friend-slash-co-worker, Taylor sighed. I know. I’m hopeless.

Aw, honey. Noelle pulled her in for a quick, hard hug. You’re not hopeless. You’re just… a little absentminded.

Dunk, the pure white cat who had claimed the store as his home, jumped up onto the counter and Taylor reached over to give him a scratch behind the ears. Technically, his full name was His Royal Highness Duncan the Duke of Disaster, so named by Noelle due to his propensity to knock things off the shelves and counters in the store every chance he got. But everyone called him Dunk, both for brevity’s sake and because he had a habit of turning on the sink in the back room and sticking his entire head under the faucet.

One of Noelle’s favorite pastimes was putting Dunk in whatever adorable or downright ridiculous outfit she could get her hands on. Today, he was dressed in a Sherlock Holmes style costume, complete with hat and cape and Taylor couldn’t help but grin at the adorable picture he made. Well, don’t you look charming today, Your Grace.

Doesn’t he? Beaming with pleasure, Noelle ran a hand down Dunk’s back. I think this may be one of my favorites.

It’s still shocking to me that he doesn’t scratch the hell out of you on a daily basis.

He’s not as grumpy as he wants everyone to think he is, isn’t that right, Dunky-boy?

Uh huh. Or he’s biding his time so he can attack when you least expect it.

My precious baby would never. With a scratch for Dunk’s chin, Noelle turned her attention back to Taylor. You look stressed as fuck. Movie night at my place tonight?

She really shouldn’t. Her apartment was a disaster and she really needed to study. But none of that sounded like any fun. Movie night with Noelle, however, was guaranteed fun. Totally. I’ll bring the ‘ice cream’.

‘Ice cream’ was their code for wine. Back in high school, it had been code for whatever alcohol Taylor could sneak out of her house without her mom noticing. Despite both of them being plenty old enough to buy their own alcohol, they still used the code. Partially for nostalgia and partially because Noelle’s mama still wouldn’t hesitate to take her wooden spoon to both of them if she caught on to how often they indulged in ‘ice cream’.

Excellent. Noelle pumped a fist into the air in victory. I’ll see you tonight, then. Bye, Dunk!

The back door slammed shut a few moments later, leaving Taylor alone in the feed store where they worked. Edie, or Widow McDowell as most of the town tended to call her, owned the place, and she ran a tight ship, but she spent most of her time traveling around, picking up and dropping off the rescue animals she fostered down at her farm. Which meant the girls were on their own more often than not. Most days, the shop did decent business, but Wednesday afternoons were notoriously slow.

Leaving Taylor with plenty of time to study for the three tests she had coming up on Friday—but absolutely zero desire to do so. Sometimes she wished she had someone like Mrs. Grady to stay on top of her like she had with Ian and Noelle when they’d been in school. She’d always managed to ride that line between overly strict and supportive in a way Taylor’s mom never had.

Not that she blamed her mom for her own failings. Her mom was her best friend in the whole wide world, and she wouldn’t trade their relationship for anything. But sometimes she thought it would be nice to have someone to remind her to do her homework. Someone who would hold her accountable if she failed a test because she’d decided that movie night with Noelle was more important than studying.

Oh, who was she kidding? There wasn’t some faceless ‘someone’ she was wishing for. There was only one person she wanted bossing her around like that. Propping her chin on her hand, she sighed dreamily as her mind conjured up images of a particular stern-faced man, his brown eyes twinkling with secret amusement as he lectured her on studying. In her fantasy, he even took her over his knee for a sexy spanking before—

The jingling of bells jerked her out of her daydream, and she prayed her face didn’t look as hot as it felt. Hi, Mr. Saunders! Need help with anything?

I oughtta know where everything is after thirty years, the short, grizzled old man answered cheerfully. No need for you to bother yourself.

It’s no bother. Grateful for the distraction from the inconvenient pulse between her thighs, Taylor slipped out from behind the counter and wandered over to where he was examining the different containers of chicken feed as though he didn’t buy the same thing every time.

Well, since you’re here, perhaps you could grab that bag of mealworms for me? Betty and the girls deserve a treat, I think.

Sure thing!

Despite his earlier insistence that he knew where everything was, it took a good thirty minutes for them to gather up everything he needed and get it out to his old beat-up Ford. Which was fine with Taylor, since it gave her time to recover from her completely inappropriate fantasies.

Lusting after a man she’d known her entire life was bad enough. Lusting after her best friend’s older brother was a recipe for disaster.

Their giggles were louder than the movie. Shaking his head at the familiar sound, he knocked on the door to Noelle’s apartment above his parents’ garage before turning the knob and letting himself in.

Ian! From her spot on the couch, Noelle threw her arms up, the rose-colored liquid in her cup sloshing dangerously close to the rim. Beside her, Taylor Dawson grinned drunkenly and waved her