All Chapters of Falling For My Dad's Best Friend : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Kiara's POV"Kiara's absolutely right." My father reached over and squeezed my shoulder. "And when she interns at your company, Zander, you'll see exactly why I'm always singing her praises. You'll understand why I'm so proud of her.""If she gets in." Zander's emphasis on the word was almost mocking. "Our application process is very thorough. There are no guarantees.""I'm certain she'll get in." My father's voice carried an edge now. "My daughter is brilliant."The air between us felt charged.I was going to lose my mind."You know what?" Ivy clapped her hands together suddenly, startling all of us. "I hope we do this again. Actually, I think we should do this every weekend. This is fun.""I don't think so." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.Ivy's face fell. "Oh."Panic flared in my chest. "Ivy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean... I'm not talking about you. It's just...""My dad." Ivy looked at Zander with a mixture of affection and exasperation. "He's not being a ver

Zander's POVThe knock on my office door came just after three. I glanced up from the contract I'd been reviewing as Jonathan appeared in the doorway, that easy smile he'd perfected over the years firmly in place.My assistant had called ten minutes earlier to let me know he was on his way up. I'd had just enough time to brace myself."Hey, stranger. Got a minute?"I rose from my chair, letting surprise give way to what I hoped looked like genuine pleasure. "Jonathan. This is unexpected.""I know, I know. I should've called first." He stepped inside, his gaze sweeping across the space with undisguised admiration. "But I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd finally see the famous Zander Creed empire for myself."A smile tugged at my mouth. "Not quite an empire yet. But we're getting there. Fifteen offices across North America. Two more opening in London and Tokyo next quarter." I moved around the desk to shake his hand, then gestured to the sitting area by the window. "Give it anoth

Kiara's POV“Yes, with mine on the other side of his.”She gestured toward the wall as though this was perfectly reasonable information to give a person. “He insisted we have these rooms because he doesn’t want us sneaking out together without him knowing.”I turned fully toward her.“In a house this big, he chose the rooms on either side of his so he could hear us leave?”“That was the explanation I got.” She folded her arms and glanced into the hallway. “Apparently, if we want to go anywhere at night, we should be comfortable telling him where we’re going.”“And if we tell him?”“He gets to explain why we don’t need to go.”I looked past her at his closed bedroom door, struggling to understand how Dad had found a friend who took being overbearing even more seriously than he did.“So he doesn’t actually want us asking permission. He wants us staying home.”“Now you’re getting it.” Ivy lifted one shoulder. “He thinks putting himself between us will make it harder for us to encourage e

Kiara’s POVHis eyes moved to my mouth again before returning to mine, and he withdrew his hand from the table.“Your father trusts me to look after you.”I didn’t need the reminder, especially from a man who had already given us both a reason to feel guilty.“I know exactly who you are to my father.”“Then you should understand why there are boundaries.”I lowered my eyes to the folder long enough to stop myself from asking where those boundaries had been when he kissed me.When I looked up again, he was still watching me.“I understand boundaries, Mr. Creed. I just think everyone should be expected to respect them.”He drew his lower lip between his teeth for a moment, then sat back and glanced toward Ivy.I pulled my attention back to the pages, annoyed that I’d noticed. Even while I was angry with him, part of me wanted him to look at me again.Ivy looked from my face to his, her eyebrows drawing together as she slowly lowered her fork to her plate.“Guys.”I turned toward her, an

Kiara's POV"I never said that." The words came out harsher than I intended. "And you should never refer to yourself that way.""Then why are you treating me like one?""I'm not treating you like anything. I'm simply ensuring that you maintain discipline while you're under my care.""Discipline." She laughed, the sound bitter. "Forgive me if I don't believe that, considering you've been judging me based on one mistake.""I'm introducing you to the consequences of your actions.""My actions." Her voice rose again. "My father told you I was a good girl, didn't he? And you're disappointed because I didn't meet your expectations. Because good girls don't go to clubs and kiss strangers."The mention of Jonathan's words twisted inside me."Your father did say you were a good girl. I didn't expect this kind of pushback from someone who...""Stop calling me that." She rolled her eyes at me. "I have never called myself a good girl, and I'll tell you what I told my father. I don't like that nam