Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 173

I can’t stop myself from loving you

Grace

Eleanor stared at me for a long moment, her eyes scanning my face. Then, without warning, she burst into soft laughter. She covered her mouth, shoulders shaking slightly as she tried to contain herself.

I frowned immediately and turned toward her. “Eleanor, I’m serious,” I said, my voice low and strained.

She smiled at me, still clearly entertained. “I know you’re serious, I can tell. Whenever you’re serious, you get this frustrated little crease between your eyebrows. So relax, Grace. Nothing is wrong.

Nothing is wrong?

31

I almost scoffed out loud. Nothing was wrong, if you ignored the fact that Apollo Reed was sitting in our living room like he belonged there. Nothing was wrong if he wasn’t my boss, or the most powerful man in the country. Nothing was wrong if he wasn’t teaching the kids like a personal tutor.

I let out a long exhale, rubbing my temples as if that might make reality rearrange itself.

“Do you even know why he’s here?” I asked quietly.

Eleanor blinked at me, then tilted her head as if the answer was obvious. “Isn’t it clear?” she said. “He came

to visit you because he was worried.”

I stiffened. “He was… worried?”

She nodded without hesitation. “Of course. He even came yesterday. Don’t you remember?”

“Yesterday?”

Eleanor leaned back against the wall, clearly enjoying this far too much. “Yes, yesterday. When he came, the moment he touched you, you clung to him in front of everyone and refused to let go. You dragged him to the bed like he was a pillow, Grace. You kept saying you missed him and wouldn’t let him leave until morning.”

The room felt like it tilted.

I just stood there, staring at her, my mouth slowly falling open as her words repeated in my head. You dragged him to the bed. You treated him like a pillow. You said you missed him. You wouldn’t let him go.

My heart started pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. “W–wait,” I stammered, taking a step closer to her. “That wasn’t a dream?”

She laughed again and shook her head. “A dream? No, babes. That was very real life.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

“I honestly felt bad for him,” Eleanor continued, completely unfazed. “You were ridiculously clingy. I don’t know how he managed to keep himself from touching you. You wrapped yourself around him like an octopus.”

“Oh my God,” I gasped, stumbling back a step as heat flooded my face. My hands flew to my mouth as fragments of memory suddenly slammed into me. Warm arms, a steady chest, fingers brushing my hair, the feeling of safety as I buried myself against him.

173

Teant op myself from loving you

It hadn’t been a dream.

I remembered it now.

+25 BONUS

Flashback

The voices came to me first.

They were distant, muffled, overlapping, like I was underwater and the world was happening somewhere far above me. I heard people talking, moving around, but I didn’t open my eyes. I didn’t want to. My body felt heavy, weak, like even breathing required effort.

A warm hand brushed against my face, gentle and careful, as if the person was afraid of waking me. The moment that hand touched my skin, my heart skipped violently in my chest. I didn’t know why, but the feeling was immediate and overwhelming. That warmth, and touch felt so familiar like something my body recognized before my mind did.

The hand started to pull away.

Without opening my eyes, I reacted on instinct. I caught it, my fingers curling weakly around his hand, and with the little strength I had left, I dragged it back toward me. I tugged harder, pulling the person off balance, and then I pushed him down onto the bed beside me.

Someone gasped.

Before anyone could react, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed myself against him, burying my face into his chest. The moment I did, his arms came around me automatically, holding me tight, as if this was exactly where I belonged. I breathed him in deeply, my chest rising and falling against his.

God. It smelled like him.

Everything about him felt the same, the way he held me, the steady strength of his body, the quiet reassurance in his embrace. I didn’t need to see his face to know who it was.

I heard Eleanor laugh softly. “Oh my,” she said, clearly amused. “I think we should all leave.”

“I agree,” Wyatt replied calmly. “We’ll be outside if you need anything.”

I heard footsteps, the door opening, then closing again. The room fell quiet, leaving only the two of us.

I tightened my grip around him, afraid that if I loosened it even a little, he would disappear. My voice came out hoarse and weak when I spoke. “I–is this a dream?”

He didn’t answer. Maybe he did, but I didn’t hear it. I pressed closer instead, my fingers clutching the fabric

of his shirt.

“I miss you, Apollo,” I whispered. “I miss you so much it’s driving me crazy. Even when I’m sick, you’re the only one I can think about.” My throat tightened, but the words kept spilling out anyway. “Even when I don’t want to, even when I’m scared of getting hurt again, I can’t stop myself from feeling this way.

I swallowed hard, my lips trembling as I forced myself to say the truth I’d been holding back. “I… I can’t stop myself from loving you.”

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cant stop myself from loving you

425 BONUS

He went still for a brief moment, then I felt him chuckle softly, his chest vibrating beneath my cheek, and his arms tightened around me. He leaned closer, his lips brushing my ear as he spoke in a low, gentle voice.

“I love you too, princess.”

My heart skipped again.

This is just a dream, I told myself as warmth spread through my chest. It has to be a dream.

And with that thought, I drifted back into sleep, still wrapped safely in his arms.

End of flashback

I stared at Eleanor.

She stared back at me, one eyebrow raised, her expression far too calm for what she had just casually revealed. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. My brain struggled to catch up.

So… it wasn’t a dream.

My chest tightened. My thoughts spiraled so fast they made me dizzy. I lifted a hand to my head, fingers digging into my hair as I groaned. “Fuck,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. “I confessed to my boss. I actually told him I loved him.”

The realization sent heat flooding my face and neck. I felt like I was going to combust on the spot. How was I supposed to face him again after that? There was no universe where I could walk into work, look him in the eyes, and pretend that didn’t happen. I had laid my heart bare while half–conscious, clinging to him like he was my lifeline.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pacing a step back. This was a disaster.

Just then something else surfaced in my mind.

My breath hitched.

I froze mid–step, a shiver crawling slowly down my spine as the words he had whispered into my ear replayed in my mind.

I love you too, princess.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs as my eyes flew open.

Wait.

Did… did Apollo say he loved me?

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