Page 54

“Good.” He grinned, and I felt its warmth down to my toes. “Second . . .” He let his voice trail off before sighing. “Well, to tell the truth, I’ve been miserable ever since.”

My breath caught, and I held it so he could continue without interruption.

“I regretted the way I acted that morning, but it was more than that. And it took both Sam and Cameron to make me see that I was miserable without you.” His eyes flicked up to mine. “You are my missing piece.”

My heart stuttered in my chest at his proclamation and the implication in his words. But I needed to know something first. “Wait—so you told Sam and Cameron about us?”

Tristan’s eyes fell. “Yes and no. I didn’t name you specifically, but they knew I slept with someone and was hung up on him. On you.”

On one hand, I wanted him to declare our like for each other to anyone and everyone, but on the other hand, I could see how he wouldn’t have wanted to out me to our friends. No one knew I was a Daddy, after all. I appreciated his discretion.

I stared at the empty table in front of us as I processed his words, then, a few moments later, I glanced back up at him. I was thrilled to hear everything he’d said, but . . . “What does this mean, then, Tris? I know myself well enough to know that I can’t do casual for any length of time. In case I wasn’t clear before, I want you—every part of you—for as long as you’ll have me.”

Tris’s smile was sweet, but I could sense his hesitation. I fought against trying to backtrack as he formed his next words. “I want that, too, Henry. More than you know. But I also have . . . things . . . in my past that make it hard to be in a relationship. I may not get it right—in fact, I know I won’t most of the time. But with you, I want to try. I just may need some time and patience.”

“That I can do,” I replied easily, grinning. “Honestly, Tris, you’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted: a real chance with you.”

“Yeah?”

My smile widened. “Absolutely. Now, what are we gonna do about it?”

Tristan dropped my hands in favor of reaching up to caress my bicep. I shivered at the feel of him through my light sweater as sparks shot through my body. “Well, honestly, I was hoping we could fuck.”

I sputtered a shocked laugh that probably would’ve sounded ridiculous had anyone been able to hear it. I was glad for the dance music pounding around us. “Shit, Tris, you just say whatever pops into your head, don’t you?”

Instantly, his eyes turned downcast, and his long lashes fluttered against his cheeks as he whispered his demure response close to my ear. “Yes, Daddy.”

My eyes shot wide as my dick hardened. “Fuck, boy. We’re leaving. Now.”

I grabbed his hand, yanking him to his feet. Ignoring catcalls and whistles from both Ben and Larry, I pulled Tristan through the door that stood between us and the bar, the one that led to the back rooms. I pushed through, hurrying down the hallway past the kitchen. Just after grabbing my lined leather jacket and an unclaimed branded zip-up hoodie off a wall-mounted rack, I pulled Tris through the back door.

We stole into the night, Tris’s hand warm and comforting in mine. I paused, grinning back at him as the icy night air hit me, and helped Tris into my jacket before I slipped the hoodie over my sweater. December in Seattle was no joke, and we would need to hurry to my house before I froze to death in my clothing of admittedly questionable warmth. But no way was I letting Tris walk around in forty-degree weather with holes in his clothes and nothing to protect him.

“Daddy, are you su—”

“Let’s go, baby,” I insisted, cutting him off. “I’ll be okay for the next five-hundred feet or so. Let’s just get home.”

Tris grinned. “Yes, Daddy.” Then he turned and sprinted down the sidewalk. A laugh burst out of me as I ran after him.

Well, that was one way to get warm. We tumbled through my front door a minute or so later, both of us breathing hard and laughing at our ridiculousness. Once I shut the door behind us, Tristan leaned against it, his chest heaving and cheeks flushed as he gazed at me. I’d never seen anyone more beautiful.

When he licked his lips, I was a goner. I slid my arms around his waist, pressing him against the door as I captured his lips with my own. We still hadn’t caught our breath, but somehow that made this so much hotter. My desire for him increased with every movement of our mouths, and when his lips parted to let me in, I moaned and pulled him even closer. His answering moan had my head spinning in the best of ways.

He pulled away much too soon to catch his breath, but I was getting a little light-headed from the lack of oxygen, so I understood. Our chests heaved for another reason entirely now, and I just stared at him from inches away as his mesmerizing light-blue eyes peered into the depths of my soul. I’d never felt so vulnerable, splayed open for him in this way, but despite the discomfort of the unknown, I didn’t want to be anywhere else in this moment. I wanted him to look at me like this endlessly. I wanted him to make me feel this way every day for the rest of our lives.

But he wasn’t ready for declarations of forever. By his own admission, he was barely ready to be in a relationship, and I was going to respect that. I’d never dream of pushing him past any actual hard boundaries—though as his Daddy, I would relish encouraging him to stretch himself when he needed it—so I would do my best to figure out how to support him as he learned to trust me, trust us. Whatever that looked like.

Whatever he needed.

Once our breathing had started to return to normal, I took his hand again and led him up to my bedroom. The urgency was tempered now, and I took the time to memorize the feeling of his skin against mine, though only our hands were touching. I couldn’t wait to have him in my bed again, to caress every inch of his perfect body, to have him map every inch of mine.

In the bedroom, I undressed Tristan slowly, setting my jacket on the arm chair in the corner first then pulling off the rest of his hotter-than-sin outfit. Tris looked like an angel, but I could’ve sworn he was the devil in these clothes.

Soon, Tris was naked in front of me, and I was still fully dressed. He shivered as he took us in, and I frowned. “You cold, my Angel Baby?”

He quirked an eyebrow at me. “Angel Baby?”

I smiled, rubbing my hands along his upper arms. “You’re an angel come to save me, and you’re my baby now. I thought it fit you well.”