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“I couldn’t pass up a chance like this.” He spins his keys over his finger. “I wish it could have been more.”
Every instinct in me wants to offer him more. A chance to do this again, a real shot at knowing him longer than this one-night event. But I won’t.
Tanner made it clear he doesn’t have time for anything outside of what we shared this evening. Being a Daddy is not just a protective and caring dominant role. It’s also understanding when and where to push.
“I wish for that too, Tanner. But I respect your limits and won’t ask you for something you can’t give. Including your phone number.”
He blinks at me, eyes rounding as his mouth drops open. With a quick cough, he clears his throat and forces a hoarse, “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me for respecting you or your boundaries,” I tell him.
“I really should, and I do. But I meant, thank you for everything.” Standing on his toes, he pushes a far too quick press of his lips against my cheek before ducking inside the car. The door slams closed, the engine turns over, and Tanner departs down the gravel drive before I register more than the burning want he left behind.
I watch the dark road, dust flying in the air, blurring the tail lights of Tanner’s car until they’re nothing more than specks in the distance.
I shake away the absurd sensation of wishing I could chase after the boy, turning to head back inside. Aspen glances up from the computer screen, their brows furrowing when they catch sight of me.
“Everything okay, Dean?”
“Yeah, fine,” I say, scrubbing my hand over my face. “Is Lennox still around?”
Questions dance in Aspen’s eyes. “I think so. Unless he slipped by me, he should still be at the bar.”
“Thanks,” I say quickly, rushing through the door before I can be subjected to an interrogation I want no part of.
Lennox, thankfully, is exactly where Aspen said he would be, chatting up the bartenders as they restock and shut down their space.
“Oof, you look like you could use a drink,” he says as soon as my ass hits the barstool beside him.
“Leave them alone.” I grab his arm before he can wave down any of the bartenders. “Unless Eve suddenly decided to apply for a liquor license, there’s no point.”
“Fine, fine. No drink. Can I offer you an ear? How about a shoulder to cry on?”
“Fuck off, Lennox.” I shove him hard enough that the barstool tips over. Sadly, it isn’t enough force to push his ass to the floor, but I’ll settle for the stunned expression while he rights himself.
“Why so surly, Dean?” Lennox asks once he’s back on the stool. “Didn’t you get a night to play?”
“I did. And that’s the fucking problem.” I scrub a hand over my face. “It wasn’t supposed to end like this.”
“Wait, I’m confused. Didn’t younotwant to participate? Did I miss something?”
“No, you’re right. I wanted no part of this bullshit adoption, but Eve called in a favor.”
“Yeah, I got that,” Lennox says, waving a hand in the air. “Skip the intro. Tell me how you went from surly Dean who was against joining the festivities to…well…whatever this Dean is.”
Maybe I should have let Aspen ask all their questions instead. Insightful Doms are the worst. “You’re such an ass, you know that?”
“I’ve been called worse. Quit stalling.”
Propping my elbow on the bar, I turn to Lennox and give him a rundown of the night with Tanner. Each moment is so vividly impressed in my memory that the details come without effort. “See the problem?”
“Let me get this straight. You were adopted by a boy who made it clear there couldn’t be anything more than this one night. A night you didn’t even want from the get-go. After a few hours in his utterly perfect presence, every thought you had when this all started flew out the window. You want more, and he gave you a goodbye kiss. Did I miss anything?”
Lennox laughs when my only response is a middle finger.
“He’s in desperate need of a Daddy, Lennox.”
“And you want to be that Daddy?”
