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That was the truth. His wish was that, in time, they became family for Callie and Eli, too.
“We need to find rings.” It was the one point he was unmovable on.
The older man adjusted his tie, then disposed of the dirty water and cloths. He washed his hands, meticulously dried them. “Leave that to me. I have connections.”
Standing, Evander cradled Callie close and followed his friend to the door. Eli unlocked it, then pressed the green button set into the wall to summon the service submissives assigned to room cleaning.
Excitement shimmered around them as they left the room, stepping into the cacophony of noise drifting up from the scenes below, along with the heat produced from numerous bodies engaged in rigorous physical activity.
“This is a good place,” Eli stated as they headed for the elevator. “I don’t know what it was like before, but you should be proud of what you’ve built here. Making people’s dreams come true…or bringing them back to life, in this case.”
“I…” Taken aback by the compliment, he blinked slowly. “Thanks?”
“No need to blush. Credit where credit’s due, boss.”
Like hell he was blushing. Men didn’t blush.Blush. What a stupid word.
Yet there was a touch of heat in his cheeks—which, of course, he attributed to the best sex he’d experienced in…forever. He told himself it was the remnants of the adrenaline in his blood, even as he relished Eli’s approval.
It was nice to be told he was good at something when all he’d ever gotten from his parents was condescension and scorn.
Elias pressed the call button for the elevator, then turned and lifted his eyebrow. “Does it complicate things, being her Daddy when you have such complex issues with your own?”
“The situation is different. My father didn’t spank me, tie me up, or fuck me.”
“No, he just ignored you for the first half of your life, tried to force you into his footsteps in the second, and does nothing but preach the word of God with every breath he takes.”
There was no arguing with that.
They stepped onto the elevator, standing close together. Eli’s hand rested on Callie’s thigh, connecting them all as they descended to the floor below.
“You can’t correct his mistakes by playing Daddy to Callie. She’s not your daughter; she’s your lover, your sub, your little girl. Love her and enjoy her for whosheis, Evander.” Elias bumped his shoulder against Evander’s side. “The time to be a better father than he is will come when we’re holdingourbaby in our arms. Whether she arrives with golden hair or babbling in a British accent, she’s your chance to be the man your father could never hope to be.”
“She?”
The doors pinged open. “The first one will be a girl, with a horde of brothers to defend her. Not that she’ll need defending, of course. She’ll have her mother’s sass and an attitude a mile long.”
“And no fucker will ever raise a belt in her direction.”
“That won’t be an issue.”
“Those elusive connections again?”
Elias laughed, the sound dark. “For disposal and clean up, maybe. The rest I can handle myself.”
“Am I going to get my ass kicked whenever we have a marital disagreement?”
“Marital disagreement…Christ, you’re starting to sound like me.” Laughing, Eli led the way off the elevator. “One thing I learned from my own parents’ marriage is never let an argument escalate into violence. It’s a downhill slope once the first blow lands in anger.”
“Ah, so you’re from the school of talk it out?”
“Talk it out, fuck it out…whatever works.”
“I think angry sex with Callie would probably kill us.”
Eli leveled him with a haughty glare. “I hear the implication in your voice; you mean it’ll killme,what with me being older and being much more handsome than you.”
“Well, you are an old bastard, Eli. As formuch more handsome…jury’s still out on that one.”
