by Sammi Cee
I had just stepped around Sarge when I felt a firm grip on my elbow, halting me in my tracks. “Not so fast.”
I turned to look at Sarge over my shoulder. “Is something wrong?”
“That’s my question. But we’re not going to discuss it here. It’s been a long day, and I want to sit down.”
With his hand still on my elbow, Sarge gently pulled me toward the living room.
“Sit down,” Sarge directed, after he released my elbow and pointed to the couch. I immediately sat and tracked his movements as he lowered his big body down to the matching recliner. “I’m going to ask you again, Davis. Is something wrong?”
I chewed on my inner cheek, not sure how to tell him what my problem was. But this was Sarge, and I made more headway when I told him the truth. “I don't appreciate you putting me in the spare room like I’m a guest only here for a few days.”
“You had a traumatic evening, and I wanted to make you comfortable.”
“Is that all there is to it, Sarge? Or is it because of Jeffrey? You’re letting what happened in your past dictate our relationship before it even starts. I’m not Jeffrey, Sarge, and I would never do that to you. But I can’t show you that being shoved in your damn guestroom.”
Sarge’s face was expressionless, and I wondered if maybe I’d gone too far. He always wanted honesty, but maybe this was one of those times it wasn’t a good thing. Was he regretting his decision to bring me here? Was I about to be homeless? It’d only been a day, so maybe my apartment was still there for me to use. And if my belongings were still there, it’d be furnished.
“I need you to do two things,” he finally growled. “One, go rinse that glass and put it in the dishwasher.”
My mouth fell open in surprise over his command, but I found myself obeying. I thoroughly rinsed the glass, placed it on the top rack of the dishwasher, and then I wiped the water off the counter. When I returned to the living room, Sarge was still seated, waiting for me on the loveseat with his unreadable expression.
“Now for number two,” he said gruffly.
“Yes, sir?” I asked when he didn’t say anything else.
Lifting his hand, he crooked his finger indicating for me to step closer to him. “Come here, boy.”
I felt a tiny sliver of hope being called “boy” again. He wouldn’t call me that if he wanted me to leave, would he? My legs shook a little as I stepped closer and paused in front of him. Then he further surprised me by snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me onto his lap.
“It’s time we had a talk.”
Chapter Sixteen
Sarge
As I adjusted Davis comfortably on my lap, he looped his arm around my neck and snuggled in. A contented sigh shuddered through my body with the feeling of his body in my arms, where he fit perfectly. The war I’d been waging within my own mind came to a quiet, fruitless end. This is where Davis belonged.
“Do you want to tell me why you didn’t rinse your glass and put it in the dishwasher?” I asked.
He stiffened against me until I poked him teasingly in the side. He sagged back into me with relief. Davis's appearance had grown healthier in the weeks working at the bar, his slim form filling in with the added meat on his bones that he’d desperately needed. From the moment I’d seen him walk into the bar, the extra light behind him fading as the outside door closed, I’d been enthralled. His obvious need for more nourishment hadn’t distracted from my attraction to him at all, quite the opposite. It had stirred that need inside of me to nurture. Stirred it in a way I hadn’t felt in years. While I waited for him to reply, my inner Daddy buzzed with satisfaction that under the watchful eye of all of us at Full Throttle, he’d grown healthier, a difference I could feel.
Finally, he answered in a small voice, “I knew it would irritate you.”
“How did you know?” I kept my voice low, patient.
“Because it’s the only rule you gave me for living in your house?” he asked.
I chuckled. “That’s right. It’s the only rule I gave you…for now.” His mouth fell open slightly in surprise. “Do you think it was an unreasonable rule?”
He shook his head from side-to-side earnestly. “No, sir. I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again.” I threw my head back and laughed, hard, startling him. He loosened the tight hold around my neck and shifted his ass back on my thigh so he could stare at me incredulously. “What? I mean it.”
I gazed at him fondly and squeezed his thigh where my hand rested. “I’m sure you do now, and before tonight I probably would’ve believed you, but that move showed me something.”
“What?”
“The more comfortable you get, the more of a handful you’re going to be.”
His lower lip jutted out prettily in consternation. “I don’t think so. I want to make you happy. I like when you smile at me.”
“Hmm,” I hummed, smiling sweetly at him. “I believe that’s true, but I also think you’ll do whatever it takes to get Daddy’s attention if you don’t feel like I’m listening to you.” I squeezed his thigh again to take any bite out of my words.
Slowly, a shy smile spread across his face. “That may be a little true.”
“So tell me what you think I’m not hearing?” I prompted.
Immediately the tell-tale hollow in his cheek appeared. I tugged at his lower lip until he stopped chewing the inside of his cheek. He blushed. “Sorry. It’s an old habit.”
“One we’re going to break if you agree to be my boy. I won’t have you gnawing at yourself and pulverizing your own flesh. But we’ll get back to that. You deliberately disobeyed the only rule I’d given you within twenty-four hours of moving into my house. I believe it’s because you think I’ve wronged you by not paying attention to something. What is it? We have to be able to communicate if we’re going to talk about having any kind of serious relationship.”
His eyes flickered around the room, and I knew this was hard for him. Davis had grown so much from that timid boy who walked in to interview in some ways, but in others, he had a long way to go. It would be my job to help him along the way with that, but first I had to know we were on the same page. In a gush of words, he said, “I wanted to sleep in your room last night, and I hate that you gave me my own room without even asking me if I wanted to sleep in your bed with you and it made me think you’re not even going to consider being my Daddy which I hate because I know it’s the only way you’d be happy being in a relationship and that’s not fair because it’s another person who made you doubt whether you’d be a good Daddy and not me and I want my own chance to be yours because I’ve already started to think of you as my Daddy.”
Anxiously, he met my gaze, but his apprehension faded when I kissed his cheek and said, “Good, boy. Thank you for telling me the truth.”
“You’re welcome?”
I chuckled warmly. “This is new.”
“What?”
“You answering me with questions when it should be a statement. I’ll have to remember you do that when you’re in unchartered territory.”
I rubbed up and down his thigh, enjoying the way his eyes lit up each time my hands moved on him. It made me happy that it fed something in him, because it satisfied me as well. “Before we get into a heavy, well, heavier conversation about us and where we go from here, can you tell me why you think you want to be my boy. I know you had the friend from college who has a Daddy and that you researched the dynamic on your own, but why me?”
Davis took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “You see me.”
While a simple answer, it was the right one. All my reservations about becoming a Daddy again had disappeared already. Between telling Davis about Jeffrey, and Davis's reaction to overhearing what was said between Law and me, the last blockages had cleared out. I had made mistakes with Jeffrey, but what they both said made sense. If he had been the right person for me, our connection would have been more stable, durable. I hadn’t had what he wanted at the time, but he also hadn’t been t
he partner I needed for the long-haul. Another revelation I’d been missing slotted into place. A healthy partnership had to be based on two people doing their own part. The time of me owning Jeffrey’s piece of our puzzle was over. I’d grown from the experience with him in a beneficial way, but I’d no longer carry ownership of the part that was his to put in play.
I trailed my fingers lightly down Davis's expressive face. This boy knew how to hide his expressions and guard himself against this harsh world, but he was right. I saw him. And with that knowledge tucked into my heart, and with his awareness of it, I allowed myself to trust my gut instincts. “I do see you. And I like what I see, very much.”
He flushed with pleasure. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome. I have to ask you one more question before we continue. Have you had many relationships, duckling?” The answer was pretty obvious based on how he reacted to my touch, like he was starved for attention, but I wanted it all out on the table before we proceeded. Caution was necessary, this time so I could treat him with the care he deserved, rather than to guard him from my insecurities.
He shook his head, started to bite the inside of his cheek, rolled his eyes at himself, and stopped. “I’ve never been in one”—embarrassment flashed in his eyes—“or done anything else really.”
I kissed his cheek again. “Good, boy. Thank you for answering me honestly.” There was more to uncover there, but we’d delve deeper into that when he was more comfortable. “So you want to try this thing, huh?” I bopped him up on my legs. His eyes widened, but he nodded quickly. “You sure you don’t care I’m an old man?”
The eye roll again. I held in a smirk. He was either spending too much time with Billy or he was really going to be a handful as he grew more comfortable—possibly both. “Your age is part of what I like.”
I arched a brow at him. “Oh yeah? Do tell.”
“You know, you’re confident. You know who you are. You strut around the bar all in control, quirking your brows at anyone who even thinks about disrupting your bar.”
“You make me sound like an arrogant ass,” I said with a laugh.
He shook his head, smiling fondly and patting my pec. “You do have a little bit of a ‘king of my castle’ vibe going on, but I like that. It makes me feel safe.” His hand fluttered around in the air before settling back on my chest. “Obviously, I feel physically safe with you. You’re like a giant compared to me, but I…you take control of situations, you look after all of us at work, the employees, the regular customers, people we’ve never seen before, and then there’s Lawson.”
“Lawson?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah, I know he’s only your best friend, but there’s days he comes in haggard and down, and as soon as he sees you, it’s like whatever burden he’s carrying lightens. He’s known you a long time, so it stands to reason that he trusts you to help carry it. Even if he doesn’t talk about it.”
“That’s very astute.”
He shrugged a bit self-consciously. “People don’t notice me, so it gives me a lot of time to study them. You know?”
“Yeah, and meanwhile, you’re taking it all in, aren’t you?” I didn’t wait for a reply, but plunged ahead. “So you want to be my boy, Davis? Let me be your Daddy?”
He bounced so enthusiastically he almost flew off my lap. “Yes, Daddy, please. I so want that.”
His eager acceptance humbled me, empowered me, and hearing Daddy fall so easily from his lips turned me the fuck on. The urge to turn him around to straddle my hips and grind against my cock was hard to ignore, but for this to work, we needed boundaries right off the bat. Bright, blue eyes stared directly into mine. This boy was intoxicating. I cleared the ball of emotion that had welled up in my throat and said. “First our ground rule, boy.”
He fluttered his lashes coyly. “You mean first my rules, Daddy?”
Flashing a cocky smile, I winked. “I’ll give you your rules after we agree on our rule.”
“Our rule?” The perplexed-toddler-look of his had become one of my favorites. “I thought the Daddy gave his boy rules?”
“I will, and one of your rules is to trust that I know best. Can you do that?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Then believe me that our rule is just as important as the ones for you.”
He nodded gravely, so I said, “Our rule is that we always communicate clearly and openly. Can you do that for me?”
“I can try, Daddy. But why is this our rule? Is it because of what happened with you and your ex?”
“You’re such a smart boy,” I praised. A pleasant glow flushed his cheeks from the compliment. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking back on that time period in my life, and I’ve concluded that part of our problem resulted from my expectation that he knew everything I did was for us. For our continued enjoyment and success.”
“Why didn’t he know?”
“I used to think he did and I’d just failed him.”
“No, I may have not been around you, Daddy, but I guarantee you tried your hardest. I know you did.”
“Smart and sweet. How did I get so lucky that you’re choosing me?” He rolled his eyes, but he smiled affectionately. “Okay, so here are your rules. You ready?” He nodded his head quickly. “Your first rule is that you always trust me to know what’s best for you.”
He giggled. “Of course it is.”
I kissed the tip of his nose. “I know my actions thus far haven’t necessarily—”
Davis cut me off with a press of his lips to mine. “I believe you. Now that you’ve kicked the ghost of Jeffrey out of our relationship, I one hundred percent believe that you’ll be the best Daddy for me.”
My heart melted like ice cream on a warm summer day. “Thank you for that, boy.”
“You’re welcome, Daddy,” he said shyly with a flutter of his lashes.
“As you know, your safety is the most important thing to me.”
“I do know that.” The pure trust in his tone humbled me yet again.
“Good. So your next rule is that if for some reason I don’t notice something or someone making you uncomfortable, you have to tell me immediately. I can’t protect you if I don’t know. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is there anything I should know now?”
When he shook his head, I continued, “Unfortunately, my little duckling, that includes protecting you from yourself.”
He cocked his head at an angle, blinking owlishly. “What does that mean?”
Tapping his left cheek, I said, “You will quit gnawing at your own flesh and hurting yourself.” I picked up the bottom of his shirt where he’d worn down the material with his tugging and rubbing. “You will quit picking at your clothes or anything else on your person. If you’re nervous or agitated, you will talk to me. Is that clear?”
He blinked. “But… I don’t drink excessively or smoke or anything. Those are the only coping mechanisms I have. I can’t just…quit. They’re normal; I’ll never remember.”
“No worries, I’ll give you plenty of incentive to help you remember to stop, and I’ll also help you create other healthier skills to deal with uncomfortable situations.”
The look Davis gave me was doubtful, but he’d discover over time that with my gentle reminders, he would be kinder, gentler to his poor battered cheek.
“I’m extremely happy that you and Billy have become so close, and I know you two spend a lot of time together in the afternoons. I’d appreciate a text or a call letting me know what you’re up to if you leave the house.”
“That’s fair, just common courtesy,” he responded.
“Exactly.”
“But is that a rule?”
The quirk of his lips gave away that he was teasing, so I tickled his side until he belly-laughed. “It sure is. Look at you already thinking about being a brat and I haven’t even finished your rules.”
One last giggle escaped him before he said, “I was just kidding. What else, Da
ddy?”
“You’re to sleep eight hours a day, however that plays out with our work schedule, eat three meals a day, no exception, and drink half your body weight in water.”
“Seriously?”
“Very. And don’t test me on that, boy. You have a bright future ahead of you, and you’re still young. And I’ll make you a deal.” I waggled my brows and he quirked one back. “You take care of your temple and I’ll worship it.” The utter cheesiness of my comment made us both snort.
“What if I break a rule, Daddy?”
“I’ve given that a lot of thought, and since you’ve never been in this type of relationship before, I think we’re going to have to work that out as we go along. I’m a nurturer by nature, as you know, so you don’t have to worry about it being anything excessive, but...I think we’re going to have to see what works best for you.”
“Okay, I trust you.”
We sat in silence for several moments, his words hanging between us like a promise. He trusted me, and I knew he did. Clearing my throat, I tackled what I knew could be a tricky topic. “Okay, next, we’ll be opening a savings account direct depositing your paycheck straight in there. You aren’t to touch that money unless we discuss what you’re”—he opened his mouth in protest, so I put my finger across his lips—“going to spend it on. No arguments on this, boy. You’ve had a lot of responsibility in your young life and been on your own for too long. I don’t want to control your money, but I also don’t want you spending it on something that I would be happy to give you. The basics of your wardrobe, such as new, quality shoes for work, and new outerwear suitable for the elements, will also be provided by me. It’ll give me pleasure to buy those things for you. You need to build a nest egg of your own, and depositing that check straight into your account is the easiest way to make that happen.”
He tilted his head, regarding me seriously, then said, “Okay, I see what you’re saying and I make plenty of tips to help with our living expenses.”
