“Yes, Daddy.” I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I reached into my pocket and held it up. I had asked him to take care of me, and he was trying to do just that.
“Do you two need a room?” Leo asked.
Graham flipped him off as he leaned in to kiss me. Oblivious to the others, I wrapped my arms around his neck and opened for him. When he took possession of my mouth, all my concerns melted.
“Tomorrow I’m going to make sure you remember how to listen to your daddy.”
“Please.” The word came out in a sexy purr.
“Now go. If you have any trouble or need anything, please call me.”
“I will.”
I turned to Leo. “Congratulations again. I can’t wait to see what you’ll do with Thrust.”
“If he runs it like he does Succumb, it will be fantastic,” Foster said.
I nodded. “I’m sure it will be. It was nice meeting you, Foster, and you too, Max.”
“Tell Graham he has to bring you to Succumb sometime,” Max said.
I didn’t respond to that. I simply said, “Have a good rest of your night. I’m sure I’ll see you again sometime.”
Graham stood when I did and insisted on walking me to the door. When my Lyft pulled up, he said, “Go home, take some ibuprofen—it’s in the center drawer in my bathroom—then go to bed, naked.”
“Yes, Daddy.” A moment later, the car whisked me away.
***
I woke early the next morning to the warm feeling of Graham spooning me. I wasn’t sure when he’d gotten in. I had only a vague memory of him kissing my neck as he snuggled against me. I needed to go to the bathroom, so I carefully lifted his arm and slid out from under it. By the time I emptied my bladder and drank some water, I knew I wasn’t likely to fall back asleep. I needed coffee, and while Graham had given me a brief tour of the house the night before, I wanted to explore. Not spy really, just find out what I could learn about him from the things he left out for anyone to see.
I pulled on my sleep pants and headed downstairs. Before going to the kitchen, I checked out the books on the shelf in the living room. There were a lot of biographies, thrillers, mysteries, and a not insignificant collection of Harlequins. The latter made me grin, but I supposed it made sense considering Graham’s affection for romcoms—a confession I’d forced out of him our first day together.
He also had a shelf of colored glassware, enough that he must be at least a semi-serious collector. There were vases, bowls, wine glasses, and what I guessed were dessert cups in red, royal blue, and emerald green. The glass was especially beautiful in the early morning sun. He’d situated the shelf in the perfect place to catch the light coming through the French doors that led to the deck. I’d had no idea about his collection or what he liked to read or anywhere near enough about his life when he wasn’t with me in Asheville.
I stepped into the next room. I’d thought it would be an office, but it wasn’t. A beautiful baby grand piano stood by a bay window, which faced the back yard. Did Graham play? He must. He didn’t strike me as the type who would own a piano if he didn’t.
I crossed the room, drawn to the well-polished instrument. There were a few books on the stand, one filled with waltzes and the other a collection of country dances. I tried to picture Graham playing the piano, reading a biography in his well-lit living room, and searching antique shops for glassware. None of that seemed wrong, but it also wasn’t a side he’d shown me. How well did I know him outside of sex, and how would I ever know much more when we only had weekends and not even all of those?
He’d seemed sincere when he said he was willing to move to Asheville, but after looking at all this and going out with him and his friends, I couldn’t understand why he’d want to leave his life here. There were so many things we needed to talk about. It was easy to kiss him and fall into bed—or against the wall or down on my knees. I wanted to do what he said, be what he needed, and it felt so right, but last weekend had shown us we couldn’t keep things as they were forever.
I brushed my hand over the piano keys, letting some of the high notes tinkle out over the still room. Then I walked into the kitchen. The coffee pot was on the counter and luckily, Graham stored the coffee and filters in the cabinet right above it.
While the coffee brewed, I stepped onto the back deck. The sun was coming up, but it was far from bright yet, and the air, while not quite cool, was far more refreshing than it would be later. I walked down the steps into the yard. A few terraced gardens led to a gravelly area near the lake. The closest garden had a bed of roses that didn’t look too healthy. Some of their leaves were yellowed, and many of them were wilted. As I looked closer, I saw he’d labeled them, and they looked fairly newly planted. When I saw the ones with pale pink and orange variegated blooms, I realized these were some of the varieties he’d shown me as we’d walked in the gardens at the Misty Mountain Lodge the day he’d stuck a remote-controlled plug up my ass.
Graham had told me then that he wanted to do more gardening, that it relaxed him. But he’d ended up spending so many weekends in Asheville he couldn’t have had much time. That must be why the roses looked so sad. If I kept taking him away from home, would I eventually make Graham wilt the way these roses had?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Graham
“Avery?” He was standing by the rose garden, dressed only in a pair of sleep pants.
He turned and smiled at me. His hair was sticking up and he looked half asleep still. I wanted to devour him.
“I made coffee,” he said as he walked toward where I stood on the deck.
“I saw. And I brought you a cup.”
He glanced at the mugs I’d set on the bistro table. “Oh. Thank you.”
“Do you mind sitting out here?”
“No, that’s great.”
Things were back to feeling too polite, too distant between us. I had to find a way to fix that, so I resisted the urge to touch him as he walked past me to the table. Touching would lead to kissing and that would lead to one of us pulling the other back inside and neither of us getting coffee for a long time. I needed coffee, but more importantly, Avery and I needed to talk.
Avery took a sip from his mug and looked back toward the rose garden. “You planted those roses after Felicity’s wedding, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
“And you haven’t had time to take care of them, because you’ve been coming up to visit me most weekends.”
I frowned, not wanting to admit that. “It’s just been too hot for them.”
He raised his brows, obviously not buying it.
“You’re a lot more important than a few plants.”
“But you wanted to do more gardening, and I’m keeping you from it. I’m keeping you from all of this.” He gestured at the yard and the house.
“All you’re keeping me from is a giant house where I live by myself, surrounded by things I mostly didn’t even choose for myself.”
“The glassware? Did you pick that out?”
I nodded. “My grandmother collected depression glass. I inherited some of her pieces and can’t resist looking for more when I get a chance.”
“I think your house is beautiful, but why do you live here if it’s not what you want?”
I shrugged. “I like the yard and the lake. After Louise kicked me out and did her best to keep the kids away from me, I felt like I had something to prove. I needed to show that I could have anything, a huge house, a fancy car, an expanding business. I made sure whatever I bought was the best. But that was petty and stupid, and I’d rather spend my time in Asheville with you than here alone.”
“You could’ve asked me to come to Charlotte before now, unless you didn’t want me here.”
Those words stole my breath. How could he think— “I came to Asheville because I love being there, because I want to give you what you need, because you had to work on Saturdays so me spending the weekend there made sense. Never once did I mean to make you feel—�
�
“It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m scared, Graham. This seems so much harder the more time we spend together. I just don’t know what we should do.”
“What if you just let Daddy make all the decisions? Would that be easier?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them.
Avery’s eyes went wide. His mouth opened and closed, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry. That was out of line. I just wanted you to know that’s an option, because sometimes you’ve found that easier.”
“I don’t think that’s the right choice for us, but… it’s tempting, because no matter how worried I am about us finding our way, calling you Daddy still feels so right.”
“It feels right to me too, boy. And all the things you think I’ll miss here are things I could do in Asheville: gardening, glass collecting, discovering new restaurants to try.”
“Playing the piano?”
I nodded, wishing I’d been with him when he saw the music room. I would’ve played for him. Hopefully I would eventually. “Pianos can be moved. Before I met you, I’d forgotten how much I’d loved all those things. You helped me remember there’s so much more for me than work and quick hookups. I hadn’t played the piano in years. I don’t even know what possessed me to buy one for this house, but since I met you, I’ve started playing again.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Avery.” I squeezed his hand.
“But what about your friends? I could tell last night how close you are. I don’t want to take you away from them.”
I sighed. “Leo will be spending lots of time in Asheville, and I’m sure Max and Foster will visit too once he’s running Thrust. I care about all of them, but with all our work schedules, we don’t see each other often. I can drive to Charlotte to spend a few days with them if I want to, and I’d like to bring you back and let you get to know them better.”
“It was hard last night; you all have this history, and…” He looked away, seeming unsure how to finish.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to feel left out.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, and neither did they. I just feel like you have this whole life here, and it’s so different from what you have with me.”
“Different, yes, but you’re what I want, what I’ve been longing for. I can hold on to my friendships from a distance, but I can’t fully share my life with you like I want to if we’re apart. To do that, we need to live in the same town, or even together.”
He gave me a disbelieving look. “I just told you I’m not sure how we can make this work, and you’re asking me to move in with you?”
I took a slow breath, knowing I had to tread carefully. “I’m telling you I’m open to that. I’d love for us to live together, because I want to share everything with you, all the things I want to do, the places I want to go. I want to take you to Tuscany and Scotland, and all the places you’ve dreamed of, but you have to let me. You have to be comfortable with me giving you all that I want to give.”
“I want to do all those things, but it feels wrong to take from you.”
“Does it feel wrong to take from me when it’s pleasure?”
He shook his head. “That’s different from things that cost money.”
“It’s just as valuable, more so really, because the feeling you give me when you open yourself for me isn’t something I can work for, or study for, it’s a gift.”
Tears shone in his eyes. “Oh, Daddy. I… I’m sorry, maybe I should call you Graham right now.”
I laid a hand on his arm. “Let’s not worry about those boundaries. Just use whatever name feels natural.”
“Surrendering to you feels natural.”
“I know, boy. No matter how you feel about anything else, I know that, and I know that being comfortable with me spending money on you isn’t the same as giving me control in other ways.”
“Neither is agreeing for you to move. I know you don’t need my permission, but—”
I took both his hands in mine. “I want everything we do to be consensual, including me moving.”
He looked at our joined hands and sighed. “I need some time to think.”
“Then take it.”
“But—”
“If you want to, you can still stay the weekend, or you can go on back to Asheville and take the time you need.” I wasn’t sure how I got those words past the lump in my throat.
“Daddy, I don’t want to leave you.” His voice sounded as choked as mine.
“I’m not breaking up with you or even telling you to leave. You can stay here as long as you want. I’m just promising to give you as much time as you need to figure things out. That’s the best way for me to care for you right now. No matter how much I want to hold you tight and not let go, that’s not the kind of daddy you need now. You need your freedom.”
He slid out of his chair and knelt by me, laying his head on my thigh. “You’re too good to me.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just trying to give you what you need.”
“I know you must think I’m crazy. You’re offering me everything and—”
I used a finger under his chin to make him look at me. “No, Avery. I’m asking a lot and probably pushing way too hard.”
“You know what you want and I… I thought I did. Maybe I do, but…”
“It’s okay. Take time to think about what you can handle, and please know this isn’t an ultimatum. I’m not saying that if you aren’t ready for me to move to Asheville, we have to end this.”
He looked even paler than he had a few moments before. “I don’t want to end it.”
“I know, baby. It’s going to be okay.”
Tears rolled down his cheeks and wet the leg of my jeans. I carded my fingers through his hair as he cried.
A few moments later, he sat up and wiped his eyes. “Thank you for understanding, Daddy.”
“You don’t need to thank me for giving you room to breathe. Any decent person would do that.”
“You’re so much more than decent.”
I stroked his cheek. “You’re a good boy. Whatever you decide won’t change that.”
I rose and pulled Avery up and into my arms. “Let me make you breakfast. Then, if you’re ready, you can go home and call Felicity or Sean or someone you trust and talk this out.”
“You don’t mind me talking about all this with Felicity?”
“She’s your best friend. I won’t take that from you just because I might blush when I see her again.”
He smiled for the first time since our conversation had begun. “I’m not going to give her any details. I’m not that perverted.”
“Are you sure?”
His eyes widened, but then he grinned. “Daddy! I’m shocked.”
“I’d need to do more than that to shock you.”
“Why don’t you see if you can come up with something?” His smile faded. “Um… I mean… Whenever… If we…”
What if he went back to Asheville and decided he wanted to end things? I wouldn’t be with him like this again. I looked away for a moment and cleared my throat, wishing I didn’t have to face this reality. “Do you want pancakes with your bacon, or eggs and toast? The bacon is not negotiable.”
“Oh, really.” He pressed his lips together, like he was trying to hold in a laugh.
“Yes, really.” At least I could still entertain him.
“Pancakes, please.”
“Coming right up.” I prayed I could get through breakfast without breaking down and begging him to stay.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Avery
Almost two weeks had passed since I’d seen Graham. I’d cried most of the drive back to Asheville and then slept for fourteen hours. In the days since, I’d talked to Felicity, Sean, a few other stylists at my salon, and even, strangely enough, Carter and his sister Mandy. All of them essentially told me to get my head out of my ass and accept Graham’s money as well as his offer to move.
Carter’s statement on the situation: “Look, I might not like to talk about you and Dad, but you’re good together, really good, and I don’t want either of you to lose that. Just let him take care of you; he’s good at it.”
And Mandy had said, “My dad can be a pushy bastard sometimes, but he totally means well, and I think he’s crazy about you. You’ve wanted your own company for like ever. So put him out of his misery, let him help you, and go look at houses with him.”
I hadn’t slept well since I’d left Charlotte. And now here I was on Thursday night, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with no idea how late it had gotten or how I’d get enough sleep to get through work the next day. Then my phone rang. It was Wren. Was he calling to tell me off too?
I answered with “Yes, I know I’m an idiot.”
“Is my dad there?” He sounded shaken up.
“No, we’re not… We’re taking some time apart. I thought you knew that.”
“Yeah, Mandy told me, but I figured you were back together by now. You seem to fit so well.”
Wow, even Wren saw that, and he’d only had dinner with us once.
“Are you okay?”
“I… not exactly. I called Carter and Mandy, and they didn’t answer so then I tried Dad, but he didn’t answer either, so I thought maybe he was there. I…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Um… I need some help.”
He really didn’t sound good. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” His answer was quick and sharp, making me doubt him.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at Thirsty’s Billiards. Can you come get me?”
“Of course, where is it?”
He gave an address, but I only vaguely recognized the street name. I thought it was somewhere north of downtown.
“And please hurry. There’s this guy, and he… I don’t know when he’s going to come back.”
“Do I need to call the police?”
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