Defended

by Golden Angel

  Sighing with regret at having to get up, she sat up and stretched, taking the time to look around the room.

  Not the room, she quickly realized, his room.

  The furniture was mostly made from light wood and all of the colors were earth tones. Lots of beige and tan, although there was a painting hanging over the headboard that showed an ocean scene. Lots of blue there. The comforter on the bed was a dark brown with stripes of tan across the lower half of it and the sheets she was lying on were cream rather than white.

  The room was also cleaner than any room Melody had ever lived in. Getting up, she looked around and saw that everything was neatly in its place. Even the surface of his dresser was clean, other than the clothes he'd folded neatly on top of it for her and a leather catch-all which currently held two quarters and a penny. She tried to remember when was the last time she'd seen the top of her dresser.

  It had been a while.

  But she had to be so meticulously clean in the lab, she kind of liked having some mess when she came home. She could totally be this clean if she wanted to.

  Probably.

  Picking up the clothes Kawan had left out for her, she couldn't help but grin. The man was risking a hoodie on her? Immediately she yanked it over her head. Maybe he thought she wouldn't want it because it said Harvard in huge letters across the chest, but if so, he was underestimating the allure of a man's hoodie. She had no problem wearing the name of another university.

  It was soft and warm inside, the fleece silky against her skin, and Melody sighed with happiness, snuggling in. The only thing wrong with it was that it didn't smell like him. He must not have worn it since the last time it was washed.

  The sweatpants were too long but at least they fit her waist. She rolled up the bottoms before shuffling into the bathroom.

  Sure enough, there was a pink toothbrush there waiting for her. She didn't even know why she felt so happy when she picked it up.

  Not knowing what Melody actually liked to eat, Kawan decided it was best to have a lot of options rather than making an omelet like he normally did for himself. Bacon, eggs, zucchini, pancakes, and a green smoothie. Which was actually three times the amount of food he normally made, but he found himself almost nervous.

  It had been a while since he'd made breakfast for a woman. Even longer since he'd made it for a woman he wanted a relationship with.

  Waking up Melody in his bed this morning had been supremely satisfying. He'd enjoyed seeing her burrowed into the sheets, looking soft, sweet, happily content and well-rested. Knowing he'd ensured a good night's sleep for her did something for him.

  So did cooking for her.

  Her phone went off again, buzzing inside of her purse. The urge to at least pick it up and see who was so insistent on getting in touch with her was hard to push down. Hopefully it wasn't an emergency. Although he couldn't think why else someone would be so insistent on talking to her.

  It was a relief when he heard her footsteps on the stairs, making her way to the lower floor. The phone was starting to drive him a little nuts, no matter how amused he was by her Baby Shark ringtone, listening to it over and over again was an auditory version of hell.

  "Your phone is going off again," he called out, keeping his eyes on the stove. Pancakes could burn quickly. He flipped the one currently in the pan onto the serving platter before pouring more batter onto the surface.

  "That's my roommate's ringtone," she said, with a sigh in her voice, coming into the room. He glanced over his shoulder to see her putting her purse down on the counter and digging through it. "She's probably wondering where I am."

  Kawan was enjoying the sight of her wearing his clothing so much that it took a moment for him to register exactly what she'd said. He scowled as soon as he did. She hadn't told her roommate that she wasn't coming home last night? Before they'd left Black Light, after she'd agreed to come home with him, she'd been on her phone for a few minutes, texting someone. He'd assumed she was doing the usual safety measure that women took when they were going home with someone new.

  He didn't get the chance to ask her though, because she was already picking up the phone and putting it to her ear and crap! The pancake was burning.

  "Hey, Pe... Peggy... Peggy... Peggy! I'm fine!" Melody went from sounding resigned to somewhat annoyed. Flipping the burned pancake into the trash, Kawan decided they had enough food anyway and started moving everything over to the breakfast bar on his counter where Melody had found a seat on one of the stools. She beamed at him as he moved toward her, and then stared at the platters of food he set down in front of her. Yeah, he might have gone a little overboard. "I'm sorry you were worried... No... I um, ended up going to a friend's house."

  Unease shot through Kawan, stiffening his spine. Sometimes roommates weren't that close, but Melody had described Peggy as both her roommate and her best friend. Peggy was also the one who had brought Melody to Black Light with her, as a guest. So why was she lying to her best friend now?

  She's not Krissy.

  That was true. In fact, she was the opposite. Krissy had been thrilled to tell her friends all about him and all the things he did for her… bought for her… how she manipulated him with her requests. The person she’d lied to had been him.

  Still, he couldn’t help but feel like it was a red flag. One that got his back up.

  Was she ashamed of him?

  He couldn't remember a time anyone had ever hid him from the people in their life. It was not a comfortable feeling.

  Pressing his lips together, he started moving some of the food from the platters to the plate in front of her. While he'd meant to let her choose what she wanted to eat, he needed to be doing something, so that he didn't explode.

  "I'll be home soon. No, seriously, Peggy, I'm fine. We can talk when I get back." She paused as Peggy said something to her. "I'm about to eat breakfast. I promise I'll come home immediately after." Although he couldn't make out what her friend actually said to her, he could hear the tone. Obviously her friend knew something was up and she didn't like it either. Melody sighed. "See you soon. Bye."

  With a groan, she ended the call and put the phone on the counter, face down.

  "So you didn't tell your roommate that you weren't coming home last night?" he asked.

  Ah, crap on a microscope slide. Not literally, unlike at her day job. Examining fecal matter for bacteria was definitely preferable to the current shit show.

  How was everything blowing up in her face so quickly?

  Oh, right. Because she'd decided to lie to Peggy, go to Black Light on her own, and then go home with Kawan. She didn't regret any of those decisions, exactly, but every choice came with a consequence and that's what she was facing right now.

  "No," she admitted, avoiding his eyes and staring down at her plate. It smelled amazing. And the pancakes looked... well, they looked like a very familiar shape. "Did you make the pancakes into Micky Mouse's head on purpose?"

  "Yes. Why didn't you tell your roommate where you were? Did you tell anyone where you were?" He did not sound happy at all.

  Then again, how would Melody have felt if someone had called him and he'd told them that he had a 'friend' over? Guilt and shame crept up her spine, quelling some of her appetite. She didn't feel guilty about lying to Peggy, but she definitely hadn't meant to hurt Kawan's feelings.

  "Do you remember the Dom she was with at Black Light last week?" she asked, picking up her fork and stirring the scrambled eggs with it before peeking up at him. He was watching her rather than fixing a plate for himself, and the expression on his face was not encouraging. He nodded. "They broke up and... well, she was really upset. And pissed. I didn't want to rub her nose in it that I was going back to Black Light or upset her further."

  To her relief, some of the coldness receded from his demeanor. "I see," he said thoughtfully. Then his gaze sharpened. "Did anyone know where you were last night?"

  "Uh... everyone at the club?" She said it as a hopeful question mo
re than a statement, because she had a pretty good idea where he was going with this.

  She was right.

  "Melody, that was not safe," he said sternly, giving her such a Daddy Dom look that she practically melted in her chair right then and there. She squeezed her thighs together. Without her panties, she'd really rather not get the inside of his sweatpants all wet. "Anything could have happened to you."

  "But I was with you," she pointed out, giving him her widest eyes. It probably wasn't going to work, but it was worth a try. "Are you saying you're not to be trusted?"

  "I'm saying we haven't known each other that long and you should always put your safety first." His tone brooked no argument and Melody deflated slightly.

  "Sorry..." She almost called him Daddy again, right then, because she felt very much like a scolded little girl. The only reason she didn't was because they weren't in a scene. Were they? The boundary seemed very thin.

  "You're going to be," he said, in that same tone, making her shiver. "Not today though, since you have to go home as soon as you've eaten. But we'll deal with this next time." Then his voice changed, becoming less certain. "That is, if you want there to be a next time."

  "I do!" She jerked her head up, practically shouting the words. She blushed hotly.

  Kawan smiled broadly. "Good girl. Now eat your breakfast."

  To her relief, his displeasure seemed to be totally gone. Melody dug in and pushed thoughts of Peggy away. That was a problem for Future-Melody. Yeah, it was the near future, but still not something she wanted to dwell on when she was having a good morning-after meal with the man she was pretty sure she was already falling hard for.

  The man she wanted to call Daddy.

  Only in the privacy of their bedroom though. She nearly choked on a bite of pancake when she pictured introducing ‘Daddy’ to her dad.

  After breakfast, Kawan took her back to her car. She still wore his clothes because she didn't want to do the walk of shame back up to her apartment. Well, she supposed it was still kind of a walk of shame, but at least in sweats she looked like she might have just gone out early without caring what she was wearing. Much better than having to wear her corset and short skirt. The shoes were kind of a giveaway though.

  One scorching kiss and a short swat on her bottom later, Melody was in her own car and headed home to Peggy—who had texted her eight more times since their last phone call, all asking when Melody would be home or telling her to hurry it up.

  Time to face the music.

  Chapter 14

  The only downside to wearing Kawan's clothing home was that Peggy took one look at her and immediately knew that she'd been over at a man's house, not just a friend's. But she hadn't wanted to put her clothing back on either. Especially because she'd seen the gleam of pleasure in Kawan's eyes when she'd asked if she could wear his clothes home and return them on their next date.

  Which would be next Saturday. Something that she felt excited about right up until she walked through the front door of the apartment.

  "What the hell?" Peggy burst out as soon as she saw Melody, her eyes widening with shock. She stood in the middle of the living room, hands on her hips. "Why didn't you just tell me you were out getting laid? Who was it? Is that why you didn't want to come to the party? Why would you feel the need to lie about that?" Her gaze dropped to the clothes clutched in Melody's hand and a scowl darkened her face. "Is that the corset we bought? Oh my god, did you go back to Black Light without me? How did you get in? Wait, were you meeting up with that pedophile behind my back!"

  "He's not a pedophile!" Melody said, after quickly slamming the door shut behind her. That was all she needed their neighbors hearing. Good grief. She planted her fists on her hips, glaring at Peggy. It took a lot to finally trigger her temper, but that had done it. "Do I look like a child to you?"

  "Oh yeah, because pedophiles never pretend to have normal relationships." Peggy rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you're so naive sometimes. Why else would he want you to dress and act like a child? His child. Incest and pedophilia, it's two-for-one."

  "That's not what it's like!"

  It wasn't.

  Last night had been wonderful. She'd felt cared for, protected, and incredibly sexy. Even though she'd called him Daddy, even though he'd spanked her, even though she'd felt almost girlish at times, there had been nothing incestuous or pedophiliac about it. This morning Melody had felt better... well, better than she could ever remember feeling.

  Happier.

  More centered.

  More secure.

  And Peggy was ruining it.

  Peggy rolled her eyes again. "It's disgusting. It's one thing in those books you read, those are just fiction, but doing it in real life... just ugh. Grow up, Melody. The only people who want to fuck someone pretending to be a child are pedophiles."

  "That's not true!" Melody barely managed to keep herself from stomping her foot. She could feel herself getting red in the face as tears started to form at the backs of her eyes. Dammit. Whenever she got really angry, she felt like crying and she hated it. People didn't take weepy women seriously. "You're turning it into something that it's not. You've dressed up like a Catholic school girl tons of times, was that pedophilia?"

  "No, that was different, that's normal." Peggy glared at her with disgust, crossing her arms over her chest as she went on the defensive. "Lots of people fantasize about that."

  Melody glared right back at her, tightening her fingers around the corset and skirt in her hand. She'd known this was going to happen. This was exactly why she hadn't told Peggy where she was going.

  Well, that and because she'd been trying to be sensitive to Peggy's feelings, since she'd just been dumped.

  Would be nice if she could get the same in return.

  "Well, then I guess I'm not normal," Melody snapped back. She couldn't do this right now. The morning had started off so nicely and now... this. Stomping away, she headed for the hallway and the safety of her bedroom.

  "You're definitely doing a good job of acting like a baby right now," Peggy called after her. The pressure inside Melody's chest increased as she held back a frustrated scream.

  Sometimes Kawan swore his mom was psychic, because she somehow always knew when he had a new woman in his life. He couldn't dredge up even a small amount of surprise when his phone began to ring and her name came up on the screen. Since he'd finished up cleaning the kitchen, had already gone for his run, and showered, he had just been trying to figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his day, and he didn't have a good reason not to pick up the phone.

  If he didn't answer, without having a good reason not to, he'd end up feeling guilty for the rest of the day.

  Sighing, he picked up the phone.

  "Hello, Umma," he said. Although English was his and his sister's first language, his parents still preferred to be called Umma and Appa, the Korean versions of mom and dad. "How are you?"

  "Appa and I are doing well," his mom said, her voice cheerful. "I just wanted to call and find out if you're going to come visit us again soon." Despite the cheer in her voice there was a little hint of warning as well, letting him know that the only acceptable answer would be 'yes'.

  Kawan stifled a sigh. His parents lived in North Carolina, just far enough that a day trip would be inconvenient and spending the night would be best. It was a problem he'd anticipated when he'd moved north. Still, he had just visited them the weekend before he'd moved.

  "I was just down there, Umma," he reminded her. "It might be a few more weeks before I can come stay for the weekend."

  She made an unhappy humphing noise. "Very well. I will wait."

  The impatience in her voice instantly made him suspicious.

  "Is there a reason you're so eager for me to visit already?" he asked, moving into the living room to sit down on the couch. Might as well be comfortable while he found out what his mom really wanted.

  "Because I miss my wang-ja-nim, is not enough?" She did a good jo
b of sounding affronted, but Kawan was used to his mother's tricks, and calling him her 'prince' was not enough to distract him. The endearment had made him feel like royalty when he was a kid; now he was wise to how his mom could use it to her advantage.

  "I miss you too, Umma. And no, it's not. I can tell that you want something."

  "So suspicious," she said. Kawan just leaned back against the couch, waiting. After a moment she sighed with resignation. "You know me too well. Fine. There's a young woman here—"

  "Umma, no," Kawan said with a groan. He'd really hoped it wouldn't be something like that. As much as his mom never found any woman he introduced her to quite up to her standards, she was still always looking.

  Especially after the Krissy debacle. Although, she'd had some really good points about Krissy.

  "She's very nice—"

  Kawan cut her off again. "Umma, I'm seeing someone up here."

  Silence.

  He rubbed his hand over his face, waiting to see how she would respond.

  "I see." There was another long pause. "What's her name? How long have you been seeing her? Is she why you moved farther away from your family?" There was a definite edge to that last question and Kawan couldn't help but chuckle. That was his mom all over.

  "Her name is Melody. I met her after I moved up here, and we just went on our first date last weekend."

  "Where did you meet her?" she asked.

  "Ah... well..." He stumbled over his words, realizing how woefully unprepared he was to talk to his mother about Melody. Although, it was always possible no amount of preparation would have been enough. His father had always said Kawan took after his mom and that was why he made such a good lawyer. They could both be unrelenting with their pursuit of information. Kawan liked to joke that, as a librarian, his mom used her powers for good. Mostly.

  "Kawan." The flat tone of her voice was filled with warning, as if the use of his name wasn't enough.