Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Reese scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger.
Safe to say, no need to ask about how life had been around here while I’d suffered in the desert. Danny and Reese were acting more like bickering brothers than before, and River was the opportunist who picked the side that suited him in that moment. I’d seen it at work after I’d finished my tasks, and I’d seen it all throughout dinner.
“I’m too full,” Reese complained. He kicked up his feet on the coffee table and threw his book next to him. “I need a break.” He glanced over at us again. “Are y’all leavin’ the door open tonight, or should I just go out for a run?”
I’d prefer—
“Enjoy your run,” Danny replied. “I’m not in a sharing mood.”
Thank fuck, because neither was I. The twins could watch tomorrow.
Reese sucked his teeth. “I guess you’re only in that mood when I grab the last slice of pizza in the cafeteria.”
Good Christ. It was difficult not to laugh. Danny didn’t even bother trying to hold back.
“Were they like this the whole time I was gone, River?” I asked.
He didn’t look up from his book. “Yup.”
Poor kid. Poor me, if this continued.
“Okay, I’m done with my chores,” Danny declared and turned off the water. “Take me to Poundtown, Sir. Then to Boneville. And possibly Fuckistan.”
I snorted a laugh and threw an arm around his shoulders. My little clown. I’d make sure he’d see all three sites before sunup.
To be honest, he could’ve been to one of those places already, but he seemed to need a chore or two. And I got it. Chores provided structure. I had a perfectly functioning dishwasher, but if it made him feel better to do the dishes, I was happy to enforce the rules. Cleaning the bathroom once a week was his job too.
“Try to keep it down,” Reese said. “Some of us are tryin’ to study.”
I didn’t miss a beat. “We’ll be mindful for River’s sake.”
Danny laughed and started dragging me toward our bedroom, and I wished the boys a good night.
Something shifted between us when we got in the shower. The need simmered through me like a thick stream of lava, but it wasn’t as urgent as it had been earlier today. Nor were our touches laced by our Daddy/Little dynamic. Even though the labels and terms of endearment were very much present, we were just…us.
It made me pump the brakes, because I wanted to savor every moment. More than that, I wanted to explore every aspect of our relationship, and with Danny, I shared three major parts. We worked together. I was his Daddy, and he was my sweet boy. But we were also equals sharing our first real relationship together, and we hadn’t given that side of us much time yet. Instead, we’d jumped between work and our semi-relaxed state of D/s.
He closed his eyes as I started washing his hair. “I hated being away from you.”
I dipped down and kissed him. “Me too. Especially since I couldn’t call.”
He hummed. “I hope we get some assignments together in the future.”
He did?
Hell, I was starting to hope we’d get several, if not all. That was the worrywart in me, I was sure. Maybe. Fuck. No, I wasn’t sure one bit. I knew he was going to make an excellent operator, and he was taking his training seriously, despite the complaints. This ran deeper. I simply didn’t want to be without him.
The question was if I could be a good partner to him in the field—or if I was going to be overprotective every step of the way. In which case, we wouldn’t make a good team. I could cost us precious time and make the wrong decisions if I treated him like my Little.
“I’m afraid I’d treat you unfairly in the field,” I admitted.
He cracked one eye open. “How so?”
I shrugged slightly and nudged him under the hot spray again. “When it’s a matter of life and death, I’m not sure I can separate the soldier from the man who’s become so…” Important was an understatement. Everything rang truer, but that felt intimidating to say out loud. So I sighed at my uselessness in finding the right word, and I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him. “I’ve never been in the field with someone I adore, baby. I don’t know how I’d react.”
He scraped his teeth over his bottom lip, and a slow smile appeared as he slid his hands up my chest and around my neck. “I have an idea,” he murmured. He pressed himself impossibly close to me and pulled me down enough to ghost his lips over mine. “See, I’ve never been in the field with someone I adore either…”
Fuck.
I kissed him, and through no fault of my own, my hands covered his ass.