Page 13 of Approved (The Dapper Duck #1)

Chapter thirteen

WEST

Tyler was so much more than I had ever hoped for.

We walked around the Art Festival holding hands, enjoying each other’s company, and looking at tons of handmade items.

I noted anything he liked so I could get them as gifts in the future.

I loved spoiling someone I cared about, some of these items would be perfect as a pick-me-up or on a day I want to make him smile.

Like all the other couples, we laughed and teased, happy to be outside in the beautiful weather.

I had never really dated someone, but this felt great, and I was excited to do more of it.

I asked him questions about his life all day since I wanted to know everything about him.

Whenever I had a chance, I would steal a kiss, and I was pleased that he would do the same.

Unless I was completely misreading it, he enjoyed being with me, and there was no place I would rather be than with him.

“I’m glad you came with me.” I wanted him to know how much I liked being with him without pushing too hard.

“And I appreciate that you helped me with Charlie yesterday. You saved me from a full-blown panic attack. Thank you.”

He leaned over and kissed me sweetly.

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m glad to be here with you, too.”

“I know that technically this is our first date, but would you maybe consider dating, dating me?” Why did I ask that?

Even though it seemed reasonable since we had been circling each other for weeks now, it felt way too soon.

Now it was out there, and I had never been so nervous about hearing an answer.

Until Tyler, I had everything I could ever want, but this man in front of me was a surprise, and I wanted him as part of my life.

I stood there, my palms were sweating, and I wiped them on my pants.

This was not something I had ever asked before, or even considered asking before, because it didn’t seem like it was something I would ever want to do.

I hadn’t planned to say anything like this, but I leaned into it now that it was out there.

“So what do you think?” It was very difficult for me not to continue talking while I waited for him to say anything.

I started to consider backing out of the question when he smiled.

It warmed my heart, and I hoped he would say yes.

“Yes. I would like to date you, and I assume you mean exclusively?”

I tried acting cool but knew I hadn’t pulled it off.

“Yes. Exclusively. For the record, though, it’s probably been two years since I’ve been near another man, maybe more.” I muttered the last part because it kind of embarrassed me that I was alone all the time and had chosen that.

He looked at me, obviously surprised.

“Seriously?”

“You find that hard to believe?”

“You own a bar and are hot. You have to have men falling all over you.”

“I appreciate the compliments, and yes, I have options, but I got tired of the whole hookup culture. I want more.” My stomach dropped.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but it was true, and if he wasn’t looking for a serious relationship, it was best we didn’t go further.

“It’s pleasantly surprising. I like knowing you are looking for a relationship, especially since we are now dating.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“I’d like for us to date and see where this goes. There are a few deal breakers.”

I knew I looked crestfallen, but I sucked it up.

“Sure, what are those?”

“Jamie, Earl, and Larry must all approve you.”

I let out a chuckle and sighed.

“Bring it on. I already know I can impress Jamie.”

This time, he was the one who laughed.

“Yeah, she is already on team West. Threatening to seduce you herself.”

“I don’t think that could happen. I'm a fan of the dick. But I think I can get her completely on my side. One of the things you should know is that one of my love languages is gift-giving.” I hoped he would learn to accept that about me. It was a craving to do things for those who mattered to me, and I often got little things for West and Allison. Spark more than once found a little something on her desk, and like I had when we went to Hash House, I take a surprise for my staff when I can. “Earl and I seem to be getting along well enough, and he thinks I gave him a kitten. Larry might be more difficult. This might be presumptuous, but I’d like to meet him.”

“Did you just ask to meet my cat?”

I wondered if I had done something wrong. “Yes?!”

He leaned over, his mouth on mine, deep and hungry. He slipped his tongue between my lips and I opened for him enjoying his tongue hot against mine, a soft moan came from me even though we were in a public place and I had to make a conscious effort not to hump his leg—the things he did to me with just a kiss. What was clear is that I had said something that pleased him. He pulled back. “You can meet Larry. How about I take you to my place? You can meet Larry, and I will cook dinner for you.”

That sounded amazing to me. “I’d love that.”

We kissed more, which I didn’t mind, I had never been one for PDA, but with him, the need to touch and kiss was ever present. My heart felt full, and it was something unfamiliar, but it wasn’t unwelcome. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and while Tyler got what he needed for dinner, I made sure to load up on some special cat treats, catnip, and toys. Larry was one of the last steps between me and Tyler, and I would make sure the fuzzball adored me.

When we entered Tyler’s apartment, Larry made himself known immediately by jumping up on the counter and meowing. He petted the cat and whispered in its ear.

“What can I do to help?”

He smiled. “I’ll let you feed Larry, that’s sure to win you points.”

It was nice that he wanted to help me get his approval. “Okay, Larry, I don’t know if this is the best out there, but let me know if you need or want something better. I’ll arrange it.” I told the cat not so quietly. Larry jumped down and weaved between my feet as I opened the can of food. He ate like he hadn’t been fed in days, but there was clearly a bowl of dry food next to what I just put down. After Larry was fed, my gaze landed on Tyler, who stood at the stove. I walked up behind him, my hand going to his lower back, then I kissed his cheek. Since we were dating, I assumed that allowed me to do such things now.

“Anything else I can do to help?” He cocked his head like he was thinking and my lips found his neck as I teased the soft skin, his body shuddered under my touch.

“Oh. So many things. Dinner right now, though.” I smiled. He leaned into our new dynamic, which made me happy.

“It smells amazing.” While he finished our meal, I texted East.

WEST

How is everything?

EAST

Earl might have had a little too much ranch dressing with dinner. He helped himself and ended up covered in it, but I cleaned him up.

Charlie is good and has a full belly. Allison refused to go to bed because Earl would be lonely. So they are both on the couch, asleep. Are you having fun?

WEST

Yes. A great time. Do you mind if I get home late?

EAST

I got you. Spend the night if it’s an option.

WEST

Thank you.

EAST

Have fun. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be touched by another person.

WEST

Was that necessary to put in my head?

EAST

Didn’t want you to have too good a time.

I didn’t want to think about my brother having any kind of sex. Tyler and I hadn’t discussed the evening plans, but I was glad to know Charlie was taken care of until I got home, whenever that was. And I could tell Tyler that Earl had befriended Allison and the kitten. It had been a wonderful day, and I hadn’t thought about the bar. As I stared at my phone, I considered texting Spark, but I knew The Dapper Duck was fine; the systems were all in place because I had built them, and they worked.

“Charlie is doing well?” He turned and smiled at me.

“Yeah, Charlie is great. Allison and Earl are sleeping together on the couch. Earl had a bit too much ranch dressing.”

Tyler scrunched up his face. “Yikes. Yeah, Earl likes food a lot. He has a weird obsession with ranch, though.”

“East cleaned him up and said all is well. Now, Earl should really like me, I got him a kitten and a little girl.”

He chuckled. My eyes wandered over Tyler as he cooked, and I was mesmerized. His body was very toned but not super muscular. It was easy to recall how perfect he felt under me. There was so much strength in him and thoughts of when I touched him made my cock thicken. Our sexual chemistry was off the charts, and even though our relationship was new, I knew I could convince him to spend hours with me between the sheets, because there was no doubt he felt it too. Truthfully, I craved the other moments with him as much, if not more than the sexy times.

While I daydreamed about him, he finished cooking dinner and plated it, then he cleared his throat.

“Shit. You caught me.” It was bad form to daydream like that when on a date.

“I am afraid to ask where your head went.” I blushed. Most men would probably lie about their thoughts, but Tyler deserved better.

“Naughty and not naughty things with you as the main attraction. Sorry. What do we need?”

“Ohhh. Let’s put a pin in that, then. I’d like to hear some of those thoughts.”

I winked at him. “Maybe I can give you a reenactment?”

The look he gave me was blazing hot. “You good with sitting in the living room to eat?” His voice was a little thick.

“That’s fine with me.” We sat at the coffee table and ate an amazing beef stir-fry. Larry walked over, then sniffed my arm and leg. I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the treats I had stashed there.

Tyler grinned. “Look at you so smart with bribes in your pocket. I think he likes you.”

It made me feel way too good to know his cat liked me. Jamie and Earl were probably easier to impress than someone’s parents, but I was a little concerned about Larry. “Well, I might as well fess up now, I also set up a Vegas weekend for Jamie.”

He laughed. “You really wanted to get on their good sides, didn’t you?”

“If they like me, you like me. As you said, I need full approval.” He shook his head, but I could see he was smiling. I reminded myself that this was new, and we didn’t need to move fast, but this felt so good, while we talked, joked around, and hung out with each other. I wanted more of this and found myself excited about the future.

After eating, I took our plates and cleaned up the kitchen. “I put the leftovers in a container and washed the dishes.”

“Thank you. Do you have to go soon?”

“East said I could stay as long as I wanted.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “That’s very good to know. Let’s watch a little TV while we digest.”

Wanting to snuggle up with him, I still didn’t want to push, so I sat in the corner, opened my body to him, which made it clear he was welcome to cuddle against me. It delighted me when he took the invitation and curled against me, his head on my shoulder. About thirty minutes later, I stroked Tyler’s hair while he slept. Gently, I nudged him. It was almost nine, maybe a little early for bed, but we were up several times with Charlie last night, then spent the day in the sun. “Hey, let me get you to bed before I head out.”

He looked up at me sleepily. “I’m sorry. Give me a little time to wake up.”

“Shhh. We have lots of time to spend together. Tonight you need sleep.”

“Yeah? Okay.” He didn’t argue with me, and I was glad because I liked caring for him.

Once Tyler stood up, I kissed him gently, then directed him toward the hall that I assumed his bedroom would be. Once the lights were off and I made sure the doors were all locked, I went in the same direction Tyler had. The bedroom light was still on, and the clothes he had worn were on the floor next to the bed, his underwear on top of the pile. He was naked under that comforter and my dick responded immediately, I reminded my body to behave. I picked up his clothes and folded them to calm myself, then placed the pile on a chair in the corner. When I had my cock under control I sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed the hair back on his head as I kissed his lips and forehead. “Good night, Tyler, you are so beautiful.”

He gave me a sleepy smile. “Good night.”

At his bedroom door, I stopped to look at the man I felt so many things for. It would have been easy to climb into bed with him, but he deserved better from me.

When I got home, I found Allison on the couch. She lay on her side, and Earl was curled beside her. Upstairs, East was in his room, where he watched TV. They both had a room in my house because we sometimes needed to be close as a family. It was also nice when I took care of Allison overnight. In my room, I started to take off my shoes, and I could feel East’s eyes on me.

“You are home earlier than I expected.”

“Yeah, he was tired. I decided to be a gentleman by putting him to bed and leaving.” His look of surprise was a little insulting, but he wasn’t wrong. Until tonight, I would have napped with the guy, then had a good time when he woke up. “It surprises me a little, too.”

“This guy has you doing a lot of things that are out of character. Taking time off work, going on dates, adopting pets.”

I laughed. Tyler brought out a different side of me, and I didn’t hate the person I was with him. Spending time with someone who made me happy, and I could make happy, was all I wanted. “I think he is good for me, East. Something about him. He makes me feel different.”

“If that’s true, I am jealous. I am looking for a person for the second time who makes me feel complete. I wonder if that’s even possible. I’m going to bed here. You can still help with breakfast, though.

And Charlie needs food in three hours.”

After I locked up, I headed back upstairs. East had moved Allison to her room, Earl beside her, seemingly content to be with the little girl. I gathered up Charlie from East’s room. “Your other daddy was tired, so you are stuck with only me,” I whispered to them.

It was earlier than I would typically go to bed, but I was tired. Before I crashed, I grabbed my iPad and finalized Jamie’s Vegas trip. While I did that, I remembered to order a couple more cat beds and another litter box. Next time Tyler comes over, I would suggest he bring Larry so the two cats can get used to each other. I hoped they would spend a lot of time together.

After I shopped, I slipped deeper into bed, and my thoughts drifted to Tyler, who was at home, warm and naked. He was special in so many ways, but what attracted me the most was that he had such a good heart. The physical connection between us was different from anything I had experienced before. He was sensual, responsive, and fun. My cock reminded me how much I enjoyed being with him, unable to help myself I reached down and rubbed my length. There were so many amazing things about him, both physically and emotionally, that I couldn’t wait until I was with him again. With thoughts of us together, I drifted off to sleep, completely content because I was excited about the future.