Page 15 of Approved (The Dapper Duck #1)

Chapter fifteen

WEST

Oh shit, I had it bad—really bad, and I had no idea how to tell Tyler.

It may be too soon, but I was certain how I felt about him, even if it might seem ridiculous.

When he stopped by the bar last night and we shared our intimate moment, I was overwhelmed by his need and his desire to share something like that with me.

I knew that Tyler seemed scared, maybe even nervous, about settling into a serious relationship, and that needed to be discussed, but my heart had already packed its bags because it now belonged to the sweet florist.

Somehow, I needed to tell him what I felt without running him off.

It was a lot, and it overwhelmed me, and I was sure it would overwhelm him, but for the moment, I was satisfied with figuring things out together.

Plus, we had the cat daddy thing that linked us.

Spark texted me before closing and said they would be back starting the next shift.

Of course, the day Spark returned, Tyler had to work late.

Spark and I were going to meet before opening, and then I planned to head to the flower shop around 7:00 p.

m.

I hoped Tyler wouldn't mind me showing up, and I didn’t want to intrude, but spending time near him while he worked seemed better than being at The Dapper Duck. I could even try to help him, or I’d sit quietly in the corner watching if that were all he would allow, and nobody needed to tell me how pathetic that was, but I leaned into it.

When I met with Spark that afternoon, it went smoothly, and my need to get out was heavy. I hadn’t taken time off in three weeks. Happily, I handed the bar manager job back to my very capable friend, and after I did, I told Spark that they deserved a raise because it had been a lot to handle over the last few weeks. They appreciated the compliment and the raise, then shooed me out the door.

“Go get your man.” They gave me a big wink.

I smiled back. Spark was amazing, and I needed to talk to Tyler about a double date with Spark and West. The few times Spark, East, and Allison had met, they had giggled together the whole time. That was something to think about later, because I was going to recharge my battery with as much Tyler energy as I could get.

On my way out, Angus stopped me. “You tell that sweet thing if he wants someone with more muscles and a better beard.”

I slapped him on the arm. “I will do no such thing. That man is mine, and mine alone. You better not be having inappropriate thoughts about my boyfriend.” Reminding me that we never had the boyfriend talk, but the title fit.

He laughed. “I would never!”

I knew he teased me, but I felt rather strong emotions regarding someone thinking about MY Tyler. Unsure what food Tyler and Jamie would want, I went with something almost everyone liked, and I could get a variety to allow for all kinds of preferences. When I pulled up in front of Flower Power, most stores were closed, but the lights blazed in Tyler’s shop. I could see Jamie and Tyler at the counters, surrounded by flowers in the same colors. I hoped he hadn’t eaten already.

Once I pulled the four bags of food out of my car, I realized we had enough for at least six, but they could take leftovers home. There was also a container with raw meat and vegetables for Earl, since that would probably be better than something covered in sauce.

When I approached the front door, Jamie saw me. I watched as Tyler turned to look out the front of the store. The look on his face was pure sunshine and made the hairs stand up on my body, and butterflies took full flight in my chest and stomach. He was so happy to see me; that was all I wanted. Someone looked at me like my being there was the best thing ever.

He unlocked and opened the door. “You’re here.”

“I am. I hope that’s okay.” Holding up the bags, “Chinese food for three.”

“If you don’t lock this man down, Tyler, I am going to,” Jamie said as she walked over and took the bags from me. “I’m starving. Earl, let’s go.”

The little dragon followed Jamie, while Tyler moved toward me, and we wrapped our arms around each other. “Thank you.” He said against my chest, then looked up for a kiss, which I happily gave him.

“I knew you two were working hard, and you must have sustenance.” He giggled and hugged me again.

“You’re amazing. Thank you. I’ll give you a special thank you privately.” I kissed the top of his head.

“Gross,” Jamie called from the corner.

I looked up at her and we smiled at each other.

“You don’t have to. I like taking care of you.”

He chuckled. “No, you don’t.”

I gently took his chin and made him look at me. “I really do.” His eyes searched mine. “Tyler. Really.”

It clearly surprised him, and I knew how hard it was for him to trust. I still didn’t understand why, but I needed him to understand that I cared and wanted to improve his life whenever possible. It was another one of those things that I craved. Doing things for him settled me. The sex was fantastic, but having someone to love, someone to care for, was my happy place. Tyler had slipped into that role, and I knew I would have to tell him how I felt, but I was terrified of freaking him out.

While we talked, Jamie had taken the food to the back and set it out. Tyler walked in front of me, and I took the opportunity to admire his tight ass. The man had a body that wouldn’t quit, and there were so many things I wanted to do with him—like lick every inch of his skin. My cock perked up at that thought which wasn’t appropriate at this time, but poorly timed boners had become common since I met him. It seemed I constantly had to will myself to calm down because thoughts of Tyler captured my dicks attention.

It felt good to be in Tyler’s space while we ate our weight in Chinese food. Tyler had me feed Earl his meal since I had brought it. He took it from me eagerly, even though he dunked his face in the sweet and sour sauce as soon as we weren't watching.

I’d seen Earl go for food several times, and I wondered how he managed to cover his entire body in whatever it was every time.

“Damn it Earl.” Tyler stood up, but Jamie stopped him.

“I got the little rascal.” She carried him over to the sink and cleaned off his scales.

The whole time, he kept an eye on the table where the food was.

“Well, it looks like you have the approval of my entire family now.” We were finished, and there were still tons of leftovers, which we packed up and put in the office fridge for lunch tomorrow.

Jamie brought Earl back over, put him on the back of one of the chairs, and then stopped next to me.

She motioned for me to stand up, then wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

At a normal tone of voice, she said, “Thank you for bringing dinner. That was nice. She then dropped her voice a few octaves. “If you hurt him, I know people who can hide bodies.

” Then she returned to a normal tone of voice.

“I was serious. Tyler had dibs but if for some reason he screws it up, I got my eye on you.” She winked at me since we both knew it was a joke between us now.

I hugged her back.

“You are welcome for dinner. And don’t worry, he is precious to me, I will treat him as such.”

“You have five minutes, and then we need to get back to it,” Jamie said to Tyler as she walked back toward the main part of the shop.

Let’s go, Earl, these two want to slobber on each other for a few minutes.

” The dragon landed on her shoulder as she went into the other room.

“Did she just threaten you?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

I laughed.

“She did. But that’s okay because she loves you and doesn’t want to see you hurt. There is no reason for her to worry because I intend to take good care of you.”

“Oh. You don’t need to.” Whenever he doubted me or himself, it hurt my heart a little.

“Yes, Tyler, I do. You are an amazing person, and even if I didn’t like you so much, you deserve to be treated well. Always.” A tear formed, and I hated that something that should be common in his life made him emotional.

All I could do was pull him against me and hope to love him enough that those feelings would disappear.

“I will always take care of you, I promise.” I hoped that one day he would believe me, but until then, I would keep telling him.

He hugged me tightly again.

“I have to return to work, so we aren’t here until midnight.”

“I’m here to help, if I can.”

He smiled at me.

“Yeah?” He looked at me, and I nodded.

“There are for sure things you can do to help us get done faster.

The three of us worked together. Tyler taught me how to remove thorns from roses and clean up long-stem flowers for bouquets. I helped as much as possible so they could get home at a reasonable hour since the delivery was in the morning. Around 9:30 p.m., we packed up all the flowers and moved them to the refrigerators.

“I’ll be here to help you first thing in the morning,” I told Tyler as we watched Jamie leave.

Tyler turned and looked at me.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I’m free in the mornings and like helping you.” I tried not to grin too hard.

I walked him to his car door to ensure he would be safe and sound inside.

He opened the door and smiled.

“Would you be interested in coming home and spending the night?”

I pointed to my chest.

“Me?”

He laughed.

“Yes, you.”

I leaned in for a kiss.

“Then yes. I would most certainly be interested.”

“Let’s do it then.”

He got in his car, and I went to the other side, so I was between my driver’s side door and his passenger door.

On a whim, I climbed into his car.

He looked over at me and put his hand on my thigh.

“This is good.” We talked as we drove to his apartment, which wasn’t far from his shop.

As soon as we arrived at his building, he took my hand and led me to the elevator, where we got off on the sixth floor, and then we stopped at his door.

“You must know that very few people meet Larry in person twice. This is big.”

I knew he was teasing, but I suspected there was a lot of truth behind his words.

It seemed like very few people were allowed in his personal space, and he had invited me to come over and spend the night.

“I hope I make a good second impression. I didn’t bring snacks this time.”

“We’ll see. If he hates you now, it’ll be a deal breaker.”

Swallowing hard, I had never thought that my entire future would be based on a cat liking me or not.

He unlocked the door and we walked in.

“Meeeeeeooooooooooowwwwwwww.” Larry walked back and forth on the counter, clearly trying to get Tyler’s attention.

“Sorry, he’s not used to people being here. You were our last visitor.” The cat continued to meow while we took off our shoes, and I followed him into his comfortable home.

This time, I looked around the living room and noticed books and pictures on the shelves.

In the kitchen, he opened a can for Larry, who paced impatiently, and wound himself around my legs every pass.

“Looks like he still likes you. Your approval hasn't been revoked. Whatever will you do with the power?” He came up close to me, leaned up, and kissed me. His tongue delved in and teased mine, and the heat warmed my entire body. Blood filled my cock, and his hand slid around my waist where he pulled my shirt out of my waistband, then slid his palms under the fabric, and I shuddered from the contact. Our tongues continued to dance, and moans escaped from me as he deepened the kiss that made me throb.

“Would you like to join me in the shower?”

“A shower with you would be amazing.” He said in a breathy way. I am sure the smile on my face was too much, but being wet and naked with Tyler would be more than amazing, but I tried not to act too eager.

In the bedroom, he slowly undressed me. He maintained eye contact as he removed each item of clothing. Then placed open-mouth kisses down my neck and across my collarbone. As soon as he stood up, I got to kiss along his jaw and down his neck, relishing how his body shuddered under my lips. I would be happy to do this all day. I pulled him tight against me. It was my turn to remove the rest of his clothes, and it felt like opening the greatest present, as I uncovered more skin, my breath caught. He was so gorgeous, his body was perfect, strong, with curving muscles, his chest had light colored hair that went down his sternum to his stomach, where there was another soft patch that led under the waist of his pants.

“I could stare at you for hours.” I watched as the blush started on his chest and worked its way up to the tips of his ears. It was charming, and I kissed him deeply before I removed his underwear. When I had him naked, I stepped back so he was at arm’s length. “Amazing.”

He smiled almost shyly, before he pulled me against him, and rubbed his solid cock against mine. As the two shafts made contact, I rolled my hips and immediately wanted to feel it again. It felt like nothing else ever had, and made my head spin a little, knowing I made him that hard. We kissed the whole time as he guided me into the bathroom, where he started the water. We made out until the bathroom was steamy, then he took my hand, stepped inside the stall, and pulled me with him.

It was a tight fit for two grown men, but I didn’t mind. I wanted to pamper him by washing him, tucking him into bed, and holding him all night. As I soaped up my hands, I again admired his beautiful body, then I reverently washed him. My hands ran up his ribs, over his shoulders, and down his long legs, then I made sure to take s few extra minutes, and washed between his thighs, my hands fondled his full balls, then stroked the length of his cock. He stood there while I touched him, as he leaned into my hands, and I worshiped his skin. The privilege of touching him like this felt like a gift, and I knew I wanted to do it a thousand times more—to give him pleasure in a way that wasn’t just making love.

Making love? Oh no.