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Chapter Six

Ethan

The whole morning felt like riding a sugar rush.

Unlike the dreary day outside, I was absolutely glowing from my place behind the counter at Mocha Mist. More than once, Zane chuckled because I was softly humming to myself as I prepared triple-shot macchiatos, decaf cold brews, and all the other delicious drinks that helped distract me from thinking about James.

As if that were possible.

I’d done a good job of keeping details from the night before vague while we had a crowd of customers, but as soon as the line was gone, Zane got impatient. “Spill already.” He flicked a biscotti crumb from his apron and sighed. “My imagination is going to some dark places.”

I rolled my eyes and tried to keep the goofy grin at bay, but I was failing miserably. “It was... great.”

“Great, as in… a condom was needed?” Zane stared me down, with his glasses perched on the end of his nose. Nerdy looked good on him, actually. “I saw how that man looked at you yesterday, and I bet he had you bent over before you even took off your shoes.”

“Zane!” My jaw dropped, and then that visual made me smile again. “No, not that intense, but he kissed me, and then…”

His eyes were wide as he waited for me to finish. “What! Then what?”

I took a deep breath and decided to just give him what he wanted to hear.

Besides, I’d never done anything like that before, and I needed advice from a neutral third party.

After taking a quick look outside to make sure no one was about to walk in, I verbally vomited everything in a single breath.

“We had a great dinner. Super romantic and a little flirty. Then he walked me home, and he lives right across from my apartment. When I got outta the shower, I saw him in his window and… well, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was naked and nutting onto my window. He was doing the same thing across the road… but with less mess and more clothes on.”

“No. Fucking. Way.” He shook his head and then reached for a slice of lemon cake. “Then what?”

The smile spread even wider on my face as I remembered James's voice over the phone, how sweet it felt when he said he tucked me in over the phone. “I was sleepy and kinda started to regress. He told me to get in bed and that he’d come in here today.” Instinctively, I glanced toward the door, hoping he would be about to walk in. “And that’s not even the best part.”

“Fucking hell, E. How could it possibly get better than that?” Zane kicked off the wall he was leaning on and got closer. “I’m hard just listening to you.”

I caught my breath, pouring a small cup of coffee for myself and dumping in equal parts sugar and cream. “So… I might’ve called him Daddy.”

“You didn’t!” Zane’s jaw dropped like he couldn’t believe it either. “Did he panic?”

“Nope. Didn’t freak out or run away.” I shrugged, still trying to work it out in my head.

His reaction was unexpected but exactly what I hoped for. “Actually, I think he fucking loved it.”

“He’s into it? Is he a Daddy Dom or something?” Zane was almost as giddy as I felt.

“Maybe.” I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling every bit of the blush that was creeping up through my cheeks. “Or maybe he was okay with it because I know his son? Honestly, I’m not sure what to think.”

“Uh, you probably need to get that shit figured out before you start planning a wedding in your head.” Zane clapped my shoulder and squeezed. “I can already see how far you’ve fallen for the guy. If being Little sometimes is a dealbreaker for him, you need to know that before you fall any deeper.”

I didn’t think I could get any deeper. My love for James wasn’t born from one dinner date.

It was from years of him being kind and caring and attentive in a way that I knew was still in him…

and a few hours of reminders of why I’d never been interested in dating other men.

In my heart, I was waiting for him. “That ship has already sailed, but I do need to know what he’s interested in.

I thought he just wanted to talk about my book, and now that’s the last thing on my mind. ”

Okay, not the last, but a distant second for the short term.

“Don’t get all mopey on me.” A group of college students walked in and saved me from what I knew would be coming next. “If he’s okay with being Daddy, you’ll work through the rest. It’s all just about communication.”

I tried not to worry about how much I wanted this and how easily it could slip away as I got back to work. There were just sporadic customers that came in and out, so Zane had plenty of chances to keep me talking.

“So how hot is he?” He waggled his eyebrows as he passed behind me. “Is he hotter than you remember?”

I put down the towel I was using to wipe the counter and cringed. I wasn’t good at this kind of stuff. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, back then, he was completely off the table. Now, I saw him jacking off in the window while I did the same thing. He’s definitely hotter than I remember… in all ways.”

“Older, hotter, and now he’s your—” He wiggled like he was talking about himself. “Daddy!”

I let myself laugh with him. Maybe Zane was right and everything would be fine. Maybe James wanted a Little. All I had to do was give him the chance.

“That makes you a very lucky boy.” Zane sighed dramatically. “Now, are you gonna go take your break now, or do I have to force you to talk to him?”

“Wha—”

The door swung open and James walked in. He was wearing the leather jacket from last night, and seeing him in the light of day took my breath away. Was he smirking? Oh hell, he was smirking.

“Hello? Earth to Ethan?” Zane’s voice brought me back to the present. “Here, take these.” He pushed a tray of coffee and cookies into my hand.

I still hadn’t moved as if my body was glued to the floor. “Yeah, okay.”