Page 41 of Gator

My arm tightened around him. “Mon petit,” I breathed into his hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Chapter twelve

Julius

I woke up the next morning expecting Gator to have snuck away during the night, but to my surprise, he was right there sprawled out beside me. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but I could tell from the light streaming in the bedroom window that it was later than I normally slept.

Gator didn’t strike me as the type to sleep in, so if he was still out, he must really need the rest. Either that or I really wore him out last night. I was going to feel it for days, so maybe that was it. I moved slowly towards the edge of the bed, trying my best not to wake him, but I didn’t even make it to the edge before an arm shot out and a hand closed around my wrist.

“Where are you going, baby boy?”

God, his morning voice was gravely and sexy as hell.

“It’s time for me to get up. I was trying not to wake you.”

“What time is it?”

I reached for my phone and flipped it over to check. “Wow, it’s almost eight. I have to get moving. I can’t believe Trixie let us sleep.”

He stretched, and the sheet slid down, showing off his stunning body.Man, it’s a shame I had to work today because I would love to crawl back in that bed with him.We hadn’t talked about what last night meant, if it meant anything at all. He’d called me his and talked like it did, but people said a lot of things in the dark that they didn’t mean during the light of day. That was a lesson I’d learned the hard way.

“Check on the bird and then come back to bed.”

“I can’t. I have to get ready for work. Did you decide who was going with me today?”

He wrinkled his brow. “I am.”

“When you sent me upstairs yesterday, you said either you would or you would send someone else, so I wasn’t sure.”

“Jules, come here.” He held out his hand, and I looked at it for a second before giving in and letting him pull me back to him.“Listen to me. I was being foolish yesterday. I had this idea that what mattered was keeping you safe, and to do that, I had to keep my distance.”

“And that was being foolish?”

He reached up behind my head and wrapped his fingers in my curls, pulling my mouth to his. He kissed me and then pulled back. “Very foolish. So, I’ll be the one going with you to work or anywhere else you need to go. Nobody would take care of you as good as I will, baby boy. You’re mine, and I don’t plan on letting anyone hurt you.”

“I’m yours until you get tired of me. Everyone always does.”

“Well, I’m not everyone, and I’m not going anywhere. I’ll just have to keep telling you that until you believe me.

I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I went the safe route and simply nodded before getting to my feet. “I really have to get up if I’m going to make it to work on time, and if you are going with me, you should probably go up to your place to shower and get a change of clothes.”

“I could, or we could shower together. Got to do our part to save the planet, you know.”

“If I get in that shower with you, there’s no way we’ll be leaving anytime soon, and you know it.” I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and started for the door.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll go up to my place then.”

I paused in the doorway and looked back over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Daddy, I’ll make it up to you later.”

As soon as I walked into the room, Trixie perked up.

“Bow chicka wow wow. Walk of shame. Ju Ju got some.”

“It’s not a walk of shame when it’s in my apartment,” I murmured to myself because the last thing I wanted to do this morning was argue with a bird about my sex life.

“Did she say what I think she just said?” Gator said from behind me.

She let out a shrill whistle and fluffed up her feathers before saying. “Daddy’s up.”