Page 12

12

SAWYER

What was it about this kid that got under my skin and burrowed in like a baby kangaroo?

Not only was Johnny physically clinging to me, but emotionally, he had already changed me. It didn’t seem possible to have this kind of connection with someone after such a short period of time, but I knew from the first time he called me Daddy that this wasn’t just lust. Physical attraction only went so deep, and in spite of how beautiful this boy was, there was so much more to him than how he looked.

With his head on my chest, he rolled my chest hair between his thumb and forefinger as if it were a soothing method he’d used his whole life. And then he yawned, and I knew it was getting late. “I don’t wanna go to sleep tonight. I wanna stay here.”

I combed my fingers through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp. “One of those things could be arranged.”

His head popped up, and his chin landed on my sternum. “I can stay over?”

“You’ve been a very good boy, so I think you’ve earned a sleepover.”

“Yay!” He reached over to the other side of the bed, and then his lower lip popped out. “Oh…but I don’t have Growlie.”

My fingers trailed along the shell of his ear, and then I brushed along his chin. “Would you like our sleepover to be at your place?”

His eyes lit up again. “You’ll stay at my apartment even though it’s not fancy like this?”

“If you’d like me to.” I leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “But we should probably get cleaned up first. Would you like to use my bath here or wait till you get home?”

He cocked his head and smiled. “You probably have a huge bathtub, huh?”

I just shrugged. “It’s not small.”

He threw his head back and sighed. “I wanna use your big bath, but I also wanna go to sleep right after, so we should probably do it at mine. Also, my PJs are there, anyway.”

“Good point.” I wrapped my arms around him and held him against my chest for a few more perfect minutes. “Whenever you’re ready to get up, we’ll head out.” And then I remembered his motorcycle. “Sweetheart, is there any chance you’d let me drive you home tonight and you could pick up your bike tomorrow? You seem so sleepy right now, and even though it’s a short ride, I just wanna have you right next to me tonight.”

His eyes were almost glassy as he nodded. “Yes, Daddy. If it’ll make you feel better, you can drive me home.”

“Thank you.” The relief I felt was instant and immense. “You’re a good boy, Johnny.”

We were both quiet for a few minutes before Johnny resumed his matting of my chest hair. “Have you ever had a boyfriend before?”

“Not really.” I thought back to the few people I’d dated more than a handful of times. They were definitely not my boyfriend. “I think I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I’ve been waiting for you too.” I could feel him grinning against my chest even though I couldn’t see it from my angle. “And I meant what I said. I can be good.” He looked up at me and waggled his eyebrows. “But I won’t always choose to be.”

My palm slid down to his ass and gave him a light snack. “Like I said, you don’t have to misbehave to get my attention. If there’s something you want or need, all you have to do is ask.”

Johnny lowered his gaze, looking away. “I probably won’t. Ask, I mean.”

“You won’t ask for what you need?” He’d done a damn good job of it so far, what was changing for him?

Johnny was quiet for a while, and I wasn’t sure if he was gonna respond before he finally rolled fully onto my belly and rested his chin on his clasped hands between my pecs. “I’m not good at asking for what I need. I either do what I want or… I don’t get it. So, I’ll probably need you to tell me what I need.” He bit his lip but held my gaze as those words sank in. “Is that okay?

I nodded, suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of responsibility that he was trusting me with. “Of course it’s okay. I promise to do my best to learn how to read your needs, but I’ll probably make some mistakes. Especially at first. Sometimes I won’t recognize your cues and you might have to be a little bit more direct.”

He chuckled. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me being subtle. You’ve seen my motorcycle, right?”

I closed my eyes and groaned out loud. “Please promise you won’t use that thing to get my attention. No matter how high or low you’re feeling, you can’t be reckless to get attention.” I opened my eyes and leveled him with a firm stare. “That’s a hard limit for me.”

His eyes went wide and he swallowed air. “But it’s okay if I ride it?”

“Yes, of course it’s okay for you to ride it, as long as you’re careful and smart. If you do dumb things just out of frustration or boredom then, no, absolutely not.” My heart was beating faster from just imagining the antics he could pull during a tantrum. “Is that something you can promise me?”

Johnny nodded. “Yeah, but what other hard limits do you have?”

“Well, I’m not good at sharing, so I’m looking for something exclusive. Just you and me.”

He exhaled a deep breath. “Me too. Definitely me too.”

I smiled, grateful to hear him confirm what I’d already suspected. “And while we’re getting to know each other, I need you to be open with me. If that means sending a text or leaving a sticky note about what you need, that’s fine. But it’ll break my heart if I can’t take care of you the way you deserve because I just don’t recognize the signs yet.”

He swallowed hard as he nodded. “I understand, and I’ll do my best to express my needs…in my own way.”

I could tell there was something more he meant by that, but Johnny chose that moment to close his lips over my nipple and tease it until it was a hard pebble between his teeth. “OK, Daddy. Let’s go to my apartment for our sleepover.”