Page 8

I wake up from one of the best dreams I've had in a long while. I only remember snippets, but it was happy and soft. Something about a cloud and laughing with Garrett. When I open my eyes, I'm met with the guest bedroom. There is a source of heat at my back and, upon rolling from one side to the other, I'm now greeted with a big, furry head. I can't stop the smile that forms.

"Hi, Riley." I reach up and scratch behind his ear. He tilts his head into my touch and lolls his tongue out the side of his mouth. I let out a small laugh at the pup. "Do you want to go find Daddy?"

Riley jumps up on all fours and towers over me. I block his advance to lick my face and push him toward the edge of the bed. He jumps down easily and I kick the blanket off my body. The house is warm and I only have my sweats and hoodie, so I walk out of the room shirtless. Riley walks directly to what I assume is Garrett's bedroom. It's cracked open. I remember Garrett saying that he would keep it open if I needed anything.

I also remember him saying that his bed is an open invitation. Riley nudges the door open with his nose, giving me a perfect view of Garrett still asleep. I can see the alarm clock on his nightstand. It's just after eight. I don't know when Garrett is planning on waking up, but four hours of sleep is not enough. Riley jumps up on the bed, jostling Garrett enough to wake him. I see him look over at me in the dim lighting. The sun is out already, but he has black out curtains.

"Orion? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just woke up." I shift on my feet. Riley curls up at the foot of the bed. "I wasn't sure if you were awake or if maybe Riley needed to go out."

"I was planning on sleeping for about another hour." He sits up in bed. The blanket pools around his waist and I'm greeted with his bare chest. My eyes track down slowly. He has a tattoo on his ribs, under his left arm. I can't make out what it is, but it seems to be the only one he has. "I can get up and start some breakfast, though."

"No, it's okay." I shift my feet again. "Um, can I join you?"

"Of course, honey." Hearing him call me honey sends a flutter through my body. He folds the blanket back and I take a step into the room. Then another. In six steps, I'm standing by his bed, looking down at him. "Come on, Orion."

He smiles at me and I see his eyes flick down my body and then back to my face. His eyes are a mix of green and brown. I put one knee on the bed and we both laugh when Riley immediately moves between us. Garrett pushes him back down to the end of the bed and I sit beside Garrett. I turn my head to look at him and offer a quick smile.

I know Garrett can sense my hesitation. I'm not nervous. Well, not to be in the bed with him. I am nervous of how much I love hearing him call me baby or honey and how much I actually want to call him Daddy. Before I can chicken out or overthink anything more, I scoot closer and we lay down together. I lay my head on his chest and his arm wraps around my back and settles on my hip.

He uses his free hand to pull the blanket back up over us and I'm immediately surrounded by warmth and his smell. It's earthy, with a hint of spice from a cologne or soap. I keep my eyes open and listen to his breathing. It's even and I can't tell if he's fallen back to sleep or not. My eyes are starting to get heavy again when Garrett speaks.

"Are you comfortable?"

I tilt my head back to look up at him. His eyes are closed, but he peeks one open when I move and it makes me smile. "Very. Although, I think a little four legged guy is a better cuddler."

"Oh, I won't even argue that," he says with an easy smile. "Ri is the best cuddler. I'm glad he likes you. He's a perfect judge of character."

I move my foot under the blanket to press against Riley's back. "He makes a great blanket. You're not too bad yourself though. Definitely giving space heater vibes."

I giggle when Garrett's fingers tickle my side, squirming to get out of his grip. He holds me closer, splaying his hand over my stomach. I hear his chuckle through his chest. He moves to his side so we're face-to-face, only inches apart.

"Good morning," he says with a smile. It's a contradiction, how big he is versus the softness in his expression, voice, and even in his eyes.

"Good morning," I say back. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"I'll never be tired of waking up to you," he says. His tone is serious and I want to believe him. I smile and move my head forward to kiss him.

"I could get used to this as well," I say. I want to live in a fantasy where this is my life. Sleeping in a warm bed, living with Garrett. It is so easy to get lost in that thought and forget about the reality. It hasn't even been a full day and I'm already getting used to this.

"What's that face for?" Garrett asks. He reaches a hand up and trails his finger between my eyes, down my nose, and over my lips.

"Just thinking," I say. I don't want to tell him the whole truth.

"About?" He's pushing for my thoughts and it could be so easy to just say what's on my mind, but that puts a pressure on him that is definitely not fair. He wouldn’t do that to me so I won’t do it to him.

"About what we're going to do today," I lie. Kind of. I have been thinking about today, the plan we made a couple of hours ago. It's just breakfast and a movie. Or two, if I can convince him to watch both Ninja Turtle movies.

"Do you still want to do that?" Garrett's knee presses against mine and I feel his hand on my upper thigh, just below my hip. The perfect spot for him to pull me in closer to him. "We can talk in more detail if you like."

"I don't think there is too much pressure on it," I say. "I mean, I am definitely going to pressure you to watch both movies so prepare to make me lunch as well."

"Don't forget that I'm taking you out for dinner, too." His eyes close briefly and I can feel mine wanting to do the same. "You can stay again tonight if you'd like, or I can take you home."

"I think I'll need to go home," I say. I don't want to, but it's the smarter choice. I don't want to leave the apartment empty for too long. There might not be a lot there, but I worry that someone will see I haven't been home in over a day and try something. The last thing I need is a broken window or having to get the door replaced.

"Okay," he agrees easily. I relax, grateful that he doesn't try to convince me. "But for today, you're mine."

"Yes, Daddy."

"Fuck." He draws the word out in a deep tone. It sends a shiver from the base of my neck to my balls. Deep, sexy morning voice is on point. I bury my face in his chest and he wraps his arms tight around me, holding me so I can't move away. Not that I would dream of it. "You are going to be dangerous for me, honey."

I smile to myself but don't respond. How has this man, who I've really only known for an equivalent of two days, gotten so far under my skin already? I shift my whole body closer to him, slotting my leg between his. We stay like that until both of us fall asleep again.

The next time I open my eyes, Garrett is pulling away from me. I watch him stand up and reach for the sweats he wore home last night. Like me, he remains shirtless and turns to me. "Time to get up," he says.

My eyes are open and I track his hand without moving my head. He caresses his fingers down the side of my face. When I don't move, he leans on his hands on either side of me and kisses me softly. It's closed lips, but I smile into it all the same. "I want to show you something," he whispers as he pulls back. "Come downstairs with me."

The three of us head downstairs to the main floor of the house. The whole house is open and I finally take my time to look around at all the details. Walking out of the bedroom, we're greeted with way more light than I expected. The curtains in Garrett's room really do work.

The upstairs is split into two with the bedrooms and bathroom in the hallway and a large, open loft area on the other side of the stairs. I peek out of the window overlooking the backyard. It's a decent size for a neighborhood in the city. I turn back and follow Garrett downstairs. The staircase takes a left turn at the bottom, opening up right by the front door. The whole foyer area is open, with a vaulted ceiling. There's another bedroom directly across from the stairs. Through a short hallway, the rest of the house is one big space.

There are more windows than there are walls on the backside of the house, with a sliding glass door that leads to the patio and yard. The kitchen takes up about a fourth of the space.

I've been in this part of the house once before. The kitchen-living-dining combination alone is larger than my entire apartment. The kitchen island probably cost the equivalent of a years' rent.

It's a decent sized counter top, but the sink is set into it, as well as the dishwasher underneath. The rest of the kitchen space has open countertops, the oven and stove top, a double door fridge, and a floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinet.

"Most of the layout came with the house, but I had a few things designed specifically for what I wanted." He talks as he pulls out two cups from the cabinet beside the fridge. "Do you drink coffee?"

"I do," I say. Before he can start making me something in his espresso machine that resembles the one at work, just on a smaller scale, I keep talking. "I'm good though. It kind of makes me jittery and I don't really want that. For today, at least."

"No problem," he says. "I have orange juice or milk in the fridge. Or water."

"Orange juice is fine," I say. I love orange juice, but I try to play it cool. It's the good brand that I can never afford. He sets the cup in front of one of the chairs at the island and directs me to sit down. There's a dining room table with two chairs only a few feet away, bathed in the sunlight from outside.

I spin around to take in the rest of the room. There's a dark green sofa that looks so much more fluffy than my couch at the apartment. A large mirror is mounted to the wall to the left. The whole place is light and airy. Riley is sitting patiently by the sliding door and I turn back to Garrett.

"Can I let him outside?" I ask. He glances toward the door and smiles while nodding. When I'm back in the chair, I ask another question. “Where’s the TV?”

He doesn't have one in his room. There's one in the guest bedroom I slept in, but I don't think that's where he planned for us to hang out. This time, his smile is wide when he turns to face me. "I'll show you in a bit," he says. "I'm going to make us some breakfast first."

I sip on my orange juice as I watch him work. He glances at me every minute or so, smirks, and then goes back to the task at hand. Neither of us are wearing anything more than sweats and I'm mesmerized by the way the sun reflects off his bare skin. He's a perfectly tanned god. I really don't know any other way to say it.

A perfectly tanned, god-like Daddy, who can cook amazing meals.

"This is so good," I say between bites. He had me move to sit at the table, so we're facing each other. Our bare feet keep knocking against each other under the table. Every point of contact sends happy flutters through my body. I force myself to remember that this isn't my life.

Garrett, for all he's worth, keeps the small talk casual and easy. It must be part of his job because it's so natural. He asks me more about the coffee shop, how I like it, places I'd like to visit one day, places I have been. I haven't traveled much, but in my junior year of high school— just before I moved out of my parents' house— I was selected to go on a weekend trip to the beach for some unveiling of a 3D theatre. It was back when 3D was new and exciting. I was selected because someone nominated me which meant I didn't have to pay a dime. It took me years to realize that my teachers knew more about my homelife than I shared with them.

Garrett takes my plate and cup in one hand and moves to the sink. I continue to watch him. I suddenly understand those thirst traps of men washing dishes or doing other household chores. The way Garrett's whole upper body moves and twitches as he uses his muscles.

Fuck.

I sit up and adjust my legs so they're fully under the table. I will not admit I just got hard watching him do the dishes. In terrible timing, he finishes the last one and sets it on a strainer beside the sink. I'm not sure why he didn't just use the dishwasher.

"You okay?" he asks as he rounds the corner and walks closer to me. He bypasses the chair he was sitting in and stands in front of me. His hand cups my face and I lean into it. I look up at him and his fingertips scratch through the short hairs along my jaw. I lick my lips, struggling to remember how to breathe.

"Great," I answer honestly. He lays one hand on the table and bends down to seal our lips together. It's slow at first, but then he tilts my head back and takes control of the kiss. I give up any pretense of hiding and shift my body so he's standing between my legs.

I let out a surprised noise when he hauls me to my feet and lifts me onto the table in one easy move. I'm not light and holy shit that was hot. My hands caress his skin, all smooth and warm. I tilt my head back, eyes closing in bliss, as he kisses down my neck. His tongue leaves a cool trail against my skin.

I feel fingers tug at the waistband of my sweats. When I don't stop him, he breaks the kiss and smiles down at me before maneuvering my pants off. No care in the world that I'm sitting butt naked on his dining table.

"Look at you." His words have a hint of amazement to them. I have no idea why. I'm nowhere near him when it comes to physique and looks. I'm lanky, too skinny for my age and height. It's mostly due to having limited resources and sometimes having to chose between food or something else.

I don't say anything to him because I don't know how to respond. There is no comparison. He pulls me back up so I'm sitting and I wrap my legs around his thighs. I look down at his body, taking in the ridges and dips of his chest and stomach. His tattoo makes me snort when I realize what it is. It's two Origami cranes. I'm sure they might have some type of meaning, but for now, they make me smile.

There's no fucking way he's nearing forty with a body like this. His sweats are tenting and when I pull them down, he quickly discards the briefs too. I glance up at him, licking my lips. I wrap my hand around his semi hard cock and he thrusts into my fist. I stare at his cock, watching the way the foreskin moves with the movements.

When I look back up at Garrett's face, he's smiling. "Not to sound all conceited, but you look like a kid in a candy shop."

I can feel my cheeks heat at that statement. "I've never been with anyone uncut."

"You didn't seem to mind it this morning," Garrett says with an air of both confidence and sarcasm.

"We were a bit in the moment this morning," I respond quickly. He laughs at that, thankfully. We're interrupted by Riley barking just outside the door. He's standing there, watching us. I shrink back a bit, for some reason embarrassed at his dog seeing me naked.

Garrett steps back and pulls his sweats up, adjusting himself before walking to the door and letting Riley in. I'm still sitting on the edge of the table when Garrett walks back in. I'm not sure if we're going to pick up where we stopped or what. Garrett kisses me. He rubs his palms over my thighs and squeezes my hips. I know my cock is giving away how interested I am right now. Garrett's tongue brushes against mine softly as he deepens the kiss. It causes my head to tilt back and my hands come up to wrap around his back instinctively.

"I want to show you my favorite part of this house," he says against my lips. "Come on, baby. Let's get your pants back on and we'll go watch some Ninja Turtles."

My smile breaks over my face before I know I'm doing it. I hop off the table and let Garrett hold my sweats for me. I place my hands on his bare shoulders and step into them. His fingers brush against my skin as he fixes the band of my briefs.

There's a door fixed under where the stairs leading up are that I didn't notice before. It's right in the corner on the other side from the kitchen. The stairs going down are carpeted, but narrow, with a railing against one wall.

"Holy—" The whole basement is fully finished and furnished. There are pictures and posters on the walls, a leather couch facing a huge TV. It has to be at least eighty inches. The basement seems to stretch the whole size of the house. There's a quarter wall on each side, most likely support walls. A pool table sits in the middle of the "second" room. There's also a dart board.

"I love this room," Garrett says. I can hear the pride in his voice. I know he owns his own company and I knew by the look of the other levels of his house that he has money, but this is a whole new show of money. He goes to a closet door and opens it. There are board games stacked on the lower shelves, some game consoles I'm vaguely familiar with, and two shelves of blankets. He pulls one out and then moves to the door beside it. It's a much smaller room, almost like a closet, but it has a fridge that is filled with drinks. "I keep this one stocked for friends and their partners," he says looking over his shoulder. "I have apple juice, juice pouches, water…"

I know he's offering those because he wants to start the scene we discussed. I'm not sure how this is going to go, but I smile at him and walk over to examine the fridge's contents. The apple juices are in tiny plastic bottles, the juice pouches are the ones with the yellow straw you punch a hole with.

"Apple juice, please Daddy."