Page 12

CHAPTER 12

Andry

The way my little genius is able to take the boring information from class and make me understand it is magical. He’s got a gift for teaching.

It’s no wonder Yaz has so many people wanting to work with him.

But none of them will. He’s all mine.

As we go over my notes, I let myself sink into the material. I want to honor my words to him from before.

He is my tutor. I will learn what he tells me to.

And then when we close up our studies, I can be the Daddy he needs.

I see it in the way he looks at me. In the way he tries so hard to pretend like I don’t have any effect on him.

It’s no use.

He’s as hooked as I am. We’re meant to be together. That much I already know. No tutoring necessary.

By the time we finish our session, it’s late enough for dinner. “Come eat with me,” I tell him.

He chews his bottom lip. I tug the soft skin from his brutal hold and shake my head.

“None of that. Dinner shouldn’t be so difficult to get a yes from my little genius.”

“It’s not that,” he says.

There has to be some reason he’s hesitant. Why wouldn’t he want to enjoy a meal with me? We’ve already eaten together before. I know it’s not some insecurity thing.

Before I can come up with more possible answers, he tells me, “I’m not sure how I feel about everyone seeing us together. Will they figure out it’s a date?”

I sigh. This isn’t what I want.

Keeping him a secret is not my idea of fun. I want to parade him around and spoil him in the open. He deserves it.

“We can just be tutor and student, like we have been. No one will question it. If they ask about it being a date, you can answer since I’m just a dumb athlete.”

He frowns. “You are not just some dumb athlete. This material is hard for anyone, but especially for someone trying to learn everything new. This is a different country, and you’re working hard to keep up with the team. Struggling with classes was inevitable.”

The encouragement from him settles the frustration I felt about hiding our relationship. I love that he wants to keep me thinking better of myself. He’s the first person who has ever tried to.

We decide to get pizza at the small family-owned place downtown. It’s near the Bears hockey arena, which I have yet to check out.

“Isn’t there a game tonight?” he asks while he drives us over.

I feel bad he has to take us around. A vehicle is low on my priority list. It’s also well out of my current budget.

“There is.”

At my confirmation, he parks at the pizza place and tells me to grab a table. He pulls out his phone, and I wonder exactly what he’s planning.

I ignore the millions of questions I want to ask as I approach the hostess. “Table for two, please.”

She smiles, then nods for me to follow her. The table is off to the side, though still mixed in with the others enough for us to feel like part of the crowd. Families and couples are spread out around us. I smile and nod to each person that catches my eye, careful not to linger too long or give them any false ideas.

The best part is how I have a view of the entry to see when my little genius comes inside. He tells the girl something, then she shakes her head. As I watch, she shifts to block my view. It’s almost like…

Is she fucking trying to hide me? Like I’m not here for him?

Rage has me up and rushing over to where she stands. The closer I get, the better I can hear the conversation.

“No, sir. There isn’t anyone here by that description. If you can’t leave, I’ll have to call the police,” she says in a harsh tone.

Rodney scowls. “Don’t bother. I’m just — ”

It’s then he notices my approach. I nod to him, then shift around the girl.

“Oh,” she says, bouncing back and giggling like she wasn’t just being rude to my date.

“Come.” I hold my hand out to my little genius. He slips his fingers in mine, no longer caring about the girl or her rudeness.

I’m not so nice.

Once I have his fingers wrapped in mine, I look at the girl. “You’re lucky we aren’t in my homeland. If we were, they would teach you a lesson about messing with important people.”

She pales at the threat. I won’t follow through on anything. Even I’m not stupid enough to risk being in a foreign country and committing a crime.

But let her think I will.

Let her fear me enough to regret being rude to my boy.

I take him to our table, making sure his back is to the girl. When I pull out his chair, he gives me a look that tells me he likes it, but he’s also upset at my actions.

“Just giving you a seat. It is customary back home.” I lay on a thick accent and speak in a normal volume so others around us can hear. No one appears to be close to our age, so it’s probably fine for us to be here.

Though, if my little genius is right about how popular the team is, some of them might know who I am already. It puts everything we do under scrutiny.

With a long sigh, I drop into my own chair and pick up my abandoned menu. “What do you like?”

He doesn’t reply. I glance over the top of the plastic covered sheet to find him staring at me.

“What’s wrong, little genius?”

“You just… and then you — I don’t understand any of this. You’re so confusing.” He starts to bite his lip. I raise my hand as if I’m going to remove it again, which makes him straighten and grab his menu.

“Meat lovers.”

It takes me a minute to realize he’s answering my question and not telling me he’s horny. I nod as I place the menu down.

“Extra protein is good for me.”

Our waitress appears right after, which is perfect timing. She gives us an estimate of the cooking time before taking the menus and leaving to get our drinks done.

Alone with him at last, I take in his handsome face. He’s lean all over, with skin bronzed in a way that’s natural rather than the bottled stuff I see from others on campus. His eyes shine brightly behind his glasses, which only makes me want him more.

Even his casual clothing tempts me. I want to tug his hoodie off, stripping him until there’s nothing left.

“Tell me about this stuff you want us to do. I know some things, though it may be different than what you want.”

I lean forward. “You mean you being mine? Is that what you want to discuss?”

“Yes but maybe use code words. There are little ears around.”

My gaze rakes over him. “Yes, there are.”

He has no clue I mean him. He’s who I want to be my boy. I suspect he could even be little if he chose to regress and let go. It would take time to get to that point though.

“What all does it mean? What do I have to do?”

“You would do whatever you wanted, within reason of course. I would not allow you to harm yourself in any way. And I would only want the best things for you.”

He pushes his glasses up and licks his lips. The interest he has in what I’m saying is adorable.

He’s focused.

Locked in on every word.

“Can you give me an example?”

“Sure,” I reply automatically. It takes a second to think of a scenario. Once I do, I answer with, “Let’s say you’re really busy one day and forget to eat. I would have to issue a punishment for not taking care of yourself. We’d also have to have check-ins after that to make sure you’re getting enough nutrients on the days we can’t have meals together.”

His eyes widen slightly. “Punishment?”

“Yes.”

“What… what? Like spanking?” The last word is mouthed instead of spoken.

Grinning, I nod to confirm. Spanking is definitely a punishment; however, with the look of terror on his face, I worry it’s not the right kind.

“That is merely one way. We could find other things instead if you need.”

“Like what?”

I shrug. “Like writing lines or sitting in time out. I could take away your options for dessert or keep you from your release once we reach that level of intimacy. There are more ways that don’t involve pain.”

“The others would be what I’d want. I don’t do well with pain.” His shiver has me on high alert.

A growl tears out of me before I can stop it. The people seated close to us look my way. I force a cough to cover the sound, which has them turning away.

My little genius’s jaw is wide. Reaching across the table, I ease my finger under his chin and press it closed.

“Sorry for that. I don’t like the look of fear you wore. It made me think of others hurting you.”

“And that bothered you?”

I nod once as I ball my fists on my lap.

Do not panic.

Do not go on a killing spree.

Keep your cool, Andry.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you. It was not my intention.”

Our drinks appear a second later, which brings the discussion to a stop. The waitress tells us how much longer until the pizza is done before leaving.

It takes another couple of minutes after she’s gone for us to start speaking again. When we do, it’s at the same time.

“I really — ”

“You did nothing — ”

Waving at him to go first, I relax as Rodney smiles softly. “Thanks. I was just going to say that I really am sorry for spoiling things. I didn’t mean to make you mad. This was nice up until I screwed up.”

Oh, my poor little genius.

It’s obvious people have made him feel like he was to blame when things go wrong. I know it’s not from his family since his ma was so kind and welcoming. His brother is supposedly the same way, which tells me this feeling comes from somewhere else.

“You’ve done nothing wrong. The night isn’t ruined. We had a small bump. It’s part of why I wanted to talk to you. Relationships like the one I’m asking for require communication. Good communication. We have to be honest about what we do and don’t want, along with what we’re feeling in the moment. How are you feeling now, little genius?”

He scrunches his face. It’s an adorable move that has my cock plumping.

“I feel silly for getting so upset. It’s just that — well, as much as I shouldn’t want to be around you, I do. If I’d already fucked it up, then this would be the end.”

“And you don’t want it to be the end?”

He shakes his head slowly. “I’m sure my actions and words are confusing. They have to be.”

“I won’t lie. You have told me no, yet you continue to make me feel like you might want more. I understand my sport of choice has bad memories for you, but I’m not them. I want to do the complete opposite of what they’ve done. And I want to protect you too. If you really give me the chance to prove it, you’d realize how honest I’m being.”

His gaze moves over me like a soft touch. I feel like he’s looking for some sort of sign I’m lying. Like maybe he thinks this is a trick.

Except it’s not.

This is me opening myself up and telling him how much I truly want him. That what we have could be life changing if he’ll work past the fear with me.

Rodney takes a deep breath, then nods once. “Ok, then. Let’s give it all a try. I’ll do my best to remain calm, and you’ll show me how wrong my thoughts have been. Deal?”

I smile widely. “Deal.”

“In the spirit of honesty, I have to tell you something else.”

Bracing for the worst, I wave my hand for him to keep going.

“You mentioned there was a Bears game tonight. And since my brother is famous and friends with some of the players, I thought maybe we could go. I texted him when we first arrived, and he made it happen. We don’t have to. Only if you want!”

This time, I’m the one with the wide jaw as shock tears through me. “You got us into the game?”

His smile is shy.

“I did. And he said we could go to the back after if we want. He got us passes.”

Groaning, I drop my head to the table. Rodney giggles, his finger tapping the back like he’s trying to check if I’m alive.

“Was it a bad idea? Should I have asked first?”

With lightning-fast movement, I whip my head up. “No! You didn’t have to ask. I’m just trying to figure out how to stop myself from coming over there and showing you my appreciation for such a thoughtful gift right now.”

His eyes heat. “Appreciation?”

“Yeah. I’d like to kiss you. Then I’d put you in my lap to keep you close all night.”

I watch as his throat bobs, like he’s swallowing down the desire.

I know the feeling, little genius.

“Can we do that later? Maybe after the game?”

“Yes, we can. You tell me when, and I’m yours.”

I’ve never uttered truer words.