Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 42491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
“Which should I try first?” Henley asked, looking back and forth between the two sandwiches. “They both look so good.”
I suggested, “Let’s start with the bacon one,” before lifting my own. Henley copied me and we both took a bite and hummed our approval.
“That’s delicious,” he raved once he swallowed. “Can we try the barbecue burger now?” My heart skipped a beat at his question; he was diverting to my judgment and advice, even on the simplest things.
“Of course.”
We each took a bite of our sandwiches and Henley hummed again. “Oh, I think I like this one even better. I’m not sure, though; maybe I should try the bacon burger again.”
I chuckled until a risky idea popped into my head. Things were going amazingly so far, so I decided to press my luck by saying, “If you eat enough of both burgers, I’ll get you ice cream afterwards.” And then I held my breath for his response.
It came as an excited, “Really? I love ice cream!” before Henley took another bite, and relief and contentment washed over me.
Henley hummed happily as he ate his fries and sipped his tea, but it wasn’t long before I noticed a shift in his demeanor. His noises quieted, and his free hand found his locks. I gently bumped my shoulder into his and asked, “What’s on your mind?”
He blinked in surprise before saying nervously, "I guess I was just wondering…do you bring a lot of guys here? Or…anywhere?" He twisted the hell out of his long hair. "Can I ask that? Is that okay?"
Oh, sweet boy. "You can ask me anything; I want you to." I covered his hand with mine, stilling his nervous movement. "I've dated around, and even had a few relationships, but they never felt quite right. They were missing something, and I knew I wouldn't be happy without it. So, I decided to take a step back to figure out what that something was before jumping in again."
Hope and worry warred in his voice when he asked, “Did you figure out what it was?”
“I did.” I smiled and nodded towards his plate.
Henley examined his half-eaten food before looking back at me with squinted eyes. “I’m confused.” I loved how open he was with his thoughts and emotions.
I chuckled slightly at my terrible answer before explaining, “I’ve discovered that I am a caretaker; I like looking after people and helping out. At first, I thought it only affected my professional life, but then I realized it’s what I want in a relationship as well. I like doing things for my partner; even simple things, like preparing their food. Of course, I like taking care of bigger things as well.”
“W-what things?” Henley stuttered before lifting his glass in a shaking hand, and taking a long sip through the straw.
“If I’m being honest, most things, if not everything.” Thinking it was the easiest way to judge what Henley may or may not know about the lifestyle, I decided to jump right in. I leaned in so that my mouth was close to his ear to say, “I’m a Daddy looking for a little boy to care for.”
Henley’s cup slipped from his jittery hand. I managed to catch it, but not before a little bit of the liquid it held sloshed out, sprinkling over Henley’s legs and the seat cushion between us.
“Oh no!” he exclaimed as his face turned beet red. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! Oh, now you’ll never want to take me anywhere again.”
I placed his glass on the table before placing my hand on his hot cheek and giving him a kind smile. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. And look-” I took my napkin and wiped away the tea puddles on the seat. “It’s cleaning up easy peasy.” I used the dry half of the cloth to dab the spots off of his jeans. “See? Accidents happen, but no harm done.”
“Thank you,” he whispered, and his blush deepened until he looked like a wavy-haired tomato when he added, “You would be a very good Daddy.”
My breath caught in my chest, and I tried to keep my voice even when I asked, “So, you know what that word means?”
“Oh, yes.”
I suddenly realized how loud and fast my heartbeat was. “And…is that what you want too? A Daddy to care for you?” When he swallowed hard and nodded, I also noticed that my blood wasn’t only rushing through my veins, it was on fire.
“Can I get you another drink?”
I jerked at the surprise of Lilly’s voice from behind me, which made Henley jump as well. When I turned to the waitress, I saw that she was pointing at his nearly empty glass.
I steadied myself with a deep breath before answering, “Yes, but could you bring him a glass of water this time?”