“Thank you,” she said, still cautious, but less tense now.
He didn’t linger too long. Just stayed close enough to keep offering gentle suggestions and the occasional silly comment that made Megan snort into her paint water. Sydney cracked a smile at that.
Then a giggle.
And before long, she was showing off her lopsided bumblebee and flowers with a proud grin.
By the time Gavin signaled the end of their lesson and the time to start cleaning up, Roland had glitter in his hair and a flower sticker on his shirt that someone had sneak attacked himwith. Sydney’s cheeks were flushed from laughter, and she didn’t flinch when he handed her a paper towel for her paint-smeared fingers.
He’d also most definitely stayed longer than the twenty minutes Gavin had wrangled from him. Something his friend had made a point of teasing him about a few times during the class. He was definitely going to have a few questions to answer later.
But first, there was something he had to do.
“Thanks for letting me crash your class,” he told her softly as she packed up. “You’ve got a real eye for color, you know.”
Sydney looked at him—really looked—and gave a tiny, genuine smile. “Thank you for helping me, Master Roland,” she said, her words barely above a whisper.
Roland smiled at the soft thank you, his heart tugging a little more than he expected. “Anytime, little bird,” he murmured, the nickname slipping out before he could stop it.
Sydney’s eyes flickered with something unreadable, but she didn’t shy away. Didn’t hide. And that alone felt like a victory.
One by one, the Littles trickled out of the art room, some tugged gently along by their Daddies or Mommies as their Caregivers came to pick up their Littles, others still babbling excitedly about their masterpieces. Megan was last to go, happily clutching her glitter-soaked paper as Hunter swept in to retrieve her with a warm kiss to Gavin’s cheek and a grateful nod to Roland for helping with the clean-up.
As the door clicked shut behind them, the room seemed to exhale. The quiet settled like dust after a storm. It was almost a shock to the system after so much noise.
Gavin tossed a damp paint rag into a bin and glanced over at Roland, his expression softer than it had been all morning.
“So,” Gavin said, cocking his head with a knowing smirk, “does your boyfriend know you’re crushing on an adorable new Little?”
Roland huffed a laugh and leaned back against the edge of the table, arms crossing loosely. “His crush is arguably bigger than mine. Not that either of us really knows what to do with it. It’s a long story, though.”
“One you can share over some grilled steaks and a beer?” Gavin asked, his teasing tone gentler now. “Also, she seemed pretty taken with you, too, you know.”
“She’s been through hell,” Roland said quietly.
“Ro, I hate to break it to you, but most Littles and submissives who end up on the Ranch? They’ve been through some version of hell. Unfortunately, life has a habit of kicking the most vulnerable of those in the world.”
Roland shrugged at his friend, unable to deny the truth in Gavin’s words.
“I can tell you something else, too,” Gavin continued conversationally. “You gave that precious girl room. You didn’t push, but made yourself available to her. Not to mention you got quite a few laughs from her. That’s not a bad start.”
That made Roland smile, soft and real. “Yeah. You’re right.”
“I’m not saying rush into things headfirst,” Gavin added, stacking some of the Littles’ work to dry. “You need to speak to Levi about it anyway, but don’t count yourself out before you even have stepped up to the plate.”
Roland glanced back at the table where Sydney had been sitting, her discarded paintbrush still tipped with bright yellow. “Yeah,” he said under his breath. “We’ll see.”
Chapter Nine
Sydney
Two weeks could change a lot, Sydney had come to realize.
In fourteen days, the panic had ebbed. The sharp sting of betrayal still lived under her ribs, but it no longer ruled her waking moments. Here at the Ranch, the world moved slower. Softer. She could breathe again without her chest hitching on every inhale.
Levi had kept his promise. He and Master Derek had been checking in with quiet consistency, giving her updates when there were any, and gentle reassurances when there weren’t. They were still trying to find out who Greg really was. What he wanted and why he’d lured her halfway across the world only to disappear. But Sydney had stopped asking for specifics. Not because she didn’t care, but because she was too tired to keep poking at wounds that needed toheal.
She hadn’t asked for her phone back either.
