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.
