“I never wanted to be anything else,” I whispered.
JP grabbed my hands. “Look at me.”
I didn’t hesitate, my gaze jumping up and gluing to his perfect face and soulful eyes.
“Don’t lie to me, boy. Tell me what you wanted to do.” His voice turned stern again and his expression was serious.
I swallowed down the excitement that lodged in my throat as heat rushed through my body again. I liked him talking like that. “I’m telling the truth. I just always knew it was my duty to be a politician.”
“Your duty?” His eyebrows furrowed.
I nodded quickly. “As soon as I turned ten, Mom said I needed to start taking my education seriously because it was my job to be a politician. My siblings had already decided what they wanted to do.”
“So they had a choice and you didn’t?”
Why was he getting so upset about this? He clearly didn’t understand what it meant to be elite—a Kalinski. I dragged my hands out of his hold and folded them in my lap again. “It was a privilege for my parents to choose me to publicly represent the family.”
He shook his head and stood. I tracked his progress around the room when he stalked back to his side of the table and grabbed his coffee. For a moment I thought he was going to dump it on me, but he walked over to the kitchen sink to tip it down the drain and wash the cup out.
I waited, patient, but when he didn’t acknowledge me, I spoke up again. “Did I make you mad… Daddy?”
He froze, his shoulders tensing. I stared at those muscles beneath his tight shirt and remembered them from last night, how he moved me so easily, and my cock firmed up again. Gathering courage, I stood and moved behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist and dropping my cheek between his shoulder blades.
“You’re angry at me.”
“I’m not.” He laid his arm over mine and tickled the top of my hand. “I’m angryforyou.”
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly.
“You don’t see it, Max, the way they manipulate you.”
“They don’t.”
He sighed, and I felt bad for making him. Turning, he slipped his hand into mine and dragged me toward the sitting room. I let him guide me because I’d do anything for him in that moment. I liked the way he’d cared enough to turn off the fireplace last night so I wouldn’t wake up anxious, and how he’d treated me like I was made of gold. For a short moment in time, I was special to someone.
He sat me down on the couch by pushing at my shoulders and then took the spot behind me, dragging my back to his chest. His arms curled around my waist, and I leaned into him, enjoying the touch. His skin was warm, and pleasant tingles shot through my body at being so close to someone.
“Let’s talk about something else.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
His breath tickled the back of my neck, and I licked my lips to push away the urge to turn around and kiss him. “So you like the idea of me being a Daddy?”
I nodded, then realized he couldn’t see my face. “Yes, very much, I think.”
“Good. I’m glad.” His hold tightened on me. “But, Max, we can’t do this. We work together, and wasn’t it you who blackmailed Vane and Jax about being in a relationship while working together?”
I winced. Fuck. This was going to bite me on the ass. “Yes, but—”
“No, I can’t do that to Vane, not with the person who blackmailed him.”
My shoulders slumped. “Oh.”
“I’m sorry, boy. It’s just the way it has to be.”
His hold loosened, and I felt compelled to run to the guest room and hide my face, but I kept still. I didn’t know what he wanted me to do. “Should I pack my things?”
“No, I don’t want you to go back to your family. You can stay with me.” He grabbed my shoulders and turned me until we were looking at each other again. “And I’ll be here to steer you the right direction, help you find a Daddy, if you want one.”
