He tilted his head back and pressed a kiss to my neck. I thought about reaching over to turn the light off, but I was so tired I couldn’t stand the idea of moving.
“What about you, Daddy?” he whispered.
“Worried about you. You don’t need to ask about me.”
He nipped at my neck until his sharp teeth stung where they dug into my skin, and I grunted, taking the physical reprimand from my boy. “It’s only right that I ask about you, too. I loved everything we did together. All of it.”
Sliding my hand along his back, I cradled him to my chest. He lifted his chin, and I moaned into his mouth as he kissed me. My eyelids weighed a ton, and I fought to stay awake while he sucked and nipped at my lips over and over, a nonverbal apology I’d be content to take from him forever. It might be my job as his Daddy to protect him and make sure he was okay, but I selfishly never wanted him to find me lacking. I wanted to be his rock and the only man he needed. I wanted to keep him forever and needed to be strong enough to do it.
* * *
The smellof bacon had me frowning as I carefully blinked my eyes open to my dim room. Gray morning light poured in and gave everything a flat, lifeless illumination that twisted my mind around after the surreal events of last night. My bed was empty, which had my heart pounding, but then the sound of distant laughter carried to me from downstairs. I turned my head and the open door had me sitting up quickly. Confused but not altogether displeased by the prospect of food, I wandered to the bathroom to take care of nature, and then ventured down the stairs. I let out a happy sigh as I shuffled along the hall and realized the tantalizing aroma of coffee mingled with other fatty breakfast smells. Humming, I walked into the warm kitchen.
Vic sat sprawled at the table reading my newspaper and looked like he had taken a shower because his hair was wet, and Sugar stood beside Max at the stove, nodding at Max, who seemed to be explaining each step of what he was doing. Sugar’s lipstick had worn off overnight, but he was still softly beautiful. Vic sipped coffee from a mug, and I staggered in that direction, and then at some point it occurred to me I couldn’t just take his cup, so I detoured to the coffeepot. Sugar laughed and took pity on me when I was holding the pot in my hand but staring around for a mug that didn’t materialize on its own, and it was Max who got my favorite mug out of the cupboard so I could pour the coffee. The rich, chocolaty smell of the brew had me marginally more alert already.Costa Rica el Indio, my favorite.
“Good morning, Daddy,” he chirped, and I nodded, my eyes sticky and bleary. Fuck, I could have used more sleep.
“You’re making our guests breakfast?” I asked, rather than complain about being awake already. Sugar settled beside Vic with a plate that held a quesadilla, and I noticed an empty plate in the sink already.
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good boy.” I leaned over and dropped a quick kiss on his stubbled cheek.
He gave me a hug and then went back to the food on the stove.
“Aren’t they just the cutiest?” Sugar singsonged.
“Sure,” Vic agreed, and winked at me when I glared at him. “Thecutiest.” He chuckled, and Max flushed where he was working over a hot pan, but I didn’t think it was from the heat.
Sugar took a big bite of his food, then said around his mouthful, “I remember those days.” Without a single hint of remorse, he stole Vic’s coffee and slugged half of it. “A big old lumberjack wrapped around my finger who thought I was all that and a bag of Hershey’s Kisses, besides. Those were the days.”
“Isn’t it a bag of chips?” Vic asked.
“I eat what I eat, okay?” He finished the coffee and didn’t even pretend to be embarrassed about his thievery.
Vic watched him with his eyebrows furrowed. “Sugar, do you want to talk about something?”
His eyes narrowed. “No.”
“Do I need to put you onstage with someone else? Someone who isn’t Adonis?”
Sugar shrugged a shoulder. “We’ll chitchat later.”
“Trouble in paradise?” I asked. My inner filter was set toblurtwithout coffee already coursing through my veins, and on a quarter of the sleep I usually enjoyed.
Sugar snorted unpleasantly. “If you can call a two-bedroom walk-up on the east side of New Gothenburg paradise, then we’re all in trouble.”
Vic snickered, and even I had to crack a smile. It was too damned early for much else. The sky outside didn’t appear to be getting any lighter, though, so maybe we were just in for a dark, gloomy day. If that was the case, I couldn’t even guess at the time.
Not long after breakfast was over and cleaned up, Vic and Sugar stood near the front door with their heavy coats and boots on. Sugar wrapped a shiny pink scarf around his neck.
“You call me, Maxie. I want to know how you’re doing, okay? I don’t have any friends at city hall other than you.” Sugar blew him a kiss.
Max grinned. “Okay.”
My heart twisted. They must have chatted this morning while I was still asleep, and Max seemed unusually grateful at the offer of friendship.
“Yes, you and your boyfriend will have to come by for dinner some night,” I added.
