“Goodbye,” I said vaguely and hung up as best I could one-handed. “We have to get dressed.”
Max nodded and scowled in the direction of the hallway, though he made no move to get off my lap.
“Did you hear all of that?”
He nodded again but didn’t look like he was in any hurry at all to get dressed. Goddamn it, if that was his parents—which fuck knew, no one else would be out here in the middle of nowhere for no good reason—I had a lot I wanted to say to them. I gently lifted him off me and sat him on the floor. My hands balled into fists as I stood and then yanked my pants up, not worrying about the cum. I snagged a dishcloth from the stove and did the best I could to ungunk myself. I didn’t waste much time before I zipped and buckled and then marched toward the front door. I was a thousand percent certain I looked like I’d been fucking around because my clothes weren’t exactly right, but I didn’t care.
“JP, don’t. You don’t know how they can be,” Max called after me from where I’d left him.
“Yes, well they haven’t met me, either,” I muttered under my breath.
20
Max
Iheld my breath; the air caught in my chest as I watched JP stride out of the room, the dominance in his gait making my belly burn with need. My Daddy didn’t pack muscle like bodybuilders or men who spent most of their week in the gym, but he walked like someone who did. His power was attractive, and the confidence was lust-inducing. I wanted him in ways I couldn’t describe with words. He didn’t just get me off, he made me feel safe, something I hadn’t felt my entire life. He cared for me more than my family. Even when I yelled at him or was sad, he tried to protect me. I’d never met a man like him.
In that moment, I didn’t even care I was sweaty as I grabbed my pants and tugged them onto my legs. I couldn’t let Daddy face Mom alone, and even though the resonating sadness was still a small black hole inside me from last night, I was ready to fight alongside JP. He was mine as much as I was his.
I stumbled to the door just as he reached to open it, and he raised his eyebrows at me as I shrugged on the shirt I had in my hands.
“I’m ready,” I said, tilting my chin up.
“Here, put on your coat and boots. It’ll be cold as fuck out there,” JP said, though it was more an order, one I followed without a second thought. He did the same, and even though our hair was still a mess and I could still feel cum and sweat clinging to my body in a way that made me cringe, I stood firm as he opened the door to… strangers.
Two men stood outside with a golden retriever. I didn’t know who they were, but both were smiling as they took in our very mussed appearances. They had brown hair and one was taller than the other, and the bigger man had his arm wrapped around the shorter man’s shoulders. The dog barked at us, making me startle.
JP relaxed and smiled. “Hi, Brad. Harley.”
“Hey.” The taller man grinned, his gaze sliding to where I stood half hidden by JP. “Hello, I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Brad, and this is Harley.”
The man he gestured toward, Harley, gave me a small smile, but it was more a pout, like he didn’t really want to be out in the cold. I didn’t blame him, either. The ground was clumped with thick snow, some still fluttering lightly from the gray clouds hanging in the sky. There was a soft wind that had enough chill I could feel it from where I stood inside the heated house. Harley’s cheeks were pink, and he had half his face buried in the collar of his coat.
“I’m Max,” I managed to get out without freezing under the embarrassment of how I looked right now. Taking on my parents was completely different than standing in front of a stranger looking freshly fucked.
Brad took our appearances in stride as he swept his gaze back to JP. “Sorry to interrupt. Harley and I were taking Honey for a walk and decided to give this to you while we were near your house.” He held out a couple of envelopes to JP, who took them with a grateful nod. “I’ve talked to the mailman so many times my head hurts, but they keep delivering some of your mail to us. Makes me wonder where mine is ending up.”
He didn’t appear frustrated, rather resigned to the fact it would continue happening. His smile stayed bright, and even though this was the first time I’d met him, he seemed like the kind of guy who barely ever got upset about things he couldn’t control. He was too… happy.
“Thanks for bringing it to me,” JP said as he took the envelopes. “I really appreciate it. I can’t say I’ve received any of yours in the last few months, not since the last time I gave it to you, but I have no doubt it’ll happen again.”
Brad laughed, and I took a moment to appreciate his handsomeness. He wasn’t extraordinarily beautiful with unique features that made him stand out—he was very normal, actually—but he was still attractive, and his smile made him even more so. He had nothing on JP, though.
Harley narrowed his eyes on me as though he knew what I was thinking. I smiled at him to show I meant no harm, but he sniffed and scrunched his nose up at me.
JP and Brad chatted for a while, talking about their properties and issues they’d run into lately. I was almost tempted to go back inside and hide from the cold, but Daddy didn’t give me permission for anything like that, and I wanted to stay at his side.
“So, excuse me if I’m being rude, but is this your boyfriend?” Brad asked.
Harley sighed and tugged on the sleeve of Brad’s coat. “Master, can we go?” He whispered quietly, as though we wouldn’t hear what he was saying. Or maybe he simply didn’t care. “I’m cold, and Honey is getting impatient.”
I held back a snort. Honey, who I assumed was the dog, was better-behaved than Harley. The dog sat on his butt, his fluffy tail wagging against the snow on the ground as he stared up at JP like he had a treat hidden somewhere in his pants. He did have that treat, of course, but it was for me, not the dog.
“Harley Kitty, shh. Don’t be rude.” Brad gave him a sharp look, and Harley pouted harder but didn’t say anything else. When Brad turned back to JP, he smiled apologetically.
JP chuckled. “Yes, Max is my….” He turned to stare at me, and I sucked in a breath, waiting for his answer. I would be whatever he wanted at this point because I belonged to him. “He’s my boyfriend and my boy.”
I stepped forward and melted against JP’s side, leaning into his warmth and burying my face in the crook of his neck.
