He let out a breath. “A Daddy?”
I flushed so hot I thought I would explode, but I forced myself to nod. “Daddy kink, it’s—”
“I know what it is.” He gave me a shaky smile. “It’s a thing for straight people, too.”
I licked my dry lips, nervousness worming its way through my stomach. Curling my arm around myself, I thought about my belly right now, and what Dare would think if I was wearing it. Would he run for the hills? There were so many questions I wanted him to answer. “So, yeah, that’s my kink. Wearing a baby belly, pretending to get knocked up by my Daddy. You know, my boyfriend.” I chuckled, scrubbing a hand over my face. “And that kiss? It was entirely inappropriate. I can’t lose you. I’m sorry. Now I need to leave.”
I rushed through the last sentence and tried to scurry away from him, but Dare grabbed me and yanked me back. I fell sideways onto his lap, my ass right on his crotch, and I groaned as my cock took notice of exactly where I was sitting. I was doomed.Gone. Dead. See you later. Rest in peace, Zayden.
His hold was so tight, I thought he would break me in half.
“Wait,” he whispered, voice husky and breath heavy.
“Yes?” I blinked at him, my heart hammering.
We were so close our breath mingled.
Oh dear God, I’d definitely died and gone to heaven.
5
Dare
As always with Zayden,I stared too long. His brown eyes sparkled with an energy I wished I could touch. Whatever magic made him the man who was my best friend should tingle as electric sparks on my fingertips. Anyone could be attractive, but the total package of Zayden’s quirks and flaws made him beautiful. There was something about him that was always a little nicer and better than everyone else. The feeling in my chest expanded until it nearly hurt.
“I don’t want you to be embarrassed and hide from me.” I glanced down, and Zayden’s curvy pink lips twitched with a smile. What would it be like if I leaned in and kissed him? I’d been surprised last night, and it was a huge rip-off, in a way, that I hadn’t enjoyed our lips together the way I should’ve. People didn’t just go around kissing me all the time, and yeah, it was Z, but it had been good—really, really good. Happiness swirled in my gut and I rested my forehead against his.
“What are you doing?” He wriggled around on my lap, and I held him tighter, tried to make him stay still. I breathed out as my cock responded to his weight and heat and… okay, maybe his smile, too. But this wasZayden. I’d never truly considered being with a man prior to that kiss, but then… he’d been around most of my life. I’d always been at his side. Maybe if Zayden hadn’t been so close, I would have thought about it before now? Or maybe I never would have?I’m losing my damned mind.
“Thinking,” I mumbled, and he snickered.
“Don’t hurt yourself.” He traced his finger along the collar of my shirt and plucked at the thin silver chain around my neck. About three years ago he’d given me a goofy little BFF charm, and I hadn’t taken it off since. I’d even replaced the chain. He didn’t have to pull the little half heart out because he knew all about it, and we were like that. Now I felt as if he knew all of me and I finally knew all of him.
It was amazing.
And terrifying.
“Yeah, yeah,” I whispered.
Z wants a Daddy.And as much as I might like to see where things could maybe go, I still wasn’t sold on the idea that us kissing again was smart. I couldn’t do that kinky BDSM stuff. I could never, everhurthim. I couldn’t see him in tears because of me; I’d wiped too many of them off his face.
I’d watched some bondage videos on bored nights, and the thought that someone else might mark up his beautiful skin and make him cry made me want to pick back through the guys I knew who’d dated Z and punch each one of them. Had any of those men hit him? I’d seen a video of a woman in a schoolgirl outfit getting smacked with a solid paddle while crying for her Daddy, and it was all too easy to imagine Z in that same position—minus the skirt. I glanced down at him. Okay, he had the legs for a skirt, but he probably wouldn’t wear one.
“What are you thinking about?” He poked me and his sweet-smelling curls brushed my cheek.
“I like taking care of you. As a best friend,” I added in a rush. “I like that a lot.”
I’d seen a different porn where a man had screamed at a woman after she broke some rule of their game until she was a sobbing mess on the floor, and then he’d fucked her. I hadn’t liked that one at all and I’d stopped it halfway through—my dick limp. How was that sexy? I stared into Z’s eyes and my stomach sank. I didn’t ever want to imagine him that way, hurt with someone else, off where I couldn’t help him. Somehow, adding in the baby belly had me getting angry. I calmed myself down by rubbing a hand over his side and squeezing him tight in a hug. He was so slim, and the belly would make him seem… vulnerable.
He wanted to pretend to be pregnant, and I could easily imagine that, him cute and ready to have a baby. And that just made the rest of it terrible.
“Okay,” he said and finally pulled my necklace out to fiddle with the charm.
“I like making sure you’re happy.” How could I let him wander off to meet guys to hurt him? I took a deep breath. I didn’t know that was what he wanted. I should ask questions, but I didn’t want to hear the answers, so I didn’t.
“Friends do that,” he said quietly, and I didn’t like the tone in his words, as if I’d done something wrong. I wanted to do everything right for him.
Leaning back against the side of the bed, I tried to get comfortable. “Okay, so I’ll be honest and say that maybe not all of this makes sense to me.” Z’s face fell, and I pressed a kiss to his temple. He leaned his body against me, so trusting, and my heart pounded faster. “Are you safe when you do these things with people?”
