“Did they find it?” he asked, grinning.
“No, but....” I drew my hand from behind my back and gave him the red rose I’d brought with me.
He took the bloom and stared at it for a moment, then up at me again. “What is this?”
My hand tightened into a fist at my side. “An apology. I know you were mad at me. Before. About me not trusting you.”
He smiled and glanced down at the rose, then trailed the petals against his soft cheek. I wasn’t sure why, but that was one of the most perfect sights I’d ever seen.
I groaned as he danced the petals over his lips.
“I am angry. You don’t trust me.” He gave me a disdainful glance that made me want to give him the whole world and lie at his feet. “Where could we possibly go from here?”
I took the rose from him and brushed it over the tip of his nose. He smiled, and I handed it back. “Maybe I do trust you now.”
“Oh,” he said, but that one word was full of heat and something else. My cock chubbed at the way he stepped closer and brought the smell of crisp cologne with him.
“Get ready. I’m taking you out. Wear something I’ll want to rip off you.”
He smirked and glanced away from me, cheeks flushing pink. “You really want to take me out? On a date?”
I nodded.
“And you’re sorry?” He trailed the rose along my throat, and I had trouble swallowing.
“No. I’m not sorry that I didn’t trust you, but I’m ready to start with a fresh outlook. I hope you’ll write off what happened before as the old me, who was still hungry for revenge. I don’t think I can say I’m sorry for what I did then, because I wasn’t apologetic about it at the time, but I regret upsetting you.”
He spun the rose in his hand while focusing on it, as if it was a crystal ball that would give him all the answers. “All right. Wait here, Daddy,” he said, taking a step back and closing his door.
Chuckling, I hobbled to lean against the wall across from his door, then stuffed my hands in my black winter coat. The pain in my leg had me gritting my teeth for a second. I’d done too much earlier to get ready for this date, but I wasn’t sorry about it. Winter deserved the best. I put all my weight on my good leg. He was precious and beautiful, and by some miracle I hadn’t scared him off. Holy fuck, I was a lucky asshole.
Twenty minutes later the door opened, and I thought maybe he’d showered because the cologne he wore was different, more herbal, and reminded me of long nights in the mountains during snowstorms. I slid my gaze down his body and almost shoved him back into the room toward the bed. Black leather pants clung to his toned thighs. Stylish short boots came up past his ankles and gave him an extra inch. The shirt under his black leather coat—which clung to him in ways the other one he’d worn hadn’t—came up his neck in a stiff black collar, but when he moved just right in the light the material turned sheer and I could see his nipples and the shadow of his belly button. He smirked and zipped up his coat while he watched me with heat in his eyes.
“Yeah, I was right. You’re a boy who wants to drive his Daddy crazy.” I stepped closer and pressed my lips to his soft cheek. I swore I could still smell a hint of the rose there. “You’re beautiful, baby.”
Winter fumbled for my hand, and I took his. “Thanks, Daddy,” he murmured.
Because of my damned leg, I took the elevator while he walked down the grand staircase, and as we met up again, I ignored the way he kept eyeing up my limp as I walked because I wasn’t about to let some stupid injury stop me from taking him out and doing things with him. I swung by the front desk and grabbed a red metal cooler that had been packed by the kitchen. The container was fairly large, and Winter had to let go of my hand so I could carry it out.
“What’s this?” he asked with a laugh, slapping the side of the cooler.
“You’ll see.” I winked at him, and he smiled as he followed me out the front doors. My replacement for the Roadster wasn’t original—it was just a new car of the same model, only this time I’d gone with white. He sighed happily when he spotted it nearby.
“I love this.” He waved a hand at the Roadster.
“Yeah? I was a little worried about the dirt showing,” I said.
The valet saw me coming and opened the trunk for me. I set the cooler inside, then passed him a twenty with a nod. He’d kept the car idling so it would be warm for Winter, and I was happy to open the door and let him get settled.
“Where are we going?” Winter asked as soon as I got in the car and shut my door.
“You’ll see,” I said with a grin.
“Very mysterious. I wasn’t planning on being surprised today.” He tilted his head at me and smiled, a soft, pretty curve of his lips, and my heart leaped. I’d never seen him quite like this—relaxed. I didn’t know Winter well yet, but I wanted to learn everything about him, and I would do my best to make sure he was delighted with me every day, if it meant I would get the opportunity to spend time with him.
I sucked in a deep breath and started the Roadster forward. It had been so long since I’d made small talk that I’d almost forgotten how. “So... what did you do today?”
Winter grinned and bounced in his seat, one hand fluttering in my direction. “Since I’m staying at the Courtesan while the Kings and Mr. Arthur look for my money, I cleaned and organized all of Madam Winters’s jewelry! That woman has her own vault. My God, I’ve never seen a private collection like this. It is as big as Noah’s! She has antiques. She has.... It’s just stunning. I offered because I was bored, and she was happy to let me do it. I was even able to fix a few pieces for her that didn’t take real jewelers’ equipment. It was fun.” He continued to chat about the uneventful parts of his day, then moved on to how he’d run into a musician he’d made diamond studded guitar picks for in the hotel bar. All the while I drove through the darkness, which settled early this time of year.
