“Hey, Shelby?” He placed his hand on the back of my chair.
I froze. I shouldn’t have played with my food. I was getting too comfortable for my own good.
He chewed on his lip ring, then pressed into me with his thigh. “I’ve never been thishappywith someone. And I think part of that is how honest you’ve been with me.”
“Really?” I pushed my hair behind my ear.
“Yeah, neither of us have to hide anything. I mean, I was kind of taken aback when you first told me about this age play thing.”
“I know.” I ducked to hide my blush. He practically threw himself out of the car to get away from me.
“And I’m not great with kids. But I researched your interests, and I like you, and IthinkI can do a Daddy-esque thing, if that’s what you need.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just not sure, because I’ve never been around when you’ve fully…”
A lump the size of a snowball lodged in my throat as I twirled a huge hunk of spaghetti. “I’ve never been fully Little in front of anybody.”
Harvey scooted closer. “I understand it’s probably scary in some ways. And you’re a sensitive, caring person. I’d be happy to grab Mr. Waddles for you or listen to you tell me more about it if you don’t want to go there yet. I don’t want us to get in deep only to realize we can’t give each other what we need. That’dbe worse than heartbreaking. So, I was wondering if you’d feel comfortable being Little for a bit tonight and try me as your Daddy.”
“What?” I thought we’d make out and watch a movie. He wanted to play with me?
“Ireallylike you,” he said with startling, strained sincerity.
Was he excited or just willing to try this lifestyle with me? It sounded like he was already catching strong feelings. This sweet, snarky man was falling for me.
The spaghetti slipped off my fork and splattered onto my chest, startling me out of my reverie.
23
Play
A red sauce splotch the size of my fist branched out above my heart. I gasped and fished the spaghetti out of my cleavage, flinging it onto the side of the plate. For Frosty’s sake, couldn’t we have one normal date?
“Ah, one second, I don't want this to stain.” I dashed to the sink to try to salvage my sweater. Based on my experience with messy cousins on spaghetti night, a torn-off paper towel wouldn’t be strong enough to fight marinara.
Harvey’s chair scraped the wood floor as he got up. “What do you need?”
“Cold water and white vinegar.” By the way his footsteps paused, I could tell he didn't have any, so I looked over my shoulder and tried not to shiver as the freezing water soaked through my sweater and trailed down my tummy. “Do you have laundry detergent?”
“Yes.” He got some and came back to help, but I kind of shielded myself from him.
Scraping sauce off my boobs wasn’t exactly sexy. Or cute. And not at all how he should be starting his trial role as Daddy.
The soggy paper towel disintegrated against the sweater.
“I probably need to soak it,” I lamented.
“That’s fine.” Harvey plugged up the sink. “Put your sweater in here. I’ll get you a shirt.”
"Okay." I hoisted the sweater over my head, then draped it into the sink.
Harvey paused, his gaze trailing across my glistening, half-naked body. His pupils swelled, fixed on my chest, which was only half-obscured by my arms as I tried to rub heat back into my skin. But maybe he'd do that for me. All I had to do was lower my arms and step towards him. My nipples hardened and my breath caught as I slowed my movements, caught between two warring urges.
He flushed and glanced beyond me. “I-I’ll get you that shirt.”
I moved my hair to cover my chest. “Oh, sure.”Sure?As if maybe I was fine walking around half-naked until my sweater dried? Why was I so desperate to get naked with him? I covered my face as he walked past me.
After a second of rummaging, he came back with a loose, long-sleeved Henley. “How’s this?”
“Good.” I fiddled with the sleeves, not sure if I should turn away. I wanted him to see me. But I was also shivering and blushing like crazy, and he already kinda turned me down for sexy times in favor of finishing cooking. Now, he busied himself by massaging laundry detergent into my sweater and giving me long sleeves. Did he prefer to go slowly?
