He almost said something else, then stopped himself. I was about to assure him that I knew all about Jordan calling Doug, Daddy, but he continued before I could say anything.
“For me, I also like a challenge. I don’t want a sweet, obedient boy who never steps out of line.”
“Well, seeing as you’re here with me, that’s a damn good thing,” I replied.
Jack twisted his hand in my hair. “Are you going to let me finish?”
“I’m sorry.” But I wasn’t. Not really. Pushing Jack’s buttons was fun. “I’m assuming that means you’re a Daddy? You are, aren’t you? That’s why you reacted the way you did last night when I was an asshole.”
“Not an asshole,” Jack corrected me. “You were a brat in the middle of a tantrum. But, yes, if I had to label myself, I am definitely a Daddy.”
“Have you had boys in the past?” My stomach churned at the thought of him bossing anyone but me around. It was completely unrealistic to want him to have been saving himself for me, but part of me felt like he was the reason I hadn’t even attempted a relationship in the past. I wanted him to be the one who shaped and molded me.
“Only a couple.” Jack’s expression fell. His eyes turned glassy, and he wouldn’t look at me. I twisted around, lifting myself until I was kneeling before him.
“It didn’t turn out well?” Jack shook his head, still staring at nothing in particular. I reached up, smoothing the creases in his forehead. He let out a soft huff and the corner of his mouth turned up in a grin. “You probably didn’t do anything wrong.”
Jack shook his head again, this time letting out a pained groan. “Oh, sweet boy. You have no clue. I’m far from perfect. I wasn’t who they needed me to be and didn’t see it until it was too late.”
“Then maybe you weren’t supposed to be together. I know that’s shit to hear, but maybe you were doing everything right but for the wrong person.”
“You sound like someone with experience,” Jack remarked.
“Not firsthand, but I’ve seen enough decent people get themselves into shady situations to know it’s not always easy to put all the blame on one person.”
Jack took my face in both of his hands, bending down. Seconds before our lips brushed, he said, “Thank you, boy. Sometimes I forget that.”
Then, he sealed his lips over mine. I placed my hands on his knees for support, scooting as close as possible, wishing I could crawl into his lap. For all his bravado, it turned out Jack wasn’t a cocky, pretentious, know it all. He had plenty of his own insecurities he needed to face. Maybe it was possible the two of us were supposed to help one another.
“It’s not the most comfortable, but we could move this into the bedroom,” I suggested as my dick grew painfully hard. I didn’t even care if I got off, as long as I could wipe the sadness and regret from Jack’s mind.
“We could,” Jack agreed. “But I thought you wanted to talk.”
“Talking ishighlyoverrated,” I replied. “It’s not so much that I wanted to talk, as I figured you’d be all demanding about things happening in a certain order.”
“You’re not wrong.” Jack gave me a gentle push and I backed up. He noticed the plates stacked on the table at the same time I did. I knew what he was about to say and groaned. He laughed, pressing his lips to my cheek. “Come on, boy. We can talk while we clean up, then you won’t have to worry about it later.”
Jack was a smart man.
