“Oh God,” I groaned. My exhausted body went limp against his. “It’s not fair for you to do this to me.”
“Do you want me to stop?” He sucked on my neck hard enough there was a good chance I’d have a mark later. Good. I needed a reminder that this wasn’t all a sexy dream if I woke up and he wasn’t next to me.
“God, no,” I sighed. “Don’t ever stop.”
“But I have to, sweetheart,” Jack remarked. “You need something to eat and a few more hours of sleep. I don’t have to be anywhere until tomorrow afternoon, so we have plenty of time.”
“Don’t need sleep,” I protested. I turned in Jack’s embrace, pressing my erection against his, as I cupped his ass. “The only thing I need is you.”
“Then I suggest you behave, otherwise you’re going to be a very frustrated boy by the time the sun goes down.” Jack pressed his hand to my cheek, and I leaned into the contact. He bent down, brushing his lips against mine in a barely-there kiss. “If you behave, I promise I’ll give you everything you want and more. But, until you show me that you’re willing to take care of yourself, I’m going to make it my mission to force the issue.”
“Such a buzzkill.” There was no heat behind my words. I wasn’t going to tell him, but it felt damn good to have someone care about me for a change. Sure, Jordan always worried about me, but even he hadn’t seen how much I craved exactly what Jack had to offer. “So, tell me, Daddy, what are the rest of these rules you have for me?”
“It’s quite simple, really,” Jack explained as he whipped the eggs, then poured them into a pan I hadn’t even realized he had heating on the stove. “For the time being, there will only be a few from my side.”
While the eggs cooked, Jack leaned against the counter, stretching his legs out in front of him. I couldn’t stop myself from staring at the bulge in his pants, my hole twitching as I remembered what it felt like to take him inside of me. Even holding back, that had qualified as some of the best sex of my life. I didn’t want him to hold back next time. I wanted him to hurt me, leaving an imprint that would take a lifetime to fade.
“All I want is for you to promise you’ll take better care of yourself,” Jack explained. “That means no more take-out food. If you would like, I can help you put together some simple meals you can reheat when you get home at night.”
I’d much rather live a different life, where I could come home to this sexy silver fox every night, and he would set me down at the table with a plate of food, watching me carefully until every bite was gone. The two of us could talk about our days as I ate, and then he would drag me into the bedroom to abuse me in whatever way he saw fit until both of us passed out.
“You also need to make sure you’re getting enough sleep,” he continued, oblivious to my erotic imagination. “I can’t promise I’ll have time for you every day, but whenever we’re together, I want to know that you’re well-rested and ready for whatever I want to give you.”
“That sounds…” My voice cracked, and I had to clear my throat a few times. When that didn’t work, I reached for my coffee mug, taking a long drink. “I…” Fuck. Why was it so hard to form a simple sentence? Words completely failed me. Instead, I nodded dumbly. “Yeah, I… That sounds good. Will you come and tuck me in at night when you aren’t busy?”
“As often as I can,” Jack promised solemnly.
Shit. I’d been joking, but he seemed deadly serious. I wasn’t sure I had ever been tucked in, in my life. Even when I was little, my parents could hardly be bothered to get up from their places in the living room to say good night, much less read me a bedtime story and wish me sweet dreams.
“Fuck, why is that so hot?” It wasn’t until I noticed Jack staring at me with sad eyes, that I realized I’d spoken the question out loud.
Jack turned off the burner and moved the eggs to the other side of the stove so they wouldn’t burn. “I told you, Princess, whether or not you even realized it, you’ve been waiting for your prince to come and rescue you.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Jack silenced me with a fierce, demanding kiss. His tongue forced its way between my lips, exploring every inch of my mouth. By the time he was done, I couldn’t even remember what we were talking about.
“I know you said you don’t need saving, but you’re wrong, sweetheart. I want to see you come to life in ways you never thought were possible. Even if this thing we’re building doesn’t last, I could die a happy man knowing I had some small part in you living a full life.”
My nose itched and I felt my eyes beginning to water. No, I was not going to get emotional over this. I wasn’t going to break down, just because a man cooked me breakfast and told me I was something special.
He was wrong. I was just Slade—the guy who fought growing up with everything he had. The man who hung onto his dreams until he risked losing everything when they didn’t pan out.
Still oblivious to the turmoil in my mind, Jack started plating our food. He jerked his head to the side and led me into the living room. He settled onto the couch, and I sat on the floor next to him, leaning against his legs for support. I couldn’t say why, other than it felt like this was where I was supposed to be. When I looked up and saw the reverent way Jack was looking at me, I knew I’d done something right.
