“Inviting yourself over?” I was only teasing him, but I was nervous about the prospect of inviting Slade to my house for the first time when we wouldn’t be alone. This felt like a step that should be taken with just the two of us.
“I figured you’d be more comfortable there,” Eli explained. “Plus, if the boys fall asleep watching a movie, we can crash in the guest room. You’d be a hell of a lot more comfortable there than at our place.”
“You make a good point,” I told him. “But would it be okay if you guys either hang back for a few minutes, or swing by your place and grab clothes if you plan on spending the night?”
Eli eyed me curiously, and a pit formed in my stomach. Was I really going to confess this to them?
Yeah, I was. If nothing else, I knew I could trust Doug and Eli to keep me on the right path when it came to giving Slade whatever he needed. Much like William, they weren’t afraid to call me on my bullshit. I needed more people like that my life, otherwise I was doomed to repeat the past at some point.
“I’d prefer the first time Slade sees my house to not be with the three of you hot on our heels,” I admitted to them.
Doug’s eyes grew wide and Eli simply hung his head, muttering about what an idiot I had been. I didn’t dispute him. It wasn’t fair to Slade that I had never invited him to my place when he so freely opened his house to me. But tonight was the night everything changed. I couldn’t go back and correct the mistakes I’d already made, but I could do everything in my power to make sure he knew how much I cared about him.
“Yeah, whatever you need.” Doug rested his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up. I know none of this has been easy on you. And, believe it or not, even you aren’t perfect. You were bound to screw up at some point.”
“Gee, thanks for that reminder,” I muttered. “Now, what do you say we go get our boys and get out of here?”
Doug turned my body away from the playroom when I went to retrieve Slade. “No. We will go tell the boys it’s time to leave. You need to let everyone know you’re taking the night off. And tell them not to call you for a few days, unless it’s an emergency.”
“Little bit bossy, aren’t you?”
“You might be older, but if you need someone to keep you in check, I’m more than man enough to take on that role. It’s time for you to open up your life to him.”
* * *
Slade was waitingfor me at the bar when I finished talking to Sam and William. They’d both been shocked when I told them I was taking a few days off and not to call me before Thursday unless it was an absolute emergency. My skin itched, realizing that they would listen to me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been completely out of touch with the club.
Now that Eli and Doug had left with Jordan in tow, Corey was back behind the bar. The sad, haunted look was gone from his eyes, and he was back to his bubbly self. He was right. I never would have imagined age play to be his kink, but maybe if I had spent more time getting to know him, it wouldn’t have come as such a shock. At some point, I would let him know that he was welcome to go back there any time he needed to reset.
“You ready, baby?” I asked Slade, wrapping an arm around his waist. He hugged me tightly, burying his face against my chest. “In case I didn’t say it earlier, thank you for inviting me down here.”
“You don’t need to thank me, baby. I’m sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my ass.”
“Lucky for you, I can be patient.” I snorted out a laugh. There were many adjectives I could use to describe Slade, but patient would never be among them. “Come on, brat. Let’s get out of here so Corey can get back to work.”
“What are we doing?” Slade asked as I led him to the back entrance. “Doug and Eli were all quiet when I asked them. They said I needed to ask you.”
“The three of us decided we’d rather spend a quiet night with our boys than be at the club,” I informed him. “It’s probably going to take me a while before I can fully relax with you there. I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, but I don’t ever want anyone being rude to you. If they are, I want you to tell me.”
Slade spun around, pressing a hand to my chest. “I’m a big boy, Daddy. If I need your help, I’ll ask for it, but I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”
Oh my God, the brat in him was definitely out in full force tonight. All that was missing was him pouting and stomping his foot.
“I know you are, sweetheart.” I cupped his cheek. Slade didn’t hesitate before leaning in to kiss me. I buried my hands in his back pockets, kneading his ass as he deepened the kiss. He ground against me. “You know what you really need to go with that playroom?”
“What’s that, sweetheart?”
“Bedrooms. I know you have the private playrooms, but have you ever thought about the fact that you need some other places, too?”
“Bedrooms, huh? And why would that be?” I pursed my lips to keep from laughing. Slade seemed adamant that this was absolutely necessary to complete the renovations.
“Sometimes kids get tired,” he explained. “They might need nap time, and nap time isn’t any good if people are being loud. And for the littler ones, they’re going to want to play if they see other friends playing.”
Either he had given this an insane amount of thought in the past hour, or this wasn’t the first time he’d considered age play. This was definitely something we would be exploring more at home.
“You make a very convincing argument, baby. Would you like to talk to Sam about that?”
His face twisted in confusion. “Why would I talk to him?”
