tonight.
Youaredifferent, my subconscious reminded me.They’re free to be themselves. You have
responsibilities.
Responsibilities. I hated that word. It was my own damn fault, and I wouldn’t change anything for
the world because that would mean not having my girl, but I longed for a way to get away from all
that. Just for a little while.
“What happened just then?” William’s voice behind me was soft and concerned. Dammit. It was
even harder to resist him when he was so sweet and observant.
He placed his box along the wall, then took mine for me. I felt rooted in place, unable to move,
unable to respond out of fear I’d confess how fucking hard everything was right now.
“Well fuck,” William muttered under his breath. That snapped me back into the present. When I
glanced over my shoulder at him, his eyes were clenched shut as he massaged the back of his neck. I
considered trying to escape since it seemed he was having his own crisis. When he opened his eyes,
he held out a hand to me. I allowed him to pull me to an oversized chair but stood dumbly when he
sat. I wanted to settle myself on his lap. William’s arms were strong; I could let him hold me long
enough to quiet my mind.
No. I couldn’t.
I backed up until my legs hit the ottoman, then sat, folding my hands on my lap.
“Listen, Corey. I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you into anything. It was wrong for me
to keep pressing you to open up the other night, and I hope you understand how sorry I am. I just
wanted a second to tell you that before you left.” He picked at a thread on his jeans. I wasn’t used to
him being the one who was nervous.
“Why did you need to wait until we were alone for that?” I wanted to believe William, but he was
acting almost as cagey and nervous as I felt.
William stared at me for a long moment, as if considering his response. His Adam's apple bobbed
as he swallowed. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, as if he still couldn't figure out what to
say. Finally, his body sagged a bit. “Because, believe it or not, this is foreign territory for me, too.”
I quirked an eyebrow. I wasn’t that I didn’t believe him, but I’d seen him facilitate workshops. I’d
heard him mentoring those who thought they were Daddies and giving advice to wayward boys. It
was hard to fathom there was anything he hadn’t experienced personally.
