of at your apartment is like a knife to the gut.”
“I didn’t want to take over your entire life,” I explained. Theron’s laughter was unexpected.
“Why’s that funny to you?”
“Oh baby, we’re definitely going to have a long talk in the morning. I absolutely love looking
around the house and seeing traces of you when you’re gone,” he admitted. He spun us around, so he
was leaning against the car. I stepped between his legs and rested my head against his chest. I usually
got annoyed by anything that reminded me how much shorter I was than the typical guy, but there was
something oddly comforting about Theron’s chin on my head. “If I had my way, I’d have already
cleared out half the closet to make room for your things, and I would have set up a desk in the guest
room for when you needed to work undisturbed. But I know that’s not a healthy way to start a
relationship, so I’ve been holding back. I suggested that you go home on the nights you had to work so
we could spend time together, but you didn’t feel like I was taking over your entire life.”
“Iwantyou to take over my life,” I admitted. The best part about him being Daddy was when I
didn’t have to think about anything or make decisions. I had enough of that between school and work,
and it was comforting to know my life wouldn’t fall apart if I didn’t have the brain power to do all the
things. “I thought you wanted time to yourself and that’s why you didn’t want me coming over after
work. Or that you didn’t want me waking you up in the middle of the night.”
Theron wrapped his hands around my biceps and pushed me back far enough that I could meet his
gaze. “There has never been, and will never be, a time when I don’t want you with me. It’s still early
days, but I would hope that it will eventually beourhome.”
Maybe hearing him speak so frankly about the future should have scared the shit out of me but it
didn’t. Hell, I’d seen couples who moved from awkward first meetings to commitment ceremonies at
warp speed. There was just something about relationships that involved elements of power exchange
that seemed to make them progress rapidly. “I’d like that too, Daddy.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page. When you get home, pull into the driveway. This weekend,
you’ll have plenty of time to think about whether you want to withhold information from me in the
future while you help me clean out the garage to make room for you.” As far as punishments went, I
could think of worse. I wasn’t looking forward to organizing when I could be playing, but it beat
some of the alternatives. And him telling me I wasn’t parking on the street felt symbolic, like he
wanted me to remember I had a permanent place available for the taking.
