“Can’t we just go to bed?” Danny complained when I set him on his feet in the kitchen. “I didn’t realize how tired I was until now.”
“As soon as we’re done with dinner, we can call it a night,” I promised him. My hopes for a sexy reunion were fading fast, but I’d be just as content to hold him as he snored. “But you need to eat something. I heard your stomach rumbling over the stereo earlier.”
“It was not.” Danny swatted my arm.
With him still groggy, it wasn’t difficult to capture his arm and twist it behind his back as I pulled him against my body. “You might want to remember who you’re assaulting, boy.”
How I managed to issue that threat without busting up laughing was a mystery. I tipped my head, clamping my teeth around his earlobe. “If you forget who’s in charge when you leave me, I’ll have to make sure you’re not allowed to go traipsing off on your own.”
Danny pressed his ass against my dick, grinding against my length. He widened his stance, taunting me to give him what he wanted.
“Keep that up and you’ll sleep in the cage tonight,” I warned him.
“You wouldn’t!” Danny spun around in my embrace, pressing his groin to mine. “I was good the whole time I was gone. I wanted to take it off and do stuff to myself but you said I couldn’t, so I didn’t.”
“And why didn’t you?” I asked. Even if I already knew the answer, I wanted to hear it from his lips.
“Because you own my pleasure. I don’t get to come without permission,” he responded without hesitation. The fact that his body sagged against mine as he rutted against my thigh proved how much he craved this.
“Eat, and then we’ll see about getting rid of the cage,” I bargained. “And then you can show me how much you’ve missed being filled with my cock.”
That did the trick. Danny nearly tripped over his own feet as he raced to the kitchen table. My boy was nothing if not transparent.
21
Danny
It felt damnedgood to be back at work. Jack hadn’t scheduled me the week I came home but reassured me I would still be compensated. According to him, it was a gift for my dedication to the success of the rebranding of DeSires. I both loved and hated the gesture. While it was awesome to be appreciated for all the hard work I’d put in at the club, having a chill boss made it harder to decide what I wanted for my future.
I loved being in Annandale, but being so far from my family now that I didn’t have the drama of my breakup with Michael hanging over my head was slowly killing me. I wanted to take Blake up on his offer to move if that’s what I needed, but I also loved the life I was creating for myself here.
It felt like a lose-lose situation.
Staying here, I’d keep on missing my family.
Moving home, I knew it was only a matter of time before everyone reverted to seeing me as little Danny, the baby brother of the alphabet gang. You know, because that wasn’t an embarrassing collective nickname or anything.
Staying in Annandale, I felt safe. Blake could push my boundaries without me having to worry about anyone thinking he was abusing me.
In Harmony Grove, I’d worry about my family comparing Blake to Michael when they didn’t understand either of them. As much as I wanted to hate him, it turned out Michael wasn’t the bad guy. I’d been too insecure to speak up for myself until it was too late, and he’d found himself sinking and incapable of taking care of my needs while taking on the responsibility of being a parent to a child who wasn’t his.
There were plenty of shit deals to go around.
“Hey Danny, you with us?” I jumped at the sound of Sam’s voice directly behind me.
I needed to get my shit together before he started taking away my shifts. “Yeah, sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind. Promise it won’t affect my work though.”
“Didn’t think it would.” Sam patted my back and motioned for me to follow him. “I wanted to give you a heads up that Justice is starting tonight. He’s going to be mostly in the back until he’s ready to come up front.”
“That’s the guy…” I wasn’t sure how to finish the question without coming across rude. More than anything, I wanted a subtle way to let Sam know I was aware of Justice’s situation so he didn’t feel the need to explain things to me.
“Yeah, that’s him,” Sam confirmed. “So, I guess… Well, John’s going to keep an eye on him, too, but I want him to feel safe here.”
I pressed a fist to the center of my chest, trying to stave off the ache that formed. He’d meant nothing by it, but the sense of family and camaraderie was something rare to find in a workplace. Most places talked a good game, but The Lodge and DeSires was the first place I’d worked where they’d lived by the principle. Everyone here had everyone else’s back.
Was I ready to give that up?
“I don’t want to push, but you know you can talk to me about whatever’s had you so tied up lately, right?” Sam and I started pulling bottles to restock the main bar before we opened for the night. “Does this have something to do with your trip home?”
