Just the thought of delivering that fun little “punishment” had his cock pressing painfully against the zipper of his jeans.
He settled for clearing his throat as he stepped into the kitchen, mostly so he wouldn’t startle her given how fiercely she was focused on the potato in her hand, and because he knew how jumpy she could be when she wasn’t paying attention. Pausing with the potato half-peeled, she glanced up, and unless he was imagining things, the color in her cheeks darkened slightly before she looked back down. “Get settled in okay?”
“Yup. Thanks again for letting me stay.” Crossing the small kitchen, he washed his hands vigorously before turning back to her. “What do you need me to do?”
He knew she was going to argue before she even opened her mouth. The sudden tension in her shoulders clearly said she was bracing for a fight.
Fine by him. A little pushback from her would give him the chance to start flexing his “Daddy muscles”.
“I really don’t need any help.”
“Nonsense. Many hands make light work and all that jazz. Got an extra peeler around here?”
“No.”
Probably not a lie, since he was willing to bet most people only had one vegetable peeler in their house. “Okay. You peel, I’ll chop.”
Ignoring the tense silence coming from her direction, he pulled out the cutting board and a large knife. God, it felt goodto finally be taking care of her the way he’d been wanting to for so long
And he was just getting started.
Chapter Two
Sam
There was no reason for her to feel so… flustered. She’d known the boy for nearly six years at this point, and this wasn’t the first time he’d been in her home. But there was something different about him this time.
She just couldn’t put her finger on exactlywhat.
If she didn’t know any better, she might have said he was acting exactly like a Daddy. Or at least how she imagined a Daddy would act, based on the books she had secreted away on her Kindle.
That was ridiculous, though. He was just being polite.
Polite and bossy.
When had he gotten so damn bossy?
Since she couldn’t ask him without being the opposite of polite, she settled for peeling the next potato while the rhythmicthumpof his knife hitting the cutting board kept the silence from becoming overwhelming.
Sneaking a glance to the side, she watched him as he chopped up the potatoes she’d already peeled. His T-shirt clung to those newly developed muscles, so closely she could have run herfinger along the outline of each and every one. And with every controlled movement of the knife, the muscles in his forearm rippled slightly.
What was it about a man’s bare forearms that made her brain just go completely blank? It was unfair that such a seemingly innocent appendage should be so distract?—
“Fuck!” Dropping the peeler, she clutched her hand close to her chest, tears welling in her eyes at the sharp pain radiating from her thumb.
“What happened?” Panicked worry colored Dylan’s tone as he abandoned his own chore to rush to her side, gently tugging on her hand so she was forced to show him the cut.
“Nothing. Just a little nick.” Despite her best efforts, her voice wobbled, making her sound far more Little than she would normally allow herself to be around anyone else. “I’ll be fine.”
Whether he heard the change or not, she wasn’t sure, but either way he didn’t release his hold on her hand as he frowned down at the bleeding cut. “Let’s get it cleaned up so I can see how deep it is.”
“Really, it’s fine,” she protested even as he pulled her up out of her chair. “I’ll just go slap a band-aid on it, no biggie.”
“Uh-huh.” Nudging her closer to the kitchen sink, he reached across her to turn on the faucet, and she caught a whiff of his cologne or body wash or whatever it was that made him smell like the inside of one of those all-leather stores in the mall. But… spicier, somehow, and it made her want to breathe him in as deeply as she could.
Fortunately, common sense prevailed, and she forced herself to focus on her “injury”. Which, of course, brought her attention to the fact his fingers were wrapped around her wrist, firm and unforgiving, yet gentle at the same time.
“Seriously, Dylan, you’re overreacting.”
