Perry’s impatient huff brought me back to the present, standing on the path at Rawhide. He was grinning at me, and Tyrell’s hand still rested on my shoulder.
“It’s good to see you both,” I said honestly.
Tyrell studied me for a moment, head tilting slightly. He’d always been perceptive. “You too, man. I’d actually forgotten you said you worked here until I saw your name on one of the panels being hosted later this week, so I was hoping we’d run into you.”
“Well,” I said after a beat, straightening. “I was on my way up to my place. I’ve got decent whiskey and even better hot chocolate, along with a coloring book that’s woefully empty. You’re welcome to join me for a bit if you don’t have any plans tonight.”
Perry looked at Tyrell immediately, eyes alight at the promise of something to color.
Tyrell didn’t answer right away. Finally, he nodded once. “We’d like that.”
My apartment was at the end of the top row, and I liked it that way because the ones closest to me were all empty, so it was always quiet.
Perry wandered just inside the doorway, eyes wide. “So you really live at Rawhide all of the time?”
“Yup. It’s one of the perks of the job,” I said, shrugging out of my jacket.
“Does that mean you get to join in on all the dating fun? We didn’t see you at the face painting today,” Tyrell questioned.
I smiled at the question, thinking of Hope and how I’d met her at all the dating fun while I handed Perry the coloring book and extra-jumbo sized box of crayons. “I can, yes, when it fits in around my regular duties. I’ve also been filling in and helping out when they need an extra pair of hands.”
“Ooh,” Perry cooed. “Does that mean you met someone? I bet there are loads of awesome Littles who would love to have you as a Daddy. You have the best coloring crayons,andyou offered me hot chocolate.”
I chuckled at his excitement, even though a small part of me felt a twinge of guilt at hoping he’d think me the perfect Daddy when he already had one. “As a matter of fact, I did. We’re going to meet up for coffee tomorrow.”
Tyrell smoothed down Perry’s hair and placed a soft kiss on his Little’s head before leaning against my kitchen counter. He watched me grab some glasses and a bottle of whiskey from my cupboard, and I had to suppress the urge to fidget or squirm under his intense scrutiny.
“Tell me more,” he urged after taking the glass I offered him.
As I busied myself with preparing Perry’s hot chocolate, I thought about Hope and couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.
“She’s really sweet, a tad shy, and not very comfortable with her Little side as yet. But I think with enough encouragement, I could help her with that.”
Perry bit down on his bottom lip as he concentrated on the picture in front of him. “That’s really cool, Master Lee. We also met someone exactly like that today. She let Daddy paint her face and gave me a hug and everything. Daddy said we could ask her out on another date. I was going to call her and invite her to breakfast tomorrow.” He continued a stream of babble as he selected a different color, barely paying us any attention. “That’s fine, right, Daddy?” He quickly looked up at Tyrell from his place at the table. “We can phone Hope tomorrow morning, can’t we?”
Wait.
Did he say Hope?
Chapter Ten
Hope
I spotted Master Troy the second I stepped into the room.
He looked exactly as handsome as I remembered him to be. He stood with his back straight, one ankle resting casually over the opposite one, dark shirt sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal strong forearms, leaning against the bar. He looked entirely at ease, like the room had simply arranged itself around him. It was the kind of confidence I found impossible to resist.
And when his eyes found mine, they warmed in a way that made my pulse skip.
There was something about being looked at like that.
I didn’t hesitate.
I crossed the room with a smile already tugging at my lips and leaned in to brush a light kiss against his cheek. “Hi.”
His hand settled briefly at my waist, making my heart skip a beat. “Hello, Hope.”
The way he said my name did unfair things to my insides.
