Page 16 of Just A Little Love

“Did Santa take back your presents?”

“No, I was good this year.”

“Well, I’m tapped out here and used up all my guesses. You need to take pity and tell me.”

Rory’s breath shuddered, and he sniffled a few more times, but the crying stopped. He’d mashed his face into my neck, so when he first spoke, I struggled to understand him. I jostled him until he looked up at me, and I raised an eyebrow at him in a silent question.

“This is so silly.”

Rory’s face was flushed red, but I wasn’t sure if from the crying or the blush that bloomed up his neck.

“Let me decide for myself.”

“Promise you won’t laugh? You have to promise and cross your heart.”

Cross my heart?

“Okay, Bunny. I cross my heart and promise not to laugh.”

Rory rolled his eyes to the ceiling and said, “I tried on my outfit.”

“Okay?”

“With the training pants,” Rory whispered.

“And?”

“I liked them,” he ended with a wail.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

“Isn’t liking them a good thing?”

I was so fucking confused.

“I’m not ‘posed to like them.”

And there it was. The barest glimpse of his little persona I’d seen at the store had come out of its shell to play. Rory got overwhelmed and scared himself into thinking there was something wrong with it. Good thing he had a daddy around who could take this one for the team.

“Bunny, it’s okay to like what you like, so long as no one gets hurt. Do you still want to go to the party? I will call them right now and cancel if you don’t want to go.” Rory hadn’t made a move to leave my lap, and I damn sure wasn’t pushing him off. It had been too long since I cuddled a little beyond a quick scene at the club. Yeah, both were faked, but I had a lot more trouble remembering when it came to Rory.

“No, no, Gabriel. It’s fine. I think I’m okay now.” Rory made a final pass with his sleeve on his nose, which prompted me to reach for a tissue to aid this sweet boy who was uncertain about how to handle his unexpected mindset.

“Hey, Bunny, tonight I'm Daddy. Okay?” I waited for his acknowledgment of my instructions before I continued. “We are going to go upstairs, get you dressed, and go to the party. You only need to follow my directions, and you’ll be my good boy. That’s it. You do what Daddy says, and everything will be fine.”

***

“Are you sure this outfit is alright? It’s New Year’s Eve at a club. Won't everyone be wearing fancy outfits?” Rory was in the dragon overalls he’d fallen in love with at the store. He smoothed non-existent wrinkles across his thighs and kept fiddling with the buttons on the straps. He’d elected to wear the training pants. Because of the extra fabric, he’d walked to the car with the telltale waddle, and damned if I didn’t need to adjust myself discreetly after I got him buckled in.

There's never been a cuter little.

“Bunny, most of the littles will be dressed like you. I promise.” He twisted his fingers into knots. I’d already picked up it was a clear sign he felt anxious. My hand found its way to his lap and unfurled his fingers. Rory immediately laced both of his hands around my own, and I squeezed them tight. The pressure I supplied was enough for Rory to relax back into the seat of my car.

“I would never, ever intentionally embarrass you. It’s going to be okay. Yeah, it’s at a kink club, but it’s nothing more than a party among friends. Our story is the truth. We met because of a houseyou’re considering renovating, and it’s new. Everything will be fine.”

My urge to lean over and kiss Rory was unrelenting, but I stayed on my side at every red light. The other day barely counted as a kiss, but it was enough to convince me I wanted more of it. More of it with my hands firmly planted on his ass while I fucked him senseless would be ideal, but I’d take a kiss with tongue if it was where we had to start. His sweet responsiveness melted my cold, mostly dead heart, and for a moment, I forgot how fucking hard it was to maintain a Daddy/little relationship.

Countless people had intensive jobs, which made relationships difficult, and they managed fine. I wasn't sure why I hadn't ever found the sweet spot. It couldn’t solely be because of the attention a little should rightfully expect. There weren’t many partners who’d be fine with their significant other being gone for months at a time or leaving on short notice. I wasn't the most attentive partner when distracted on a site, either. Maybe it would matter if I had altruistic reasons for being gone. Instead, I wanted the accolades that came with being top in my field. It sounded shallow when I admitted it aloud, but I'd worked hard to reach where I was in the design world. My personal life was the required sacrifice.

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