Page 44 of Just A Little Love

“Bunny, I have to jump online for a meeting. Can you get yourself ready for bed? I should be done in a few hours, but it starts in about 5 minutes. I should have paid more attention to the time when we went out for cocoa.” The funding for my upcoming London project was provided, in part, by a global conglomerate, which meant the key individuals involved were situated around the world. We all took turns for the most convenient time, and it was clearly not my turn for this go around.

“Yes, Daddy. I’m going to take a bubble bath, put on my pajamas, and read in bed. Is it okay if I wear training pants? I want to save the diapers for when we’re together. It feels good when you do it, but weird when it’s just me. I tried it the other day and didn’t like it.” Rory gnawed a little on his lower lip and kept his head bowed, so I couldn’t see his eyes. His speech patterns told me he was well on his way back to a big headspace, even if not quite there yet.

“It’s perfectly fine to keep diapers between us. Thank you for being brave and letting me know how you feel.” Rory finally looked up and beamed at my words. That earned him a soft kiss on his mouth. Involuntarily, my hands found their way into his coppery curls as I gripped the back of his head to deepen the kiss. Our tongues twisted and curled around each other while we explored each other in a slow, languid fashion. There was no rush or urgency, only a slow burn of want. Intense satisfaction bloomed in my chest at his sigh of surrender to me. Rory always yielded so beautifully, and my cock was more than happy to perk up at having him so close. “Baby Bunny, you make it hard to get to my meeting.”

Rory smiled against my mouth at my words. I swatted him on his backside and sent him upstairs. The quicker I started this thing, the quicker we’d be done.

***

The only thing certain after my four, not three, hour meeting was my early Monday morning arrival in London. I was adamant that I could only stay two weeks before I had to return stateside, and it was non-negotiable. Come hell or airline delays, I would be at the Valentine’s Day party with Rory. There was surprisingly little resistance to my request to fly home. So long as they agreed to my timetable, I didn’t bother to question their reasoning. My reassurance that I would come back immediately after my “attendance required” previous engagement was enough to satisfy the other project committee members.

Even with that problem resolved, I absolutely could not tell Rory I loved him and then leave for weeks. My present predicament mirrored the exact fears I had about relationships. The distance and regular business trips wrecked hell on me. After my epiphany about who really needed the contact, I accepted that Rory would be fine with Anders, and now Jacob, to keep him company. I’d break the news about the trip, and we’d sort it out together.

After I closed out my meeting, I tried to keep my walk up the stairs as quiet as possible. I hadn’t yet memorized all the creaky stairs in Rory’s house, but I did my best to step lightly. I stopped at the doorway and drank in the sight of Rory sprawled across the bed, starfish style. The angle gave a hint of the slight paddingof his training pants outlined in his pajama bottoms. Bottoms covered in monsters driving heavy equipment. The best part of his outfit was the shirt. If he stood up, I knew it would hang off him. It was threadbare, and the brewery logo had long since worn away. There were a few pinholes along the front bottom hem too. In his arms was Thomas, his stuffed rabbit, while his baby doll, Elowen, lay on his nightstand tucked into a makeshift bed of towels. The otters, no names yet, lay next to her for company.

Seeing Rory like this made me possessive, and I didn’t bother to find a way to rationalize my dog-with-a-bone-mentality. I belonged to him for the next week, the next month, the next year, and the next forever. The foolish urge to confess my feelings felt like a lump in my throat. I forced myself to swallow down the words I desperately wanted to say. I didn’t give a fuck if it was too soon. Yeah, I knew what I said to myself about relationships and I didn’t give a fuck about that either.

My rational brain understood this was irrational, but I also knew it was supposed to happen exactly like this. There was no question. I forced myself to keep my words unspoken. I owed Rory more than a rushed declaration on my way to the airport.

No one but me should tuck him in.

No one but me should guide him through the sweet vulnerabilities of exploring his little self.

No one but me should have their T-shirts swiped so he could sleep in them.

He was mine. Full stop.

“Daddy, is your meeting done?”

Rory immediately rolled over to face me with a sleepy smile and then pushed himself into a sitting position. I crossed the room and lay a gentle kiss on his waiting mouth. It had been too long.

“Yeah, Bunny, it’s done. I’m gonna grab a quick shower and be right back.”

After another quick kiss, I gathered my toiletries from my overnight bag and headed straight to the shower. After returning from London, I hoped Rory would allow me to leave behind some clothes and toiletries. I considered skipping the asking, but that seemed presumptuous even by my low standards.

The more time I spent at Rory’s place, the less time I could stand to spend in my own sterile apartment. My glorified hotel room with fantastic views hadn’t bothered me until recently, but it highlighted the differences in how Rory and I lived our lives. He rushed headlong into life, even with the distinct possibility that he’d be left heartbroken. I avoided entanglements at all costs. In just about a month, my focus had completely shifted to the beautiful man in our bed. I felt unbalanced tonight. A proper evening was bathing Rory, reading him a story, and tucking him into bed. With me.

I finished my nightly routine of using the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and remembered my eye cream because I wasn’t getting any younger. I eased the bathroom door open as quietly aspossible, in case Rory had fallen back asleep. Rory lay on his side, with his otter family propped up against the headboard, hands under his head, while he waited for me to join him in bed. I eased the covers back and crawled in next to him. The instant the blanket covered me, Rory shifted over and settled on me. With his knee hitched up, and his head pillowed on my shoulder, it felt right in all the ways. His open hand absently played with my chest hair, and every once in a while, he palmed over my uncovered nipple. His mouth was close to my other nub. I wanted him to take it into his mouth, but since he had stayed up, he clearly wanted to talk about something.

“When are you leaving?”

“I’ll catch a flight out on Saturday afternoon and get in on Sunday, so I’ll have a little time to adjust before my Monday morning meeting. How’d you know I was going?”

“I went downstairs to get a drink and overheard you talking.” Rory’s hands skimmed my chest and continued to thread his fingers through the fur on my chest. As much as I love Rory’s smooth skin, he seemed to enjoy my hair just as much. His fingers found my uncovered nipple again and plucked at it. He cleared his throat before he asked, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Baby, you never have to ask that. I will always be an open book to you.”

“We’ve never talked about it, but I don’t think you’re seeing anyone else here. I assumed you’re not, I mean. Maybe you are?Oh God, are you?” Rory stumbled over his words, and I couldn’t let him go on.

“Bunny, I'm not interested in seeing anyone but you.” I cupped his cheek and tilted his head up so I could look at him directly. I leaned down and pressed a quick, possessive kiss to his lips. “And I don’t share.”

Bunny smiled and laid his own possessive kiss on me. “I don’t share either, Daddy.”

He snuggled back down on me and resumed his ministrations against my body. My initial plan for sleep was a far-off memory. "Bunny, whatcha’ doing?”

I felt Rory smile against my throat. “Nothing, I like touching you. Do you mind?”

Sparks shoot wherever his fingers trailed. Rory turned his mouth on me next. His tongue followed the trail of his fingers across my chest. Rory leveraged himself up to give himself a better vantage point and licked a stripe over my abs towards my chest. When he reached there, Rory nibbled then laved with his tongue on the sensitive nub. I threw my head back and moaned deeply. Rory chucked and then continued his ministrations, alternating between the sides with quick bites and pinches.

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