Page 41 of Icebreaker
Uh, are you sure?
Daddy B
Yep, that’s why I asked.
Do you have any other plans for lunch?
Ellie
Well, not really.
Daddy B
Cool. Your morning classes end at 1130, right? See you after. I’ll probably be in the back corner.
“Hey, handsome,”Daddy B called out when I looked around the room searching for him. Rather than the back corner, as promised, he was sitting at one of the center tables, and he wasn’t alone. It looked like half the team had joined him at the table. He nudged one of the players next to him, who vacated their seat, giving me a knowing smile as he passed by on his way to the other end of the table. Daddy B gestured for me to come over to him and indicated the seat next to him.
“I was beginning to think you’d stood me up.”
“Yeah, one of the professors kept me after.” I said it quietly because I didn’t need the guys overhearing the conversation.
“Everything all right?” Matty asked from across the table.
Next to me, I felt Daddy B instantly stiffen at his question. While I appreciated that Daddy B was possessive and kinda sorta absolutely found it hot, sometimes it was annoying when it was about serial good-time Matty.
“Yeah, it’s fine. He just wanted to talk about my classwork.” Fingers crossed they’d let the subject drop. I doubted theywanted to discuss the intricacies of the information science degree program. My sudden improvement on the quiz I took on Monday prompted my professor to question what had caused such a dramatic shift.
“You sure it’s all good?” Daddy B whispered into my ear.
“Yeah, she was surprised by my grade and wanted to know what changed because it was dramatically improved.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That I finally figured out a sleep, study, and work schedule that worked for me.”
Daddy B lightly squeezed my thigh and grinned. “You’re a fucking rock star.”
“That’s likely overstating it, but I’ll take it.” I grinned back.
“Arguing with your Daddy about how awesome you are is gonna get you a punishment.”
I laughed, but then sobered when I realized he wasn’t laughing with me.
“Are you serious?” I hissed.
“Yeah, I am—nobody talks shit about you, including you.” I pulled back to examine him closely. There were no jokes, no laughter. He was serious. I’d never wanted anyone more than I wanted this man. I knew he’d been slow to initiate, and I understood he was trying to be respectful, but I’d never wanted anyone as much as I did him right now.
“Fucking nerd,” Wojak muttered under his breath but clearly intending to be heard.
“The fuck you say?” Daddy B answered in a tone that matched his energy. I hadn’t expected an argument to break out with anyone at the table.
“What’s your fucking problem?” Matty snapped. I wasn’t even sure what was going on. One minute, Matty and Daddy B were chirping at each other, and the next, they both stared daggers at Wojak.
“I didn’t say anything that you haven’t, Matty.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I haven’t said shit about Ellis.”
“While we’re on the subject of him, I don’t know why he’s sitting at our table,” Wojak sneered. “What’s the point of a team table if anyone can join it?”
