Page 91 of The Apprentice
He frowned and touched the spot where he’d punched me. “I’m so sorry, Daddy Daire. I didn’t mean to hit you. I was angry. That’s no excuse. Fuck.”
I shook my head and laid a gentle kiss on his forehead. “You’re right, it’s not an excuse. It won’t happen again, do you understand? I am your Daddy, boy, but I will not tolerate that, even when you’re upset. There is no excuse for it, am I clear?”
“Yes, Daddy.” He nestled his face against my neck and sighed. “I’m so sorry. Thank you for being here with me.”
“I understand why you were upset, but trust me when I tell you that this company is yours. Not Lor’s. Sloan wantsyouto lead. Lor’s a good kid, but he’s not a Company man.” I stroked my hand up and down Fionn’s spine and tugged him closer, burying my nose into his hair. He smelled like sweat and sex, and it was perfect.
“I panicked. Sloan likes him more than me.”
“He fucking does not,” I argued, surprising him into glancing up at me with wide eyes. I sighed in frustration at Sloan’s lack of communication. He was a great boss but not the best uncle. “Youremind him of Eoin. You look like him, and he might not say it, but Sloan’s scared of losing you. Lor is easy to reconcile because he’s not Eoin’s son. Youare. What did Sloan say to you?”
Silence filled the room, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if he’d answer. “He said that I’m his apprentice and it doesn’t change anything.” He groaned. “But he’s told me so many times that I’m not ready to be boss.”
“Of course you aren’t ready, boy. He’s holding back because he’s afraid to lose you. The moment the Italians showed their face, he hesitated and pulled you back from what you were learning.” I growled. “Then, Reyes happened, and now he’s not teaching you what he needs to because he’s being a fucking coward.”
“Uncle’s not scared of anything,” Fionn argued.
I laughed. If only that were true. “Usually he’s not, but now he has enemies who’ve grown balls, and that puts the two people he loves the most, you and Conall, in danger. So yeah, he’s scared, deep down inside. He’s still human.”
Fionn frowned and stared at my chest.
I shook my head and patted him on the ass. “Up. I took you apart, and now I’m taking care of you. We’re going to take a shower.”
He groaned and flopped half on top of me. “Do I have to move? My legs feel like they weigh a hundred pounds each.”
I raised my eyebrows and slid out from under him so I could stand. I turned and grabbed his knees, dragging him toward the edge of the bed. Ignoring his protests, I heaved him up into my arms bridal style. He threw his head back and laughed as I carried him to the bathroom.
“I’m your Daddy, let me take care of you.” I winked at him. “I’ll get you bathed and dressed, then we’re going back downstairs. Understood?”
He smiled up at me, and the tenderness of it tugged at my heart. “Yes, Daddy Daire.”
After I settled him in the shower, I lathered up a cloth and washed his body. The same crevices I had loved on earlier were getting attention again—from under his armpits to the crack of his ass—before I guided him under the water and watched the soap swirl around the drain. I shampooed his hair, taking the time to massage my fingers through his brown locks.
His eyes closed, and I relished the blissed-out expression. This was how it should always be.
Once we were done in the shower, I dried him and dressed him, and he sighed in contentment.
“Thank you.”
I kissed him. “You’re mine, boy. Remember that.”
“I’ll never forget.”
Weeks flew by, and we kept busy.
Fionn called Folliero, and he’d promised Fionn that he had a lead and would get in contact with us soon. Fionn trusted him, so I had no choice but to go along with it. I didn’t have to like it. Sloan had put Fionn in charge of this job for a reason, and I was at his side no matter what.
Since the whole Aodhan debacle, Sloan was colder to me, and I didn’t blame him, but I also didn’t push. Sloan was many things, but he was smart, and he knew I had his back no matter what.
Fionn didn’t talk about the Lor situation, either, and he asked that I not mention it, so we moved forward as if it had never happened. As far as I could tell, Sloan, in all his wisdom,hadn’t shared that info with Lor. Sloan had secrets—nothing new there.
In a lot of ways, life was back to normal.
Except the part where I now had Fionn in my bed. Or more specifically, between my legs with my cock in his mouth. He stared up at me, tongue rolling around my cockhead and eyes dark with lust.
“Like this, Daddy?” He smooched the underside of the tip, and I groaned, bending my knees and spreading them farther.
I stroked my fingers across his forehead and carded through his hair. “Just like that, boy.”
