8. Ash

Chapter eight

Ash

" H ow does this look?" Drake places a steaming hot bowl of mac and cheese in front of me.

"Okay, now you're just showing off." I grin, peering down at all the melted cheese on top. "You know I'm obsessed with your homemade dishes."

"Yeah, well, let's see how much you love my secret ingredient." He winks, causing my heart to flip. How is this my life now? Everything feels almost too good to be true, but from the hints I've been getting from Joshua and now Drake, it seems like we both really have been morons. How long has Drake liked me, and how much time have we missed out on together?

I stab my fork into my bowl, and I'm shocked when it pierces something thick. What the? "Oh no. Please don't tell me you ruined your famous mac and cheese with broccoli!"

"It was either mix it with your delicious melted cheese, or eat it separately. If you prefer it the other way, let me know, and I'll remember for next time."

I pout. Yeah, I never claimed to be mature over veggies.

"Don't pout at me, boy." He waves his own fork at my food, indicating I eat up.

His tone makes me squirm. Ugh, how is it possible for Drake to get even hotter? "Well, you just signed up to be my Daddy, so get used to Ash two-point-oh. That means lots of pouting, giggling, and, and… and other things," I finish lamely.

Drake smirks. "Right back at you, baby boy. You just gave me free rein as your Daddy. Get used to extra healthy food on the side or mixed in."

I blink. My brain just short circuited. Apparently, Drake two-point-oh is hot! Does he have any idea what his words do to me? "I like the way you call me baby boy."

His gaze turns heated. "Good, now eat up."

Over dinner, I'm surprised when Drake starts asking me lots of questions about limits, safe words, and expectations. I tell him I have a list of questions and a mock contract that was emailed to me when I went on the kinky cruise last month. We finished our food while peering over my phone screen and chatting.

It was a lot of fun, and even though we didn't sign anything official, we found out that we were really compatible as Daddy/little, and very, very compatible in bed. Drake gave me the stink eye when I told him I wanted my safe word to be broccoli, which only made me giggle. But we agreed that in a scene, during sex, or anytime either of us needed to stop or slow down, we could use the stop light colors or the word broccoli.

Turns out I'm learning a lot about Drake this week, because even though he says he prefers to top, he is vers. He also said he's willing to let me fuck him someday, but just because he'd be on the bottom didn't mean he wouldn't still be in charge. Instant boner. I told him I'd never topped anyone and never really thought about it, but damn, what would it feel like to be inside of Drake?

"We don't need to sign any contracts if you don't want to," I say, hoping I sound calm and collected, but what I don't tell him is that I kind of don't want to sign an end date to our relationship. If I have a choice, I want Drake to keep me forever. He's it for me.

"I'd be willing to. We can always tweak it or make new ones. At the end of the day, I just want us to be open, communicate, and have fun."

"Fuck, when you say things like that…"

His eyes sparkle. "Language, baby boy."

Okay, Daddy Drake knows exactly what he does to me.

Drake loses a little of his sparkle as he looks at me seriously. "Will you tell me what had you so upset today?"

I swallow hard. I can't believe I forgot. Chewing on my thumbnail, I glance over at Drake across the dining table. "Please don't get mad at me. I promise I'll try my best to look around and find something this week. I just might not be able to pay rent anytime soon and I—"

"Ash, slow down," Drake says in a firm tone that has me instantly obeying. Something about the tone he uses makes me feel grounded. Safe.

He pulls my thumb gently from out of my mouth. I didn't even realize I was sucking on it. My eyes bounce to his, but he still looks the same. He isn't judging me.

I take a deep breath and let it out. "Lucy fired me today."

Drake's whole face changes. He looks mad, but I can immediately tell his anger is for Lucy. He's never liked her. I tell him about my day at work, and I love that my man is ready to storm over to the café and defend my honor. Such a good Daddy. I giggle to myself.

The sound breaks Drake out of his Hulk phase, and he smiles over at me. "Even though I hate the woman, I think this will be good for you, Ash."

"But what about rent? I need to find a new job."

Drake shakes his head. "Ash, we'll be fine. My income can support the two of us while you give yourself a break."

I blink. "We'll be fine… The two of us."

"You need a break, or you're going to burn out. You worked so hard in high school, then immediately started taking summer classes for college while working a full-time job. Then you continued to work a lot when the real term started, only to take even more classes. You haven't even had time to explore your options with your degrees you earned."

My hand climbs to my mouth, the urge to chew on my nails or suck my thumb high. I know he's right, and after working so hard to get a business degree on top of my art degree, only to be working full time at a coffee shop I hate, it's embarrassing. "But every time I've even attempted to look into it… nothing. No one wants my art degree, and I need more experience with my business degree."

"I promise, Ash, with my promotion and commissions, I make plenty. You can take your time looking and applying. You don't have to settle just to pay the bills. I know independence and financial security is a big deal for both of us, so I know it's probably really hard to hear me say I can support you, but as your Daddy, give it a try. Let me help you. Don't rush anything. Maybe you can even get creative with your art, and figure something out."

A new wave of excitement washes over me. There are several ideas I've been playing around with, I just haven't found the time. I know my art can support me; it's just finding the right job that will let me show off my art. Is this the sign I've been hoping for?

"Okay," I finally reply, nodding eagerly.

The biggest smile breaks across Drake's face. "Okay?"

"Okay," I repeat. "I trust you, Daddy." I can't believe how easily the name rolled off my tongue.

Drake jumps out of his chair and we both stand. He swoops me up into a tight hug and peppers me with kisses until I'm laughing with him. "I'm so proud of you, Ash. We got this."

"Now," I say, feeling happier than I ever have. "What about my surprises?"

"You little brat." Ash tickles my sides, causing me to bark out a laugh.

"Stop, okay. Stop. Mercy," I gasp around my laughter as he continues to tickle under my arms and my stomach.

He grabs onto my hand and tugs me toward my room. As soon as I enter, I stop dead. On the far wall, next to the window, is a beautiful five shelf bookcase. Sitting on the middle shelf is Nelly and a new stuffie. "Did you buy me an Eevee plush?" I bounce on my toes before finally rushing forward. It's so cute, maybe six inches tall and has little flowers in its main and above its right ear.

"I thought Nelly could use a friend."

Picking up the stuffie, I look at its details. It's so adorable, with lavender eyes and a subtle blush on its cheeks. I've never seen a Pokémon stuffed animal quite like this one. "Thank you, Drake. And you got me a bookshelf too?"

Drake has a warm smile on his face. "I thought we could pull all your storage containers out from under the bed and give your stuffies a new home. They need to be displayed, not shoved in a hiding spot. I picked out the bookcase with five shelves, so that way you could use one of them for all your coloring books, and…why are you looking at me like that?" he asks.

I tackle him. Jumping up into his arms and wrapping my legs around him like a damn spider monkey. He laughs, stumbling backward, and lands on my bed. I continue to climb him until my lips are on his. I pull him into a passionate kiss as I straddle him, one of us occasionally pausing our make-out session to giggle and laugh. Damn, no one has ever done anything so thoughtful.

How am I this lucky? Is this what it's like to be with someone who just gets you?

Drake gasps between giggles and kisses before finally pulling away. "Wait, little one." He pushes me back lightly. "Stop, stop, stop. I have one more surprise."

My eyes widen and I lean back further, still straddling him on the bed as he lies on his back below me. "More? Drake, you're spoiling me!"

"I won sales associate for the quarter."

"What? Oh, my god. Congratulations! That means we get to go on vacation, right?" I grin. "Did you end up picking that winery up north you wanted to try out?"

"Screw the winery," he laughs. "I picked something better."

"Wait. Screw the winery? You've been dying to go there. What place did you choose instead?" I love how happy he looks. Drake has been working really hard at the travel agency. Sometimes I'm jealous that he has a job he enjoys so much, it sounds like a dream. But mostly I'm happy he works there. Drake has grown so much since working in the field. I didn't realize I could be proud of him like this, but I am.

"We are going to Chibico World!"

I blink, the words slowly penetrating my shocked brain. "The adult amusement park?"

He nods.

But how did he know about that place?

Blink. Blink. "The one that has all the water parks and roller coasters?"

He nods again.

"The one that's based on my favorite anime? That Chibico World?"

He chuckles. "Yes, Ash. The new Chibico World that's opening in two weeks."

I shriek with joy, wiggling on top of Drake and pumping both arms into the air. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Best. Summer. Ever!"

I wiggle some more, dancing and squirming on Drake's lap. "First, I get a Daddy, then he decides to take me to my dream park? This isn't real. How is this real?" I grin, bouncing on Drake's lap.

Drake growls playfully. "Ash, you're making me really hard with all that gyrating."

I smirk. "Well now, Daddy. Why don't I take care of that for you?"