Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Gael Grimes

Now was the time to really listen to Kit’s advice.

“If you’re happy, don’t ever ask a Sadist to pinch you, because he will.”

I didn’t know if Santiago was a Sadist, but I wasn’t going to push my luck, no matter how badly I wanted to yell, “Is this real? Please pinch me!”

No amount of fear for Caleb’s potential return in my life could destroy the happiness swirling around inside me. And how Santiago had treated me last night, like I was the most precious boy in the world. I’d almost freaking cried after dinner.

I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.

A small, wounded voice in the back of my head reminded me that Caleb had been wonderful in the beginning too, but Mom’s and Dad’s voices were louder. Not to mention the therapist I’d gone to after the breakup. It was okay to trust again. It was good to be careful and to protect myself, but not everyone was out to hurt me.

I let out a breath and snuggled closer into Santiago’s arms.

He evidently liked to sleep late!

I mean, it was past nine.

I had nothing to rest my eyes on in his empty bedroom either. Except for him, of course, but he seemed to enjoy having my back to his chest—his cock against my butt… Ugh. I wanted it. What were we waiting for? We’d had the safety talk, including protection and safewords, he’d asked about triggers and whatnot, and I’d blushed my way through a stammered ramble about past kink experience.

That talk had been over very quickly.

It was a mindfuck to be turned on and embarrassed at the same time, because I’d had his previous words wreaking havoc in my head.

“When it’s just you and me, I don’t want anything between us. Protection is reserved for everyone else who isn’t allowed to fill my boy with come.”

Gosh.

I exhaled and squirmed against his cock.

My Daddy’s cock.

Holy crapamoly, I had a Daddy. And it was him. It wasn’t just any guy. It was Joshua AKA Santiago Jones, the sweetest, kindest, hottest, most badass Daddy in the world.

Great. Now I was hard again.

So was he, though.

“Careful, chiquito.” His morning voice rumbled against my neck, sending a violent shiver down my spine. “I don’t have the same self-control today that I had yesterday.”

Finally, some good news.

The lust-filled warning gave me courage to be bolder, and I turned around in his embrace. Unf, his sleepy look was so sexy, and his eyes seemed extra green in the morning light.

He smiled faintly and leaned in to kiss me, but I only had time for a quick one. I cupped his scruffy cheek and smooched him soundly, before I ducked lower and brought my pillow with me.

He rumbled a chuckle. “Where do you think you’re goin’?”

To town?

On his cock?

“Down under.” I giggled at my own cleverness and positioned the pillow right next to his cock. Now I just had to get rid of his boxer briefs. He’d told me to sleep naked, but he hadn’t…? Totally unfair. He’d said he wanted to be able to see me properly—and touch me—and that was how Doms functioned. Their logic only applied one way—and only when it suited them.

Santiago lifted the covers some more, then planted his elbow on his own pillow to support his head in his hand. He didn’t say anything, so I made my move. For once, I wasn’t nervous one bit. Just buzzing with anticipation.

When I slipped my fingers into the waistband of his underwear, he threaded his own into my hair, and that had to mean we were a go. Fuck, my mouth actually watered as I pulled down his boxer briefs and revealed his hard cock. The view sent a rush of need through me. I brushed my fingertips through the dark, trimmed hair around his cock, then the pad of my thumb up the underside, tracing the thick vein.

“Did you bring your pillow for a reason?” he murmured.

“Yes, Sir.” I planned on staying a while. “This is my new pacifier, Daddy.”

“Jesus,” he whispered.

I closed the distance and nuzzled the soft, warm skin, and I brushed my lips along the length before I suckled on the head. I licked it, so it’s mine. And so forth. Then I slowly sucked him in, licking as much of him as I could, and he exhaled and got comfortable on his pillow.

It was time for me to do the same. I closed my eyes, let my cheek rest on the pillow, and slipped a hand back to Daddy’s butt cheek. He took the hint and scooted closer, effectively burying himself deeper, and my morning was officially made.

I tried not to be too selfish—I truly wanted to please him—but this was for me, mostly. I loved to suck cock, and I already knew this was going to be much more meaningful than my past experiences.

We eased into a seductive, unhurried rhythm, where he pushed forward a little, and so did I. Both of us lying on our sides, comfortably, and I had his fingers in my hair, the sensations sending shivers down my spine.

“Lie still, baby,” he whispered huskily. “Pretend you’re asleep.”

Oh God.

That was another fantasy of mine!

I stilled my movements after swirling my tongue around the head of his cock a few more times, because I had a feeling I wouldn’t do that if I were asleep. Then I relaxed completely and focused solely on his cock.

“What a perfect view,” he murmured. “Remember your safewords?”

I nodded.

“Good boy.”

Back and forth, back and forth, he worked his cock in my mouth, rubbing the head against the back of my throat. And I didn’t swallow. I let the saliva coat him and pool in my mouth.

He cursed under his breath and pulled out, and I felt him stroke himself, the tip brushing against my lips.

I made a sleepy, whining sound of complaint that made him moan.

“Don’t worry—Daddy’s got your pacifier here.” He pushed in again, and I settled down once more. I hoped he didn’t withdraw for anytime soon, ’cause I wanted him in my mouth for a long, long time.

He sort of obeyed.

Every now and then, in between lulling moments of him slowly fucking my mouth, he pulled out to hear me whimper in protest, then to watch me reach for him and suckle greedily.

Sometimes, he slowed down too. Judging by his breathing, he was trying to hold back and not come yet.

I just wanted to suck him!

“Fuck it,” he exhaled.

He pulled out—again!—and this time with jerkier motions, causing the bed to rattle as he moved around. And he hadn’t told me to “wake up,” so I waited quietly and kept my eyes closed.

Uh-oh, I knew that sound! He’d opened a bottle of something.

“Daddy can’t wait any longer.”

Yesssss!

Okay, I could suck more on him later.

The mattress dipped as he returned to me, this time to cover my body with his and nudge me onto my stomach. A shudder ran through me, and I felt all of him. All of him. His featherlight kisses against my neck, the short hairs on his chest tickling my back, his slicked-up cock wedged between my butt cheeks, his strong thighs cradling my own, and one of his hands roaming my side.

He trapped my earlobe between his teeth. “I heard you’re not supposed to wake a little one when he’s asleep.” Just then, he gripped his cock and slid it between my butt cheeks, spreading the oil he must’ve applied in a quick rush. “My beautiful boy…” He kissed my hair and breathed me in, and I did my absolute best not to tense up and move.

Gah. Not moving became nearly impossible when he replaced his cock with two fingers and dug deeper, at the same time as he kissed my neck hungrily, teasing my skin with both his tongue and his raspy scruff.

“Just relax, sweetheart. It’s a dream.”

I’ll say!

He took his time preparing me, fingering me unhurriedly, and I could admit I got impatient. I didn’t use my dildo or vibrator at home to fantasize about one day getting fingered. I wanted Daddy’s cock. I wanted it to sting, to burn, to turn me all breathless. I’d fantasized about having a Daddy who rapefucked me into oblivion, who couldn’t resist me, who couldn’t stop when I asked him to.

I exhaled shakily when he withdrew his fingers, at long last, and pressed the head of his cock against me again. And this time, he didn’t stop.

The pain was instant—the second more than the head was in, the fiery hurt welled up and shot through me, and I couldn’t help but whimper and go rigid.

“Shh, sweet boy. Daddy’s gonna take care of you. Go back to sleep.”

Goose bumps rose across my skin, more so where his body heat touched me.

He kept murmuring filthy, sweet things in my ear, and each obscenity thawed me out and pierced the pain. He just wanted to fuck his gorgeous boy’s tight hole, he said. He just wanted to show me how Daddy would love on his boy every night. He just had to take me.

I bit down on my lip, barely resisting the urge to push back against him. He was buried so deep, and I was evidently slutty enough to go with the hurt, as long as it gave me more cock. But yeah, then he pushed in all the way, and the fire sucked the air out of my lungs.

He groaned against my neck and gripped my hip.

My breaths turned shallow, and I was so freaking torn between begging for more and trying to escape.

“You just had to be perfect, didn’t you?” He drew a deep breath and pulled out slowly, only to push in again. “Fuck—addicted in five goddamn seconds.” He kneaded my butt cheek roughly, and he leaned back, maybe because he wanted to see. “This little ass is mine now, baby boy. I wish you could see how tightly it’s stretched around Daddy’s cock. Fucking hell.”

I whimpered—I couldn’t help it! But he was turning me on so badly, and emotions wanted out.

He hummed and lowered himself over me again, and his heated kisses along my neck made a return as he began fucking me in long, measured thrusts.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered. “No sounds.”

A flash of a memory hit, something about a journal entry I’d read, and I dug into my mind, finding Cam’s words. He’d written about this. Somnophilia—and the effects of being quiet, bottling up all the sensations his Master essentially fucked into him. It’d made Cam’s orgasm more powerful.

I drew in a deep breath and screwed my eyes shut, and I hugged my pillow to me.

“Look at you,” Daddy chuckled, out of breath. “So defenseless and precious.” He leaned forward and nipped at my jaw. “It makes me torn. Part of me wants to defile every inch of your soft little body, smear Daddy’s come all over you…”

Don’t moan, don’t moan, don’t fucking moan!

“The other part…” He exhaled and fucked me a little faster. “I keep seeing your face when you sucked me. Like a perfect cocksucker for Daddy. And I wanna hold you right there, stroke your hair, whisper sweet nothings, let you nurse from my cock…till you get all of Daddy’s milk.”

That was it; I had to literally bite down on the pillow and press my face against it. But nothing could stop me from pushing my bottom against his cock, if only a little. He talked about being addicted to me already? Well, I was addicted to him too!

He sped up again, going harder and faster, and he slipped a hand between me and the mattress, finding me rock hard. It made him chuckle.

“That’s my boy.” He pressed his lips to my shoulder. “You’re about to make a mess all over Daddy’s bed.”

I didn’t doubt him, because he rubbed me hard and persistently, almost at the same pace he drilled me with his big cock. The sound of his skin slapping against mine filled the air, and I could sense he was getting close. It was difficult to focus when I couldn’t moan, groan, whimper—whatever. It felt so damn good, and I wanted to move. I needed to move.

Don’t make a sound.

“Christ, that’s it,” he groaned. “Daddy’s gonna come, baby.”

My lungs burned, and fuck me if I didn’t get lightheaded from pressing my labored breaths into the pillow. My skin felt flushed and damp—oh fuck, oh fuck. He tightened his hold on my cock and twisted at the head, smearing the fluids seeping from me, and I fucking lost it. The pleasure came at me so fast that I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

My orgasm crashed down on me, and the feeling of soaking Daddy’s hand in my come made me feel weirdly embarrassed in a hot way—like it turned me on to know that he felt how desperate he made me. That he made me lose control.

Then he was coming too, and I gave up on my fight. I pushed away the pillow and cried out, and it prolonged the euphoria. A million tiny explosions set off within me, turning me into a needy, rambling savage.

“Fuck me, Daddy!” I moaned hoarsely. “Harder—harder, harder, please! Oh God, Daddy, it feels so good.”

He cursed breathlessly and pounded his release into me, and then I felt his hand sliding around my neck, up my jaw, and he smeared my orgasm around my mouth.

“My dirty little baby,” he growled in my ear. “Taste the mess you made.”

He pushed three fingers into my mouth, and I groaned around them. I licked them, I sucked on them—until he grunted, slammed forcefully into me, and grew still.

I panted around Daddy’s fingers, and I shuddered and shuddered.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Gael…” He blew out a breath and squeezed me to him. “Holy fuck. Now I regret making plans for the day.”

Ewww, plans.

We should totally stay here for hours and hours.

* * *

Let me repeat. Ewww, plans.

I couldn’t help but be a little nervous when we parked outside of a huge hangar, the place Colt had built his business with two others. MadCo Sec was written in big white letters across the black background of the hangar, and the property stood out among the nearby agricultural businesses with their silos and fields.

On the other side of those metal doors were Colt Carter and his Air Force friends.

Hopefully, I’d get over most of my shyness soon. I wanted to be social and have a bunch of friends—and I felt meeting Santiago would be a big help. It went without saying I became braver when he held my hand, but at the same time, it was a little bit like cheating. I had to do the work. I had to reach out to people.

“It’s not as cold today, is it?” Santiago glanced up at the overcast sky. “Spring shouldn’t be too long now.”

I scrunched my nose. It was plenty cold to me. “Your definition of not cold needs some work, Daddy.”

He cracked a smile at me and squeezed my hand. “I love hearing you call me that.”

Ugh, don’t make me horny again.

I was so sore.

He opened the door, and we were met by loud voices coming from inside.

Oh wow. I’d stupidly not expected the place to look like a hangar inside—I didn’t know why—but that was exactly what it was. The vaulted sides were made up of two stories of offices in glass, though I couldn’t see through it, so I could only assume they were offices. The rest was wide open, from the painted concrete floor to the high ceiling where fans and big lamps hung.

They had a café area in the back, and an actual basketball hoop—oh my goodness! Kit was here! He was sitting in the circular front-desk type thing. I hadn’t seen him because he was being crowded by Colt and some other people, and it looked like they were eating something.

“That’s a winner.” The man who spoke—I recognized him. It had to be Ty. He was a member at House Mclean too.

“I don’t know.” Colt was hesitating. “Luke’s gonna want the meringue one.”

“He told you to pick three,” Kit said in a reminding tone.

Oh, it was cake. As two guys left the area, I saw the setup of at least ten pieces of cake on the desk.

“I guess we picked the right day to visit,” Santiago said.

All attention shifted to us, and Kit lit up.

“Gael! And Santiago! Um. Holding hands!”

Cue traitorous blush!

Not to mention the biggest case of butterflies.

“Would ya look at that.” Colt grinned lazily and stuck his plastic spoon into his mouth. “Kit, go get us some coffee—maybe soda for the kid. I think Santiago takes his with milk.”

“Yes, Sir! I know what Gael likes. Can he come with me?” Kit asked.

I glanced up at Santiago for permission.

“In a moment,” he said, kissing the top of my head. He released my hand. “I kinda need you here for the first part.”

Oh, okay. No problem. Kit and I could catch up later.

Ty let out a whistle and summoned the remaining three employees, and he told them to meet up with him in the lab. Whatever that meant. What did they have a lab for? Or perhaps it was something else in the security business.

Kit scurried off to the dining area, and Santiago and Colt shook hands.

“What brings you guys by?” Colt asked.

Santiago placed a hand at the top of my head. “This one, as you know, has an ex who can’t let go.”

Mm-hmm, he’d told both Colt and Dean about Caleb—but I couldn’t exactly be annoyed. Dean had been there yesterday when Santiago had found the letter, and Colt apparently had what we needed for my detective Daddy’s next step of the plan.

Colt inclined his head and glanced at me quickly. He wasn’t wearing his Sadist cape at work, so I didn’t get frazzled. He was concerned, if anything.

“Come on, let’s go to one of the conference rooms.” Colt nodded at the glass-encased offices behind him. “Has the fucker reached out?”

“Yeah, yesterday,” Santiago responded. “Well, we found a letter yesterday, but it could’ve been delivered anywhere between Tuesday and Sunday.”

I should probably check my mailbox more often.

As we were shown into a room with a long table inside, Santiago filled Colt in on the details, and he shared his suspicion that Caleb enjoyed making me scared—like it was a game to him. So now, Santiago wanted to throw out some bait.

“I’m listenin’,” Colt said.

I sat down next to Santiago, and Colt got seated at the head of the table with a notepad and a pen.

“There’s only one apartment at Gael’s address, so aside from him and mail carriers, no one’s supposed to have access,” Santiago explained. “Somehow, Caleb got in anyway. I don’t believe he actually has a key, but I’m thinking he waited for the mail to arrive one day and snuck in.”

Colt nodded. “Nothin’ so far on the surveillance?”

“No, he didn’t go near the door upstairs,” Santiago confirmed. “Caleb’s supposedly tech-savvy—”

“Somewhat,” I interjected. “He does code and stuff, but it’s not like he’s a hacker. He’s into creating apps and software.”

“But he’s smart enough to know there might be cameras,” Colt deduced. “He’s not completely reckless.”

That was correct.

Santiago sat forward and clasped his hands loosely on the table. “I reckon it’s a balancing act between caution and thinking the cops won’t do anything even if he gets caught. Every time Gael’s pressed charges, Caleb’s gotten away with a fine.”

The topic tightened a knot of unease in my stomach, and I could only hope this went away soon. If it didn’t… How long would Santiago stick around before he got sick of my baggage? My chances of convincing Dean to play with Santiago weren’t great either. Because that had to happen. My Daddy was smitten with the professor—I mean, who wasn’t?—so I wanted to help them like Santiago was helping me. But Dean didn’t strike me as someone who wanted to get too close to drama.

“So what kind of bait do you wanna throw out?” Colt wondered.

“You were talking about those security doors.”

What doors?

Santiago went on. “If Caleb thinks it’s funny to know he’s getting to Gael, he should get a big laugh if he sees a newly installed security door—”

“Um, excuse me, Sir, I do not want to make that douchebag laugh,” I felt the need to say. “I want him out of my life.”

“That’s the goal, querido.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

Colt smirked a little. “Seeing the door will prompt a next move,” he explained to me. “It might even make him bolder to think you’re hidin’ behind a bunch of security. It’s a good plan.”

Oh. Okay, maybe that made sense. In the past, Caleb had found it super funny when I tried to push back. When I’d begged him to stop, when I’d gotten angry with him.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “I don’t think I can afford a thing like that, though.”

A door sounded expensive.

“You don’t have to worry about money,” Daddy told me. “I’ll handle this.”

“Actually, we will,” Colt said, clearing his throat. “The door is a prototype, so what we’ll do is we’ll install it as soon as possible. It’s yours for the next six months, and in return, you leave us a rave review. If you wanna keep it once that piece’a shit is hopefully locked up, we can work somethin’ out.”

Heavens, that was generous—but I truly hoped it wouldn’t take six months to get Caleb back to the West Coast!

“Is there a landlord we gotta reach out to, or…?” Colt looked at us.

I shook my head. “No, Sir.” It was my entrance—or my mom and dad’s, technically. It was part of the place they’d bought for me. I paid the mortgage instead of rent.

Santiago squeezed my hand again. “You know the next step now. You can go talk to Kit while Colt and I sort this out if you want.”

That was a relief, because I was starting to get overwhelmed. “Thank you, Sir.” I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, then hurried out.

Phew. Security was so not my field of expertise.

Maybe it was selfish, but I truly wanted Santiago to handle all this. I didn’t have the energy. I was so, so, so tired of Caleb’s harassment. Last time it’d happened, I’d cried for two days and barely left my apartment. His popping up whenever I’d started to relax wore me down more than I could describe.

I almost ran into Kit outside the conference room, and I laughed nervously and sidestepped. “Oops, sorry.”

“My bad! I’ll be right back—just gonna give this to Colt and Santiago,” he said. Then he went into the room with two cups of coffee.

I blew out a breath and unzipped my jacket.

A radio was playing country music somewhere. Otherwise, you could hear a pin drop in here—and it would probably echo too.

Kit returned in seconds, and he seemed so happy to see me that it dragged me out of my Caleb funk before it could really grab hold of me like it usually did. Kit took care of my jacket and offered me a Sprite Zero, and then he said he wanted my input on the cake they’d been testing.

“It’s for Valentine’s,” he explained. “Lucas, Colt, and I are having a big cake-tasting date, so we’ve narrowed it down to twenty kinds. We have ten here, and Lucas has another ten at home. The goal is to have our final ten for Valentine’s, and then somehow agree on the three winners for the wedding.”

Oh, right. His Daddies were getting married this year. I thought that was super cute. He’d convinced them and everything. Colt and Lucas had been together for nearly a decade, and Kit was the kind of guy who wanted to celebrate his Doms’ love for each other, not just the love they shared as a triad, which was nothing short of dreamy. And selfless.

I’d read most of Kit’s wedding updates online. They didn’t have a date yet, but I was happy to follow along with the planning. I mean, talk about relationship goals.

Even though it was Colt and Lucas getting married, they were including Kit in everything. They would go on the honeymoon together, Kit would be up there at the altar with both of his men, and the day after the church thing that involved only family, they were doing a special party in Mclean for kinkster friends. Where they would have a second ceremony to exchange rings with Kit as well.

Since there was only one chair at the front desk, Kit handed me two paper plates with cake, and he grabbed two as well, and then we walked over to sit in the café area. I almost dropped my soda on the way because I’d trapped the can under my arm, and I was such a klutz sometimes.

“Okay, I want to know everything,” he said. “Don’t leave anything out.”

I grinned. Oof. Where did I start?

* * *

With impeccable timing, a customer or client arrived just when I’d finished rambling, so Kit rushed over to the front desk to help the man, who had an appointment with Ty.

“Of course, sir. I’ll take you to him. He’s on the second floor right up here.” He gestured for the man to follow, and then they trailed up the stairs on the other side of the hangar.

Kit had told me he was going to take on some PA duties at both Colt’s work and Lucas’s, but I hadn’t known he’d already started.

I took a big gulp of my soda, feeling parched from all the talking, and eyed the cake on the table in front of me. I’d really liked the lemon cheesecake. The filling was so fluffy and not too sweet, and it had several layers of graham crackers. But maybe it wasn’t wedding material. I didn’t know about such things.

Kit hurried back to me, the sound of his shoes hitting the metal stairs echoing across the hangar. “Okay, let’s tackle my questions before Colt and Santiago are done,” he said, out of breath. He sat down across from me again and took a spoonful of chocolate cake to shove it into his mouth. “What’re you gonna do about Dean? You indicated he was interested in both of you.”

“He’s definitely interested in Santiago,” I answered. “With me, it’s just playtime.” Which was plenty, of course. I’d never dared dream he’d even want to go near me.

“That you know of.” Kit butted in. “Maybe he wants more.”

Let’s not go there. It felt presumptuous and farfetched.

“Oh! You know what you can do?” He leaned forward, excitement flashing in his eyes. “Drop out of his class. You already have the reading material, right? And if you’re in a dynamic with the professor, I bet you could get the knowledge from him anyway—it just won’t be official and come with tests. Win-win, if you ask me.”

Dropthe class? The best professor in the world’s class?

You could also have the best professor in the world fuck you into next week.

I sucked in a breath and scratched the side of my head.

If Dean and Santiago got together, chances were I’d—aside from enter a playtime dynamic with Dean—be on very good terms with him, and he seemed to have enjoyed our chat at my place. Maybe we could do more of that. Talk for hours about history and…

It was the perfect plan.

“You’re a genius, Kit.”

He beamed at me.

A door opened somewhere, and Kit glanced behind me—

“Gael? We gotta go, baby.”

I turned around, and I didn’t like the tension in Santiago’s posture. Something was wrong.

“What happened?” I rose from my seat and started grabbing my used spoon and soda, but Kit stopped me and said he’d take care of it.

Colt came out from the conference room too, and he looked just as tense. “I’ll call Reese right away, buddy.”

Santiago nodded subtly in thanks. “I’ll explain in the truck,” he told me.

Kit and I exchanged a wary glance. We’d talk later.

By the time I reached Santiago, he’d grabbed my jacket on the front desk for me, and he held it out and helped me put it on.

“Is it very bad?” I asked nervously.

“No.” He pressed a firm kiss to the top of my head, and I wasn’t sure I bought his response. “Your ex is just makin’ me a bit homicidal.”

Oh God. Now what?! What had he done now?

I smashed my lips together in a thin line and felt a surge of anger well up within me. I was so fucking fed up with Caleb. Hadn’t he messed with my life enough? And now he was ruining my Daddy’s mood too. I wouldn’t freaking stand for it.

After a hasty goodbye, we left MadCo Sec and returned to the truck, and it brought me a little bit of relief when he opened the door for me and wordlessly helped me with my belt. Like, that hadn’t changed. He wasn’t so mad that our Daddy/boy-isms got left behind.

“Where are we going, Sir?”

“To Dean’s place in Georgetown.” He closed the door and rounded the truck, and I was utterly confused. Puzzled. Confuzzled! When he got in behind the wheel, he continued as he started the truck and backed out of the parking spot. “He found a letter in his mailbox.”

Oh no.

My stomach tightened with dread.

“It said, ‘Don’t go near Gael Grimes. He’s mine.’” Santiago tore out of the parking lot, his jaw tense. “You haven’t told anyone you’re in Dean’s class, have you?”

I shook my head quickly. “I mean, no one that Caleb would run across. I think Macklin is the only one who knows the class by its actual name, and Kit knows Dean’s my professor.” By default, their Owners knew too.

“Right. So I think it’s safe to assume Caleb’s been following you,” Santiago deduced. “If he followed you to class, he can see what professor’s assigned to the lecture hall in question. Furthermore, you’ve been to a few of his sessions now, and Dean received this letter today. The day after you were seen in public with him outside campus.”

Oh my God, he could’ve seen me and Dean together outside Macklin’s restaurant—or outside my place. Santiago too!

“That means he’s probably seen you as well,” I said worriedly.

He nodded with a dip of his chin. “The difference between Dean and me is that my name and address aren’t public. It’s possible Caleb’s tried to figure out who I am and failed. My name isn’t written on my forehead either, so he wouldn’t know where to look.”

I gnashed my teeth and looked out the window as rage flowed through my bloodstream. This was fucking it. For the first time ever, I wasn’t afraid of Caleb—I was just furious. I wanted to walk up to him and scream in his face, call him a loser, tell him I’d never loved him, let him know he was fucking useless…

Fuck.

Fucking fuck!

I wasn’t used to being so angry. I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt this much hatred. Sheer, overpowering, ugly hatred.

And a bit of resentment toward myself. How had I ever fallen for his crap? In retrospect—like I’d admitted to my dad after the breakup—there’d been plenty of red flags from the beginning. Caleb’s sense of “humor” consisted of snide digs that he wrapped up in a charming grin and a “I’m just kidding, babe.”

Yuck.

I guessed a part of me had been socially conditioned to be grateful that someone wanted me, so I’d turned a blind eye to the traits that’d bothered me.

It’d been a slow descent for me, those two years. Little things here and there, few and far between, until it got worse and worse, and one day I woke up feeling suffocated. I’d realized I wasn’t merely unhappy, but I’d been depressed. And I’d begun thinking back on all the things that’d gotten me to that point.

It was all him.

“I’m gonna fix this, sweetheart.” Daddy took my hand and threaded our fingers together, and I squeezed back. “I’m waiting for a buddy to get back to me about Caleb’s credit card—”

“It’s not your responsibility—”

“It ain’t about that. It’s personal for me too now. He belongs in prison.”

Pffft, he’d get thirty days or something.

“In the meantime, we’re gonna stay in Mclean,” he said.

I looked to him and frowned.

“Colt suggested it, and I agree with him,” he continued. “We just have to convince a stubborn ol’ professor to join us. Dean might be more difficult to handle than Caleb.”

I made a weird sound as amusement and disbelief collided, and it made Santiago smile a little.

“You’re gonna have to help me convince him,” he told me.

I bit my lip and figured I could tell him about Kit’s genius idea. “Are you sure Dean is interested in playing with me?”

I’d heard the man say it directly to my face, but I just needed some reassurance.

“Baby, he’s more than interested.” He withdrew his hand and checked the rearview before switching lanes. “The problem with men over fifty is that they’re so set in their ways that you gotta push them off an opinion’s cliff to change their minds. Dean is just like you and me—we want someone to share our life with—but he’s gotten it in his head that there’s no one out there for him. That there’s something wrong with him, and that he’s too old to try anymore.”

What on earth? That was crazy. Dean was the whole package!

“At the risk of sounding arrogant, I think I have a pretty good shot,” he said. “He and I have something. But I’m not an irresistible little subbie boy like you.”

An irresistible little subbie boy…

The words coming out of this man’s mouth, man.

That settled things, though. I was going to be brave.

I was going to seduce my professor.

I should probably Google seduction.

“I’m dropping his class,” I announced.

“What?” He furrowed his brow and side-eyed me. “You don’t have to do that. We have time, Gael. Just be your cute self and ask him to join us in Mclean. It’ll be a lot more convincing than me telling him to get his stubborn ass in the truck.”

I gigglesnorted, much to his satisfaction. “Well, I’m doing it. As soon as I get access to a laptop.” Which would be soon, because if we were spending the night in Mclean, I would have to go home and pack another bag and feed General. He would be totally okay one more night once I’d cuddled him a few minutes, but unless it went against the rules, due to allergies and stuff, maybe I could bring him. But more on that later. Seduction was the best topic now. “Speaking of Dean, how would one go about seducing him?”

Daddy blinked and looked at me like I was a new person.

That was funny!

“I—” He stopped himself when his phone rang, and he eyed the display. “Finally. One second, sweet boy.”