6. Isaac

Chapter six

Isaac

H aving Leo in my condo helping me with Dezi felt more natural than I expected. My dad had never been to my place, and I certainly hadn’t had any random women over for a hookup. Besides delivery people and a lady for child support services sent by the court when I first got Dezi, I wasn’t sure anyone had been there.

My need to protect her was stronger than my desire for company or help.

The ten months Dezi was in my life had probably been my longest dry spell since I was a pubescent teen. I was as high strung as a teen boy, too. This was the only excuse I could come up with when I found myself eyeing Leo’s wet shirt.

Dezi had felt better after I put her in a warm bath with her toys. He got the lotion and other things I’d ordered and returned to the bathroom only to get splashed by an excited Dezi. “We-O!”

The white material meant I could clearly see his dark nipples. Leo lifted the hem to wipe his face, and I saw some definition in his abs along with a line of hair. Without thought, I licked my lips at the sight as I felt my dick chub up.

What the fuck was going on with me?

Pulling Dezi from the bath without warning, I splashed Leo and got myself wet in the process. Wrapping her in a pink hooded towel, I made an excuse to leave as soon as possible, “I’ll just… get her dressed for bed.”

“Less restrictive clothing would be a good choice,” Leo suggested and he didn’t seem to mind being all wet. He held up the delivery bag, “Put the lotion on all her red spots.”

“Thanks,” I took the bag and hurried to Dezi’s room.

Closing the door behind me, I let out a long breath and stood there until Dezi started squirming to get down. I let her go and moved to get a pajama dress for her to wear. She was fussy when I laid her on the changing station to apply the lotion.

Dezi had a dose of fever reducer when I’d first taken her into the bathroom, and I saw her eyes drooping. “Tired, sweetheart?”

She didn’t even fight me when I laid her in the crib. I knew I’d need to upgrade Dezi to a toddler bed soon, but I couldn’t help wanting her to be my baby a little longer. When she fell asleep in seconds, I turned on her white noise and dimmed the light.

Stepping into the hall, I realized I’d left Leo alone for at least ten minutes. He wasn’t a complete stranger, and I did trust him to watch my daughter, but still. I walked through my bedroom to find my ensuite had been cleaned up. No water on the floor or in the tub, and the towels hung with care.

Good boy , I found myself thinking and wasn’t sure what to do with the impulsive thought. My erection had gone down while putting Dezi to bed early, but now I wasn’t sure which outcome I wanted.

If Leo left, there would be no awkward conversation or intrusive thoughts. If he stayed… I changed out of my wet clothes and into sweats, grabbing an extra shirt for Leo, just in case.

Walking down the hall, I found Leo standing on the far side of my living room, looking out at the view. It was half past four, so the sun hadn’t set, and you could see the Salesforce buildings and the raised garden from my corner unit.

“Enjoying the view?” I asked, and Leo was startled.

“Didn’t hear you come in,” Leo chuckled and turned his head towards the window. “You have a great view of the penis building?”

“The what?” I sputtered, making my way over to stand beside him.

“Come on, you have to admit that the building looks like a big–” Leo cut himself off and I saw his cheeks darken. He was definitely about to say dick. “Um, phallic object?”

Tilting my head, I squinted and saw what he meant.“Can’t say I ever noticed, but now it’s all I’ll see,” I groaned.

Leo shrugged, “Sorry, I thought everyone said the same thing about it. It’s a running joke that the city of gay men has a giant, uncut…tower.”

Did that mean he was a gay man? I didn’t want to assume, but he did point out the dick building. My own dick was taking notice of him again, and I needed to change the subject. Holding up the spare shirt, I offered it to Leo, “Here.”

He scrunched his forehead, “I offered advice and got a free T-shirt?”

“No,” I shook my head and smiled. “My daughter got you wet so I thought you’d like something dry to wear.”

“Oh,” Leo smiled and laughed.

Leo didn’t hesitate to whip his shirt off, and I got an eye full of smooth, toned skin. He had swirls of black hair around his nipples, and that dark happy trail was on full display, leading to where his briefs poked out over his pants. Leo took the shirt from my hand and I remembered to stop staring.

Turning toward the kitchen, I was glad I’d put tight briefs on under my sweats, but I still had to adjust myself. I was seriously hard up if the sight of anyone’s bare chest got me going. I both wanted Leo to leave, and didn’t know what to do with myself if he did.

“Do you want something to eat?” I found myself asking on my way to the kitchen. Now I was going to feed him? Fuck . I was committed after that question. “I have a lot of fresh fruit and veggies, plus pasta and meat. Do you like meat?”

Mentally, I facepalmed, and I was glad Leo couldn’t see my face since it was staring into my fridge. Do you like meat? I needed to get a grip. Maybe I could claim temporary insanity from lack of sleep and say I needed to go to bed. My brain supplied the idea of Leo going to bed with me and facepalmed for real.

“I like meat,” Leo replied, his voice closer than I’d expected. I turned to find him smirking at me, sitting on a stool on the other side of my kitchen counter. The primally possessive Daddy side of my brain loved the sight of him in my heather-gray shirt. “But you don’t have to feed me.”

“It’s no problem, I should probably eat,” I mumbled, not sure when I’d last sat down for a meal. It occurred to me that it was Friday. “Shoot, you probably have plans. I appreciate your advice and help, but you don’t have to stay.”

Leo propped his head on his hand, “What if I said I had no plans and I enjoyed helping?”

“Then I say let’s order dinner,” I concluded, not having the mental capacity to make anything.

We ordered some cheesy burgers from a diner and ate them on the couch. I found Leo so easy to talk to. Probably because we talked about Dezi more than anything else. But I also learned his parents immigrated from Mexico before he was born, that he lived with Nacho and his sister, Cam.

Shocking myself, I also shared how my dad’s dementia showed up when my mom died, and how hard it has been to go from caring for him from afar, to being a single dad with my own father in memory care. Leo was a great listener, and I found myself venting to him in a way I never had with anyone. Ever.

When our food was finished, and we’d both had a beer, I realized we’d been talking for hours. I had a sudden irrational fear that something would go wrong if he left. I was usually the self-assured one, so I decided the fear must come from a place of concern for Dezi.

“It’s late. Do you want to stay in case she wakes up and I don’t know what to do?” I asked, not entirely sure why Leo would agree to stay. “You can have my bed.”

“Where would you sleep?” Leo asked, and I was glad he hadn’t said no, straightaway.

“Where I slept last night,” I explained, leading Leo to my room so I could get him a pair of sweats. “Dezi will inevitably wake up. I’ll get her something to eat and I’ll get her teeth brushed, then I’ll sleep in the rocking chair in her room.”

“That doesn’t seem comfortable,” Leo commented, but he didn’t protest when I handed him my sweats. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I assured him, and it felt true. I would be more comfortable knowing he wasn’t traveling home in the dark, and that he would be one room away if I needed help.

Hopefully I’d get more sleep so the weird feelings and thoughts I’d been having about Leo would resolve in the morning light.