6. Ethan

Chapter 6

Ethan

Part of me was amused that Brayden didn’t remember anything from last night. But a bigger part of me was concerned.

Anything could have happened to him.

The fact that he knew someone was in his apartment but didn’t ask if it was me was troubling, but he had to know. Hopefully.

Then, when he opened the door wearing the same cake-slice pajamas I put him in last night, I couldn’t resist a grin. He was so fucking cute.

I’d always known he had an immature side, but seeing proof in his apartment that he was a Little made my heart swell with joy. The pajamas were the first hint, but when I’d asked if he wanted to wear them, he said he only wore Little PJs when he was feeling sad because he didn’t have a Daddy to take care of him, and that broke my fucking heart.

Maybe I shouldn’t have put them on him, but I had to put him in something. He had puke on his shirt from when he ran into the bathroom and only mostly made it in time.

And then when I saw his Spider-Man underwear, I wanted to wrap my arms around him and promise to be the Daddy he’d been searching for.

Obviously, I didn’t.

He had been too drunk to even have a conversation he would remember, so now that he was sober and fully lucid, we could talk like adults. Even if he looked like a sleepy boy who could use a few more hours of nap time.

For several minutes, I sat on the other side of the sofa with my knee bent up on the cushion and my plate on my lap, watching him take tiny bites of his breakfast.

Finally, I couldn’t take the silence any longer. “How’s your stomach?”

His eyes darted up to mine and held there. “Better. I probably should’ve eaten something last night.”

“I tried to get you to eat some toast, but you wouldn’t have it. You said your tummy was in export mode, not import mode.” I smiled at the sweet memory.

Brayden’s shoulders dropped, and he leaned against the back of the cushion. “So you were here last night. How did you get here?”

I moved my plate onto the coffee table and rested my head against my palm as I looked at him. “You should be asking yourself how you got here. When you walked out of that bar, you started walking in the wrong direction.”

He bit his lip and tried to hold in a grin. “Oh, oops.” Then he cocked his head and furrowed his brows. “Wait, how did you know to go there?”

“You called me, and I went to pick you up. You really don’t remember any of that?”

He moved his plate to the coffee table, and curled his legs up under himself as he faced me. “Not really. I kinda remember talking to you and maybe being in a car with you, but it wasn’t your Road Runner, so maybe that was just a dream.”

“No, I picked you up in my other car.” I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Didn’t want you puking in my baby.”

Brayden’s eyes went wide in horror. “Did I throw up in your car? I’m so sorry if I did. I’ll clean it up. Or have it detailed or whatever.” He buried his face in his hands and hid from me.

“You didn’t.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and held it there. “But getting drunk alone like that was very stupid, Brayden. You could have been hurt or worse.”

He peeked up at me from behind his fingers and then dropped his hands. “I know. Trust me, I do. And I just wanted a few drinks before I called you.”

“Why?” My hand slipped down his arm and rested on his wrist. “Why was last night different than the other nights?”

“Because.” He threw his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. “I planned to talk to you last night.”

“Well, you did.” I thought back to the jumbled and slightly slurred conversation. “You told me you’d been calling and some thirst-trap bartender was giving you drinks.”

His cheeks went pink, and then he chuckled. “Did I actually say that?”

“Yeah.” I took a deep breath, trying not to sound annoyed. “You did.”

“Well, he was kinda hot, and he made me drink water before I left. Nice guy.” Brayden rolled his head and looked at me. “But not the guy I’ve been trying to flirt with all week.”

Now it was my turn to chuckle. “That was flirting?”

“I never said I was any good at it.” He sat up straighter and faced me again, his rosy cheeks lifting slightly. “I’ve been trying to talk, every time I called was with the intention of speaking, but last night, I promised my friends I’d stop stalking you and actually speak, so…”

“You told your friends you were stalking me?” I placed my hand on his knee again and squeezed. “How did that come up?”

He bit the inside of his lip and seemed to be debating whether or not to tell me the truth. “Max was teasing me about my Daddy customer.”

“Daddy, huh?” I had to grin. How had we not crossed paths over the years? “Is that because you’re a Little?”

Brayden grabbed the wristband of his pajamas and tugged it down over his whole hand. “Yeah, but that was just wishful thinking. I don’t know what you’re into, obviously.”

I swallowed hard before locking my gaze with his. “What if I told you I was a Daddy looking for a Little?”

He sucked in a breath and held it. “Are you?”

I reached for the hand that was covered by his wristband and slid my fingers between the soft cotton and his even softer skin. “Yes.”

“Are you flirting with me now?”

I barked out a laugh and scooted a few inches closer to him, still giving him space but making it easier to hold his hand without stretching. “Well, I’m not very good at it either, but yeah, I guess I am.”

A burst of joy and relief seemed to come over Brayden as he sprang up and hugged me. “Yes, I accept. I want you to flirt, and I want you to like me.” His arms curled around my neck, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to breathe for much longer. “Then, maybe, you’ll want to be my Daddy.”

My palms pressed against his back, one low above his ass and the other high, just below his neck. “I already like you, Brayden, and you’re right that flirting is just the first step, but I’d like to get to know you better, if you’ll let me.”

He released my neck but didn’t go back to where he’d been sitting. He stayed right in front of me, his thighs straddling my knees but his ass on his feet. “I want you to, Ethan. I’ve had a crush on you since…well, you know. First day of senior year.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, that was different. Nothing real would have happened back then. Now we’re both adults and know better what we want. So why don’t we start with you telling me a bit about what you want.”

He sucked in a big breath and pushed it out through puffy cheeks. “That’s a loaded question.” He turned away from me and stared straight ahead. “If I were meeting someone new at Primal, I’d say that I’m a Little with baby tendencies. I like diapers and bottles in scenes, but I’ve never been in a lifestyle relationship, so I’m not totally sure. I want a Daddy for structure and discipline, but not too much discipline because I don’t really like pain. Just the consequences of stepping outside of boundaries.” He glanced at me quickly to make sure I was still paying attention. “And, best-case scenario would be something long-term, I think.”

I considered everything he said and chose my words carefully. “That all lines up well with my preferences. I’ve never been in a lifestyle relationship either. Well, not really. A few false starts before realizing the chemistry wasn’t quite right between us, but I think you and I have pretty good chemistry. Do you agree?”

He looked right at me and nodded before sliding farther onto my legs so he was pressed against my semi-hard cock. “I do, but I think we should maybe test it out to be sure.”

My hands went to his hips, holding him in place so he couldn’t get any closer…but couldn’t get any farther either. “How do you suggest we do that?”

Brayden licked his lips and then leaned forward until they were almost touching mine. “You can kiss me.”

Fuck, this boy was killing me. Taking things slow was the right move, but with his hard-on pressing against mine, and his maple and cocoa breath blowing on me, I couldn’t resist. I closed the distance between us and kissed him.

At first, neither of us moved. We just held together and felt. But then the hand just underneath his neck creeped up higher and I grasped him firmly, tilting his head so I could take it deeper. My tongue traced along his lower lip and then pushed inside when his lips parted.

And then all our self-control was lost.

Brayden’s fingers curled into my biceps, holding me in place as if he thought I might try to run. I had no intention of running from my feelings for him. Not any more. Seeing him last week sparked some urges that I’d been ignoring quite successfully. But now that I knew he and I wanted the same things, all bets were off.

I was going to see this through…or at least until Brayden asked me to stop.