Chapter 36

Shawn

M y heart thundered in my ears as Daniel stared at me. Maybe right after mind-numbing sex wasn’t the best time to have this talk, but he was curious about me. I wanted him to trust me. He’d given me more than I’d given him and he’d more than earned it at this point.

“You’ve met my dad. He’s not a bad guy, but he’s not exactly... a dad.”

Daniel nodded before sitting up and crossing his legs. I copied his sitting position so that we could communicate better. It felt awkward doing this naked because it added a layer of vulnerability.

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

I sighed, scrubbing a hand over my head. “I mean, he always wanted a son to take over things. And he got me. We get along fine, but we’re more friends than father and son. I’m not afraid of him, and he doesn’t exactly have me on a tight leash.”

Daniel snorted. “I hadn’t noticed.”

That was fair. We’d lost a few staff at the restaurant over the years because of it. Nepotism was a thing, and some hated that I could basically get away with murder. When I turned twenty-one, I tested my limits only to quickly discover that I didn’t have any. I still got away with more than anyone should, the fact I could hand off so many free drinks to my friends being a prime example.

“Yeah, well. Try being a kid seeing his friends who have parents who set rules and you don’t have any. It sounds like a dream, but it’s really not. I don’t feel like I know how to be an adult correctly. So yeah, I might have approached things with you all wrong.”

My neck heated at the admission. Shit, was I blushing? I wasn’t often embarrassed, but admitting that I didn’t know how to tell him I liked him? Yeah, that was awkward as fuck.

“So you reverted to elementary bullshit of ‘ if he likes you, he makes your life hell ?’”

I laughed as a look of confusion creased Daniel’s features. He was so damn cute. I wanted to pinch his fucking cheeks and nibble at his lips, make him melt for me all over again.

“I’ve never...” I took a deep breath, getting ready to admit something huge to him. “I mean, I let guys fuck me. It just doesn’t happen often. And normally I’ve been dating them for a while before I let that happen.”

Now it was Daniel’s turn to blush and look shy. “So what made you let me?”

I scooted closer, reaching up to cup his cheek and turn his gaze back to me. “Because you’re you. Because you’re Daniel Morgan and you deserve to be treated like the fucking king you are.”

His face was hot beneath my palm, but he didn’t say anything. He kept trying to look away, but I wouldn’t have it. No, this was supposed to be a special moment.

“Daniel, babe...”

He finally met my gaze again. “What do you want to call this?” My heart was back to slamming against my ribcage while I waited for his answer. If he wanted to call this fucking around, I’d probably die. It was a little stupid how attached to him I’d become in the week we’d been at the cabin, but imagining life without him now… Oh, I’d be fucked if he walked out of here tomorrow and wanted nothing to do with me.

The stretch of silence did nothing to settle my nerves. When had I become this? I’d never wanted anything serious, but I hadn’t been kidding when I said that Daniel was different. Maybe it was because of what he’d gone through with his friend that made him so relatable to me.

“I don’t—I don’t know. I’m scared?” His big brown eyes shone with uncertainty as he nibbled at that plush bottom lip.

“I can’t blame you. We had a rough start, but Daniel, I want to promise you something here and now. I told you that you were mine. I don’t say things like that without meaning them. It would be nice to belong to you. Belonging to each other would be a dream come true. It’s never felt right with anyone else, but you make it feel right.”

He chuckled. “Jesus. That was so damn cheesy. But yeah, I get it.” Daniel reached out and grabbed my hands, our fingers tangled together, and we sat and looked at each other for a while. It should have been weird, but it wasn’t. I liked this. It did feel right. Like everything was coming together, and we were right where we were supposed to be at the correct time and place.

“Babe?”

Daniel huffed again. “You really want me to put a label on it?”

I nodded. “It has to be you. I want your permission to call it what I want to call it.”

And like two idiots, we sat there and became boyfriends. Exclusive. And it took a lot of beating around the bush because, go figure, at twenty-five and twenty-two, we couldn’t just come out and say the fucking words. When had any of this been easy?