Daddy’s Milk & Honey (The Lactin Brotherhood #27)

Chapter 1

ALLEN

The honey glowed under my kitchen lights as I pressed another label onto a jar. My handwriting was a little wobbly on this one because my wrist ached from hunching over the counter for the past three hours.

Wildflower Honey, Small Batch, and today's date.

People loved that artisanal touch, and I couldn't help the surge of pride I felt every time I finished a jar.

Beekeeping was my passion. The bees were happy, the honey was pure and delicious, and my little business was paying my bills. Slowly but surely, it was growing. That meant so much to me because it was the one thing I'd built all by myself that didn't require me to be someone I wasn’t.

My phone buzzed, so I wiped my sticky fingers on my jeans and checked it. It had to be Jeff bugging me about going out tonight. He was one of those best friends who didn’t believe in a good night’s sleep. Still on for tonight? 9pm at Velvet Key?

I smiled because he knew me too well. He probably sensed from three miles away that my eyes were getting blurry after labeling jars all day. As much as I loved curling up on my couch with a book at night, I desperately needed to get out of my house before I went stir crazy. Yeah I'll be there

He sent back a fire emoji. Wear something slutty.

It's Wednesday night. Nothing exciting’s going on. Thursdays through Saturdays were theme nights at the bar we liked, but Wednesday was usually quiet. Just some regulars looking to have a night out with their partners and friends.

Ya never know. Be ready for anything. Jeff was always the adventurous one. I was much more shy when it came to meeting people.

But he meant well.

The poor guy had been on a mission to get me laid for months now. He kept saying I was wound too tight, and I needed to blow off steam. He was probably right. It had been forever since I'd done anything more exciting than watch my bees dance or listen to podcasts about sustainable beekeeping.

Jeff understood me better than most people.

He was a Little too, but he was much more confident about indulging that aspect of himself.

I was still learning how to let my guard down with potential partners.

Despite trying to only date guys who already knew that part of me, I’d had some bad experiences that left me a bit leary to try again.

But Jeff insisted I could have some casual fun without it turning into a relationship. I wasn’t convinced, but a night out would be good for me regardless.

I finished the last jar for the order I was working on and carefully packed all the boxes for the courier to pick up. By the time I updated my online inventory, it was almost eight thirty.

Wearing just my boxers, I stood in front of my closet and stared at all the practical clothes. Most of my shirts were oversized hoodies and soft tees that felt good against my skin whether I was lounging on the couch or in my bee suit. They were hardly what anyone would call “slutty.”

These were safe clothes…and if no one else was around, some of them were also Little clothes, even when I wore them to work under my clothes.

After moving a few things around, I found the dark blue shirt Jeff had given me for my birthday. It fit a little too tight for my liking and made my shoulders look broader than they actually were, but he’d approve of it, so I pulled it on and checked myself in the mirror.

My cheeks flushed as I remembered I could look kinda hot when I wanted to.

The bar was packed when I arrived. Warm bodies and loud music nearly caused a sensory overload as I weaved through the crowd until I spotted Jeff at our usual table near the back. He was already nursing a rootbeer and scrolling through his phone.

"Look at you." He whistled low when I slid into the seat across from him. "I told you that shirt was perfect."

"Yeah, yeah." I flagged down the bartender and ordered a Sprite. There were times we would go out and grab a beer, but when he had hookups in the back of his mind, we tended to stick with soda. "You act like I never go out."

"You don't." Jeff cocked his eyebrow without a hint of apology. "Last time we did this was months ago."

I couldn’t argue with facts. "I've been busy. Spring is big for the bees, and I had that huge order from that bakery in—"

He raised his hand to stop me. "No more excuses. It’s time you get a little birds-and-bees action of your own." Jeff knew why I didn’t like to just hook up with random guys. But that didn't stop him from trying.

My drink arrived, and I took a long sip, letting the cold liquid settle the nerves in my belly. I was halfway through telling Jeff about my latest batch of honey when he froze and his eyes went wide.

"Don't look now, but there’s a Daddy at the bar who’s been checking you out for the last few minutes, and he is fire."

I wanted to turn and look at him, but I took a breath and resisted the urge, not wanting to turn things awkward. "What's he look like?"

"Tall, brown hair, nice arms." Jeff waggled his eyebrows in the ridiculous way he did when he thought he was being cute. "Beard. Flannel shirt. Total lumberjack Daddy vibes."

"Lumberjack?" I loved me some sexy lumberjack… "He’s probably not looking for someone like me."

"He would be lucky to have you." Jeff tapped my foot under the table, clearly enjoying himself. "You should go talk to him. He's obviously interested."

I kinda wanted to. It had been way too long since I'd let myself relax enough to be vulnerable with someone. But that was the problem. I couldn't just hook up with someone and hope they wanted to hang out and cuddle afterward. It never worked that way.

"I’m good, but you should totally take a shot. I’m sure he’d love that." Jeff and I were both similar in builds, but I was more boy-next-door and he was a punk-anarchist in eyeliner. For as close as we were, we couldn’t be more opposite in appearance.

"Bruh!” Jeff wasn’t gonna give up so easily. “Come on. You don't have to marry the dude. Just go say hi."

But before I could think of a reasonable excuse, my phone buzzed. I glanced at it, expecting maybe a customer email.

It was Jeff. The man sitting two feet away from me. Sorry, man. Can't make it tonight. Emergency at work. Rain check?

I stared at the screen and then looked up at him, confused and questioning reality. "Did you just cancel on me…" I looked at my phone again to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. "While sitting right in front of me?"

"Technically, I cancelled ten minutes ago when I was on my way here." He was already standing up and slipping on his jacket with an unapologetic grin. "Sorry to flake, but I’m sure you’ll figure out how to salvage the night. By-eee."

"Jeff." I whisper-shouted as he started walking away. But he knew I wouldn’t make a scene. Bastard.

"Have fun!" He bolted for the door before I could stop him.

I was left sitting alone at the table with my Sprite and a growing pit in my belly.

My first instinct was to leave with him. That was the smart move. I could just go home, curl up in my jammies with Mr. Bees, and maybe even sneak a sippy cup of warm milk.

But I couldn’t resist a peek at the guy who had allegedly been looking at me, so I pretended to look for a server and spotted him almost immediately.

Jeff hadn't been exaggerating. The guy was gorgeous in that rugged, solid way that made my mouth go dry. With broad shoulders and strong hands wrapped around a beer bottle, his dark eyes instantly locked with mine across the room.

The sexy stranger smiled, and I might have whimpered just a bit.

It was warm and a little crooked, like he was genuinely happy I'd looked his way.

My cheeks heated at being caught checking him out, so I quickly turned back with my pulse hammering in my ears.

This was stupid. I didn't do random hookups, especially with someone who didn't explicitly know about my Little side. I had rules for a reason.

Just as I was about to get up and go home, a deep voice startled me from behind.

"Mind if I join you?"

I jumped and nearly flipped the table as the guy was suddenly standing next to my table with that same easy smile on his face.

Up close he was even more handsome. Older than me by a few years and Daddy vibes pouring off of him that made me want to sit up straight and say yes, Daddy.

"Oh, uh." I grabbed a napkin and wiped my suddenly sweaty hands. "Sure. Yeah."

He slid into Jeff's abandoned seat and held out his hand. "I'm Patrick."

"Allen." I shook his hand, surprised to find it was warm and calloused. I tried and failed not to think about what those hands might feel like on my skin.

He started with small talk that instantly got my guard down.

Random topics like his work and my favorite snacks and the latest episode of a true crime drama we were both watching.

I kept up my side of the conversation, but I was mostly focused on the way he looked at me.

Like I was interesting and he really cared about what I had to say.

He leaned in when I spoke, with his head tilted slightly, giving me his full attention. It had been so long since someone looked at me like that I couldn’t help leaning in too.

I decided to have something stronger than soda, and when Patrick ordered an Old Fashioned, I got one too. As a lightweight, one drink was usually enough to knock me on my ass, so I rarely drank. But I had full trust in Patrick and decided to take Jeff’s advice and just have some fun.

When Patrick's knee brushed against mine under the table, I didn't pull away. And when his hand covered mine, I just looked up at him and smiled.

"Wanna get outta here?" Patrick's voice was low, meant just for me.

"Yeah." All my rules and boundaries were officially gone. I couldn’t even blame the liquor. It was 100% Patrick. "I would."

We didn’t get far. The bathroom wasn't romantic, but it was available and private, so it was good enough. The second his hands and lips were on me, I didn’t care in the least where we were.

I just wanted more.