Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Julius
My grandmother’s birthday party had gone better than expected. My family can be a lot, but Gator fit right in. He didn’t even let my mother get to him, and she was an expert at making people feel less than.
When we got back to HQ and we got on the elevator, he pressed the buttons for both the eighth and the tenth floor. “I’m going to get off on the eighth floor and check in with Wolfe and Kat. You go on up and let Trixie out of her cage.”
“Okay, I’ll see you up there.”
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. He leaned over and gave me a kiss. “I won’t be long.”
The elevator continued to the tenth floor, and I crossed over to the condo and tapped my card. The lock clicked, and I pushed the door open just as my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I checked the screen and saw that it was a text from my friend Spencer asking me to give him a call.
We’ve been friends since we were kids back in Austin.
I hadn’t kept in touch with most of the people from back then, but Spencer had been a few years younger, and he’d been almost like a little brother to me.
He’d had a rough home life early on, but then he’d hit the jackpot when he was adopted.
He not only gained two dads who had his back, but two families that welcomed him with open arms. Then, a couple of years ago, he fell in love with a cowboy who lived in River Gorge.
I was nothing but happy for him. He was a great guy, and he deserved to live his best life.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket and crossed the room to Trixie’s cage.
“Hey there, pretty girl.”
“Ju Ju is home.”
“That’s right. I’m home.” I opened up her cage, and she climbed right on the door. I put my arm over for her, and she stepped over on it.
“Going up.”
I lifted her to the top of the cage.
“I need to go change. You wait right there.”
“It’s shower time.”
“Not tonight. I just want to put on something comfy.”
I called Spencer on the way to the bedroom, and he answered right away.
“Hey, Jules.”
“Hey, Spence, what’s up?”
“Nothing, really. I just wanted to check in and see how things are going, and to make sure you know the offer still stands if you want to come to the ranch.”
“I know it does, and I appreciate it, but I’m safe here with Gator.”
“Keith told Nash you were in good hands.”
Vesper might not be a small town, but the Daddy community was, so it was no surprise that Spencer’s Daddy, Nash, was related to Keith Brooks, who I knew from the club.
I swear, some days, I thought about packing everything up and getting out of this place, going to a big city maybe, where no one else knew you or your business, but my family was here, and now, so was Gator.
“I am. Are you coming to Vesper anytime soon?”
“I wasn’t planning on it, but I can if you need me.”
He wasn’t just saying that. Spencer Reynolds was nothing if not a loyal friend.
“No, I’m good here, honest. But maybe when all this is over, I’ll come see you in River Gorge.”
“What? The fabulously busy Julius Petros might actually take a break from work and lower himself to visit small-town USA,” he teased.
“I was there a few months ago for your birthday,” I insisted.
“Because it was on a Sunday and The Shag Shack was closed.”
Before I could give a rebuttal, the door opened and Gator stepped in.
Trixie let out a wolf whistle and then said, “Daddy’s home. Daddy’s home.”
Spencer laughed. “Ah, so that’s how it is. I guess Keith wasn’t kidding when he said you were in good hands.”
“That’s enough out of you, squirt,” I said, reverting back to the old nickname I’d called him when we were kids.
I swear I could feel his eye roll all the way from River Gorge. “If you say so. I’ve met him a couple times when Nash and I came up for Daddy Night, you know. He’s a good guy, not your normal type, but maybe that isn’t a bad thing.”
I watched as Gator crossed the room to Trixie, giving her pets before holding out his arm and letting her step off the cage. He was muttering to her, telling her what a good girl she was and asking her how her day went like he was talking to a child.
“You know, Spence. You might be right about that.”
“Well then, I’ll let you go and enjoy your evening. Keep me updated on what’s going on, okay?”
“I will.”
I ended the call, and Gator looked over at me. “You all done?”
“I am. Any updates from Kat?”
“No, nothing new on that front, but I do have something I want to show you.”
“Okay.”
“We should probably put Trixie in her cage for a little bit. I’m not sure how long this will take, and I seem to remember something about a genius with wings and no impulse control.”
“That was one of the truest things I ever said. Come on, Trixie, let’s go inside for a bit.”
“Trixie has wings.” She spread her wings wide to show us that she did indeed have wings. That was frequently her answer when she didn’t want to go into her cage.
“You have beautiful wings. When you get back out here in a few minutes, you can stretch them wide.”
Once we got her securely shut inside, Gator took my hand. “Come with me.”
He led me through the house and into the laundry room.
“I’m all for kinky shit, Daddy, but it’s a little crowded in here.”
“You know what they say about the Tardis, right?”
“Of course, it’s bigger on the inside. But I wouldn’t have thought you were a Doctor Who fan.”
He walked over to what I’d assumed was a linen closet and opened the door to a set of stairs going up. He took a step back and motioned for me to go up. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me yet. Now, after you.”
“Okay then.” I’d thought the floor he, Hawk, and Wolfe lived on was the top floor, but apparently not. To my surprise and delight, when I reached the top and opened the door, it led out on the rooftop.
Gator stepped up behind me. “What do you think?”
I looked around and saw a canopy that had lights strung around the top and a table with two place settings. It looked beautiful.
“Is this for us?”
“It is.”
“It’s perfect.” I wasn’t just saying that either. If you asked me to tell you my perfect date, this would be it. I’d done enough clubbing and fancy dinners to last me a lifetime, but to have someone take the time and make the effort to set something up like this for me meant so much more.
“I wish I could take all the credit, but Hawk had the idea first, and I kind of stole it from him.”
“I don’t care where you got the idea. I love it. What are we eating?”
“Rumor has it you’re fond of Enigma’s Lobster Bisque paired with a caesar salad.”
“And is the Rumor’s name Miranda?”
“Might be. Was she wrong?”
“Oh no, she was very right.”
“Well then, let’s eat, and when this mess is all over, I’ll take you there for a real date.”
“This is perfect. I can’t believe this is up here like this. It’s such a great space.”
“We’ve talked about all kinds of things we could do with it. Plant a container garden, divide it up into sections, use it for parties. It has all kinds of possibilities. We just haven’t taken the time to actually do it.”
I laughed as I remembered what Mika had said about cameras up here. “Mika mentioned something about him and Hawk up on the roof, but I didn’t realize it was like this. I totally get what he was saying now. There’s plenty of room for all kinds of… umm… activities up here.”
“True that.”
The rooftop was perfect, a bubble of quiet above the city.
Dinner was incredible—rich, creamy bisque that warmed me from the inside out, the crisp bite of the salad, the soft glow of the fairy lights overhead.
Gator watched me eat with this intense, possessive warmth in his eyes that made my skin prickle and heat pool low in my belly.
He didn’t say much, just let me enjoy the food, his presence a solid, reassuring anchor beside me.
When I finally set my fork down, sighing contentedly, he reached over and brushed a stray crouton crumb from the corner of my mouth with his thumb.
The simple touch sent a jolt through me.
“Good?” he asked, his voice low and rough.
“Perfect,” I breathed, meeting his gaze. The air between us crackled, thick with the unspoken promise of what came next. My pulse kicked up a notch. “Thank you, Daddy.”
A slow, predatory smile spread across his face. “You’re welcome, baby.” He pushed his chair back and stood, holding out his hand. “Come on. Time to go inside.”
I took his hand without hesitation, letting him pull me to my feet.
He didn’t let go as we gathered the dishes onto the tray.
As we walked back towards the stairwell door, his thumb stroked the inside of my wrist in slow, deliberate circles.
Every nerve ending felt hyper-aware. The cool night air did nothing to cool the flush spreading across my chest and neck.
He paused before opening the door, turning to face me. His free hand came up to cup my jaw, tilting my face up. His eyes, dark and hungry, searched mine. “You know what I want to do to you when we get downstairs?” he murmured, his breath warm against my lips.
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. “Tell me.”
His thumb brushed my bottom lip. “I want to strip you bare. Spread you out on my bed. Taste every inch of you.” The possessive growl in his voice made my knees weak.
A shiver raced down my spine. “Sounds like the perfect way to end the night,” I whispered, leaning into his touch.
He crashed his lips onto mine, a hard, demanding kiss that stole my breath and left me dizzy. He kissed me like he was claiming me all over again, right there under the stars. When he pulled back, we were both breathing heavily. “Downstairs. Now.”
He practically dragged me down the narrow stairs, his hand tight on mine, his other hand landing possessively on the small of my back, guiding me quickly through the silent laundry room and into the main condo. Trixie, let out a startled squawk from inside her cage as we burst in.
“Daddy’s home!”