In Daddy's Care (Little Lost #4)

Chapter One

Snow fell in fat flakes, dumping onto the feet of white, cold powder that had already piled on the ground. Soren couldn’t stop staring out the window. He had never seen this much snow before. Recently, his best friend, Kyson, had inherited a cabin in Colorado. A ski cabin. The place was bigger than anything Soren had imagined when Kyson invited him to join him for a few weeks. Soren worked from home, and he hadn’t taken any of his vacation time this year. Those two things combined gave him the flexibility to tag along for as long as Kyson needed him to stay. Kyson’s mother-in-law had passed. The cabin was cold comfort to Kyson, who would rather have her, but that was life sometimes. It ended. Soren would be here for him. His friend needed him. Plus, it was so freaking beautiful here. It also didn’t hurt that he felt Shane’s eyes on him. The longtime personal guard assigned to Kyson by his husband, Banks, was everything Soren wanted in this life.

Soren turned his head. His gaze collided with a gorgeous hazel stare. He didn’t look away. Soren had been getting bolder with that since they’d kissed. He fought the urge to touch his lips at the memory. It had been a pity kiss. Soren had gotten bullied, and Shane had kissed him to make it better. The reasons didn’t matter to Soren’s heart. His obsession with the sexy guard grew larger every day.

“Okay. How do I look?” Kyson waddled from his bedroom wearing a puffy ski suit, forcing Soren’s gaze his way. His outfit looked warm, but nearly impossible to walk in. Honestly, he looked like when parents put their toddlers in those one-piece snow suits and then couldn’t even get them into their car seats.

Soren chuckled. “Very professional. Like a real skier. If you fall, it’ll feel like landing on a beanbag.”

Shane laughed.

Soren fought the urge to look his way again. He loved the sound of Shane’s laughter. Shane was too serious all the time.

“Well.” Kyson looked nervous. “I suppose this is it. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Soren said, giving him two thumbs up. “I know you can learn this.”

Kyson didn’t look as sure, but he still looked between Shane and Soren, appearing determined to learn to ski no matter his misgivings. “Good luck with the dance lessons.”

Soren made a dismissive gesture. “Shane is doing great. He probably doesn’t even need me any longer.”

Shane snorted. “Yeah. No. I definitely need you. I can’t make a fool of myself at the wedding reception.” Shane’s sister was getting married in a week. Soren had taken dance when he was younger, so he had agreed to teach Shane. It seemed their father had died when Shane was a teen, and his sister was a baby. Now it was Shane’s job to walk her down the aisle and stand in for the father and daughter dance. Soren wouldn’t let him humiliate himself.

He winked at Shane. “I’ve got you. You’ll have everyone awed by how your massive body can float like a beautiful butterfly.”

A sweet smile touched Shane’s lips.

Soren’s heart skipped a beat.

“On that note. No more stalling,” Banks said brightly, shuffling his puffy husband out the door.

Kyson tossed a quick wave their way before waddling outside.

Shane and Soren shared a smile.

The door closed behind the couple, and Soren jumped right in. “Are you ready?” He shouldn’t have bothered asking. Shane had already started pushing the furniture aside to make room. Soren grabbed his phone and found the proper music. They met in the middle of the room. Shane held his waist and took his hand. Soren couldn’t tear his eyes away from Shane. He was huge—like a lumberjack. Dark hair covered his jaw, and his brown hair was a mess. His gorgeous hazel eyes never wavered from Soren. Soren didn’t think he could be blamed for being head over heels. He had never stood a chance. Soren was a Little and not the least bit twink-like. He wasn’t what daddies searched for in a Little. Soren had felt awkward and unwanted his entire life. Alone. Shane always looked at him in a way Soren didn’t fully understand. He didn’t want to hope. Hope would break him, but every day, that emotion got bigger no matter how much he didn’t want it.

Their feet moved to the music, keeping time with each practiced step. The song changed, getting more upbeat. Soren switched to the quicker paced dance he had taught Shane. Shane didn’t falter. His intensity screamed he concentrated too hard. Soren wasn’t even sure he enjoyed himself. The dance was methodical for him. There was a deep line between Shane’s eyebrows and his face was set. His expression didn’t match the music.

Soren picked up the pace, intentionally ruining the practiced routine and forcing Shane to smile. He didn’t stop until Shane fought to keep up while laughing. Then everything changed.

Shane snagged Soren’s waist and dipped him low. Their chests heaved from the exertion. Shane’s face was inches from his. Soren felt every breath he exhaled, brushing his skin. The mood shifted. Soren swore Shane stared at him with lust. He couldn’t risk being wrong. Soren couldn’t lose the fantasy of him.

“You’re doing amazing. I was serious earlier. You don’t need more lessons. You’ve got this.”

“Come to the wedding with me.” Shane straightened, but he didn’t release Soren. “With you there, I know I’ll be fine.”

Soren tried hard not to think about Shane’s arms around him. He licked his lips in his nervousness. “Why would you want that? You could take anyone. You should go with someone who matches you.”

The scowl returned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Soren shrugged. His uneasiness grew. “I mean, you’re muscular and sexy.” God. Had he just said that? He kept going. “I’m… me,” he finished lamely.

The irritation in Shane’s expression didn’t clear. “Yeah. You’re you. You’re beautiful and funny and fun. Why wouldn’t I want that?”

Soren was so fucking confused. Shane hadn’t released him and he didn’t want to believe. He didn’t want to be humored. Not by Shane. Not by his fantasy man. This wasn’t like Kyson telling him he was adorable. Shane lying to him could break him in ways he didn’t know if he could survive. “You can’t possibly—”

Before Soren could finish his denial, he found his hand pressed against a huge erection. Shane held him there. He couldn’t think. Shock rendered him useless. Shane was size proportionate. Holy shit. He wanted to shape his cock through his jeans and mentally measure. Instead, he froze. Soren even forgot to breathe.

“I’ve been hard since the moment you stepped into my arms. Tell me I don’t want you. I dare you.”

The door opened and Kyson shuffled in with Banks right behind him. “Oh, my God. It’s too cold. I wasn’t built for this.”

Shane didn’t immediately release him or back away. Soren couldn’t even look at Kyson and Banks. He was transfixed. The shock ran too deeply.

“How is practice going?”

Shane finally took a step back at Banks’ question. “Great. Soren agreed to go as my plus one so I don’t make a fool of myself.”

Kyson hopped and did a little happy clap—as much as he could, anyhow, with this thick outfit keeping his arms apart. “Yay. You’ll have so much fun in Hershey. I mean, I’ve never been there, but there’s an amusement park and everything. It’s probably not open this time of year, but still.”

Soren blinked. “Pennsylvania?” He didn’t miss Shane’s smirk. Well, fuck. It looked like he would go on a cross-country trip with Shane. To a wedding. Goddamn. He couldn’t breathe.

Shane knew every move he pulled had been dirty. Honestly, Soren had left with him no other choice. He had been hinting and flirting for what felt like a year. Soren was either blind, oblivious, or playing dumb. Whatever the reason for him not biting, Shane couldn’t stand it anymore. Soren was too soft and tempting. Like, fuck. They could have been friends with benefits a long time ago if Soren would just notice him. He had kissed the guy for fuck’s sake, and Soren still didn’t see his longing. Goddamn. Just the thought of Soren’s soft body beneath him had Shane ready to bust a zipper. Shane couldn’t take it any longer.

He wasn’t stupid. Shane knew Kyson and Banks purposely kept Soren in his path. He had known Banks his whole life. Shane had been his guard for more than a decade. Banks saw him. He could understand Banks trying to hook him up, but Shane didn’t understand Kyson going along with it. Soren was his best friend. He expected Kyson would try to protect Soren from someone like him. Then again, Kyson was a sweet soul. He probably didn’t see how Shane could turn deadly. Banks knew. That was why he kept Shane. Banks' family were the biggest arms dealers on the west coast. They only hired people like Shane—men with nothing to lose and zero conscience with a loyal streak a mile wide. When he had signed on the dotted line, Shane had known exactly what he was getting himself into. This was a lifetime of servitude for a fuck ton of money. He did whatever he wanted with no consequences. There was only one thing he couldn’t have: a life of his own. No one left the family. Not alive anyhow. He had traded his soul for his and his family’s security. His sister would never know the poverty he had endured. For that, he had no regrets.

Except when Shane looked at Soren and Soren flashed him that adorable smile, Shane mourned the life he couldn’t have. Soren had the lightest and prettiest green eyes Shane had ever seen. When he looked at Shane, Shane felt like a giant—like he could take on the world. He couldn’t resist any longer.

Kyson stripped out of his ski suit. “Daddy is taking me to a romantic dinner. I’m so excited. He says he’ll leave a card for you to do whatever you want tonight. I know you’re my guest, and I feel super guilty. So please let us pay for everything.”

Soren looked pale. Shane worried he had pushed too hard. Soren would only look at Kyson now. “No. You’re here to heal and I came as support. Do whatever you need. I can entertain myself.”

“Shane will be here too. He can entertain you.”

A smirk pulled at his lips before he could stop it. Thankfully, no one looked his way before he got his expression under control.

Soren shifted from foot to foot. “Sure.”

Guilt creeped in. Soren looked truly spooked. Sometimes, Shane had to remind himself Soren was a Little. That had never been his thing, but he understood people like Kyson and Soren typically turned to the comforts of childhood due to trauma or abandonment issues. He would never fault anyone for coping. It was possible he should get to know a little more about Soren’s past before he pushed any further. Shane let his hunger blind him. Soren was his friend. More than that, he was his boss’s best friend. Banks would kill him if he did anything that hurt Kyson. Shane wasn’t afraid of much, but Banks could be scary as fuck. He might be Banks’ guard, but Shane wouldn’t want to meet Banks in a dark alley. Banks wasn’t a big guy, but he was full-on insane. He was terrifying.

Shane called his libido under control. “It’s cool. There’s a restaurant in the next town over that has real Italian made pizza. They do that shit where they toss the dough into the air and everything. We can check it out while you two have some alone time.” He didn’t miss the way Soren’s shoulders relaxed.

Soren flashed him a sweet smile. “That sounds great.”

Without thinking, Shane’s gaze dropped to Soren’s mouth. His pouty lips made Shane weak. He couldn’t be alone with Soren tonight. Shane wasn’t strong enough. “I’ll grab my keys and wallet.” He had to fucking move. If he didn’t, Shane was about to embarrass the hell out of everyone. It had been too long since he touched anyone. He was a man on the edge.