Chapter 2
Ash Riley
No text from Nathan. Just one from Nora and one from Jordan. I went with Nora first.
I was stressing out over nothing! The ball is the second week of May, not the first. Now I have all the time in the world to find a dress. This is my way of saying, yes, of course I can be there when you bring your play partners to Mclean. Name the date and time, and I’ll be there.
She was a sweetheart. And in her defense, the ball was usually the first weekend in May. But this year, they’d decided it would’ve been too close to the previous event.
The online community was buzzing since the details of the ball had dropped yesterday.
The ball itself was an annual event, and this year’s monthly Game would be the ball’s sidepiece.
In short, it was a costume challenge with strict rules.
You couldn’t very well show up as a pirate or a monkey.
You could get creative with your mask, and you could make sure it matched your outfit.
A set of judges had been announced, and members could be judged individually or as part of a dynamic.
Next time I stopped at a light, I responded to Nora.
First of all, thank you, honey. I want them to feel welcome. I’ll get back to you with a date, but I’m thinking the 5th. Just something quick after work. Second of all, I said they’re my friends, not play partners.
I’d been straightforward with both James and Jordan, and it’d been a brief conversation. Until I talked to Nathan, I didn’t want to move forward too much with a playtime dynamic.
Well, no heavy play was gonna happen, at least. Jordan was still allowed to call me Daddy—as a nickname, as we’d decided—though it hadn’t happened yet.
Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe my personal life had made him retreat.
I couldn’t blame him if that was the case.
I wouldn’t hitch my wagon to my bullshit either.
In the meantime, we were…getting to know each other. Feeling each other out.
I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
Maybe I was having a shit day.
Maybe Nate was fucking avoiding me.
It’d been days, goddammit. We saw each other in passing every day, but that was about it. Always with the kids nearby, always with one of us headed somewhere. He wasn’t really looking me in the eye either. It bothered me. Like, what the fuck did it mean?
I read Jordan’s message next.
You will be there the whole time? I don’t know why, but I’m super nervous. I’ll ask James what date works for him. I think he has something planned with Emmett on the 5th.
Sweet boy. I’d hold his hand through the whole thing if he wanted me to.
The light turned green, so I would have to respond in a bit.
He’d been so excited last night. He’d run straight into my arms when I’d come home from Nate’s parents’, rambling about how some of the brats had “officially” invited him to join their Brat Squad.
Aforementioned brats obviously wanted Jordan to come out to Mclean for the big meet-up, the face-to-face introductions, and the boy was suddenly shy.
But I supposed it made sense from previous stories I’d heard.
Before Jordan got comfortable in his goofball shoes, he was timid and careful.
However, still ambitious. He had, after all, signed up for one of Nate’s bondage demos—and now the masquerade ball too.
It seemed no matter what he did and how he acted, I just found him fucking adorable.
I checked the time as I turned into the parking lot. Grocery shopping, then home. Where Jordan was hopefully waiting. He’d volunteered to watch Paws whenever he was off work, and he was having a slow week. The opposite of Nathan.
Before I climbed out of my truck, I replied to Jordan.
I’ll be right by your side until you decide that your new brat buddies are cooler to hang out with than me. ;) If you think about it, this will be a good warm-up for both the ball and the bondage session. I’ll be home soon.
Go figure. When Nate finally texted, it was all about the kids.
No need to come over. Micah’s half asleep, and Lily passed out in the car. I’ll see you tomorrow morning instead.
I sighed and threw the phone next to me on the couch, and then I sank lower into the cushions and scrubbed my hands over my face.
“I heard that sigh all the way in the kitchen, Sir!” Jordan hollered.
I hummed and unbuttoned my jeans. No point in keeping my outdoor clothes on. I should’ve changed into sweats the moment I got home, but no, I’d stupidly assumed I’d head over to Nate’s when he had picked up the kids. The bedtime routine and all—
Jordan skidded into the living room, carrying a bag of popcorn and a juice box.
“No running with food, little one,” I reminded him.
“Oops!” He skidded to a stop right before the rug and grinned sheepishly.
I was fucking whipped. He flashed one of those grins, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Your home is so cozy now.” He joined me on the couch. Unlike me, he’d arrived in pajamas. “Did I mention you have a lot of pictures of your kids?”
I chuckled drowsily and flicked a glance at the walls. Ma had helped me. I’d sent her an epic fuck-ton of photos straight from my phone, and she’d gone through hundreds of them, edited her favorites, and sent back maybe eighty. Then she’d ordered frames for each one as a housewarming gift.
They were more important than the furniture.
Amazing memories from road trips, national parks, holidays, birthday parties, and games frozen in time.
First time I took Dylan to an Eagles game, Hallie holding a trophy from a soccer tournament, Mikey and me in a ball pit, Lily as a baby asleep on my chest…
Nate was in many of the photos too. Maybe I was planning on spending the rest of my life in denial, but I wanted to be surrounded by my family, and he was the one I’d chosen to start that family with.
Jordan snuggled closer and threw some popcorn into his mouth. “You look sad, Sir. Is it about Mister Nathan? Was that why you sighed super loud? If you’re leaving, I can watch Paws.”
I turned and kissed his cheek. “I’m not leavin’. He doesn’t need me tonight.”
He tilted his head at me and lifted a brow. “I think he needs you every night, Grumpypants. Don’t lose faith.”
It was my turn to lift a brow. “Are you calling me Grumpypants?”
Amusement lit his eyes, and he crammed a handful of popcorn into his mouth, effectively preventing him from speaking.
I grabbed his jaw and leaned closer. “Nothing smart to say?”
He shook his head.
“Of course not. You’re a brat.” With that, I brushed my lips to his, and he started chewing quickly.
I laughed under my breath. “You’re not saying a damn word, boy.
” I took the popcorn from him and dropped the bag on the coffee table.
Then I crawled over him, enjoying the rush of possessiveness that came over me.
The urge to claim and own. “Let me give you a second try. Am I Grumpypants? Just nod or shake your head.”
He bit his lip and quickly shook his head.
I couldn’t get over how gorgeous he was. Those eyes, man. The freckles, the crooked grin, and the mischief written all over him.
“Who am I, then?” I murmured.
He squirmed and shivered underneath me, and he snuck his fingers to my jaw. I’d discovered he liked running his fingertips over my scruff.
“I don’t want to rush you. If you’re not ready—”
“You’re my Daddy,” he whispered.
Fucking hell.
I got caught in his gaze, seeing the vulnerability there, the trepidation, the hope, the need, and the sweet affection.
A flurry of sensations swirled through me. I grinned quickly, only to be wrestled down by nerves and the sheer gravity of the situation. It was a title that came with responsibilities and a new world of possibilities.
“Say it again,” I whispered back.
He smiled a little wider and placed his hands along my cheeks. “You’re my Daddy.”
Damn fucking right.
I dipped down and kissed him slowly. “One day soon, I’m gonna take every inch of your little body, sweetheart.”
He sucked in a breath and locked his arms around my neck. “I want that so much.”
“Me too.” I kissed him deeper, tasting him, feeling him underneath me… “If James is lucky, he can watch.”
I felt James’s eyes on me every day at work. He was waiting. I hadn’t even touched him yet, but fuck if I didn’t want to get him down on his knees before me. To see what made him tick, to get a sense of which buttons I could push, and to expose the darkest corners of his mind.
Jordan moaned and tried to pull me down on him, but we knew how that would go.
We’d both end up frustrated as fuck, and while I could take it, it was unfair to him.
I just had this mental—and physical—block that wouldn’t let me take things too far.
I couldn’t, and I didn’t want to. Not yet.
Not until I knew where Nathan stood. So I slowed things down and inched away a bit.
“No, not yet,” Jordan whimpered. “Please, Daddy.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
I couldn’t fucking describe what it did to me when I heard him call me Daddy. It was as if, all of a sudden, I was ten feet tall, armed to my teeth to protect, and ready to build him a blanket fort all at once.
“Mmm, remember what I said we’d do before James got here?” I forced myself to ease back altogether. Jordan looked down between us and licked his lips. “You were gonna show Daddy your homework,” I told him.
It was part of our getting to know each other’s desires and boundaries better.
“Ohhhh,” he whined and rolled toward the table. He reached for his little notebook. I’d gotten it for him the other day so he could keep everything in one place. It went without saying that it had little birds on it. “Okay. But don’t forget we’re gonna make James jealous, all right?”
I chuckled and sat down again. “I won’t forget.”
The only rule I’d given James was that if nobody answered the door when he knocked, he should use the spare key I’d given him.
He’d accepted the key with embarrassment, awkwardness, and desire written all over him.