Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Looking down at his glass, he sighed. “I wouldn’t have said it before the wine, though.”
Dinner had been wonderful, but yes, the wine had been the best idea when it came to actually getting to know him without his worries getting in the way.
“I’m glad it’s not just me.” He was a nice guy and a sweet omega, so I was honestly surprised at how hard it’d been for him to meet someone. “Dating has been a struggle.”
Dessie blinked, clearly thinking about the main issue, but he kept it to himself. “Yeah, people have just been…they haven’t had a lot of patience or common sense lately.”
“I would have to agree with you there.” Holding up my glass to toast him with the last of my wine, I winked. “To sane dates, no matter what happens next.”
He mirrored my toast but gave me a rueful grin. “I’m not the one who’s going to be difficult. I’m cute when I’m little, and I’ll only whine about desserts and attention.”
Dessie pointed to the last of his cheesecake before nodding in my direction. “You, on the other hand…”
Wine had definitely loosened his tongue and given his confidence a boost.
“I know.” Shrugging, I refused to back down from the conversation we needed to have if we were going to move forward. “If it helps to ignore how much of a pain in the ass I’m going to be, I think you’re sexy as hell when you smile and I’ve been trying to imagine how you’ll react when I spank you for the first time.”
The adorable brat sighed like I’d spouted off poetry. “It does. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Not sure what to say next, I nodded toward the mostly empty wineglass he was currently playing with and rolling between his fingers. “Would you like another glass?”
I expected him to say no, but he frowned at his glass for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know. One makes me chatty, which you can tell. I’m pretending I’m not going to be embarrassed about this in the morning. But two, it…well, it might make me little or naughty. It could go either way. Or both ways.”
Groaning out something about regretting life choices once he sobered up, Dessie took a deep breath before I could decide how to respond…or if I’d heard him correctly. “As my date, what would you like me to do? If you were my Daddy, what would you have me do?”
Going right to giving him another glass would probably make me a bad person.
Right?
“I’m not sure I’m a good enough alpha or just man in general to answer that question honestly.” Starting at that point so Austin couldn’t kill me later, I finished off the last of my wine. “The options don’t scare me nearly as much as you think they do. My biggest concern is making sure Austin doesn’t kill me.”
Trying to hide a smile, Dessie nodded seriously. “Yes, that would be a bigger issue. But if I promise to tell him we were both making poor decisions? Then he can’t blame you.”
“I’m not so sure he’d agree with that logic.” He might regret killing me down the road, but not right off the bat.
Dessie giggled, wine definitely coloring how funny he thought my death would be. “He likes you too. He made sure I knew to go slow and not…oops.”
Clamping his lips together, he looked around like a startled cartoon character and quickly drank down the rest of his wine. “Did you want more dessert?”
He was terrible at hiding things.
That would come in handy if we made it through our first date, but for the time being, I had to tell myself he was a drunk little. He was not trying to throw up red flags or sound alarm bells. “Not in the way you mean, but I would like to know what Austin said.”
Sighing dramatically, he pouted. “But I don’t want you to be mad at me.”
That was not the response I’d expected, so I shifted the conversation around in my head and tried again. Raising one eyebrow, I did my best to channel the Daddies I’d seen online. “I won’t be mad, but you need to tell me the truth. Good boys don’t lie.”
Right?
Dessie’s huff and the way he slouched back in his seat said he didn’t agree with me, but eventually he gave in.
So I was correct?
“Austin said I had to go slow and not rush you into doing anything naughty because you might not be ready for me to be excited.” Letting out another adorable sigh, Dessie crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not going to rush but it’s hard.”
I was pretty sure laughing or even smiling would not have been the right response, but he was making that very difficult.
“I might not be ready for you to be excited because you’re interested in exploring…what I’ve been concerned about?” Eventually I was going to have to say it but Austin’s backyard did not seem like the place to do it.