Page 21 of A Daddy for Maddy

I grinned up at him, shaking Kornie in his face. “Not one bit. Daddy.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad to hear it. You’re a brave boy.”

When he dropped me off, he didn’t even try for a sweetheart, cornball kiss. Instead, he turned on the inside light and said, “Let me take one more look at that forehead.”

I leaned toward him.

He ran his fingers lightly along the bump and I couldn’t breathe because it felt so intimate and good.

“Good news,” he said. “The swelling has already gone down.” Then he ruffled my hair. “You’ll live.”

“Thank you for the meal and, well, for everything.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Eagerly, I took out my phone. “We need to exchange numbers.”

Colin lightly punched his own forehead. He was so tough-looking on the surface it was funny to see. “I almost forgot.”

After numbers were exchanged, Colin said, “Is it okay if I text you tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“I work nights, and weekend nights are especially busy, but lunch, maybe?”

“Late night is okay.” I felt that needed an explanation. “I work noon to six five days a week at Coffee Haus, so I’m free at night.”

“Good to know,” Colin said.

“But you’re probably working by then, right?”

“Some nights earlier, some later. We’ll work it out.” Colin gave me a small smile and a wink under the BMW’s bright overhead light. He still looked fierce, but now it was in a way I really liked. Stern, maybe, but not scary anymore. He left me with no questions about whether or not he wanted me.

I was still a little worried about who might be harassing him. How horrible that he had to go through that.

As I got out of the car, Colin reached out and touched my hand, slowly letting his fingers slide over my wrist and slip away.

“I promise I’ll be texting you, Maddy. Tomorrow. I sleep during part of the day, but it will be tomorrow.”

“I know,” I said.

I grinned all the way to my front door.

12

Colin

Idrove home feeling drunk. Just being around the boy! Wow. It got me all muddled.

Maddy. Cute name. Was it a nickname?

Good thing I didn’t have to drive too far to get home. That boy had distracted my brain. And parts elsewhere. Every mannerism, every move, every look had me thinking, “Damn, so much my type.”

But it was more than that. It had a lot to do with my feelings of protectiveness. He’d been hurt and it brought out something deep inside me that wanted to help, fix, comfort. I was a big guy and I knew how to fight. But I also had a fantasy of wrapping a boy in my arms and holding him close and tight, warming him when he was cold, feeding him when he was hungry, reassuring away all his fears, kissing away all his boo-boos.

It was a daddy thing. Of course. I wasn’t ignorant to that deep need to be a daddy. It went beyond sex, though, and some boys just wanted to play a scene and be done. I wanted to take care of everything.

Maybe I was alone because I was too controlling. But it was more about feelings. Emotions. People didn’t always understand, even people in the kink community.

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