Page 48 of The Story of Danny Rose

He was busy doing the last of the dishes after our takeout feast from the local Thai place down the street.

He huffed and set a clean plate on the towel next to the sink. “Darius fuckin’ Quinn happened. We sparred together in the basement, and maybe he was a little faster than I anticipated.”

I smiled and shifted my attention to his neck and shoulder, where his skin was so soft.

“But believe you me, I showed him,” he added.

I had no doubt. “I’m glad you’re makin’ friends.” I grazed my teeth along his flesh and rubbed his hips.

“Yeah. He’s way more mature than Reese.” He said it loud enough for the twins to hear on the couch, and Reese obviously took the bait.

“What the fuck?” Reese scowled. “Also, when do we get to meet this Darius Quinn? He has a reputation.”

“Go back to studying,” I told him. There were countless operators he hadn’t met yet, and I suspected it’d be a while before he ran into Darius. Darius tended to avoid recruits and the areas where they trained.

I was sure he’d made an exception for Danny, considering his background.

“He doesn’t like newbs,” Danny replied, smirking.

To a senior operative like myself, Darius was very much new too, but yeah, there was something about him. As if he’d lived a hundred lifetimes already.

Reese scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger.

Safe to say, no need to ask about how life had been around here while I’d suffered in the desert. Danny and Reese were acting more like bickering brothers than before, and River was the opportunist who picked the side that suited him in that moment. I’d seen it at work after I’d finished my tasks, and I’d seen it all throughout dinner.

“I’m too full,” Reese complained. He kicked up his feet on the coffee table and threw his book next to him. “I need a break.” He glanced over at us again. “Are y’all leavin’ the door open tonight, or should I just go out for a run?”

I’d prefer?—

“Enjoy your run,” Danny replied. “I’m not in a sharing mood.”

Thank fuck, because neither was I. The twins could watch tomorrow.

Reese sucked his teeth. “I guess you’re only in that mood when I grab the last slice of pizza in the cafeteria.”

Good Christ. It was difficult not to laugh. Danny didn’t even bother trying to hold back.

“Were they like this the whole time I was gone, River?” I asked.

He didn’t look up from his book. “Yup.”

Poor kid. Poorme, if this continued.

“Okay, I’m done with my chores,” Danny declared and turned off the water. “Take me to Poundtown, Sir. Then to Boneville. And possibly Fuckistan.”

I snorted a laugh and threw an arm around his shoulders. My little clown. I’d make sure he’d see all three sites before sunup.

To be honest, he could’ve been to one of those places already, but he seemed to need a chore or two. And I got it. Chores provided structure. I had a perfectly functioning dishwasher, but if it made him feel better to do the dishes, I was happy to enforce the rules. Cleaning the bathroom once a week was his job too.

“Try to keep it down,” Reese said. “Some of us are tryin’ to study.”

I didn’t miss a beat. “We’ll be mindful for River’s sake.”

Danny laughed and started dragging me toward our bedroom, and I wished the boys a good night.

Something shifted between us when we got in the shower. The need simmered through me like a thick stream of lava, but it wasn’t as urgent as it had been earlier today. Nor were our touches laced by our Daddy/Little dynamic. Even though the labels and terms of endearment were very much present, we were just…us.

It made me pump the brakes, because I wanted to savor every moment. More than that, I wanted to explore every aspectof our relationship, and with Danny, I shared three major parts. We worked together. I was his Daddy, and he was my sweet boy. But we were also equals sharing our first real relationship together, and we hadn’t given that side of us much time yet. Instead, we’d jumped between work and our semi-relaxed state of D/s.

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