Page 5 of Pretty Baby

“Thanks for coloring with me and Mitch,” Avery said. He released Caleb and bounced on his toes. “Maybe you could come over sometime and play?”

“Oh.” Caleb didn’t know how to respond.

Avery glanced over to Jace quickly then back at Caleb. “You’ll have to come to my Daddy’s house though. My apartment is too small and I don’t have any toys there.”

“That’s okay,” Caleb hurried to assure him. He even felt compelled to offer to have Avery come to his house but Caleb didn’t have any entertainment to offer to Avery. He didn’t have toys or anything to offer to his new friend.

“But you’ll come over?” Avery pressed.

Without thought, Caleb glanced over at Grant.

Grant was smiling at him and Caleb felt the encouragement coming from the detective but he didn’t know what it meant.

“I’d like that,” Caleb settled on saying. He wasn’t making a promise and it was the truth. He’d like to hang out with Avery again. Even Mitch too, who halfway through the evening had stopped looking at him with suspicion.

“Cool!” Avery exclaimed before running back over to Jace. He jumped and Jace easily caught his boy.

It wasn’t long before Jace had ushered Avery away and Mitch joined him.

“Hey man,” Mitch said. “That was really cool of you to be so accepting of Avery and hanging out with us.”

Caleb frowned. Why wouldn’t he have been? He wasn’t a dick and never messed with the boys at the club. It was hard enough for someone to admit to their desires. He began to reply, with a smartass comment, when the lawyer continued.

“I hope you’ll take Avery up on his invitation,” Mitch said. “It would be cool to hang again.” He patted Caleb’s shoulder before walking off.

Caleb stared after him. Had Mitch not been patronizing him? His head spun and Caleb didn’t know which way was up. What was happening? He didn’t make friends. No one liked him and now he had two people want to hang out with him again? Not very likely. Maybe they were just being nice to him because of Grant. Yeah, that was probably it. They were probably nice to all the boys that Grant hooked up with and didn’t really want to see him again.

“Are you ready for me to take you home?” Grant asked as he settled his hand on the small of Caleb’s back.

Caleb didn’t mean to jump but lost in his own thoughts he’d forgotten that Grant was so close. “Uh, yeah… I mean yes. Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Grant assured him as he pulled a key ring from his pocket. “You were deep in thought. Now come on. It’s time for little boys to be tucked into bed.”

Yeah, he bet Grant wanted him in bed. The sooner the better. Once his dick was taken care of Grant would be gone and wouldn’t have to worry about how neurotic Caleb was acting.

The club was still fairly busy so Caleb didn’t complain when Grant tucked Caleb’s hand in his. He fully expected the Dom to let him go once they were outside of the club but instead Grant tucked him closer.

“It got chilly,” Grant commented.

In his shorts and tank, Caleb had to agree. “Yeah.” He was still having his hand held. That was weird.

“I have remote start so the car should be warming. You need to have a jacket. Even if it’s March the nights still get cold.”

Was he seriously being lectured about not wearing a coat? Who cared?

Apparently, Grant because he stopped, shrugged out of his leather jacket, before placing it over Caleb’s shoulders.

“Hurry now,” Grant ordered. “I don’t want you to get sick.”

Lost in the wonderful scent wafting up from the jacket and the warmth of Grant’s words Caleb followed behind the detective like a good little boy. Just as ordered.

2

Grant

Grant grinned after he hung up the call from ordering a dozen red roses to be delivered to Caleb. He was certain the boy would be surprised. Probably not as shocked as he’d been when Grant had sent him inside his house without accompanying him the previous night.

He had little doubt that Caleb had expected the evening before to end with them having sex but Grant was playing the long game. He wasn’t going to take Caleb to bed until he knew the boy was ready. Grant wasn’t like the other Dom’s that Caleb had played with. He cared about more than just getting his dick sucked or fucking the boy.

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