Page 25 of His Reluctant Savior

A memory flash of Sid suddenly hit me.

I’m late to calculus, trying not to run in the halls because I’ll get in trouble, but I hate being late for anything. My alarm never went off this morning.

I’m so distracted that I don’t see Sid. We collide, and my books scatter all over the floor. I nearly fall back, but I hold on to him to keep from falling. Before I can gather my books and rush off, powerful hands grip my hoodie and shove me against the lockers.

“You do that on purpose, Boy Scout?”

“What? Let me go, Sid. I’m late.”

“Can’t have that, can we?”

“No, we can’t. Let me go.”

He shoves me harder as I try to push back, but it’s not easy. He’s as strong as I am, if not stronger.

Sid presses his face close to my ear, and I can feel his breath, leaving a wake of goosebumps across my skin. He smells strangely good—clean and fresh, like fabric softener.

“Being late will be good for you. Being a little bad is healthy,” he growls in my ear before taking a deep breath of me. My fingers dig into his biceps, but I can’t move. I’m glued to him. My breathing comes in heaves, and I’m hit with an unwanted desire. Even worse, my dick is tryingto stir to life. Is it because of Sid or just because he’s a boy and how close he is to me? I’d rather have a boy in my life than a girlfriend. It can’t be Sid, though. He’s a cruel fucking bully. He’s always hated me.

Sid takes a deep breath of me again before he chuckles deeply and shoves off me. “Go to class, Boy Scout.”

I’m confused as I walk away without looking at him, hating the way my body reacted to his nearness. After grabbing all my crap on the floor, I rush off to class and reach the door as soon as the bell rings.

“Earth to Dalt,” Savannah says.

My memory bursts, and I’m whisked back to the present.

“What? Sorry,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I got lost in a memory of Sid for a moment.”

She chuckled. “It must have been a doozie, judging by your faraway expression. Anyway, I was asking if Owen has any dietary restrictions.”

“No, he’s not allergic to anything. And he’s not very picky.”

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give not to have a picky eater. Lilly will only eat macaroni and cheese out of a box. Give her anything else, and she’s Vesuvius ready to take out all of Pompeii.”

I laughed. “That’s why they make them cute.”

Sid walked in after he wrapped up with the cameras. “We should probably head out now.”

I nodded and called out to Owen, who came rushing in. I squatted in front of him. “Give me a hug, Little Man.”

He wrapped his small arms around my neck, and I held him close, taking a deep breath of him. I strugglednot to get choked up, but it wasn’t easy, trying not to think about the possibility of this being the last time I ever saw him again.

“I’m going to be gone for a few days, Little Man.”

“No, I don’t want you to leave. Why can’t you stay here?!”

“Daddy has to go on a business trip. Remember, I do that sometimes?”

Owen nodded as his eyes turned wet, trying so hard to be brave. “Yeah,” he sniffed.

“I’ll be back soon, and when I do, I’ll bring you a surprise. But I want you to be the good boy you always are and have fun with your new friends, okay?”

“Okay,” he said softly.

God, he really was such a great kid.

“Give Daddy another hug.”

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