Page 12 of Kiren

“A boyfriend who’s a daddy?”

He ducked his head. “Oh yes.”

When I went back to eating, my food tasted even more delicious. Kiren woke all my senses, putting them in heightened awareness. I had been attracted to him from afar for a week, butnow, close up, I could allow my deeper sensations free reign. I wanted this boy. More, I needed him. I could actually picture him next to me in my bed night after night, maybe even for years to come.

He was the one.

I hoped.

6

Kiren

Areal honest-to-good daddy wanted me. Or, at least, wanted to date me.

Was I dreaming?

After dinner, while driving home, Max asked if I would like to meet again. Wasn’t it obvious?

“I’d love it,” I said. Before I allowed my shyness to stop me, I blurted, “Can it be very soon?”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” he began.

“I’m free all day.” I could barely look at him. If I looked too eager, that might be bad. It had been so long for me; I didn’t know how to behave. Second-guessing my every move wasn’t going to work, but I didn’t always control that part of myself.

“What would you like to do?” Max asked.

“Me?” I hunched down. “I don’t know. You could come to my place.”

“Or you could come to mine.”

“Oh. Wow.” I didn’t want to sound desperate, but I was. Max made every spot on my body tingle.

“Am I moving too fast? I promise I’ll be a complete gentleman.”

“What does that mean?” Honestly, I didn’t want him to hold back. But I wasn’t good at instigating more where this stuff was concerned.

“It means I’ll be on my best behavior.”

I frowned, letting him see it in the dash light of the car. “But—I mean—I’m not that fragile.” Was I? My doctor used that word. But it wasn’t like I’d break.

“You’re a bit skittish. I like that, though.”

I shook my head, trying to clear it and make sense of him. “Why do you like me?”

Max stopped for a red light. “I like sweet things.”

“No, really. Is it because now you know I’m a little?”

“In part. But before that, the way you reacted when I brought you the Dirty Shirley.”

“It had a cherry. My favorite drinks have cherries, and you just seemed to know that. I liked that you didn’t ask but just brought it to me. I know some people want to be asked. Like everyone always said back in college, ‘Can I buy you a drink?’ which translated to, ‘I’m interested in you.’ But you didn’t. I—I—need that sort of thing in my life. Where someone just figures it out.”

“Thank you for telling me that.”

“What I’m saying is there’s no need to be acompletegentleman tomorrow.”

“Got it. You want someone to make decisions, someone who can read your needs.”

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