Page 53 of Born Daddy

Chapter Fifteen

What an amazing night.

Tate brushed his hands across the tops of his thighs, giving Rogan a sideways glance as they rode in his truck. Once they got to the next intersection, he’d be making a left to get on the I-93 to bring Tate back to his so-called home, instead of taking a right back to Rogan’s place. They’d had a blast at the ice cream parlor, stealing bites from each other’s cups, laughing and just being two regular guys hanging out and having fun. He wasn’t ready to return to that dreary apartment and be left all alone.

Rogan reached the intersection and slowly rolled to a stop. He seemed lost in thought with one hand hanging loosely on the wheel, his elbow resting on the door as he rubbed his finger along his bottom lip. No traffic was coming at this late hour, but Tate wondered why Rogan still hadn’t made the turn.

Rogan turned to Tate, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. “Are you going to be okay after I drop you off?”

Tate clasped his fingers, not sure what the right answer would be. Okay, maybe not the right answer, but the answer he should be giving. He couldn’t deny that while he’d been going through the motions of following Master Zane’s advice, he’d already begun to view Rogan as a Daddy. Despite knowing it wasn’t fair to Rogan, he couldn’t help himself. His only consolation was that Rogan had confessed he was interested in exploring that role.

Whether it all worked out was another matter.

“Tate?”

“I’m not sure,” he blurted.

His answer was truthful. What he wanted was one thing. What he should be doing, another.

Rogan tapped the wheel as he considered Tate. “Is this a Daddy moment?”

Tate let out a long exhale, his shoulders relaxing as the tension slowly drained from his body. Whatever it was he should be doing disappeared in a flash. Rogan would take over.

“I think it is. Master Zane will tell you it’s different for everyone. All I know is what it is for me.”

“That’s all I care about, sweetheart.” Rogan gave him a small smile. “How would you feel about staying over at my place for tonight? I’ll sleep on the couch so you can have the bedroom.

Tate worked extra hard not to bounce on the seat. “I don’t want to put you out of your room. I can take the couch.”

“Who’s the Daddy here?”

Rogan winked and Tate’s stomach swooped, his heart fluttering at the hint of how their dynamic could evolve.

“You are, Sir.”

Rogan reached across the console and stroked Tate’s cheek. “Then if it would make you happy to stay over, the Daddy part of me I’m now discovering I have wants you to take the bed. What do you say?”

“Can I call you Daddy yet?”

Master Zane would be mortified. Master Zane also needed to get the hell out of his head.

Rogan drew his hand away and Tate wanted to kick his own ass. If he got too pushy, he could ruin everything. Back when he’d first gotten into the scene, he’d witnessed plenty of Daddies and Doms wanting their boys or subs to call them Daddy or Sir right away. Sir at the very minimum was required when addressing a Top. But since Rogan hadn’t taken a deep dive into the lifestyle yet, Tate would have to watch himself.

Rogan furrowed his brow. “You have no idea how badly I’d love for you to call me Daddy. But not yet. I don’t deserve that title yet, not when I haven’t earned it. Does that make sense?”

Tate nodded, reluctantly accepting that Rogan was right. He decided to keep the thought to himself that Rogan’s very decision made him even Daddier than before.

“It makes sense. I need guidance. I get too impulsive. On the flip side, I freeze up when I don’t know what to do or say. It’s like my brain shorts out or something. I think that might be why the detectives assumed I was guilty of something. I couldn’t get my words out, I kept shutting down.”

Rogan brushed the back of his hand across Tate’s cheek once more. “I wish I’d been there from the beginning to protect you. But thanks for telling me, I’ll keep it in mind.” Rogan gripped the wheel again. “Do we need to stop at your place to grab anything? Don’t worry about a toothbrush, I have extras.”

He wouldn’t have minded another pair of underwear for the morning, but he could go commando. His place was the next town over, and besides, he didn’t want to give Rogan a chance to change his mind.

“No, I don’t need anything.”

Tate yelped at the loud honking of a horn behind them. Rogan waved his hand in response then, after checking the highway, turned right. Tate relaxed again, a sense of calm washing over him now that he knew he wouldn’t be alone. His tension returned with a vengeance the moment he remembered his check-in.

“Uh-oh.” Tate chewed on his lip. He’d have to fess up.

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