I gasp. “Sir…” Is he serious? Is he blaming himself for what happened tonight?
He shakes his head. “Just listen. I can’t change the past, but I will do everything in my power to make the future brighter. Now, I’m not brazen enough to assume you will enjoy my company now that I have you in my home. You don’t really know me. For the past few years, you’ve been flirting with the idea of what you think I’d be like as your Daddy, but you have no clue what that really looks like.”
I swallow hard. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t even be happy because I’m too stunned, overwhelmed, in pain, and reeling from being body-slammed to the ground by a stranger.
“So, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to take you upstairs and get you settled in…” He steps closer. His voice dips lower. “I’ve been preparing a room for you for a long time.”
My breath hitches. This man I’ve been lusting after has been planning to move me into his home for…how long?
“I know it was bold of me, and frankly, it wasn’t easy, either. After all, it’s hard to know your style. You’ve changed it ten times in the last four years.”
I find myself smiling even though it hurts and feels out of place. He’s right.
“So…yeah. You have a room here. You’re going to sleep there tonight and for as long as you want. We’ll talk about this more when you’re feeling up to it, baby, but please consider staying here for the foreseeable future. It would kill me to take you back to your apartment. I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Give me a chance to be the Daddy you imagined. I don’t know what that might look like, but let me try to be him.”
I’m breathing heavily.
“Say yes,” he adds.
“Professor…”
“And stop calling me Professor. If you’re not ready to call me Daddy, at least go with Sir.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Do we have an understanding?”
“I don’t know. That’s a lot of information to process.”
He chuckles. “Unlike my English classes, there will be no pop quiz tomorrow. I’ll repeat all of that as often as you need to hear it. Can we go upstairs now?”
“Yes, Sir.” I need sleep. My adrenaline rush crashed at the hospital. I’m a walking zombie. When he takes my hand and guides me out of the kitchen, I let him.
Chapter 3
Camden
* * *
I said too much. I should have waited until tomorrow or even a few days from now. I’ve probably overwhelmed her with all that. If I’d called and asked her out like a normal human, I would have been able to ease her into the idea of being my Little girl. I certainly wouldn’t have told her I already had a room prepared for her on a first date.
She’s at a disadvantage. I know her. I know who she is. I’ve even watched her Little at Surrender when she had no idea I was there. She’s shown me her true colors many times over the past four years.
Meanwhile, she doesn’t know a thing about me as a Daddy. I’ve never let that side of me come out at school. She might have painted a picture of what I would be like—I’m confident she has—but it was all conjecture. There is no way for her to really know what sort of Daddy I am.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a Little of my own, someone I brought into my home. I’ve never brought any Little into this house. I’ve never even brought a vanilla woman here. It was my childhood home. My parents lived here until five years ago when they officially retired and moved to Florida. That’s when I came into an early chunk of my inheritance.
I also have some money from my grandparents on both sides, so I actually have most of my inheritance already. Hopefully, my parents are spending every dime they can and enjoying it. I’d rather they have fun and leave me next to nothing than save money for me after they’ve passed. I don’t need it, nor do I want it.
When I go to Surrender, I sometimes scene with Littles, but the appeal hasn’t been there as much since I met Simone. Plus, I never wanted to take the risk of her seeing me with another Little. I didn’t want her to see my Daddy side at all. I’ve spent four years holding off, waiting for her to either graduate or change her mind about me and move on.
That’s a long time to wait for a woman. In that time, she’s changed. She was eighteen or nineteen when I first met her. She’s twenty-two now. I have no idea if she dated during college, but I never heard her speak about it, nor did I ever see her with anyone at Surrender.
For as in tune as she seems to be with her Little side, I’m not sure she has any actual experience. I know from Natasha that Simone has been aware of her Little for many years. That does not mean she’s practiced her preferred kink in real life.
I meant what I said about not wanting to baby her. I don’t think she runs that young. She might even be more of a Middle than a young Little. Her lengthy goth phase seemed more Middle, but that could have been a front she put on at school. It’s hard to say.
I guide Simone to the second floor and down the hallway until we come to the room I’ve designed specifically for her. I’ve never even told Jameson about this room. He would have ribbed me incessantly.
