“Thank you.” It was nice to be appreciated sometimes. “You’re cute.”
He tried to keep pouting and being dramatic but a smile peeked out. “I’m going to use being cute to my advantage. Just so you know. And letting you have control. That’s going to work in my favor too.”
“Smart and cute. I like it.” And I liked him…his giggle said he knew it too. “I’m going to have to come up with some punishments, though.”
He only looked worried for about five seconds before he had a lightbulb moment. “Do we have rules?”
I wasn’t worried about details like that.
“Yes. I control everything and you try to look cute and get your way by coming up with schemes like using your change to get more coffee.” His grin said he thought that was a situation he would thoroughly enjoy.
“Okay.” Wiggling in his seat, either excited or aroused, Shelby’s expression turned devious. “But that means you’re going to have to keep me and watch me better. Lots of helper activities.”
I could handle that.
And he didn’t seem to mind, so I wasn’t going to second-guess it.
“I think that’s a reasonable plan. Especially the keeping you part, because you’re right, I can’t control everything if I don’t keep you close.” That wasn’t going to be a hardship either. “But you’re going to remember to safeword if something becomes too overwhelming.”
I knew I was a struggle for most guys to deal with, but Shelby cocked his head in obvious confusion. “Having you watching over me? The control thing? Why would I need to safeword over something like that?”
I was starting to think I’d underestimated how much Shelby’s overly distant family had affected him.
“I don’t think you will, but Silas worries to an unreasonable degree and I wanted to be able to honestly say I touched base with you on it.” I shrugged as he gave me an understanding nod. “I think dealing with Austin all the time has him imagining the worst.”
“Well, I’m not going to buy video game companies just to get free goodies, so I don’t think he has anything to worry about.” Shelby’s explanation made me want to smile. “We’re not nearly as prone to do something crazy.”
Agreed.
“Some people just can’t help themselves.” Silas was one of them. “But we have that conversation checked off the to-do list, so we’re good.”
“You’re good.” Shelby rolled his eyes. “I’m going to start telling him to mind his own business or asking him about the most recent crazy thing Austin did just to distract him.”
That was probably a better plan.
“I’ll tell him that we talked about it if I have to, though.” Shelby gave me a sweet, serious frown. “I don’t want him driving you crazy.”
And my little protector was back.
I hadn’t missed the fact that he’d put himself between me and the ridiculously dramatic alpha earlier. “Thank you. I appreciate you taking care of me.”
Oh, that smile.
“I’m going to let you find lots of new ways to watch over me too.” Giving me a fake pout, he exhaled loudly. “But not the mirror. That’s a limit evidently.”
Drama queen.
“How about I hide cameras all over your apartment but I don’t tell you where they are and I keep moving them?” Then he’d never know what I could see and what I couldn’t. “It’ll give me a better view than your laptop anyway.”
And the security cameras in the hallways.
Lighting up, he smiled and wiggled in his seat again. “I guess I’d like romance like that. I haven’t even seen that in books.”
He was wonderfully interesting.
And obviously done with his food, so I raised one eyebrow again. “Alright, then how about we head back to your place now so I can start picking out the best spots for cameras.”
It was nice to have a new project to throw myself into.
