Pretty Boy (Perfect Boys #1) - K.M. Neuhold Page 0,23
and I file that knowledge away for the future. “How did you get here anyway?” I realize for the first time that he couldn’t possibly have walked all this way. At least I hope not.
“I took a cab. Well, not exactly a cab, but Ed, he’s one of the regulars at the bar, he gives rides for cheap, so I asked him to drive me,” he explains, and I scowl. “He hadn’t started drinkin’ yet,” he rushes to assure me.
“Next time, call me. I would’ve come to get you.”
“I don’t have a cell phone,” he says. “And I didn’t want to call you from the bar phone with everybody listenin’ in.”
I growl a little at that. I should’ve guessed as much, but I really don’t like the idea that he’s been walking around without any way to call anyone if he ever got into trouble. “We’ll stop and get you one on our way to Vegas. And, on that note, why don’t I go settle up at the front office, and we can get the hell out of here? It’s a long drive, but we’ll stay somewhere much nicer than this tonight.”
He nods again, and I pick up his bags to take them out to my car before returning to toss my own stuff hastily into my suitcase. Within a few minutes, the grungy motel is a distant memory in my rearview mirror, Sterling is settled into the seat beside me, and my Las Vegas address is plugged into my GPS.
Chapter 8
Sterling
When Barrett said we’d stay somewhere fancy tonight, he wasn’t kidding. A valet takes his car and a man in a suit gathers up all our bags to take inside. I blush when he grabs the paper grocery bag full of my things. I’m sure anybody who can afford to stay here can afford a proper suitcase.
Something tells me I’d better get used to feeling out of place if I’m making a go of things with Barrett.
“I’ll buy you luggage once we’re home,” Barrett says as he slips his hand into mine and leads me inside so we can check in.
“You don’t gotta do that.” A cell phone is one thing, but I gotta draw the line somewhere. He’s already doing more than enough for me.
He stops and turns to face me, doing that thing where he looks right into my eyes again. I can’t decide if I like it or hate it. It’s nice to be someone’s entire focus for once, but it makes me a bit squirmy too.
“I told you I want to take care of you. Be a good boy and don’t argue.”
My body wants to melt at the words I’m growing addicted to, but my pride gets right in the way, and I bristle instead. “You also said I had some control,” I point out. “I wanna get a job when we get to Vegas.”
“I’ll find you any job you want,” he offers, and I shake my head.
“I wanna do it myself,” I insist. I want to be his boy, but I also want to know I can stand on my own two feet, not only because he’s bound to get tired of me eventually, but also just to know I can. “Please, Daddy.”
He puts his hands behind my neck and tilts his head down to press a kiss against the top of my head.
“Anything that will make you happy, Pretty Boy.”
My heart dances, and this time I do melt into him. I should probably care about the fact that we’re standing in a hotel lobby with people giving us sideways looks, but leaning into his big, sturdy body just feels too dang good to think about anything else.
“Come on, let’s get checked in and then head up to the room and order every item on the room service menu.”
I chuckle, the sound muffled by the fact that I have my face now firmly nestled against his chest. With a reluctant sigh, I step back and let him lead me up to the check-in desk.
It’s not until we make it up to the room a few minutes later that I realize two things: one, I know Barrett said he was rich, but I don’t think I truly understood how rich until we step into the hotel room that has to be at least as big as the whole house I just left behind with floor to ceiling windows that we can see all of Albuquerque through. And two, we’re spending the night in a