my mental list of items to get for him grows exponentially.
He literally has next to nothing. He keeps his clothes in a couple of plastic baskets along the wall. Everything’s neatly folded, don’t get me wrong. He’s very tidy.
Hard to be messy when you have next to nothing, I suppose. Also means there’s no decorating theme, unless “indoor camping” counts as one.
That’s not a problem he’ll have much longer, either.
He just doesn’t realize it yet.
Chapter 13
I’ve never had anyone over to my apartment before. I’m trying not to feel self-conscious, considering what Ty’s house looks like, but it’s difficult.
There’s literally an entire world out there I have no experience with, and it’s clear Ty does. From the obviously expensive art in his house, to his car that’s probably worth at least five times as much as my mother’s house, it’s obvious the man is rich.
Maybe others would be happy to have a guy suddenly wanting to spend money on them, but it makes me vaguely uncomfortable.
Scratch that—it makes me totally uncomfortable. I don’t want things simply handed to me. I have no trouble working for a living, and have never resented working. My resentment stemmed from having no control over my life thanks to people who, it turned out, were lying to me from the moment I was born, and who saw no problem with that.
Ty spots the bag of rolls on my counter. “Did you make those?”
“Yeah. Yesterday.” That feels like a lifetime ago, not twenty-four hours.
“May I?”
I shrug. “They’re better fresh, but sure.”
While I head to the bathroom to get my toothbrush and razor, he opens the zipper-top bag and removes a roll. I know they’re good but it doesn’t lessen my anxiety any.
I want him to like them.
“This is delicious,” he calls out.
My mind automatically scans his tone for any hint of condescension or sarcasm and comes up empty. “Thanks,” I say back.
This will take some getting used to.
If it lasts.
Why should it?
And with our clothes on—and not surrounded by a roomful of naked people engaged in sexy play—it’s difficult for me to not want to return to my default mindset.
I don’t want someone controlling me. Not in bad ways, at least. Not the way my parents controlled me. In bed, or in sexy ways? Sure, that’s exactly what I want.
One of my reasons for leaving home was to escape the bad kind of control my family held over all of us.
Another benefit of being on my own means validating all the feelings I was forced to suppress while growing up. Acknowledging that I wasn’t wrong to feel the way I did.
I return from the bathroom and add the last items to my backpack, zipping it closed. “Okay,” I tell him. “I guess I’m ready.”
He walks over and pulls me into his arms, kissing me and, for a sweet moment, stealing me away from the four walls surrounding us. “Store, then home. I want to cook for you.”
“Wait, you’re sexy, rich, and you cook?” I hope my tone comes off as playful. “What’s wrong with you? Are you a serial killer?”
He shrugs, a sexy half-smile curving his mouth. “I’ve been a confirmed bachelor for a long time. Before you, I never found someone who made me feel like this. I’m looking forward to having someone to spoil rotten. What good is working as hard as I have to build a life for myself if I can’t have someone to share it with when I’m ready for that and want that?”
If there’s a lie in his words, I can’t immediately spot it. He grabs the bag of rolls to bring with us and insists on carrying my backpack for me.
Yeah, this will take a lot of getting used to. Being spoiled and having someone taking care of me isn’t a familiar mode.
“You won’t get in trouble for not being at work, will you?” I ask.
“No. I have a lot of personal time built up from over the years.” He flashes me a smile that hardens my cock again. “They’re happy to have me finally be happy and not broody, as I was called yesterday.”
“I can’t imagine you being broody.”
“Well, not now.” He reaches over and takes my hand, lacing fingers with me. “I have every reason in the world to smile now.”
We spend more at the grocery store than I think I’ve ever spent in a month for groceries. I can eat at work, and take advantage of that perk every chance I get. But if I so