Learning to Trust - M.A. Innes

Chapter 1

Leon

“No, I don’t care what Avery did to you as long as it was consensual and won’t end us all up on the news.” Destin’s passionate oversharing seemed to be a virus he couldn’t shake.

Not that he seemed to be trying to stop himself.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d done it since the day we’d met, I’d have thought he was doing it just to drive me to distraction. That still could have been his goal because he’d made a career out of poking at me, but he’d been so curious about all kinds of things the first year he’d escaped his family that I could never tell.

He’d come from what was basically a religious commune that just looked a bit more normal from the outside, but his knowledge of the real world had been limited to what he’d been able to read when he’d snuck online at night.

Destin had basically shown up at college knowing he was gay and having a lot of book learning that didn’t translate well into the real world. He’d been able to quote all kinds of scriptures and tell people about historic events that happened hundreds of years ago, but he had no idea who the current reality TV stars were or how to flirt.

That had been a fun lesson in modern dating. I’d tried to steer him into more traditional forms of relationships, but once he’d mastered the coffee date, he’d been adamant that he’d wanted to know everything he could find about spankings and Doms.

“But he took this little rod and—” I cut him off before he could give me a heart attack in the middle of campus. Hearing him talk about that kind of stuff in our room had been one thing, but I wasn’t going to try to keep a straight face as I walked around campus hearing about it.

“If you finish that sentence, I will hang up this phone.” He was enjoying making me squirm and my reactions to his escapades were starting to get odd looks from other students as I walked back to the dorm.

The brat giggled. “You’re just grumpy because you miss me.”

Like a hangover—it drove you crazy, but there were good memories attached to it as well.

But remembering when we were roommates led me down the mental path to my new one. “Uh, don’t say anything that reminds me of my new roommate.”

I’d rather listen to Destin’s unconventional sexual exploits.

“It’s still bad?” The brat actually sounded sorry, which made it even harder to remember I was supposed to be frustrated with him.

I couldn’t hold back the sigh that escaped, which earned me another questioning glance from a guy with tattoos and a lip ring as I made my way closer to the dorm. Unfortunately there were only so many ways to escape the room, and eventually I had to go back.

The librarians were starting to look at me like they thought I was homeless and needed a place to live. The pity and worry coming from their faces said a lot about how nice the campus faculty were, but not about the state of my relationship with my roommate.

“Yes, the mood swings are beyond dramatic. He makes you seem boring.” That was something I’d never thought I would say to him.

More giggles came through the phone. “So all it took to get some appreciation was to move out? I think I’m offended.”

“You probably should be.” My dry response had him giggling again.

He was just too annoyingly cheerful to get upset. “That’s okay. Daddy and Master Avery love me.”

To the point of overindulgence.

“You need less love and more rules.” From the research I’d done, that lifestyle was supposed to be a balance of discipline and affection, but somehow he’d ended up with a Dom and a Daddy who spoiled him rotten.

I was starting to think I was the only one who’d adequately researched that lifestyle.

“Rules are for—nothing, Daddy.”

I laughed as the brat mumbled something about sneaky Daddies under his breath. “You’re the one who wanted to move in with them.”

And I meant them in the most interesting way possible.

They had the most baffling schedule where they bounced between Avery’s and Ray’s houses, but it worked for them and honestly it seemed to have had a calming effect on Destin. He was a lot more centered and seemed happy to get out of the dorms. I didn’t mind the constant noise, but I hadn’t realized how distracted it was making him.

“You’re frustrated because your