Learning to Trust - M.A. Innes Page 0,26

kind of guy he was. But I also knew that it would always be hanging there between us and I didn’t want that. We might not exactly be friends yet, but I could feel something there between us and I didn’t want to fuck that up.

Swallowing again, I could feel how dry my mouth was so I reached for my drink, grateful for any excuse to take a moment. Leon just watched, seeming to realize I was trying to make my decision. On one hand, I appreciated his patience, but on the other, the silence seemed to drag out.

When I couldn’t waste any more time without looking ridiculous, I nodded.

Fuck it.

“I apologize for the comment. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but yes, it was a slip of the tongue, not teasing about Destin.” I waited in silence for a few long moments. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking as he sorted out his thoughts, but the casual nod he gave me hadn’t been high on my list of options.

“That clears a few things up.” Then he casually reached for his glass like the conversation was perfectly normal. “And I wasn’t uncomfortable or offended, so don’t worry about it.”

Huh?

I hadn’t told many people…but that wasn’t the reaction I’d been expecting.

I must have been staring too long or just too obviously because he chuckled. “What? Am I supposed to be shocked and say something ridiculous? I’ve heard more interesting things come out of Destin for almost the past two years. It will take more than being little to surprise me now.”

Giggling, because the relief was making me lightheaded, I nodded. “That makes sense.”

“But don’t think that will let you get out of chores or eating healthily.” He snorted. “And I’m definitely not going to feel bad about making you do your homework anymore.”

I had a feeling my life had just gotten a lot more interesting.

Chapter 9

Leon

And to think I’d been a bit concerned that I’d been too hard on him over the homework.

We’d strayed back to light conversation as I’d paid for dinner and we’d driven home, but as we walked into the apartment, I started to think about what he’d said. Shutting the door, I locked it and leaned back against it, studying the living room and kitchen.

“Is there anything we need to change to make sure you can enjoy being little?” There was no reply from Morgan, so I looked over to see him staring blankly at me again.

Why was my being reasonable such a shock?

Waiting for him to respond didn’t seem like a good use of time, so I continued. “You’re spending nearly the entire day in your room. I can only assume that’s because you’re little there as well as doing everyday activities like studying. That’s not an efficient use of the space we have available and it’s got to be lonely.”

As I spoke, I started connecting the dots even more. “And that’s probably why you’re not getting work done in a timely manner. You’re playing when you’re supposed to be studying.”

Nothing else had him responding, but curiously, that made him blush and got his brain working again. “Not all the time and I haven’t been late on anything.”

I snorted, crossing my arms as he squirmed under my stare. “You’re getting within hours of a deadline and staying up all night doing work that should’ve been done already. It’s messing up your sleep patterns and you’re giving in to your little side so often all you eat is junk food.”

Morgan’s gaze dropped to the floor and he gave me a half-hearted shrug. I might’ve felt bad about his reaction if it weren’t for the bulge in his jeans and the way he was squirming. Yep, I was not going to feel bad about it.

“But I like playing and taking naps is fun.” He peeked up. “Being a grown-up all the time is the hardest part of college.”

Most people I’d talked to said very similar things, but their vices were booze and parties, not crayons and toys. But really, college students were all the same, they just had different reactions to stress.

I was very glad his was the toys variety and not another paranoid addict.

“We’re going to work on that.” I shook my head when a smile peeked out. I didn’t want to know what he was thinking. “We’re going to put together a schedule that takes into consideration work and being little so that you get the time you need but you’re also getting the