News Boy - Susan Hawke Page 0,11

his lips as he frowned at the floor in consideration. When he looked back up, his eyes lit with pure mischief. "Technically, I already have rules 'cause you said not to get out of the car alone and to follow your orders, remember?"

Chuckling, I folded my arms. "You're going to be a handful, aren’t you? What I meant was would you like more rules while I'm here? Your uncle Jim said you lived here alone. So you don't have a Daddy, do you?"

Neil slowly shook his head from side to side with exaggerated, childlike movements. "No, silly. As a grown-up, I hafta be careful 'bout my image." Shrugging, he chewed his lip as he stared down at the floor again. "Besides, good Daddies are hard to find. I'm okay. I have Lady K and Brittany and Uncle Jim and…” His voice trailed off, trying to think who else was in his corner.

The wistful expression on his face made my heart ache. I knew past rejection when I saw it. His own family was a question for grown-up Neil. I'm pretty sure I surprised both of us when I plucked him off the floor, settling him on my lap. Growling enough to make him giggle, I tapped his lip. "Here's a rule your stylist at work will thank me for—no chewing or biting your lip. You’ll get it chapped and cracked and… icky." Coming up with the last word took me too long, but Neil's ready smile said it was the ideal one.

"Icky? I was right. You really are silly." Although he sat stiffly and with perfect posture, his shy smile told me being held on my lap didn’t offend him.

Taking another chance, I booped the tip of his nose. "How about we make a deal, champ? I’m not what anyone would call a Daddy. But… since I am technically in charge of you, maybe we can work out a routine while I am here. I don't know you well enough to make the rules tonight. You'll have to give me a day or two. Let me get a handle on your schedule and what you need, and then I will make up some rules and decide punishment options. But like I said, I need some time. Sound good?" More than time, I needed to have a conversation with both Mack and Jim so I had a handle on the boundaries. Honestly, I wasn't comfortable having this conversation with Neil until he was his adult self again.

Neil gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, shocking the hell out of me. "Thank you, Mr. Brody. I swear I'll be a good boy." He jumped up and grabbed my hands. "Come on, my tummy feels growly. I think it's time for dinner."

When he tried to pull me up and instead landed back across my lap, we both laughed. I tossed him over my shoulder and jumped to my feet. “You need to get some protein so you'll be able to help me up next time." Neil squirmed and giggled but didn't try to get down as I carried him out of the room. "I saw some chicken breasts in your fridge. How about I broil those and whip up some brown rice?"

"Bleggh. I think we should order pizza. Double pepperoni for me!"

Remembering Jim's advice, I gave him a swat on the butt. "Or we could have the chicken and brown rice while we pretend it's pizza."

As I carried him down the hall, there was definitely more pep to my step. I might not have been a Dom anymore, and I doubted I would ever see myself as a Daddy, but I knew how to protect Neil and could figure out how to help him have fun while I did it. Despite our rough start, I was already certain I was going to enjoy this job. Hopefully, Neil would feel the same after I came up with rules and punishments.

I plopped him onto a stool at the kitchen counter and grabbed him another juice pouch. "Drink up, sport. Let's get you hydrated, and then maybe you can show me the backyard after dinner. I had a peek around, but something tells me the play structure will look a lot different with someone swinging on it."

While Neil laughed and excitedly told me about how he could teach me to play astronaut from the top of his slide, I listened with half an ear and got started preparing our meal. I still