whined. “I’m tired of being useless. I want to help.”
Swearing under my breath, I caught him around the waist and pulled him into me for a hug. “You’re not useless.”
He snorted. “I know I’m good at riding your cock, but there’s got to be more, right?”
A loud gasp brought his head up from my chest, and we spun around. An elderly lady, probably in her eighties, stared at us, her dentures almost falling out.
“Hmmph.” She wrinkled her nose and headed in the other direction.
Ashton giggled, the sound restoring some of my hope. “Oh my god, how much do you think she heard?”
I smiled at him, hoping he’d keep that joyful look on his face. It suited him so much better.
“Pretty sure she has the image of you riding me burned into her mind forever. She might go home and bleach her ears.”
His giggles intensified. “Well, it’s true. I do love doing that.”
“I know. I love sex with you too, but you’re wrong. You’ve never truly allowed yourself to discover your talents, but now you have the time to do that. Don’t expect everything to happen overnight.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re right. It’s just that my meeting…” He glanced away. “Let’s get that ice cream. I can eat it off you tonight.”
His impish smile was back. Thank fuck. I worried so much about him and his insecurities. That stuff was lethal. It would fuck with his recovery process.
We had to cross the liquor aisle to get to the frozen section. I caught him glancing over at the shelves once or twice, but I was subtle about hurrying us ahead. There was no sense in tempting an alcoholic. He was just a day in recovery, and I didn’t expect him to instantly find super resistance.
We picked up mint chocolate chip, his favorite ice cream, then wheeled our full shopping cart to the cash register and loaded everything in the car. When we arrived home, Ashton grabbed a bag and the keys to the apartment while I emptied the car. I never expected him to return to offer. Mario never did, even with putting the groceries away after I bought them.
He jogged down the stairs, and I passed him two of the lighter shopping bags. Together we managed to bring everything inside without mishap.
“I’ve never bought so many groceries since I moved here.” I stood with my hands on my hips, staring at the bags on the table and counter. “This is all your fault, you know.”
Ashton stepped back with a laugh, but it was the wrong move as it backed him up against the counter. I easily trapped him, placing both hands on the counter on either side of him. He gave a halfhearted wiggle, but he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Hey, I thought we were going to cook,” he said. His attempt to get away only succeeded in him rubbing up against me.
“You know you don’t have to, right? I can make us something to eat.”
“I want to learn. I’m twenty-one years old, Daddy, and I don’t even know how to cook.”
Seeing the earnest look on his face, I nodded. “All right, I’ll teach you, but first you need to give me some sugar. You know, for all the energy I’m going to need to stay up.”
“Is that right?” He cocked his head and pursed his lips. “And what if the only way you’ll get that sugar is to hold me down and take it.”
“That can be arranged. But Daddy much prefers if your kisses given freely.”
I waited for him to make a move. He placed both hands on my shoulders and leaned in. I didn’t help him but allowed him to set his own pace. From lowered eyelids, I watched him as he closed his eyes and tilted his head to one side, rising on tiptoes to reach my lips.
Ever so slightly I lowered my head to help him out. His lips brushed against mine once. Twice. The third time, he pressed his mouth harder against mine, and I welcomed his questing tongue inside.
I didn’t take charge of the kiss, even when I wanted to lift him, splay him over the counter, and kiss him breathlessly until we were lost in each other. I followed his lead, the tentative, almost shy nature of him exploring the power I gave him turning me on more than anything ever had before.
Ashton slipped his arms around my neck, his fingers playing with the hair at the back of my