Page 18 of Hunting Little Hope
I had a great time last night. Are you free for drinks later?
My stomach flipped so hard I had to sit up. Excitement hit first, bright and breathless. Then confusion and guilt slid in right behind it.
Just this morning I was eagerly awaiting a message from him, and now, only half a day later I was desperate to hear from someone else.Twosomeones. Not to mention, with my most recent revelation about possibly being more Little than submissive, I wasn’t sure if Troy was who I needed to be seeing.
Troy was—in my opinion—the perfect Dom for the girl I’d thought I was when I’d come here just a few short days ago. A very good Dom. But not a Daddy.
And I was suddenly a girl with glitter on my face, and butterflies in my tummy when I thought about a dinosaur-crazy Little boy and his sexy Daddy.
I stared at his message, my heart tugging me in two different directions, wondering how on earth I’d managed to get so lucky... and so hopelessly tangled... in less than three days.
I kept staring at my phone, worrying my bottom lip.
It was just drinks, right? I could tell him all about my experience today and see how he reacted? It would be very rude and inconsiderate of me to dismiss him so quickly.Right?
I blew out a breath and typed out a message before I could chicken out.
Hope:
Drinks sounds lovely. There’s the dinner mixer later, but we could meet for drinks before that?
The three little dots popped up almost instantly, as if he had been waiting for my response.
Troy:
Perfect. Meet you at five?
His answer made something soft and happy curl in my chest. I sent my confirmation, set my phone down, then immediately picked it up again to reread the exchange like a complete idiot.
By the time four-thirty rolled around I’d—very reluctantly—washed off my face paint and changed outfits twice. I finally settled on a soft blue dress that made me feel grown-up and pretty without looking like I was trying too hard. I left my hair down, dabbed a little gloss on my lips, and stared at myself in the mirror, turning my head from side to side.
“You’re just getting drinks,” I told my reflection sternly. “Not proposing marriage. Calm the heck down.”
I slipped my shoes on and headed down the hall before I could talk myself into canceling. The Ranch felt different in the evening, quieter and golden with lamplight, voices drifting from the cafeteria and courtyard. My stomach fluttered with nerves and excitement as I rounded the corner toward the same room where the speed dating event had taken place.
And then I walked straight into Master Lee.
Literally.
I bounced off his chest with a tiny squeak, hands flying up to steady myself. His hands closed gently around my elbows before I could topple over.
“Hope?” he said, surprise blooming into a huge smile that lit up his whole face.
My heart did a silly somersault at that handsome smile. “Master Lee! Hi!”
We both laughed at the same time, and suddenly I was grinning like an idiot again. He looked exactly the same as I remembered from the art class. Warm eyes, with slight crinkles on the side that showed just how often he smiles, and that soft kindness that made me feel safe and shy all at once.
“I’ve been wondering where you disappeared to,” he said. “I thought maybe you’d run away from Rawhide after our art class together.”
I snorted. “I get I was all over the place, but it wasn’tthatbad. I just got... a bit shuffled around on where I wanted to be.”
We stood there a moment longer than necessary, smiling at each other as if we were the only two people in the hallway. My chest felt too tight, too full, because seeing him again made me just as happy as Master Troy’s text had.
And that did absolutely nothing to clear up the mess in my head and heart.
“So, where are you headed? Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” Master Lee asked, indicating the door I was just heading into.
Oh.
