Page 188 of Just Wait

Is there enough food for them?

Probably, but I shake my head.

They need to fuck off far away from here.

“Nah, sorry, we have a lot to discuss. The three of you can eat at any of the resort accommodations,” I say, not feeling even an ounce of guilt. “They have a buffet that’s included.”

Parish frowns, grabbing a breadstick off the platter. “You guys get steak, seafood, and pasta, and you’re sending us to the buffet?”

“Come on, Dad,” Tennyson says, chuckling. “Give the kids some spending money.”

That fucker’s family is straight-up wealthy, but I don’t feel like arguing with him. Tugging my wallet from my back pocket, I pull out a few hundreds, making sure I still have enough to tip the security guys who will be watching the gates at the maze.

“Daddy is definitely playing favorites tonight,” Parish chimes in.

Ten tries to grab the cash from my hand, but I reach around him, offering it to Wren.

“Here you go, sweetheart. You can treat tonight, and whatever is left over, keep it.” I wink, and Tennyson’s eyes narrow.

That man is going to crack, eventually. He’s just taking his sweet time about it. All three of us are on a mission to help him along. Otherwise, I think there will be a fallout between Ten and Parish long before Wren heads back to her normal life.

“Hey, thanks, Kincaid,” Wren says, laughing as she shoves the cash into her back pocket. “Sorry, I’m not calling you Daddy. That’s just not my thing, but you should definitely shoot your shot with Lumen.”

The beta in question snorts, snuggling close to my chest as I put my wallet away.

I chuckle.

I wouldn’t be opposed to being called Daddy or Sir. Whichever she’s more comfortable with would be perfect for me, but I also love it when she moans my name, begging for more.

As it turns out, I want her more than I want a Dom/sub dynamic. If she’s never down for those things, I’ll learn to adapt. If she is, I’m the type who likes to ease into it. We’ll get there eventually, or we won’t. As long as she’s by my side, I’ll be happy.

The others leave, and we dig in.

“Have you decided what you plan to wear tonight?” Mal asks as I offer Lumen a bite of ribeye.

She takes it, bringing her hand to her mouth as she chews. Once she swallows, she shrugs. “I thought about a dress, but I know it’s kinda chilly. Maybe leggings and a sweater? Something easy to be stripped out of.”

Mal’s head falls back, and he groans. “You can’t be saying shit like that at the dinner table. I’m going to have a perpetual hard-on for the next four hours.”

Riser snorts. “You should go for comfort. We can peel you out of anything. Should we bring blankets down to the gazebo?”

“This conversation is so weird.” Lumen laughs, grabbing her Dr Pepper.

Dammit.

I wish she would let me hold it for her.

Fine.

Maybe I should ask her to call me Daddy.

I get back on track, shaking my head. “I saw the space this afternoon. It has two large tower heaters. That should be plenty to keep us comfortable under the circumstances.”

“There’s always body heat.” Mal wiggles his eyebrows.

“We should talk about rules,” I say, scooping up a bite of mashed potatoes and offering it to Lumen. “Soft and hard limits—what you might be open to versus what you want to avoid. You also need a safe word…”

“I’ve been thinking about this,” Lumen says, pausing. “Hard limits are ass to mouth. Actually, let’s just convert that to, if your dick enters my ass, it’s off-limits to interact with any of my other body parts until you take a shower.”