Page 66 of Tessa

Dax immediately recognized the ringtone as Baze’s.

“It’s Baze,” Beau said unnecessarily as he leaned over to pick it up.

Dax listened to the one-sided conversation.

“Yes, Sir? No, it’s okay; we’re up. She’s crying, huh? Inconsolable?”

Beau heaved a sigh and Dax mirrored it with one of his own. He’d known this would happen. There was no other reason for her to sneak out of the room at the ass-crack of dawn if she wasn’t upset.

“No, Sir, you don’t need to come kick our asses.”

Dax could almost see Beau rolling his eyes.

“I can’t explain right now. There’s too much stuff going on at the moment, and I have a few things I have to take care of before I can deal with Tessa.”

Dax grimaced, wondering how Baze was going to take what seemed like a very well-rehearsed put off.

“Meet you downstairs in ten?” Beau sighed, clicking his tongue against his teeth. “Yes, Sir, I can do that.”

Hanging up the phone, he very carefully extracted his finger from Dax’s asshole and patted his bottom.

“He gonna kick your ass?” Dax asked with a worried chuckle. “Is ‘meet me downstairs’ the billionaire version of ‘catch me outside’?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Beau scoffed. “We aren’t miscreants in a schoolyard or a bar fight. We are two grown-ass men who happen to care deeply about the same Little and want what’s best for her.” Beau shifted Dax’s body until he was able to scoot out from under him.

“Are you sure?” Dax questioned. “Should I go with you?”

“I am very sure you better not. In fact, if you even think about leaving this room without my permission before I get back, I will paddle your ass into next week.”

Dax scooted back on the bed, his eyes wide, and gulped deeply. “But you won’t be long, right?” He watched as Beau pulled a pair of jeans over his lean but muscular thighs, added his favorite day off t-shirt and a pair of sneakers.

“No. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Could be most of the day. And however long it is, you’ll stay here and wait for me. In fact, consider yourself grounded until I get back.”

Beau softened his stiffness by leaning in to brush a kiss across the top of Dax’s head and another on his lips. Dax accepted both gratefully but his mind was turning somersaults.

Grounded? Since when was that a thing they did? That wasn’t a thing they did.

He justified it in his brain by telling himself that the use of that word was just Beau’s way of making it very clear that he didn’t want Dax leaving the room, but still, the phrase had an immediate effect, making him feel very small… and Little?

And where did Beau plan to go that he expected to be gone all day? Wasn’t he just going to talk to Baze and then maybe Tessa and come back?

Dax needed answers, so he asked questions.

“Where are you going Daddy?” he asked, as Beau gathered up his phone, keys and wallet.

“Don’t you worry about that, boy.” Beau strode to the door and paused, shaking a finger in Dax’s direction. “And I mean it, don’t leave this room.”

With that, he left, firmly closing the door behind him.

Well shit. With no idea what to do all day and no Daddy or partner in crime to do things with him, he slid on the loosest and lightest pair of pajama pants he could find in his wardrobe. They were actually Beau’s, but he was yanking them on because they were perfect for gliding lightly over a torched bottom. After calling down to the kitchen to order breakfast room service from Chef Graham, he climbed back in bed, turning on cartoons.

Beau

“Oh, so you spanked her, pretty damn good, to hear you tell it, though you won’t tell me why, and then left her in pieces to deal with whatever the hell is going on with you three? All by herself?”

Beau’s jaw ticked with anger. Since the moment he’d reached the casino Baze had been up his ass with a million questions, but he wouldn’t let him speak long enough to get out a straight answer.

It had been almost comical at first but now it was just pretty damn annoying.