Protection is Best Served With Benefits: MM DDlb Romance

Chapter Eleven

Not edited or proofread.

Max

Novella smiled at me as I gently rocked her son in my arms, soothing him to sleep. He'd already been fed and wouldn't need another bottle for a few hours.

"You'd make a good day someday," Novella told me.

I shook my head. "I think other people's kids are cute, but I don't want any of my own," I confessed. And it was entirely for selfish reasons that I didn't want my own kids. For one, the only person I envisioned my future with was Griffin, and I never wanted to share him—not even with our own children. And if we decided kids were something we wanted, where would that leave our lifestyle? I couldn't comfortably call him Papa in front of any child, and I'd lose my playroom and my little space.

The mere thought made me a little panicky.

I'd found happiness with Griffin. I liked our life just how it was. And I didn't want anyone taking that from me—not even children.

"Really?" she asked, cocking her head to the side the slightest bit. "I'm sorry I assumed. I just thought—"

I shook my head, giving her a soft, small smile. "I'm selfish when it comes to Griffin," I confessed. "I don't want to share him. Not even with a kid."

She laughed a little. "I feel the same way with Axel, though seeing him hold our son is... different. I like sharing Axel with him." She smiled at me. "But it's okay to never want to share Griffin with anyone, Max."

"Thanks," I said softly, her words making me feel better about something I didn't even know had been bothering me. But maybe it had? Maybe I actually had been concerned that being so dependent on Griffin, on my Papa, was... wrong?

"Baby boy."

I blinked, looking up as Griffin strode into the room, Axel, Harlan, and Kyle behind him. He moved over to me and crouched, his hands palming my thighs. "You okay? I said your name twice."

I licked my lips and nodded, looking down at Ashton. He'd fallen asleep, his lips softly parted, his cheek resting on my shoulder. I flushed. How long had I been out of it? I could've sworn he'd just been awake.

"I—" I frowned. "I didn't mean to zone out."

Griffin cupped my cheek and stroked his thumb over my bottom lip. "It's okay, baby. You're probably tired." Reaching forward, he gently took Ashton from me, cradling him to his chest as he walked over to Axel, passing the baby off. Then, he came back to me and gently pulled me up from the recliner, tugging me against his side. "You ready to go home?"

"Yes," I said, then flushed, realizing how rude that sounded. I snapped my eyes to Novella, then to Axel. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Easy, kid," Axel told me, his voice low and gruff. "I know you didn't mean it to be rude." He inclined his head toward the door. "Go on home. We've got a long line of meetings tomorrow, and I need you rested to attend them with me."

I nodded. "Okay." I hugged Novella with my free arm. "Thank you for dinner," I told her. "It was nice spending time with you away from the office."

Her laugh was soft and sweet, and she pecked my cheek. "Anytime you want to hang out, Max, I'm always game. I like hanging out with you, too."

Griffin dropped a kiss to the top of my head, then led me toward the front door. Harlan fell into step behind us, and I frowned, concern tightening my chest when Griffin tossed him the car keys. "Papa?" I asked quietly, my palms beginning to sweat. I gripped his hand tighter as he gently led me to the car, where Harlan was holding the backseat open. I turned to face him, stubbornly setting my jaw. "Why is he coming with us? Why did you give him your keys? What's happening? Why—"

Griffin cupped my cheeks and pressed his lips to mine, silencing me. My racing heart slowed, and I wrapped my fingers around his thick wrists, letting him ease me down into the seat. Once I was sitting, he parted our mouths. "Slide over, and I'll tell you what's going on," he told me.

I did as he commanded, and once he was sitting beside me, Harlan shut the door and strode around the trunk, sliding into the driver's seat. Once he adjusted his mirrors, he headed toward the gates. I looked at Griffin. "Papa?"

Griffin sighed and pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him. "Your parents owe the Italian mafia a fuck load of money, baby." My breath stalled in my chest, and I gripped his cheeks, clawing at the stubble there. Griffin leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. "To keep you safe in case they decide to take you as collateral, we're putting twenty-four-seven security on you, okay? Harlan will be with us for the foreseeable future, but you'll also notice other men coming and going, too. They're here to keep you safe. I won't risk something happening to you, baby boy."

I trembled, nervous energy coursing through my veins. Griffin wrapped his arms around me and crushed me to him. "Just hang on, baby," he murmured. "We'll be home soon, and we can cuddle."

I burrowed my face into the curve of his neck. "Naked cuddles?" I asked, my voice muffled by his skin.

He nodded, trailing his fingertips up and down my spine. "Yeah, baby. All the naked cuddles you want."

~*~*~

"Where am I sleeping?" Harlan asked, looking at Griffin as we stepped into the apartment.

Griffin shrugged. "The couch. The guest room has been turned into Max's playroom."

I flushed, my fingers tightening around Griffin's, afraid Harlan would look at me differently. Instead, he just shrugged and made his way to the couch, dropping his gun on the coffee table with a clatter before he flopped down, draped an arm behind his head, and snatched up the remote, crossing his ankles. He was making himself right at home.

"Will that be comfortable for him?" I asked Griffin as he tugged me toward our room. "We can always change my room back to—"

"Not even up for discussion," Griffin said, cutting me off. "Harlan has bunked in much worse places, and even if you did try to bring it up with him, he'd shut you down just like I am right now. The goal is to keep you safe and protect your mental health, baby." He shut the door behind us, blocking out the sound of the TV in the living room. "Your playroom is necessary."

I sucked in a sharp breath when he began unbuttoning my shirt. When it fell off my shoulders, my slacks went next, then my socks and briefs until I was standing naked in front of him, my cock half-hard. But honestly, I wasn't in the mood for sex, even if my body was.

Griffin made quick work of his clothes as I settled on the bed, curling up on my side in a small, tight ball. When his cock slapped his flat stomach, my mouth watered, but not because I wanted to get him off. I wanted to...

"Papa, can I..." My voice trailed off, and I swallowed thickly.

Griffin slid onto the bed, his back resting against the headboard as he looked down at me. "Can you what, baby boy?"

I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly super dry. "I... Can I suck on your cock? Like... Like a paci?"

Griffin's eyes darkened, and his throat bobbed when he swallowed. He raked his nails through my hair and nodded his head. "Of course, you can, baby."

I slowly moved forward, propping my head on his thigh. I gripped his cock, and settled just the tip in my mouth, my eyelids drooping shut the moment I began to nurse. Griffin groaned, but other than that, he didn't say anything else. He just turned on the TV, turning on a Disney movie. And when his fingers began to rake through my hair, my eyelids lost the fight against sleep, and I fell asleep with my Papa's dick in my mouth and my arms wrapped around his hair-roughened thighs.