Phex tapped his wristband. “I’m not interested in being approached.”
The man’s smile faltered. “I know, and I promise you I’m not approaching you. If I’d been aware of you waking up, I would’ve been gone before you noticed me. I seem to have forced you out of your little headspace. My apologies. I’ll leave you alone.”
He pushed himself to his feet, his book under his arms. What had the man been doing on the floor next to Phex in the first place?
“What were you doing?” Phex asked, getting up as well.
The man turned around. “When?”
“You were sitting here when I woke up. Why?”
The man hesitated for a moment. “I was…guarding you while you slept. Making sure you were safe, that no one disturbed you.”
Phex ignored the tenderness that statement triggered inside him. He couldn’t afford to get all mushy over a Daddy again. It never worked out anyway, and he’d only end up getting hurt. Again. “The only one who disturbed me was you. Please leave, or I’ll report you to the club.”
The man’s lips trembled as if he was holding back a laugh. “I was already walking away, and you stopped me. I’m happy to leave, but you’ll have to let me.”
He didn’t seem impressed by Phex’s threat to alert the club. Why not? From what Phex had understood, the owner ran a tight ship. It was one of the reasons why he’d become a member at Paradise. “Are you close with the owner?”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked if you were close with the owner. My warning to alert the club didn’t seem to have much of an impact on you.”
“One could say the owner and I are close. About as close as can be, actually.”
Husbands? Boyfriends? Phex ran the options through his head, but none of them rang true. Then it hit him, and he wanted to slap himself. “Youarethe owner. You’re Devlin McHale.”
Devlin nicked his head. “I am indeed, and I apologize again for bothering you. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Why me? Why were you guarding me?” Phex swept his arm to indicate the room. “I’m far from the only one here.”
“But you’re the only boy without a Daddy.”
“I’m not—” He stopped, clenching his teeth. How on earth had he gotten into this conversation with a complete stranger?
“You’re not what?”
Phew straightened his shoulders. “I don’t want a Daddy. I don’t need one.”
“Hmm, I see. Bad experiences?”
Phex scoffed. “Like I would tell you that.”
“Why not? I guarantee you few people know more about the Daddy lifestyle than I do. I’ve been a Daddy my whole life.”
“Even when you were younger?”
Devlin nodded. “Always. I had my first boy when I was twenty…and he was thirty-two. Being a Daddy isn’t about age.”
“I know that,” Phex said almost automatically. Despite his irritation, he was intrigued as well. “How old are you? If I may be so rude,” he added quickly.
“Forty-three.”
When he didn’t ask the same question back, Phex sighed. “You know who I am.”
“Yes. Being the owner has certain privileges, and I wanted to know who the boy was who kept falling asleep in the playroom.”
Phex swallowed. “Boy?”