“You can keep resting,” Hollis says gently. “You need the extra sleep.”
Shaking my head, I refuse. “No, I need to check in on things. We have to get more done. But…thank you.”
Tennant kisses me hard before passing me over to Hollis, whose lips claim mine next. Both of them are stamping their ownership on me, and I can’t deny just how hot that makes me. I force myself to remember I’m the Boss of the O’Connel Family now, and playtime will have to wait. It’s time to make more progress on destroying our enemies.
Standing up, I look around for the towel, but don’t see it. “Uh…did…?”
“The dirty towel is in the hamper—where it should have gone.” Hollis’s severe glare has me biting back any frustration as I nod in agreement.
“Is there something I can wear…? I don’t really want the staff to see me naked.”
“Nobody but those who belong in this bed should be seeing you naked, Pup.” Hollis’s words are firm, and I don’t argue with him. Part of me wants to rejoice, even if the other side wants to point out the small possibility that I may get Master back. I’m still waiting to hear how that’s going, but Hollis kept telling me to wait for Daddy. After what he just went through with Cristian, I have no intention of pushing him for answers.
Hollis moves over to one of their walk-in closets and comes out with a suit that may fit me. It's enough to at least get me to my bedroom. “Thankfully, you and Roman being pocket sized helps. Although, make sure you let him know that I okayed you borrowing it. He’s not the…fondest of sharing clothes.”
“Yes, Sir.” I smile shyly at both of them as I dress quickly. With a last rushed kiss to each of them, I practically run out ofthe room. It’s not that I’m hiding, but fuck, I really need to get shit done.
I wonder if later on we can all get some more time together. They’re as addictive as I dreamed they’d be. And I’d love to see what happens when Roman joins us, too. Damn, I’m so lucky to have them. I practically float to my bedroom. It’s only when I enter there I realize…fuck. I didn’t get them to promise to leave Benjamin alone.Shit.
I’d better not have gotten my best friend in trouble. He’ll kill me. Sighing, I shake my head at myself. I’d better confess to him, and hopefully, he’ll forgive me. I suck at lying to Doms, but hell, there may be a friendship rule about this. I really hope not…I don’t need to be in trouble with him again. Maybe I can just offer to let him stab me? I've probably earned a stabbing by now. Then again, that may piss my Owner off. Not a good idea.Fuck.
People are way too complicated. Maybe I should ask Tennant. Daddy is the feels whisperer for a reason. And thank fuck for that.
Following along with the breakfast cart, I hum one of my favorite songs to myself. Spending time with—almost—everyone I love last night raised my spirits in a way I didn’t know I needed. And now getting to have breakfast with Ignacio is a great start to what I imagine is going to be the first long day of many. Especially since the Council has to decide what to do with Cristian and Allesandro. Doc, Soren, and James deserve to be here with us and the rest of their family, and Luca needs to go home soon. He’s done enough for us—more than.
The kitchen staff wheels the cart into Ignacio’s room and I follow, only to stop short when I see Jayden. “Good morning, bit early for you to be on right now, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Jayden responds, his voice as cool as usual. “But I had to make sure your boyfriend here wouldn’t do anything dumb, like take himself to the bathroom without supervision.” Jaydeninspects the breakfast the kitchen prepared for Ignacio, which is still mostly soft food, like plain yogurt and another of the protein shakes he hates. But at least he also got a piece of lightly toasted bread today. Progress.
The kitchen helper leaves without a word once Jayden nods his approval, and I look between the physical therapist and Ignacio.
“Why would he need help? I mean, I know he does, but I don’t understand why one of the nurses, or even Nico, couldn’t assist.”
It’s not that I don’t trust Jayden, I do. He’s one of the best, but he is…not exactly a people person as it is. This early in the morning? Poor Ignacio.
“Because the princess here is a very stubborn human, and I may enjoy seeing people squirm, but I am not cruel enough to allow Dominic, or one of Doc’s pet nurses, to deal with that if they don’t have to. Besides, I think your boyfriend likes it when I take him in to piss.” There’s a twisted, sadistic smile on Jayden’s face that makes my insides wiggle.
I may like getting used as a toy, but Jayden’s brand of sexual torment isn’t my idea of a good time—though I can admit theideaof it is compelling. The smooth confidence paired with the dominance he couldn’t turn off if he tried, mixed with his bright red hair and intense brown eyes…it’s hard to say no to him, even when he’s tormenting you during PT.
From the way Ignacio glares at the other man, you’d think he wasn’t interested, but I’ve come to know my lover well. I can see how stiffly he holds himself, how he can’t keep his eyes off Jayden. There's something more than the animosity he's showing—everyone looks at Jayden like that.
“He's your problem now. I'll be back in two hours for his session. Remind him that walking on his own without aids will not only set back his progress, but get his phone taken awayagain. Enjoy your breakfast, Princess.” With that parting shot, Jayden leaves.
I look at my lover with a raised brow and about a million questions.
“Please, don't ask,” he pleads.
I shake my head. “Yeah, that's not going to happen. What's going on? Jayden seemed…chipper almost, and he really only gets that way around Tennant because it pisses Ten off. What'd you do?”
Ignacio scowls. “I didn't do anything. He's the one who breezed in here with his clipped words and stupid nicknames and started demanding things of me. I don't care how good he is, his bedside manner sucks.”
I snort and hand him his small bowl of smooth, plain yogurt before sitting next to him with my now-cold pancakes.
“I hope those aren't for everyone…” Ignacio’s words are careful as he looks at my plate.
I shake my head. “No, I stressed the importance of no pancakes because of Lio. I made these myself; it's why they're so ugly. Flipping pancakes with your non-dominant hand sucks.”
I cut a piece of pancake with my fork and meet his eyes. “You're not going to get out of this. Tell me what's going on? Why have you been trying to push yourself?”
