I shook my head and curled my arms around him, dragging him closer. I breathed him in and kissed his forehead. “That’s not the point, Lamb. He should have thanked you and rejected the offer, not kicked you out of the house. Maybe we shouldn’t ask for his help.”
“No.” River touched my chest and winced. “We need him, and he’s not a complete asshole. He’ll help.”
“Okay. Soon as I can move we’ll go upstairs. Get some rest. I’ll make you breakfast in the morning. Then we’ll go visit your dad and take him to this Russian woman.”
He smiled and it was the first genuine one I’d witnessed. Is that what scenes did for him? He looked a lot more relaxed than I’d ever seen him, and he was like liquid in my arms. “Yes, Sir.”
* * *
Alex usedto say that I made the best breakfasts, and I agreed with him. There were many things I was bad at, but making a delicious meal first thing in the morning was my forte. Today I made poached eggs on toast with avocado and feta, and even had it pretty on the plate by the time River came down from his shower, hair recently towel dried, and a pair of my sweatpants on. His chest was bare, leaving an expanse of creamy skin for my gaze to eat up.
“About time you got your gorgeous arse down here, Lamb. I made breakfast.” I winked at him on the way past, heading toward the dining room, and like a good and hungry sub he followed me.
“What is that?”
“Healthy,” I said without skipping a beat, setting the plate down at the place on the table I’d deemed his spot. It wasn’t the same chair Alex used to sit on, I never wanted River to feel like his replacement. The last thing Alex would have ever wanted to do was BDSM, so they were very different in many ways already.
River snorted and fell onto the seat I’d pulled out for him. “Did they teach you to cook this in the marines?”
“Nope, Mum taught me. She always said the best way to start the day is with a good breakfast full of protein and nutrients.” I walked back into the kitchen to get my plate before I sat on the opposite side of the table. “And I love food.”
River smirked and nodded at my chest. “Doesn’t look like it.”
“Hard work, Lamb. Between being a cop and a PI, there’s a lot of chasing. I need to be in shape, so I go to the gym nearly every night, at least I did until I met you.” I picked up my knife and fork and cut into the toast, taking a bite. “Mm.”
He shook his head and did the same. I watched the way his mouth moved, chewing thoughtfully on the food before his face lit up in pleasure I’d only seen on a man’s face when he either ate a good meal or was having the best orgasm. I’d already seen River’s orgasm face, and now I’d seen his food porn face, too.
“You’re welcome,” I said with a grin.
He rolled his eyes but his mouth curled. “You surprise me, Sir. I didn’t expect you to be able to cook.”
“You judged me too quickly.”
We sat there talking idly about our lives. River told me about growing up as an only child, and I told him what it was like living in Manchester before moving to Miami. When we were done with breakfast, River cleaned the dishes while I went for a quick shower.
By the time I was done, I found him in the living room dressed in the clean suit he’d brought in from his car, staring intently at my wedding photo. My gut clenched and I took a deep breath, shifting closer to him until his gaze slid to me. I’d expected him to ask something about it eventually, but I hadn’t planned on what I wanted to say to him yet. I knew the questions were coming: Why hadn’t I put it away? Did I still love him?
He turned toward me, and to my shock leaned in to kiss me. I groaned into his mouth. “I’m sorry you lost him, Sir.”
I inhaled sharply and then released it, smiling gently. “Thank you, Lamb. He didn’t deserve what happened to him, but I’m glad we’re doing this.” Whatever this was. He was officially my sub now, wasn’t he? Had I really said that last night?
River nodded, and I turned, guiding him toward the front door. After I locked it, I met him at my truck and opened it. We got in, and then I pulled out of the driveway onto the neighborhood street. He gave me directions, and we headed toward the southeast side of town. I knew enough about New Gothenburg now to know this was an older part of the city with a lot of working-class families, and they were the kind that lived paycheck to paycheck, much like Alex and I had. At least we’d had enough savings to buy a nice home.
“It’s here,” River said, distracting me from my thoughts.
I turned the truck into a narrow driveway in front of a ranch-style home painted white with turquoise shutters. The garden out front was tidy except for a few leaves that had infiltrated the landscaping, and along the walk were barrels filled with sweet marigolds that made me breathe in deeper, and some purple asters that were beginning to brown. A footpath of square stones led up to a small porch with a white straw chair, then to a single white door with the number 1045 in gold hanging on the front.
River knocked and a cheerful female voice answered, “Won’t be a moment.”
I didn’t miss the way he took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, like a man waiting for a punch to the gut. I’d seen enough men being tortured over in Afghanistan to know that face. I slipped my hand into his, and he darted a surprised look in my direction. I smiled at him.
“I’m right here, Lamb. I want you to be strong. You’re doing so good.”
He nodded, and his shoulders relaxed just as the door opened.
“Hell—River. Honey. Hi. I didn’t know you were coming.” A lady with brown shoulder-length curls ripped River out of my grasp and pulled him into a hug. She kissed his cheek and he tensed, but she didn’t seem to notice as she held him tighter.
I took the moment to study her. She was so… ordinary that it felt strange to know she was River’s mother. She wore plain jeans with a sky blue blouse, and a navy apron that I saw had a yellow smiley face on it when she pulled away from him. There wasn’t anything unique about her face, but River had obviously inherited her nose and strong brow.
