He saw him in his nightmares every time he closedhiseyes.
If the man without a name knew where he was, Gabriel needed to act fast. The longer he stayed in this place, the more likely it was that he would be in danger. The last thing he wanted was to go back withhim, locked up and imprisoned, degraded and abused. This time, there would be no escape. The man without a name wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, and Gabriel would be stuckforever.
That couldn’thappen.
Sir brought Gabriel through the house to a bedroom. The space was small, and it was a little musty, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The single bed was the focal point of the room, a dust sheet drawn over it to keep it pristine. The wood floor looked recently polished, and the old wood dresser pushed against the wall was dust-free. A door at the back of the room, not far from the bed, led out to the screened-in sun room. A thick curtain was hung above it, drawn to the side for the moment so that the dying light of day could illuminatetheroom.
Sir dropped the duffel bag on the dust sheet, then turned to face Gabriel. Gabriel set his backpack on the floor by the door and lowered his head as a sign ofsubmission.
“This is your room,” Sir explained. He gestured to the bed. “This is where you willsleep.”
“Yes,Sir.”
“Generally, you will have free run of the house, except for my bedroom. You will be able to take what you want from the fridge and from the freezer. You may help yourself to the glasses in the cabinet and to any plates and silverware you find, but you will make sure that whatever you use is cleaned and returned to where you found it once you’ve finishedwithit.”
“Yes, Sir.” Gabriel glanced at the glass door leading to the sun room. Each of the panels sparkled in the setting sun, so clean that he would have thought they weren’t there if it hadn’t been for the way theyshone.
“When you are in good standing, you are also permitted to use the television and any electronics you want. If you aren’t sure how to work something, you need to ask me. Do not attempt to figure it out onyourown.”
“Yes, Sir.” Gabriel paused, and something curious curled inside of him until it was wound so tight he had to let it spring from his lips. “You said in good standing, Sir. Does that mean that I’m not allowed to use those thingsrightnow?”
“Not now. You’ve been bad, Gabriel. You will not run from meagain.”
Gabriel glanced off to the side and folded his arms across his chest uneasily, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The punishment didn’t fit the crime. If all Sir was doing was taking away his television privileges, he was lucky. During his time at The White Lotus, he hadn’t been allowed to watch television at all, and he’d only caught glimpses of the odd program here and there when the man without a name demanded his presence in the living room. Sir should have taken away something precious to punish him—his blankets, or his bed, or his clothes. Losing access to electronics didn’t make Gabriel feel like he was being punishedatall.
“You are not to leave the house under any circumstance unless I have given you permission.” Sir closed some of the distance between them, and Gabriel looked up curiously through his lashes as he did. He didn’t dare lift his chin. “You will be in bed by no later than eleven every night, and up before nineeveryday.”
“Yes,Sir.”
“And Gabriel?” Sir stood before him now, and Gabriel glanced back down at the floor. He observed the toes of Sir’s shoes and focused on hisbreathing.
“Yes,Sir?”
Sir reached out. He curled a finger under Gabriel’s chin and lifted his head until they gazed into each other’s eyes. Gabriel’s heart pounded against his ribcage in a desperate bid to escape, but for once, Gabriel didn’t feel like running for safer ground. The way his heart beat wasn’t bad.Itwas…
His eyes lidded, and he nuzzled against Sir’s hand as warmth spread through him. The first touches of arousal swirled low and swept him up, and he parted his lips as though he was expecting a kiss. The air he breathed sparked in his lungs, and Gabriel fought against the urge to reach out and touch Sir in the sensual ways that he knew would make them bothfeelgood.
Touching a man wasn’t supposed to feel this way. It had never been like this before—not even with Garrison. Sir had to be playing some kind of trick in order to make Gabriel want to stay. If that was the case, Gabriel didn’t mind—at least not for right now. Touch was good. Touch wasnice. After the encounter he’d just had on the street, he needed to feel someone elsethere.
Through partially lidded eyes, he watched Sir’s lips part. The tiny metal balls beneath them shone in the light. When he spoke, the sound of his voice was soothing in a way Gabriel had never heard before, and his words danced upon Gabriel’s lips. “I want you to speak freely. I want you to be able to express what’s onyourmind.”
Gabriel didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing at all. Instead, he closed his eyes and let the weight of Sir’s hand beneath his chin lull him into a sense ofsecurity.
He’d done a bad thing by running away, but Sir wasn’t punishing him. Not really. Television was a privilege, not a right, and Gabriel was much more used to having his rights removed than anything else. But Sir hadn’t lifted a hand against him in anger, and not once had he raised his voice. If anything, Gabriel felt rewarded. Sir’s touch was a treat, and he indulged in it for as long as he was willing toshareit.
“Is that all, Sir?” Gabriel asked. He knew he couldn’t let silence stretch between them forever, as much as he wanted it to. If he never moved, and if he never spoke, maybe Sir would never stop touching him. What would it be like to feel this goodforever?
“For now, yes.” Sir’s hand dropped, and the spell he’d cast over Gabriel came to an end. Gabriel’s rapidly beating heart slowed back to normal, and the tingling in his lungs stopped. He tucked his hands behind his back and lowered his gaze, but did not lowerhishead.
“Since you have nothing else to do, I’d like you to come with me to the kitchen so we can make dinnertogether.”
“Cooking?” Gabriel let a smile stretch his lips, and he looked up at Sir timidly, still expecting that at any second, Sir might change his mind and punish Gabriel for his disobedience. “Really?”
“Well, we’ve got to eat,don’twe?”
“I lovecooking.”
Sir caught his eye and smiled back, and Gabriel’s insides did a strange flip, the kind he’d sometimes experienced as a child when he’d ridden his bike far too fast down a hill. Flustered, helookedaway.
