“Is that the real you speaking, or whoever you’re pretendingtobe?”
“It’s me,” Gabriel whispered, shy to admit it. He knew that he could have lied and that Sir never would have known any better, but doing that felt cheap. Sir had been nice to Gabriel when Gabriel had deserved his wrath, and so Gabriel thought it would be good of him to be nice to Sir in return. It didn’t mean that he was betraying Garrison… not really. Not at all. One day soon, he’d plan his escape, but until then, there was no point in starving himself of what felt nice. And Sir? Sir felt nice. “I love cooking. It used to be something I’d do when Iwas…away.”
“Then let’s see what you’ve learned.” Sir gestured toward the door with a nod of his head, and Gabriel found himself obeying his word without a second thought. “Maybe you can teach me a thingortwo.”
The quiet delight Gabriel took in thinking that he, of all people, could teach Sir anything turned his tiny smile into a near-grin, and he bowed his head to hide his enjoyment. He stepped to the side to allow Sir passage through the room, then followed him out the door to thekitchen.
11
Cedric
The blade passedclose to Gabriel’s knuckles, each chop slicing the potato he held into thin medallions. The pieces wilted onto the cutting board, and Gabriel left them wheretheyfell.
He finished one potato and moved on tothenext.
The confidence with which he wielded the knife was uncanny, and for a while, Cedric only watched. It was his first peek at who Gabriel could be if he only stopped doubting himself.Thiswas the omega Cedric wanted to see emerge from Gabriel’s psyche. Whatever had happened to make Gabriel hide him away from the world was a crime, and Cedric resolved to make what was wrongright.
“Who taught you to cook?” Cedric asked. He leaned against the counter, listening to the sharp side of the knife hit the cutting board in rapidsuccession.
“I did, Sir,” Gabriel admitted in a timid, but pleased voice. “Sometimes if I didn’t cook, then… then none of uswouldeat.”
Cedric studied Gabriel’s face to search for meaning, but all he found was guarded disappointment. Eyes on the potato, posture deflated and meek, it looked like Gabriel was trying to disappear intohimself.
The Lowe family wasn’t poor. Cedric knew there was a difference between having money and being cared for, but there was no excuse why any of the Lowe children would go hungry. Rumor had it that the Lowe estate had its own staff—groundskeepers, maids, and chefs included. Had it all beenalie?
Cedric let it go. Gabriel wasn’t ready to be pushed. “What’s yourfavoritefood?”
The knife stopped. Gabriel set it on the counter and pushed the end of the potato to the corner of the cutting board, leaving the medallions in a heap in the middle of it. “I like saltinecrackers.”
“Saltines?” Cedric raised aneyebrow.
A smile troubled Gabriel’s face—Cedric couldn’t describe it any other way. What should have been joyous fell flat and lacked energy, like Gabriel was forcing himself to believe that he was happy. The smile was a sham, and Cedric saw rightthroughit.
“When I was living away from my family, sometimes when… when I was good, I’d be given them astreats.”
The statement was innocent, but it scurried down Cedric’s spine like a centipede on the run. He resisted a shudder and rested against the counter as Gabriel scooped the slices into his hands and nudged the sink’s tap with his elbow. Cold water rained down from the faucet, which Gabriel used to wash the starch from thepotatoes.
There’d been a time in Cedric’s life when simple pleasures like that spoke to him on a higher level. The gift didn’t matter half as much as the giver, and beyond that, the circumstances behind the gesture were most important of all. When he was Gabriel’s age, Brittany had shown him it was true. Under her command, even pain had beenagift.
But Cedric didn’t get the impression that Gabriel’s statement had come from the sameplace.
“You know…” Cedric moved from the counter to stand behind Gabriel at the sink. He came close, allowing his groin to meet Gabriel’s ass and his chest to meet his back. With deliberate intention, Cedric traced the fingers of one hand up along Gabriel’s hip and to the subtle inward curve of his waist. If Gabriel gasped, the rushing water drowned it out. Sparks ignited old emotions desiccated by time, and Cedric let them burn inside of him, aware that he was playing adangerousgame.
Cedric leaned closer, letting his lips brush the back of Gabriel’s ear. “…I’m sure we can arrange for better treats ifyou’regood.”
Some of the medallions tumbled from Gabriel’s hands. Cedric cupped his beneath Gabriel’s, letting the water rush between their fingers as he held his omega’s handsstill.
TimidRabbit…
“Would youlikethat?”
The tiny noise Gabriel made was neither affirmative or negative, and when he spoke, his voice was a touch more frantic than it usually was. “M-my hands are cold, Sir. May I please stop thewater?”
“Are the potatoesready?”
“Y-yes.”
“Then you may.” Cedric nuzzled the back of Gabriel’s head, letting his soft blond hairs meet his cheek. Then, sure to take his time, he turned off the tap and took a step back. Gabriel hurried from the sink to the counter and dumped the potato slices on the clean cloth Cedric had laid out for him. Without a word, Gabriel made haste to pat them dry, as though if he worked frantically enough, he could forget what had justhappened.
