21
Cedric
Aweekafter Gabriel’s attempted escape, Cedric watched from the couch as Gabriel reached for the upper shelf in the pantry in search of the popcorn. It hadn’t yet occurred to him to pull a chair over from the kitchen table to stand on. Not that it mattered much to Cedric—he took selfish pleasure in watching Gabriel stretch himself out. The bottom of his t-shirt rode up his slender body, exposing the top of Gabriel’s hip as he struggled to reach the box. No sexual contact didn’t mean that Cedric couldn’t enjoy what he saw—and so he did, even when it made him feel a littleguilty.
“Sir?” Gabriel’s cheeks were red, and when he turned to look through the kitchen doorway into the living room, he seemed both frustrated and embarrassed. “I… I can’t reachit,Sir.”
“Youcan.”
Gabriel lowered his gaze to stare at his toes. “I’msorry.”
Since last week’s talk, Gabriel had been obedient. The small, simple tasks Cedric had asked him to do had been executed flawlessly. Gabriel was eager to serve, and the job he did was always thorough and thoughtfully done. When Cedric asked him to wash the dishes, he did so without complaint and went so far as to dry them and put them away when he was done. When Cedric tasked him with sorting laundry, not only did it get sorted, but it got folded neatly, too. And at night, when they settled in together for the evening, Gabriel was always docile and pleasant. He’d curl up against Cedric’s side and rest his head without pushing things too far, and Cedric rewarded him for his good deeds through innocent touch, even as his libido urged him to push thingsfurther.
Finding out about Gabriel’s troubled past hadn’t changed Cedric’s perception, but it had changed his attitude. If Gabriel had been abused—if his disappearance at sixteen years old was linked to Baylor and his vile brothel—then sex was the last thing he needed. No matter what, Cedric would see his omega’sneedsmet.
Buttonight?
Tonight, Gabriel was falling short. The more he ducked his gaze and stood by his belief that hecouldn’t,the more Cedric wanted him to see that hecould. If he pushed outside of his comfort zone and performed in the way that Cedric hoped he would, then maybe he could forgive this indiscretion. All he wanted was to see that Gabriel could think forhimself.
But he wouldn’t waitforever.
Five.Four.
Gabriel remained by the pantry, boring holes through hisbarefeet.
Three.Two.
He rubbed one ankle against the other, his hands folded behindhisback.
One.
Gabriel stayed small in the doorway, nervously strokinghisarm.
Zero.
Cedric stood and made his way to the kitchen. He was taller than Gabriel, and he wouldn’t have had any problem reaching the box of popcorn on his own, but resolving the problem himself didn’t satisfy him. Instead, he crossed the kitchen to stand behind one of the chairs pushed in at the kitchen table. “Come here,Rabbit.”
“Yes, Sir.” Gabriel crossed the kitchen to stand within arm’s distance of Cedric. He looked so small and so timid that Cedric’s heart broke for him, but he knew that if he wanted to help Gabriel piece himself back together, he needed toholdfirm.
“I want you to take this chair over to the pantry,” Cedric instructed. “When you set it down, I want you to stand on it. Do you think you can reach thepopcornthen?”
From the way Gabriel’s eyes widened, Cedric may as well have just told him the secrets of theuniverse. “…Sir?”
“Yes?”
“I’m… allowed to do that?” Gabriel glanced at the chair with frightened distrust. “I’m allowed to standonit?”
“Of course you are. I wantyouto.”
“Right.” Gabriel ducked hisgaze. “Okay.”
As he picked up the chair and carried it carefully across the floor, Cedric considered what he was going to do about Gabriel’s fear. Submission was beautiful, and it could be liberating, but in men like Gabriel, it was limiting. Cedric wanted him to listen, but he wanted him to be independent enough to solve problems on his own. Without a backbone, Gabriel wouldn’tgetfar.
The felt sliders on the bottom of the chair dampened the sound of impact when Gabriel set it down. He tested its balance, then glanced back at Cedric questioningly. Cedric leaned against the kitchen table, arms loosely folded, andobserved.
What couldhedo?
No matter what commands he gave Gabriel, his little rabbit would always be skittish. He would always blush, and bide his time, and lower his head to avoidCedric’sgaze…
