Sir’s truth painted a kinder, safer world—one Gabriel wanted to cling to for the rest ofhislife.
“Knot me.” Gabriel’s voice shook, and his hands locked into the pillows before him as Sir worked their bodies toward orgasm. “Want to feel you. Want to know you.Knotme.”
A tiny grunt and a change in the rhythm of Sir’s hips was all the warning he got before the swelling began. The pressure inside Gabriel increased as Sir’s knot inflated and Sir’s orgasm flooded him with seed. With a cry, Gabriel buried his head into the pillows and rocked against him. The knot grew, stuffing his body right behind Gabriel’s tight ring. Sir filled him, and Gabriel took everything he had to offer as his own orgasm threatened toarrive.
The knot put pressure in places Gabriel was no longer used to. Sir worked his cum deeper into Gabriel’s body with short, instinctive thrusts designed to help Gabriel conceive, and the combined pressure of his knot and the sensation of his piercings rubbing Gabriel’s prostate pushed him over the edge. For the second time that hour, Gabriel let loose with a hollow cry and came, decorating his belly with glossywhiteseed.
Sir took the silk scarf away from Gabriel’s eyes, then directed his head to the side so they looked eye to eye. Gabriel allowed his head to be turned. He looked up at Sir as his eyelids drooped and he fought off sleep. One orgasm was rare, but two was unheard of. Gabriel didn’t havemuchleft.
“Every day, I want to see that pill on your tongue, Gabriel,” Sir said. “I want to see you swallow it. I want you tobegood.”
“I can be good,” Gabriel whispered, his voice robbed of volume by his breathlessness. “Iwillbegood.”
“And I’ll be good to you in return.” Sir caressed Gabriel’s cheek, and Gabriel allowed himself to close his eyes. “I want to prove that I can care for you, body and soul. As long as you take those pills, whenever you want me, I’ll beyours.”
“We’ll never get out of bed, then,” Gabriel murmured, already halfasleep.
Sir’s laughter was the good dream he’d been waiting for allhislife.
47
Gabriel
Three rhythmic knockson the club-side door brought Gabriel to lift his head. Lilian, who’d been lying on her back while she waved a teddy bear in the air, sat up and looked, too. No matter how often he babysat, Gabriel still found it hard to believe that Lilian was eighteen months old. Time flew, and her growth was remarkable—she’d gone from a tiny swaddled baby to a mini replica of Adrian in the blink ofaneye.
“Ceddik.” She dropped the bear onto the couch and jumped down, clumsy on her feet, but too full of energy to care. One of her pigtails had started to fall—the no-tears elastic had been pulled down by the couch cushion from when she’d been lying on her back. Gabriel was always afraid to tie the hair bands too tight in case hehurther.
Before he could so much as rise to his feet, Lilian scampered off in the direction of the club-side door. The door was too heavy for her to open, and the knob was too far above her head for her to reach, so he had no qualms about letting her go first. And even if she did get through the door on a fluke, Sir would be there tocatchher.
Gabriel’s cheeks warmed, and he folded his arms across his chest to hold himself as he followed Lilian tothedoor.
“Hi Ceddik,” Lilian said through the door. She twisted at the hips back and forth, spinning the tiered skirt she wore over her leggings so that it fanned out aroundher. “Hi!”
Gabriel picked her up and tucked her against his hip. She squealed with delight and latched onto him, burying her face against the side of hischest.
“Will you be nice to Cedric?” Gabriel asked. Even now, it was strange to say Sir’s real name, but around Lilian, Sir had asked him to use it. “He’s had a long day at work and he’s going to betired.”
“Yes!” Lilianagreed.
“Then let’s give him a nicehello.”
The door was heavy, but Gabriel was used to its weight by now. He balanced Lilian on his hip and held the door open with his foot, smiling for Sir not because Sir asked, but because Gabriel wanted to. It was unusual that Sir worked later than four in the morning, but with Sterling gone on a business trip with several close associates, he’d taken on additional responsibilities to make sure The Shepherd ransmoothly.
That was fine for Gabriel, because it let him stay with Adrian while Sterling was out of town, looking after Lilian during the evening and early morning hours so Adrian could get some sleep. It was a little after seven now, and Adrian would be climbing out of the shower any minute to take over for Gabriel so Gabriel couldgohome.
“Hi Ceddik!” Lilian repeated, her grin wide and enthusiastic in the way only a toddler’scouldbe.
“Hello, Ms. Lilian,” Sir replied, bowing low the way he always did. Lilian laughed and clutched Gabriel’s shirt tightly at the show. “You look lovely thismorning.”
Lilian buried her face against Gabriel’s chest all over again. Gabriel kissed the top of her head. “Adrian has goodtaste.”
“If I had to guess, Adrian’s not the one who dressed her this morning. I feel like a certain uncle is to be acknowledged for putting together his fashion-forward niece.” Sir winked and stepped into the hall. Even after a year together, small gestures like those made Gabriel’s heart flutter. “Speaking of Adrian, are we waitingforhim?”
“Yes. He’s awake, but he’s in the shower. Once he’s dressed, we should be ready to go.” Gabriel’s tongue longed to tack on a “Sir” to his response, but he respected Sir’s command. In front of Lilian, they kept their play subtle. “Did you have a good timeatwork?”
“I did.” Sir kissed Gabriel’s cheek, and Gabriel melted against him. Their relationship was no longer new, but it had not lost its luster. Even the simplest touch sent pinpricks across Gabriel’s skin. “What have you been working ontonight?”
“Solving linear equations.” Gabriel scrunched his nose and grimaced. “I don’tlikeit.”
