I let my spoon fall to the counter and rushed to scoop Matteo into my arms. I wasn’t sure where things had gone wrong, but he was quickly unraveling. I held him tightly against my chest and kissed the side of his head. “Youarefunctional, Angel. We all have our issues to deal with, but you’re lucky that you have so many people who love you and want to help you succeed. Think about the writing; that’s something you did all on your own without anyone telling you what to do.”
“But that’s just a way for me to mess around. It’s like journaling, but letting the world read about it,” he argued.
I disagreed. He didn’t realize I’d read every article he’d written. At the time, I’d justified my silence because I didn’t want him worrying I’d get upset with anything I read, but now I realized that’d been a mistake. My boy needed to understand how proud I was of what he was doing. It may not pay the bills, but it was a goal he’d achieved without anyone’s help.
I led him into the living room and sat on the couch. He tried pulling away from me, but when I tightened my grip around his hand, he sat on my lap. “What’s going on, Angel? You were in a good mood earlier.”
Matteo shrugged.
“Not good enough. Talk to me.”
“My brothers all have these amazing lives,” he explained. His words were so quiet I could barely hear him. “I want that, but I’m never going to have it.”
“What makes you say that?” From my perspective, our life wasn’t that different from Frankie or Freddie’s. Sure, we weren’t house-hunting, but we also didn’t have the history Freddie and Peter did. Frankie and Calvin had been together a long time and their situation was unique because they’d lived together before they were even a couple. He needed to stop measuring his happiness using someone else’s ruler. Teo hunched his shoulders, curling in on himself, but didn’t respond. “Talk to me, please.”
“I’m not like them. I never will be.”
“No, you’re not,” I agreed. “But you’re the only one who thinks you should be like them. I’m in love withyou, Angel, not them.”
“For now,” he argued, sounding so defeated it was hard to believe we hadn’t had some huge fight earlier. “What about when you get tired of taking care of me?”
“Angel, that is one thing I can promise will never happen,” I insisted, holding him tighter. His head fell against my shoulder and I could feel his ragged breaths. “We both have fears. Would you believe I lie awake at night watching you sleep, worrying about what I’d do if you decided you were sick of having a daddy? It’s hard sometimes, living a lifestyle so many people don’t understand. Having a boy who lets me take care of him is what I need to feel complete.”
“Seriously?” He glanced up at me, eyes wide.
“Absolutely. Just because we aren’t Frankie and Calvin or Freddie and Peter doesn’t mean our relationship isn’t just as real.” It wasn’t planned, but waiting another minute wasn’t an option for me. “I love you with all my heart, Matteo. I want to go to sleep next to you every night and wake every morning with you in my arms. Move in with me.”
“Seriously?”
“One of these days, you’ll realize I don’t joke about the things that matter. You know better than to doubt me.” I swatted his hip, more playful than disciplinary. “Would you like to tell me what started this spiral?”
“I’m sorry, Daddy.” He buried his face against my neck. I kept rubbing small circles over his back until he relaxed. “I do know better. It’s just… only us brothers know it, but Freddie’s going to propose to Peter today. When I was showering, I realized I want what they have. But I have no clue if you want to get married someday or if you’d ever think about having kids or getting a dog or buying a house or—”
I sealed my mouth over Teo’s to shut him up. Matteo twisted around so he could straddle my hips, grinding against me. I twisted my fingers in his hair as I shoved my tongue past his lips, reminding him who was in control here. His moan vibrated through my body. Over the crisp scent of his bodywash, I caught a hint of his arousal. My mouth watered and I nearly caved to the temptation to distract him with a blowjob. But if I was truly in control, it was on me to keep us on schedule today.
“When we get home tonight, you’re going to pay for teasing me,” I warned him as I lifted him off my lap.
“What did I do?” he asked, proving he knew damn well what he was in trouble for when he reached over and stroked my cock through my pants. It was hard to remember the time when he was so insecure and shy that he’d never initiate anything sexual.
I dragged Teo over my lap, yanking down his pants and undies in the process. Both my cock and my heart swelled at the sight. Now that he was here most of the time, it was rare for me to see him wearing anything other than the little boy undies I’d purchased for him. According to him, they were a reminder that he was mine and I loved him. And my cock—well, that was easy. Anytime my boy was displayed like this for me I turned into a walking erection. He was beautiful, both physically and in the way he submitted to me.
The first crack of my palm over his ass echoed through the room. He rutted against my lap and I knew he was as turned on as I was. But morning spankings weren’t about getting off, and today he needed extra attention to remain focused. He moaned loudly with the second, sighed at the third. Splotches of pink came to life on his olive skin. To keep him on edge, I traced a finger over the darkest handprint, dragging my fingernail along the edge. Teo hissed at the new sensation.
“You like that, Angel?” I slid my hand between his legs, pressing two fingers against his taint. He dropped his feet to the floor, pushing off so his ass stuck higher in the air. I pulled away, smacking him again. “Who decides how much you get?”
“You do, Daddy,” he responded, panting between words. I felt bad for him; it wasn’t going to be comfortable walking to the car with an erection. But he’d done this to himself. I slapped his ass three more times in quick succession, all falling in the same spot for maximum sting. “I’m sorry, Daddy. Please let me come before we leave.”
“No. If you’re a good boy today, youmightget to come later tonight.” I pulled up his pants, deliberately dragging my fingers through his crease. On the heels of what Matteo called his sexual awakening, I got a thrill out of teasing him mercilessly. “Otherwise, you’ll get to suck me off and you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for another chance.”
“I’ll be good, Daddy. I promise.” Matteo stood and disappeared into the kitchen. “I’ll clean up in here while you shower. Unless you want me to help you.”
Matteo was relentless today, but no matter how much he tried to entice me into fooling around, we had things to do. “Nice try, Angel. I already told you later. Don’t ruin it now.”
“Yes, Daddy.” I chuckled as I made my way to the bathroom. I could practically see Matteo pouting as he realized I wasn’t going to give in.
* * *
Organizedchaos was the only way to describe the scene at Freddie’s townhome. All the brothers had taken the day off today and it seemed while they had a common goal, no one had a plan. Matteo stood in the small front lawn, overwhelmed by all the activity. I stepped up beside him, sliding a hand around his back. “Why don’t you head inside and see what boxes you can start loading into the truck,” I suggested. Matteo nodded and I followed him into the house.
