by Piper Scott
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 to arrive.
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 glossy white seed.
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 have much left.
“Every day, I want to see that pill on your tongue, Gabriel,” Sir said. “I want to see you swallow it. I want you to be good.”
“I can be good,” Gabriel whispered, his voice robbed of volume by his breathlessness. “I will be good.”
“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 be yours.”
“We’ll never get out of bed, then,” Gabriel murmured, already half asleep.
Sir’s laughter was the good dream he’d been waiting for all his life.
47
Gabriel
Three rhythmic knocks on 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 of an eye.
“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 he hurt her.
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 to catch her.
Gabriel’s cheeks warmed, and he folded his arms across his chest to hold himself as he followed Lilian to the door.
“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 around her. “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 his chest.
“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 be tired.”
“Yes!” Lilian agreed.
“Then let’s give him a nice hello.”
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 ran smoothly.
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 could go home.
“Hi Ceddik!” Lilian repeated, her grin wide and enthusiastic in the way only a toddler’s could be.
“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 this morning.”
Lilian buried her face against Gabriel’s chest all over again. Gabriel kissed the top of her head. “Adrian has good taste.”
“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 waiting for him?”
“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 time at work?”
“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 on tonight?”
“Solving linear equations.” Gabriel scrunched his nose and grimaced. “I don’t like it.”
“Then I suppose we’ll have to work on it together this afternoon, won’t we?” Sir leaned in and brushed his nose along Gabriel’s ear, snagging his lobe with his teeth on the way down. The nip happened so quickly that even had Lilian been in a position where she could see, she likely wouldn’t have noticed it. “You’re going to need to know how to solve equations like those for your GED.”
A shiver of excitement swept through Gabriel as Sir nipped him. Maybe, if he was good, when they got home they could play before they fell asleep.
“I know,” Gabriel said. “I’m trying.”
“I know you are, and I appreciate it.”
Now that the attention wasn’t on her, Lilian pushed at Gabriel’s chest and started to squirm. Gabriel set her down, and she took off down the hall.
Sir chuckled. “That girl only has two modes, doesn’t she? Run and sleep.”
“Have you seen who her fathers are, Sir?” Gabriel gave Sir a half-smile. “If Adrian isn’t doing something, it’s because he’s passed out, and you know Sterling…”
“By now? Yes, I do.”
Sir wrapped an arm around Gabriel’s waist, and they moved as one to follow Lilian. She’d run straight across the living room to the hall with the bedrooms—right to Adrian, whose hair was still dripping, but who was otherwise dressed and ready to start his day.
“Daddy!” Lilian lifted her arms, and Adrian lifted her up and kissed her cheek. Parenthood had mellowed him significantly, although Gabriel knew that his brother would never really lose his edge—not that it was necessarily a bad thing. Adrian’s lashing tongue and sharp wit helped him stay on top of his game in the business world while Sterling stayed home and looked after their daughter. “Mornin’!”
“Good morning, Princess. Were you good for Uncle Gabriel this morning?”
“Yes!”
Adrian lifted a brow and met Gabriel’s eyes as he approached. “Well, he doesn’t look like he was thrown to finger-paint-obsessed wolves, so I’m going to go ahead and say that you’ve been a very good girl this morning. Thank you, Lilian.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too.”
Gabriel leaned into Sir, letting his brother’s joy bolster his own. One day, if he and Sir decided it was right, that would be him—but not now, and maybe not for a
long time still. Gabriel was young, and there was plenty of time to have a child. When the time was right, it would happen. He wouldn’t rush things anymore.
“Thanks for looking after her this morning,” Adrian said. His gaze met Gabriel’s, and he held it. “I’ve got it covered from here. You guys must be tired.”
“I just came upstairs from doing admin work in the club, so it’s not such a big deal.” Sir’s hand stroked Gabriel’s hip, and Gabriel’s body started to wake to his advances. The arousal was low-burning, but it wouldn’t take much for Sir to work those embers into an inferno. “Sterling’s back tonight?”
“Right. He’ll be back sometime this afternoon. If there’s a change in his travel plans, I’ll get in touch with Gabriel to let him know. If you could keep his schedule open, I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Sir offered Adrian an easy smile, the kind that made Gabriel’s heart flutter. No matter how long he lived or how often he saw it, he thought that smile would always get to him. “He’ll be available. I’ll make sure of it.”
Theirs was an unconventional relationship, Gabriel had learned, but that didn’t make it bad. The truth was, Gabriel needed Sir. That didn’t mean that he was worthless—all it meant was that his normal was different from everyone else’s, and that was okay. With Sir there to guide him, Gabriel was happy, and every small revelation or breakthrough he made along the way was a perk instead of a requirement.
Broken was beautiful.
Sir loved him, scars and all.
They said their goodbyes. Lilian latched onto Sir’s leg like she usually did to beg him not to go, and Adrian had to wrangle her so Gabriel and Sir could leave. The way Sir doted on her, and the way she loved him so unendingly, made Gabriel think that one day, Sir would make an outstanding father.
“Ceddik!” Lilian called in utmost despair from the metal platform outside the penthouse’s back door. She gripped tightly to Adrian’s chest as he held her. Sir and Gabriel had arrived in the alley below, and Sir lifted a hand high over his head to wave at her.
“Until we meet again, Ms. Lilian,” he called. “Remember to be a proper young lady. Be good for your fathers.”
Gabriel smiled and slipped his hand into Sir’s. Their fingers wove together, and Sir lowered his arm and turned away from the building. Winter was coming, and it chilled the air and froze Gabriel’s breath as it left his nostrils.
“I was thinking,” Sir murmured as they walked. The sound of the penthouse door closing marked the end of his sentence—Adrian and Lilian had gone back inside. “It’s almost our anniversary, and—”
A noise stopped Sir in his tracks, and Gabriel came to an abrupt stop beside him. A cardboard box toppled from a nearby dumpster and rolled several times until it came to a stop right-side up.
“Gabriel?” Cedric said in a soft, but stern voice. “I want you to stay here. Don’t move.”
Gabriel’s pulse kicked into overdrive, and the familiar urge to run threatened to overtake him. For the last year, he’d worked hard to overcome it, but it would be a struggle he’d need to put up with for the rest of his life. “Yes, Sir.”
As he remained glued to the spot, watching as Sir cautiously approached the box, Gabriel went through his breathing exercises to work himself down from his panic. Each long exhalation froze in the air on the way out, and he let the mist direct his focus away from the abstract. It was only a box. There was nothing to fear. All he needed to do was keep breathing.
Sir reached the box. He squatted in front of it, but as he reached out to move the top flap aside, Gabriel had to squeeze his eyes shut. The anticipation was starting to eat at him, and he had to cut it out of his mind before it riled him any further.
“Oh,” Sir murmured. Then he laughed. The tension broke, and Gabriel opened his eyes to find Sir on his way back from the box. He had his coat tucked tightly around his frame, his crossed arms holding it in place. There was a bulge beneath it that hadn’t been there before. “I’m going to take what just happened as a sign from above that what I was about to ask was meant to be.”
What Sir was about to ask? Gabriel blinked and stood a little more rigidly, panic shifting into excitement. “What were you about to ask, Sir?”
“Our anniversary is coming up,” Sir restated. “You moved in with me four months ago, and now that we’re settled, I was thinking that maybe we should talk about making things a little more serious…”
Sir’s coat moved. Gabriel’s eyes went wide, and he took a small step back and pointed, hand trembling. All Sir did was laugh.
“You know that we’re a family, Gabriel.” Sir’s words were kind, and as he spoke, he looked into Gabriel’s eyes. “Two people are all it takes—but I know you want more. The truth is, right now I’m not ready to have kids, but that doesn’t mean I want to be childless forever. One day, I want us to have a baby, but until then, I want to make a promise to you that it will happen—I want to give you something to prove that I want our family to grow.”
The coat was still moving, and Gabriel had a hard time keeping his attention on Sir’s face. He didn’t need to for long—the blob behind Sir’s coat moved upward, and suddenly, a small, gray tabby kitten with stunning green eyes popped its head free. Gabriel gasped and jumped backward a half-step. The kitten mewed, revealing a row of sharp, tiny teeth.
“I was going to ask if you would consider adopting a pet with me, but I think one may have fallen into our laps.” Sir moved his arms to free one hand, and he petted the kitten’s head with a single finger. “Would you like that?”
“Yes,” Gabriel said without thinking. He stepped forward and held his hand out for the kitten to sniff. It leaned forward and licked the side of his finger with its sandpaper tongue, and just like that, Gabriel fell in love. “Do you think it’s a her? She has a sweet face. I love her, Sir. She’s perfect.”
“I think so, too.” Sir freed the kitten from his coat and held her out for Gabriel. She fit in a single hand, but Gabriel kept her cradled against his chest as a strange, protective joy spread through him. Was this what it meant to feel paternal? He smiled and stood close to Sir, allowing Sir to lead him to the parking garage a few blocks away. “I love you, Gabriel, and I never want you to forget it.”
“I won’t,” Gabriel said, not because it was expected, but because it was true. It didn’t matter what kind of a family Sir did or didn’t give him, or what path life led them down—Gabriel had found the man he wanted to spend the rest of his days with, and they would make it a happy life together whether they had children or not. “I love you, too, Sir.”
They left the alley and faced the day together.
Epilogue
Gabriel
The dreams always started the same.
Sir’s smiling face looked him over, one eyebrow hitched playfully, as Gabriel lazed in bed. Sun streamed through the open blinds to streak the bed in ribbons of light. It was warm. Always so warm.
“You feeling better today?” Sir asked. He leaned over to kiss Gabriel’s forehead, and Gabriel closed his eyes and enjoyed the touch of his lover’s lips. The simplest joys always left him the most satisfied. “I made you breakfast, if you want it. It’s in the kitchen.”
Breakfast sounded wonderful, but the space beneath the blankets was warm, and Gabriel’s body was weightless. The “thank you” he wanted to say died before it reached his tongue, and he could only hum in appreciation as he closed his eyes again and melted into the bed.
Everything in the world was right, and there was nothing he had to fear anymore. Sir was there, and he would protect their life together fiercely. Nothing was so scary anymore.
“You know, if you don’t get up soon, I have a feeling that breakfast is going to disappear.” Sir’s voice was equal parts playful and warm. “We’ve got kitchen thieves in this house, you know.”
“Mm,” Gabriel murmured, because he both did and didn’t know. Kitchen thieves did sound like a big deal, but Sir’s exact meaning was obscured to him by fo
ggy, comfortable thoughts.
The giggle from the foot of the bed reminded him of everything he’d forgotten.
Gabriel lifted his head to spot the boy lying there, his elbows on the mattress and his chin cupped in his hands. Five years old and beautifully blond, he looked like Gabriel had when he was little. His green eyes were like Sir’s, and Gabriel got the impression that when he grew older, he’d share all of Sir’s most handsome traits.
“Oh, a kitchen thief,” Gabriel said with a laugh. He pulled the blankets back, and the son he knew was his scurried up the bed on his hands and knees and slipped beneath the sheets to curl up against his side. He was in his pajamas, but his hair was recently washed, and Gabriel breathed it in as he wrapped his arms around him. “Well, I don’t know if I have to worry. I’m sure that no kitchen thieves would be so heartless as to steal from a poor, sleepy dad like me.”
The boy giggled again. His identity wasn’t linked to a name, but to feelings—pride, adoration, endless love, and happiness. His small hands found their way to Gabriel’s rounded stomach, and he stroked the taut skin there as the newest Langston woke up, too.
“Do you feel him kicking?” Gabriel asked. The bed shifted, and Sir joined them. He slid a hand over Gabriel’s hip to caress his baby bump, joining their son’s exploration. “He’s waking up, too. He must be hungry. It’s hard work, to be a growing baby.”
Bright green eyes looked up at him with wonder, and Gabriel was struck with such love that he was certain he would cry. His son’s small hands searched his belly until the baby kicked directly against him, and he gasped and rolled away. The cat was quick to take his place, her gray tail swishing as she jumped onto the bed from the floor and curled up where the boy had been moments before.
Sir laughed. “Get back here, Monkey. The baby’s only trying to say hello.”
Their son returned. He took the cat into his arms and curled up against Gabriel’s chest, then became still. For a while, they laid together in bed as a family and let the lazy morning pass them by.