by Susan Lain
"Welcome home, Sir."
At first Alek just stared. Then he blinked and stared some more. At long last, increasing Eliot's nervousness a hundredfold, Alek slumped against the closed door, covered his face with his hands and sobbed out loud, his body shaking.
Eliot's heart broke. He rose and hurried to embrace Alek who grasped at Eliot's body as if it were his sole anchor to life. Alek's hot, wet breath fanned over Eliot's neck. He smelled like nothing but coffee. Had he eaten anything today? God, Alek needed someone in his life to take care of him.
"You're here," Alek murmured, his voice hoarse and watery from crying. "You're really here."
"Of course I am, silly. Where else would I be?" Eliot used a soft, soothing tone while he petted Alek's hair and slowly massaged his stiff neck, hoping to alleviate some of the stress Alek obviously felt. "Are you okay?"
Alek barked out a bitter laugh. "Okay? Not even close. God, I hate working with government officials. They just talk and plan and go over things a million times, but never spring into action or never actually do anything. It's so goddamn frustrating. Never felt like shirking my responsibilities, not until I met them."
"So nothing's moving forward?" Eliot asked, planting kisses over Alek's exposed neck at his shirt collar.
"It is," Alek admitted after a while. "It just takes forever to get things going. I fucking hate diplomacy, if this is what it is. I'm not built for this, Eliot. I hate it. I'm so tired of all the bullshit."
"I know, baby." Eliot kissed Alek's jaw, then cupped his cheeks and kissed his lips, soft and sure, his touch tender and caring. "You need someone in your life to tell you that you work too hard, think too much, or play too little."
Alek buried his face in the nook of Eliot's neck and sniffed, his arms so tight around Eliot he could barely draw breath. "Yeah."
Eliot could tell the admission came at great cost to Alek who valued his privacy. "The pups have missed you. I've missed you. Come on. Let's have something to eat, okay?"
Before Eliot could do anything, Alek whispered, "Will you move in with me?" His whole body shuddered, as if he was holding on by a thread. "I do love you, you know."
Eliot grinned so wide he feared his face would split. "I love you too, dumbass. Why didn't you call me? Never mind. I know why. You and your damn pride."
Alek shook his head, refusing to show his face. "Well, you have to admit this isn't how a proper Dom behaves himself, now is it?"
Eliot snorted. "Screw that. We're not a Dom and his sub right now. We're just a couple of guys. Colleagues, best friends, boyfriends, lovers. You can talk to me, okay?"
Alek paused for a bit. Eliot let him have his moment. He surmised that Alek had simply not known what to do with the two of them after the case closed. Perhaps he'd never had to fight for a relationship or felt the need to. So he'd done nothing. Eliot would have to teach Alek to be upfront about his emotions instead of pulling a disappearing act and making excuses, even to himself.
"You really can tell me anything," Eliot entreated gently as the pregnant pause had gone on long enough.
Much to Eliot's surprise, Alek said slowly, with a teasing tone, "I don't know. I'm not sure I can handle your smartass mouth and endless sass after a long day at work."
Right then Eliot knew they would be all right and he chuckled. "That's what the paddle is for." He drew back, took Alek's hand in his, and guided him to the kitchen. "Time to eat."
Ducking his head, Alek followed awkwardly, wiping his moist cheeks and eyes with the back of his hand. "How did you get in here?"
Eliot grinned and winked. "Magic. The pups." He cooed to the pups who immediately let out yelps and bounced around happy. "You guys let me in, didn't you, shnookums?"
Alek chuckled. "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear you use baby talk with my babies." He sat at the counter table and swiveled around to watch Eliot puttering around in his kitchen.
Eliot could feel Alek's blue gaze burning at the back of his head. It mostly aroused him.
"Let me guess. Hannah?" Alek asked after a short moment.
Eliot nodded. "She's nice and trusting."
Alek inclined his head in agreement. "That she is. I'll have to remember to thank her later for being so considerate." He sniffed the air. "What's for dinner?"
Eliot sauntered over to Alek. "Voilà! Lasagna cupcakes." He placed the plates on the table with flourish, exaggerating a stereotypical accent that fooled no one. The dishes composed of, just as Eliot had described, lasagna coated with cheese—in six muffin cups, three on each plate.
Alek laughed, his whole face shining with happiness. "What is that even?"
"Shut up and dig in," Eliot grumbled playfully. He sat too and started to eat, pleased that he had taken Shiloh's advice and the risk of rejection to find Alek who clearly needed him.
Alek chewed several mouthfuls, swallowed, and sighed with contentment. "Mmm, damn that's good. And still warm too."
Eliot blushed, joyful in his soul. "These take less than an hour to make. I've done them before. Glad you like the dish. Plus, there are two extras, in case you're ravenous." He poured both Alek and himself a glass of red wine. "There's three kinds of cheese in there."
"Yeah, perfectly gooey." Alek smacked his lips and gorged on his meal like a wolf. Eliot found the sight endearing.
For a while they dined in silence. The evening waned outside the windows, and darkness swept over the land. There wasn't enough snow on the ground to illuminate the skies completely. As usual the streetlights flickered with photon faeries doing their song and dance. That reminded Eliot of Hannah. Was she having fun at her dance class? He hoped so.
Once they'd finished, Eliot wavered between several options. He finally opted for Alek's wellbeing above all. Everything else could wait. "Come on, sleepyhead. Let's get you into bed. Tomorrow's Saturday, so you can sleep in."
Alek frowned at him, Eliot puzzled as to why. "Are you leaving?"
Eliot snickered. "Don't give me that grumpy cat look."
Alek cocked his head like a confused dog. "I don't know what means."
Laughing harder, Eliot leaned in and kissed Alek. "No, I'm not leaving if you don't want me to."
As Alek rose, a suspicious light glimmering in his eyes, he murmured, "Is that one of those meme references? I don't get it."
Eliot couldn't stop laughing. Tears falling from his eyes, he escorted Alek to the bedroom, closed the door fast so the pups couldn't barge in and jump on the bed and undressed his sullen companion who scowled at him for no real reason. Eliot was so delirious with joy he doubted if he had ever experienced the feeling to this extent.
"You're grinning like a loon," Alek told him, one eyebrow quirked.
"Just happy, is all." Eliot wrapped his arms around Alek's neck and kissed him long and deep, their mouths taking in one another's flavor.
When they pulled apart, Alek had clearly found his serene center. The rare lopsided smile made an appearance, and elation gave his exhausted expression light, warmth, and color. "Did you mean it? What you did when I came in?"
Eliot had expected the question. "Yes. I've never done domestic discipline with an actual boyfriend but…yes, I meant it." He worried his bottom lip. "Is that what you want?"
Alek's eyes flashed intently. "Do I want you on your knees waiting for me at the end of each and every day for the rest of our lives? Hell. Yes."
Eliot sighed. "Good. I want that too."
Alek rested his forehead against Eliot's. "I should have called you, but I was afraid you'd not want to deal with someone like me on a daily basis. I'm not an easy man."
Eliot snorted, earning the stink eye from Alek. "I knew that about you, and I'm still here." Then he grew serious. "There will be things we'll need to negotiate about. Like your insanely long work hours, you slogging at the grindstone till you drop. That's got to stop."
Alek closed his eyes and released a long breath. "Agreed." Then he opened his eyes, and a wicked gleam emerged. "We can figure that out lat
er. Right now I want you on that bed, naked and on your hands and knees. Go."
The order sent a thrill of pleasure cascading through Eliot's senses. His body responded, as his dick stiffened and grew. He practically tore off his own clothes till he stood in front of his lover in his birthday suit.
Then Eliot stopped, waiting for Alek to tell him what to do. He had heard the command about the bed and the position, but he wasn't about to surrender that easily.
Alek smiled as if he knew exactly what the name of the game was. "I have a present for you. I didn't know if I'd ever get the chance to give it to you. But you won't get it until I see you on that bed."
The wish to tease competed with curiosity inside Eliot. He fidgeted in place, torn between two delicious options. Finally he whined and jumped on the bed, assuming the position on his hands and knees, his bare butt sticking out.
Alek chuckled in a hushed Dom voice. "Good boy." Eliot shivered at the sound, his cock dripping precome onto the soft, plump coverlet. Alek walked unhurried to the closet, pulled out a black box, and set it on the bed. "Can you guess what's in here? Got this just for you, Eliot, based on your own suggestion."
Confused, Eliot tried to peek at the gift over his shoulder and then between his legs, but he couldn't see what it was. "No, sir, I have no idea. What is it?"
Alek removed the lid, took out the object inside, and showed it to Eliot—who burst into a helpless fit of giggles.
*~*~*
An hour later they collapsed on the bed in heaps of sweaty limbs.
Alek fucked Eliot thrice, first doggy style, then missionary, and finally with Eliot riding Alek's dick like a cowboy on a stampeding bull. Alek had covered Eliot's body like a hot, muscle-bound blanket, bombarded him with ravenous open-mouthed kisses, and fondled and caressed every inch of him.
Now the smell of male musk and fresh spunk overpowered everything else.
Blissed out, Eliot panted roughly, his breath wheezing. His vision distorted at the edges as his ears were deafened by the drumbeat of his heart. Next to him Alek kept chuckling, undaunted at showing his happiness to his partner, something he as a private man had rarely done in the past. Their hands joined between them, their fingers interlacing.
Yet Eliot couldn't resist stealing a glance.
With shaky limbs Eliot stood in front of the mirror on the wall opposite the bed, turned on his heels, and then laughed madly at the red paddle marks, one on each butt cheek—where it clearly read Saroyan Sausage.
Alek's devilish laugh echoed in the room, soon accompanied by the woofs of six puppies hopping onto the bed.
FIN
About the Author
Susan Laine is an award-winning, multi-published author of LGBTQ romance. Susan hails from the tepid shores of Finland, the land of the midnight sun. By education she is an anthropologist, by career a writer. Susan adores the woods and lakes of her native land, and spends her time reading, writing, watching science fiction flicks, and having fun with her friends and nieces. Visit Susan’s website at http://www.susan-laine-author.fi/, or write her an e-mail at [email protected].