by Amber Kell
“I don’t need anything except you beside me. We can get back to our usual schedule tomorrow. I just want our bed with you in it. Last night wasn’t a good night for me.”
Will nodded. He’d had a bad night without Lindi beside him. The problem with sleeping with someone for years was Will had a hard time sleeping in a strange room without a familiar body beside him. Lindi was the perfect sleeping companion. While other subs sometimes complained about their masters snoring or hogging the covers, Lindi never did either. Instead, Lindi wrapped himself around Will and kept him safe from bad dreams.
Once Lindi applied the cream to Will’s ass to soothe the redness, they climbed into bed. “I missed you, Pet. Never get abducted again.”
“I’ll try not to.” Will snuggled into Lindi’s arms. It was better to sleep on his side since his ass burned like the fires of hell.
Lindi woke to the beautiful sight of Will sucking him down. Unable to fight the urge, Lindi bucked deeper into Will’s throat. He knew his boy could take him. After all this time, he knew how far he could go before Will began to choke.
He threaded his fingers through Will’s hair. “That’s it, Babe. Swallow me down.”
One night alone and Lindi knew he would never survive if Will decided to leave him. Will slid his hands along Lindi’s hips, tracing Lindi’s skin with his long fingers. Unable to resist the allure of his lover, Lindi came.
Will lifted his mouth off of Lindi’s softening erection, licking his lips. “Delicious.”
He grabbed Will’s arm and pulled him up. “Come up here.” Lindi positioned Will until he was back in his usual snuggling spot, Will’s head against Lindi’s shoulder, his arm across Lindi’s waist. He purposely ignored Will’s cock prodding his thigh.
“Is there going to be any problems with your case?” Will asked.
“No, Harkinson is going to trial next week. They have enough evidence to put him away.”
“If not, Da will take care of him,” Will said confidently.
Lindi traced the knobby bumps of Will’s spine. “Why didn’t you tell me about your family, Pet?”
Will tensed but didn’t pull away. “I was scared.”
“Of what? Of me?” Lindi tilted Will’s head up to check his lover’s expression.
“I was afraid you’d think I was too much trouble if you knew the truth. I couldn’t chance it.” Will’s voice trembled as he blurted out his ridiculous theory.
“Nothing will ever make me think you are too much trouble. You are everything to me.” Whether he would’ve had the same opinion when they first met, Lindi didn’t know, but now he knew he’d do anything to keep his submissive. “I am keeping you, and I’ll fight your father for you if I have to.”
Will’s body shook with laughter. “No one battles Da and wins.”
“You did.” Will always underestimated his inner strength.
“No. I ran. I didn’t stay and fight. I love my family; I just don’t want to be in the family business.”
“You already have a job,” Lindi reminded him. “Taking care of me is a full-time position.” He continued to rub Will’s back.
“I like taking care of you.”
“If you want another job, something outside the house, you let me know.” Lindi might not like Will going anywhere without him, but he wouldn’t smother his lover. If Will wished to branch out on his own, he’d let him. He knew friends who’d lost their subs because they refused to bend. Lindi wouldn’t allow that happen with them.
“Maybe some day. Right now, I enjoy taking care of you.” Will nestled closer.
“You let me know if that ever changes. I’m not your prison warden; I’m your lover.” Lindi wanted Will to have whatever he needed out of life. That’s what people did for the ones they loved.
“I know, Master.”
“Good. We’ll make sure to re-evaluate every few months. If something bothers you, I want you to tell me about it.”
“I have something that’s bothering me.” Will pointed at his erection.
Lindi slapped Will’s ass, smiling at Will’s gasp. He had no doubt that had stung against the bruises he left from the spanking. “Too bad. That will teach you not to share your past with your master. The only reason I’m not putting you in a leash and a plug for the rest of the day is because I don’t want to share our sex life with your family.”
“You told them about my collar.” Will blushed. “Of course, it was hard to hide when you tagged me like a wild animal.”
Lindi slipped his index finger beneath the gold necklace and tugged Will in for a kiss. “Knowing you are my sub and witnessing it aren’t the same. I tagged you because I wanted to always be able to find you. It turned out I was right. I’m not ashamed of our relationship, but I don’t want to make Thanksgivings awkward either.”
Will blinked, surprise crossing his features. “You want to have Thanksgiving with my family?”
“I want you to be able to visit your relatives for the holidays if you want. My parents aren’t going to care.” Lindi’s parents weren’t particularly affectionate. They were more than happy to spend Christmas traveling to an exotic island than visiting their son. Still, they always sent Will a present when they remembered Lindi’s existence. They weren’t against their son being gay; they didn’t really care either way. Lindi was certain they wouldn’t treat a female partner with any more regard than they gave Will.
“Da would like that,” Will said.
“Where’s your mother?” Lindi became more fascinated as he learned about Will. To discover his sub was a member of a notorious mafia family had been quite a shock.
“She was killed when I was young by someone trying to get into Da’s turf.”
“What happened?”
Pain shone like a beacon from Will’s expressive gray eyes. “They shot her while we were walking across the park. One minute, she was holding my hand; the next, she had fallen on the ground. Her eyes were wide open, but it was like she wasn’t there anymore. I was seven.”
Lindi could see the moment still haunted Will. “What happened to her shooter?”
“Da killed him and brought me the corpse. He said I should be able to sleep now because I wouldn’t have to worry about my mother’s killer coming for me. Instead, I had nightmares about bloody people lying in the courtyard. I know he meant well, but I didn’t sleep a full night until I was ten.”
“That’s horrible.” Lindi crushed Will to him. Now he understood the devastated expression in Will’s eyes sometimes when he woke. A sight like that would damage anyone. Add in Will’s sensitive nature and Lindi was surprised his lover could sleep even now.
Will snuggled in closer. “It happens. My da lives in a violent world. I don’t want that to be mine. I like our lives. I don’t want it to be filled with guns and stabbings and politics. I’m not going back.”
Lindi’s hand froze. “I don’t think that will be a problem. He seems to understand we have a life together.”
He wouldn’t gun Will’s father down in the street, but he wouldn’t hand his lover over, either.
Will shrugged. “He didn’t seem to have a problem with my staying last night. Hopefully, he hasn’t changed his mind.”
“Let’s get up. You can make me breakfast and extra for our guests. I don’t think your father will wait very long before he comes over.”
“True.” Will slid out of bed. Lindi admired his lover’s body as it disappeared beneath a pair of soft denim pants and a flannel shirt.
“I thought I burned that shirt,” Lindi commented, eyeing the red checked fabric. He hated that garment. It had long sleeves and covered too much of his lover. He suspected Will wore it purely to tease him.
Will ran a loving hand down the fabric. “This shirt?”
“Yes, that one.” Lindi smiled at his sub’s innocent expression.
“Obviously, you’re mistaken, or I couldn’t possibly be wearing it, now could I?”
Lindi smiled. “God, I love you.”
Will’s delighted expression warmed Lindi to his toes. “I love you too.” He kissed Lindi, not with hot passion, but with a friendly affection that meant more to Lindi than all the steamy sex in the world. He bounded away from Lindi. “I’m making pancakes!”
“Make mine blueberry.” He remembered seeing a pint of berries in the fridge. Hopefully, they were still good.
Lindi dressed quickly and followed Will to the kitchen. He settled on his favorite barstool, the one placed closest to the stove, so he could watch Will cook. He never got tired of watching Will in the kitchen. His lover’s pleasure at providing food for his master was the highlight of the day for both of them.
The knock at the door pulled Lindi’s attention reluctantly away from Will.
“I’ll get it, Pet. You stick with your batter.”
Lindi opened the door, surprised to find Agent Calthers on the other side.
“May I come in?”
“Sure.” Lindi stepped back to wave inside.
Lindi closed the door behind him. “Agent Calthers, this is my partner, Will. Will, the FBI agent I told you about.”
“Nice to meet you.” Will wiped his hands off and offered one to shake.
Lindi watched closely as the agent shook Will’s hand with care.
“So you’re the reason Mr. Samms couldn’t go into protective custody,” Calthers said. “I’m glad to see you’ve been returned.”
Will raised an eyebrow at the agent. “Was I missing?”
“Apparently not,” Calthers said. “Though we found a warehouse filled with the rest of the forgery ring. One of the guys swore he’d kidnapped you, Will. He said a group of armed gunmen came and shot up the place.”
“Really? How strange? Was he taking drugs? You can’t really trust the word of a criminal,” Will said with a completely straight face.
If Lindi didn’t know the story, he might have believed his lover. Maybe growing up in a mob family had some benefits.
“We did find bullet holes everywhere, especially in the kidnappers. None of them turned out to be fatal,” Calthers said, frowning.
“Well, that’s good anyway.” Will smiled.
“Was that everyone in the ring? Are there any more hiding out?” Lindi pretended interest in this new chain of events.
“After hearing his team had been captured, Harkinson accepted a plea deal. He didn’t like that the others were more than willing to let him rot in jail while they raked in millions. The whole ring is coming down. With Harkinson’s cooperation, you won’t need to testify anymore.”
“That’s wonderful!” Will exclaimed.
The agent smiled at Will’s enthusiasm. “I’ll be on my way. I just wanted to thank you for your assistance on our case. This was the largest forgery ring on the West Coast. They just made the wrong choice in galleries.”
“Would you like some pancakes?” Will asked.
“No, thank you. I’m going to go home and get some sleep. The paperwork alone kept me up late last night.” Calthers smiled at Will. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Same here,” Will replied.
Lindi shook hands with Calthers, happy to send the agent on his way. Only a few minutes passed after Calthers left before someone else knocked on the door.
“We seem to be having a busy morning, Pet.” Lindi kissed Will’s cheek before going to see who was visiting.
All three of the Finn men stood on the threshold. Lindi decided they might as well make nice before he kicked them to the curb. “Come on in. Will is making pancakes.”
The men traipsed in. Much backslapping ensued along with one bone-crushing hug from his father that had Will gasping for breath. Lindi pulled Aengus away. “Why don’t you go have a seat at the table and let Will finish up?”
After some grumbling, they obediently filed out and went to sit at the table. Lindi gave Will a quick kiss and accepted the tray filled with coffee cups.
He joined the others at the table. “Here you go, gentlemen. Will made it so it should be drinkable.”
Laughter met his words, but their appreciative moans when they took a sip told him Will had made his usual delicious brew. Generally, Will didn’t appreciate Lindi helping serve guests, but his sub was still a bit off balance with the onslaught of relatives.
Seating himself, Lindi eyed the Finns with caution.
“That’s some right fine coffee Will made,” Aengus declared. He drank his coffee black and made a soft sigh of appreciation after each sip.
“Will buys our beans from a micro-roaster a few blocks away. He’s quite particular about our java.”
“He always was a finicky one,” Brian said, but his tone was fond so Lindi let it go.
Cain didn’t say anything. He was drinking his coffee like he’d found a new religion and didn’t wish to interrupt his moment of worship.
Lindi opened his mouth to ask them about their plans when Will entered with a plate of pancakes stacked in two towers, one plain and one blueberry, and a pile of crispy bacon that would make any carnivore drool.
“Sorry it’s not fancy, but I don’t have tons of groceries on hand.”
“It looks great,” Aengus beamed.
“I’ll be right back with plates and syrup.” Will dashed back to the kitchen.
Brian eyed Lindi with an unfriendly look. “So you just sit here while he does all the work like a lord at the manor? Just because you bring in the money is no reason to treat Will like crap.”
Lindi held onto his temper by a single frayed thread. “Will hates it if I try to help. He says I’m interfering.” Lindi set Will’s cup of coffee to his left. One of the best parts of having a round table was there wasn’t any proper place to sit people. You couldn’t take offense not being head of the table if there wasn’t one.
“So Will’s like the little woman in your relationship?” Cain asked.
“No, he’s my partner who likes to be in charge of the household. Will takes care of me, and I take care of him. Now that I know about his family and Mr. Finn has assured me Will is safe, maybe he can go out more. We’ve talked about him seeking a career of his own, but right now, he’s happy taking care of me.” Lindi couldn’t express how happy having Will at home at the end of the day made him.
“Will is safe. I put the word out that any violence against my son or his lover will have deadly consequences. After our raid on the art forgery ring, I’m sure they will take our warning to heart. Unless you feel the need to hunt down any more forgers?”
“No, and that particular problem is closed. The agent in charge of my case just told me the forgery ring has been annihilated. I don’t even have to testify.”
Brian grinned. “Good. Amateurs like that give everyone a bad name.”
Lindi refused to ask. He didn’t want to know what a professional would’ve done.
“We’ll be expecting you both for the holidays,” Aengus announced. “Understand?”
“Yes, Da,” Will said over Lindi’s shoulder.
Lindi nodded. “We’ll try.”
“See that you do. We can’t keep flying in and out of town. It’ll make the locals nervous since we don’t have any legitimate business here.” Aengus scowled. “Don’t make us come here and get you.”
Put that way, they couldn’t exactly argue. Lindi nodded. “We’ll be there.”
“Good.”
Breakfast was eaten with stories of Will’s childhood interspersed between bites of food. Lindi discovered that he enjoyed his lover’s family after all. They might be a bit unhinged, but they loved Will almost as much as Lindi did. When Will’s brothers and father left with much back-slapping and promises of a holiday visit, Lindi was certain things would be fine. His pet would have the family he missed and be free to go wherever he wanted without fear.
Lindi propped his chin on the heel of his hand and watched his pet move around the kitchen. When Will finished in the cleaning, he climbed up on Lindi’s lap. “They’re all gone. Alone at last.”
“Why is it your
brothers are such big strapping fellows?”
“And I’m not?” Will asked. The smile on his lips took away the sting of his words.
“Yes.”
“We have different mothers. I was from Da’s second wife. Technically, they are my half-brothers.”
“What happened to his first wife?”
“She’s in jail. She’s the one who put the hit out on my mom.”
“Wow! I can see why you wanted to get away from that life.”
“Funny thing is she was always really nice to me.” Will gave a broken laugh. “She even offered to adopt me. She said the sins of the mother shouldn’t be reflected on the child.”
Lindi held Will close. “I’m glad you’re out of that.”
“My family really loves me. I just can’t be with them.” Will shrugged. “Sometimes, love isn’t enough.”
Lindi kissed Will, cupping his face to hold him still as he ravaged Will’s mouth.
“Trust me. Sometimes, love is more than enough.”
Will smiled. “With us, it is.”
Lindi stood. Will immediately wrapped his legs around Lindi’s waist. “Let’s go explore our bonds. Maybe use some ropes to make sure they are really tight.”
“Good idea, Master.”
“Yes, yes, it is,” Lindi agreed.
Will laughed as Lindi carried him off to the playroom.
About the Author
Amber Kell lives in Seattle with her husband, two boys, three cats and one extremely stupid dog. She loves to hear from her fans and has an active blog where free reads and the latest news can be found.
For more information on other books by Amber, visit her official website: AmberKell.com
Also by This Author
Attracting Anthony, Amber Kell Books
Baiting Ben, Amber Kell Books
Courting Calvin, Amber Kell Books
Denying Dare, Amber Kell Books
Enticing Elliott, Amber Kell Books
Finding Farro, Amber Kell Books
Getting Gabe, Amber Kell Books