Chapter Sixteen
Nick
By the time Andrew stirred, Rory had kissed Nick good morning, then slid out of bed. He ruffled his fingers through Nick’s hair and told him to stay in bed with Andrew while he worked in his studio. Being an obscenely early hour, Nick gladly went back to sleep with Andrew curled into his side, his arm slung around Nick’s middle, and his deep, even breaths washing over his skin.
Andrew climbing back into bed roused Nick. Nick smiled, not yet willing to open his eyes as Andrew burrowed back under the covers and snuggled into Nick’s side.
“Good morning.” Nick’s voice was thick with sleep, his brain still stuck halfway between being asleep and fully awake. He wrapped his arms around Andrew and cracked an eye open before he kissed him on the forehead. “How do you feel?”
Andrew sighed, and if possible, snuggled closer. “Good.”
“Not sore?”
He shook his head, then his hand pressed against Nick’s stomach and slid slowly across. “You were perfect. You both were.” Andrew’s hand trailed closer to Nick’s morning erection but stopped shy of touching it. Before Nick could entertain any of the ideas that flashed through his mind, Andrew pulled his hand away. “Let’s go for a run.”
Nick pulled him closer and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Didn’t burn enough calories last night?”
Nick’s joke was rewarded with a playful huff and bright smile as Andrew pulled away and climbed out of bed. “Where’s Rory?”
Nick reluctantly left the comfort of his bed and went to the dresser. He pulled out a couple pairs of shorts and tossed one to Andrew. “He’s locked down in his studio. He’ll be there for hours.”
“He designs his own jewelry, right?”
Nick nodded and pulled his shorts up. “He’s brilliant at it. I’m going to use the bathroom real quick, then we can grab a bite and hit the road.”
Andrew nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll be in the kitchen.” He seemed to hesitate for a second before he turned and left the room. He appeared to be skittish and Nick hadn’t seen him act like that in weeks. Nick quickly freshened up, drained his bladder, and met Andrew in the kitchen. He wouldn’t press yet, he knew that Andrew needed a few miles under his belt before Nick would be able to get him to open up. He needed that time to churn everything around in his head some more before he’d be ready to talk.
He started to worry that he’d pushed Andrew too far, that last night proved to be too much for him and that he was gearing up for the, it’s-not-going-to-work, conversation. Then, after a silent and slightly tense breakfast of fruit and toast, Andrew grabbed Nick’s hand. When he smiled at Nick, he looked mostly relaxed and not at all like anyone who was about to end a relationship.
Nick smiled back. “Come on.” Nick tugged him toward the door.
“Any idea where to go from here?”
“Yeah, I run here all the time.”
“We’ve been running in the park for months.”
“Yeah, well, there’s this guy, and he likes running in the park and watching the ducks in the pond. And sometimes, when we’re done, we stop at a little cafe and get a drink and talk some more.”
Andrew laughed quietly and slipped his running shoes on. “You spoil me.”
Nick opened the front door and stepped outside. “I spoil myself,” he said. “It’s no hardship to drive a few minutes to meet you for a run, or to go to your gym and stare at your ass while you climb the wall. I like spending time with you.”
Andrew blushed, it was a look Nick would never tire of seeing on his face. “Lead the way,” he said, motioning to their surroundings.
Rory lived in a quiet suburb on the edge of town, surrounded by trees and nature trails. The trails were good for hiking, but too uneven for running. Nick led Andrew down his usual, looping route. Rory might love the trees and the birds and the Zen of nature, but Nick preferred people. He liked the routine of seeing the same houses, the same people, the same streets. The suburb Rory had purchased his house in was the perfect balance of city life meeting nature. And it was only a fifteen-minute commute to his jewelry store.
Nick waited until they’d ran over half his route before he broached the subject. “What did you think of last night?” He glanced at Andrew from the corner of his eye.
A smile flashed across Andrew’s face. “It was good.”
“Only good?” Nick balked. “I was fan-fucking-tastic.”
Andrew didn’t break stride as he spoke. “Okay, so maybe it was more than good. I’ve never experienced anything like it. You were so caring and sweet and I was nervous as hell and Rory,” Andrew’s steps slowed as his words trailed off.
Nick stopped and turned to look at him. “Tell me. I want to know.” He reached for Andrew’s hand and entwined their fingers. Anticipation made his skin tight, but he smiled at Andrew and tugged him along, walking now, instead of running.
“He’s... unexpected.”
Nick chuckled. “I know exactly what you mean. The first time I saw him, it was at a private party. I wasn’t with anyone then, and everyone knew I was shopping for a Dom. I’d heard about Rory. His reputation preceded him and I was eager to meet him. I’d built him up in my head to be this massive, larger-than-life person, and when he walked into the room and everyone stilled and stared and whispered, I thought, here it is, the moment I’ve always been waiting for.”
Nick took a breath and let the memory sharpen in his mind. “He was so not what I’d expected to see. I thought he’d be this huge, guy. In my head he was built like Thor, tall, dark, muscular. And then this guy with blue hair marches into a room wearing black jeans, and nothing else. His hair was blue and slicked back and I stood there and stared at him because he owned the room. His presence was larger than life. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.”
“And you lived happily ever after?”
Nick scoffed. “Hell no. He called me out for my breach of protocol, subs are not supposed to gawk openly at Doms. It wasn’t until I dropped to my knees and begged for him to forgive me that he paid any sort of positive attention to me.”
“What happened next?”
“Oh god. I was mortified at my behavior, of ogling a Dom so openly. I went to him and knelt and kissed his feet and then I waited to see if he was going to forgive me. I was humiliated, kneeling there in front of everyone, being ignored, and my fucking cock gets in on the act and is hard as a rock. Finally, after, I don’t know how long, fifteen minutes, he tells me to look at him. So I look at him and he looks at me and his eyebrow twitches and he says, good boy, in that fucking buttery voice of his and I was a goner.”
“And you like that? Knowing you’re good?”
Nick didn’t laugh, but he did grin at Andrew. “Sure. Don’t you?” To test the theory, Nick stopped and tugged Andrew closer. He drew Andrew’s body close to his. He leaned in until they were almost kissing, then spoke. “Kiss me, Andrew.”
For a couple of terrifying seconds, Nick worried that Andrew might not kiss him. Then, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Nick’s in a demure, non-hungry way that had him wishing they were alone in the woods so he could command Andrew to sink to his knees so he could whip out his cock and command that Andrew do the same to it. Nick filed that breath-stealing fantasy away.
“Good boy, Andrew. That was a lovely kiss, thank you.” Andrew blinked at him with wide eyes and Nick smiled softly. “Did you like hearing that you were good, that I liked it when you did what you were told?”
Andrew swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbed and then he nodded. “Yeah.” His voice was unexpectedly husky. He cleared his throat, his cheeks seemed to be hued by a permanent blush lately. “I don’t understand why, though.”
“Why what? Why you like praise? It’s human nature, Andrew. Praise makes people feel accepted and appreciated. It’s nice to know that we can please the people we care about. It makes us feel good, and there’s nothing wrong with feeling good.” Andrew nodded, and they continued walking back toward Rory’s house. An idea struck Nick. “I have some books at my place that you might be interested in reading. They’re about submission and sexuality. I could bring them over for you.”
“Or we could go and get them. I’d like to see where you live.”
Nick nodded and instead of retreating back into Rory’s house and showering off after their aborted run, they climbed into Nick’s truck and headed to his condo in a different part of town.
Nick pulled up outside of his building, a six-story complex that held twelve units. He used his key and opened the security door, then grabbed the mail from his overstuffed mailbox before taking Andrew up to his third-floor unit.
Nick walked in and flipped on a light. He tossed his mail down on the counter and kicked his shoes off. “The books are in my bedroom. I’ll grab them for you. Did you want something to drink?”
Andrew shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. When Nick had retrieved the books and returned, Andrew still hadn’t moved. There was a strange expression on his face as he glanced around Nick’s condo.
“Your plant is dead.”
Nick peeked around the corner into the living room and saw the dead plant. He frowned and collected the pot, noting that the soil was so dry that it had pulled away from the edge of the planter. “Shit.” Nick dropped the dead plant into the sink and handed the books to Andrew.
“Do you even live here?”
Nick chuckled. “It’s my condo. I have a key.”
“And a full mailbox and a dead plant. When was the last time you were there?”
Nick grinned at Andrew, despite the fact that his insides screamed danger. He truthfully couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent any amount of time here. He stopped in now and then to grab something, like he’d done today, but the visits were short. “Obviously not much considering I killed poor Rupert.” He motioned to the dead plant.
Andrew looked at the covers of the books, then tucked them under his arm. “I think you should talk to Rory,” he said, lifting his gaze to Nick’s. His expression was a strange mixture of pained amusement.
“Why?”
“I think he deserves to know that you moved in together.”
Nick laughed and shook his head. “I guess it does sort of look that way, doesn’t it?” his phone chimed with a text message from Rory. “Speak of the devil.” He tucked his phone away and motioned toward the door. “Our presence has been requested for lunch.”
He tried not to let his mind wander to Andrew’s revelation, but he couldn’t help it. When was the last time he’d spent the night in his own bed? When was the last time he’d grocery shopped and brought the food into his own kitchen? When was the last time Rory came over to his place? He couldn’t think back far enough to provide an answer to any of those questions.
By the time they arrived back at Rory’s house, his mind whirred and twisted and hummed. How long had he been living with Rory without realizing it? They spent almost all their time together until Andrew came into the picture. Then, when Nick wasn’t at work, he split his time between the men.
Nick followed Andrew into the kitchen; his love for food was something that Nick found particularly endearing and he cracked a smile when Andrew walked over to Rory and greeted him with a kiss.
“It smells delicious.” Andrew said as he hovered over the pot to breathe in the aroma. “What is it?”
Rory started to answer, but then he looked at Nick and he stopped talking. “Nicky, what is it?”
Nick went to Rory because Rory crooked his finger and gave him a look. Rory looked at him for a moment, then tilted his head. “What is it?” He repeated. Nick knew Rory would want to know what troubled him, but he couldn’t address that yet. If he was honest, he didn’t want to address it at all. If he mentioned it, if he made Rory aware of something that he’d been blind to, a perceived level of commitment that Rory hadn’t invited, Rory could reject him.
Nick took a shaky breath. “I need you, Roar.” He wanted to sink to his knees, he wanted Rory to take him away from everything until the world softened and things made sense again.
Rory slid his fingers through Nick’s hair. “It’s okay, Nicky.”
Nick closed his eyes and basked in the comfort offered by those three words.
“What do you need, Nicky?” Rory asked.
Sometimes Nick needed to be tied up and flogged. Sometimes he needed to be teased and tortured, edged into insanity, then sent into beautiful oblivion when Rory finally allowed him to come. “You,” Nick replied. “I need you.” He knew that no matter what Rory did, it wouldn’t matter as much as the fact that it was Rory doing it.
“Go to the playroom. Strip. Kneel. Wait. I’ll get Andrew settled and be right up.” Rory kissed Nick briefly, but hard, owning his mouth, and him. Nick started to move away from Rory when Andrew spoke.
“Can I watch?”