Page 13 of Just a Little in Love

He didn’t like anything about Mother’s.

“Are you a vegetarian?”

Rowan blinked. “What?” He thought Master Gabriel had said something else as well, but as usual, he was spacing out.

Master Gabriel glanced back as he was heading to the kitchen. “Food allergies?”

“No, Sir. No,” Rowan mumbled.

Gabriel grabbed a pan and poured a little olive oil into it before putting it on to heat.

“Can I help, Sir?” Rowan offered. He could cook the basics.

Master Gabriel looked over at him again. “Yes. You can take your jacket off, grab a seat, and call me Gabe.” He smiled. “Only my friends get to call me Gabe.”

His friends?

Rowan’s heart went pitter-patter with excitement. He carefully returned to the doorway where he’d left his shoes and solemnly hung his jacket on the peg, then came back and took a seat at the table.

“I’m only renting,” Master—no, Gabe, explained. “But there’s an extended development going in at the back I’ve been looking at. Three beds, one story. Plenty of yard space. If my plans work out I’ll be home more, and I’m thinking about getting a dog.”

“You are?” Rowan always wanted a pet. Anything, but of course—

“Yep, my sister’s best friend has a German Shepherd. He’s her service dog, but he’s a big softy as well. You got any pets?”

Rowan shook his head and watched in awe as Gabe folded his first omelet after stuffing it full of different veggies. Then he slipped it onto a plate and popped it in the oven.

“What would you like to drink?”

“I—” Rowan could feel his face heating.

Gabe reached into the fridge and pulled out two water bottles. He unscrewed one and set it down in front of Rowan. “Coffee? Tea? I have orange juice. Milk?” He glanced over at Rowan. “Chocolate milk?”

Rowan desperately wanted to ask for chocolate milk. He hadn’t had that…well, in forever.

“I’m not sure if I made it properly,” Gabe mused and opened the fridge again. “You’ll have to tell me what you think.”

“You made some?” Rowan blurted out.

“I might have overheard Charlie raving about it one time, and you looked like you were agreeing with him.” Then Rowan stared in utter shock as Gabe brought out a Toy Story cup with a straw and a lid, poured some milk in, and snapped the lid on. “And I know you like Toy Story.”

He put the cup down in front of Rowan. Rowan took one look and bolted for the bathroom before he made an utter fool of himself and did something really stupid, like crying. Rowan stood with his hands pressed to his mouth and his back to the door. He shook. It was like he couldn’t catch his breath.

“Rowan, are you okay?”

Rowan might have whimpered, but silently. His heart was going a million miles an hour. He had to move his hands so he could gasp in a breath. Not now. Not now. Rowan knew what a panic attack felt like. He had to breathe.

“Rowan?” Master—no Gabe, call him Gabe, was using his Dom voice. The one that made Rowan weak at the knees. Good thing he was sitting down. Wait? He was sitting down? How did that happen?

“Rowan, open the door.”

That was an order. Rowan shuffled forward. It wasn’t locked. Then the door opened, and Master came in. Nope, he couldn’t call him Gabe. But he couldn’t breathe either.

“Okay Rowan, this is what we’re going to do.” Master’s voice came through a fog. “You’re going to get up and sit on the chair because leaning forward there is pretty impossible.” Except Rowan couldn’t get his legs to work, and then it seemed he didn’t have to because without any effort, Master had him up and sitting on the chair in the corner. “Now lean forward and just take some breaths. In, count to three. Out, count to three. Good boy. Well done. And again.” And somewhere in between being so shocked Master was able to get him off the floor without, well, a crane, and being called a good boy which seemed to warm Rowan all the way to his toes, Rowan did exactly what Master told him, and in a moment he could breathe.

So, he wasn’t going to suffocate, merely die of embarrassment.

Master chuckled. “Nah, you’re not allowed to die before breakfast.”

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