Page 47 of Doc

“English muffin, duh. And coffee, lots of coffee. With cream and sugar. There’s powdered creamer next to the sugar that I like. But Kail likes liquid creamer, so there’s some of that too in the fridge if you prefer.”

“I prefer tea, actually.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Gross. James has tea. I have no idea what kind because that’s not my thing, but there’s a tea box in the cabinet above the coffee maker.”

Soren goes about getting breakfast ready, or a really late lunch since it’s after two in the afternoon now. The way he moves about the kitchen is…captivating. He’s not afraid to ask where things are, or about my preferences, and maybe that’s not such a big deal, but it’s the confidence in which he does so that gets me going. There’s not a pause in his step as he goes about getting our food ready, even when he needs to ask for help.

James comes into the kitchen and wraps his arms around me, kissing my neck and making me squirm as his lips inadvertently brush over the mark Soren left there.

“Could have been a little more conservative with your claiming, Soren,” James says.

Soren doesn’t miss a beat as he plates the food. “Why would I do that? It’s more fun this way, knowing that everyone who sees him will understand he’s owned by someone else.”

I jolt in my seat, lust shooting through me and my cock perks up at his words. Which is ridiculous because normally that type of bullshit is the fastest way to get kicked out of my bed, not invited into it. But everything is different with Soren… My Daddy.

“Should I be worried then?” James asks, though his tone is more amused than anything, and he’s still hugging me from behind.

Soren smiles and slides my plate over to me before grabbing my mug and refilling it. “No,” he answers. “I know the score. Doc is mine, but I’m not about to get into the middle of what he has with you, it’s not my business. So long as you don’t hurt him, you and I won’t have a problem; we want the same thing.”

“We do,” James says, and I know him well enough to hear the approval in his tone, it’s also there in the way he squeezes me.

“Ashby,” I say, not allowing myself to think about it too hard. “My first name is Ashby,” I tell Soren, voice low. “I… Please don’t call me that unless you absolutely have to.” Picking up my fork, I break up my eggs, watching the yolk ooze out from the whites. “Only James and Cristian know my full name. Well, Tennant too, but he likes to pretend he doesn’t like me so I don’t count him.” And most likely Hollis, but he’s discreet enough to not say anything.

“Hey.” Fingers cup my chin and I raise my gaze to meet Soren’s. “Thank you for trusting me. I promise, I won’t abuse this gift you’re giving me, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, Daddy.”

He smiles. “You’re welcome, boy. Now, eat. I have to leave soon so I can change before I take over from Rose.”

Breaking off a piece of English muffin, I scoop some egg up and force myself to eat, even though all I want to do is look at Soren for the rest of the day. He’s right, though, he can’t go into work wearing my too-big clothes, despite how good I think he looks in them.

James lets go of me, pressing one last kiss to my temple as he moves around the kitchen island. He knows exactly what it cost me to tell Soren my name, but I don’t regret it. If we’re going to do this, he deserves honesty from me. I might not be ready to tell him everything yet, but this small piece of me isn’t as hard to give up as I feared it’d be.

Finding another person to trust has always seemed like a fantasy, but…maybe I was wrong.

“My first name is Ashby.”Doc’s words play on a loop as I head home. The amount of trust he imparted with… It makes my insides do funny things.

I hope neither Doc nor James could tell how hard my heart was pounding at Doc’s confession. I didn’t expect him to tell me his name, especially not after the boundaries conversation we had not too long ago.

The fact he told me shows he’s serious about giving us a try, and that’s all I could have asked for.

At my condo,I head straight for my bedroom to change out of Doc’s clothes, though I mourn the loss of his too baggy shirt and sweats.

My size has been off-putting to many boys. They want a Daddy who’s bigger and stronger than them, one who can carry them around on their whim, a safe place for them to land. And I get it, I do, butfuck, working with patients and being on my feet all day has given me strength and stamina.

Not only that, as Doc proved many times over the last week while we were monitoring De Luca together, and after our first scene, just because I’m not built like a burly bear, it doesn’t mean my lap isn’t made for cuddling.

I rather like being small and cute. The dichotomy of looking like a bratty twink and actually being a loving yet strict Daddy is a fun game to play, one that gets my blood heated and makes for intense scenes when I am able to find a partner willing to give it a try.

I hear the front door open and shut as I’m packing a bag—just in case there’s another impromptu sleepover. “I’m about to leave!” I call out to whoever decided to just waltz in. Not that my not being here is a deterrent to the pains in my ass.

Shouldering my bag, I walk into the empty living room before continuing on to the kitchen. Vonny looks up from where he’s unloading groceries.

I roll my eyes and sign, “I can do my own shopping, thanks.”

“Yet the state of your fridge…” he replies.

“I’ve been busy.”

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