Page 41 of In the Name of the Father

Seth went to tug his shirt over his head, but Malcolm stayed his hands.

“Let me take care of you, Seth.”

As Malcolm slowly removed his clothing, his touches gentle but assured, his fingers brushing over Seth’s skin in a sensual dance—Seth shivered from the thrill. His softened dick twitched, surprising him by firming up again. In the past, he’d had trouble remaining erect or sometimes being able to come, since every sexual act had been colored by the threat of discovery and punishment.

Once Seth had stepped out of his briefs with Malcolm pausing caress his ankles, he ran his palms up the length of Seth’s legs as he rose. Seth stood naked before Malcolm. His face heated at the appraising look the still-clothed Malcolm gave him as his gaze roamed over Seth’s body.

At last, he met Seth’s eyes. “You’re beautiful. I’m a very lucky man.”

Seth opened his mouth to protest, but then remembered how much it bothered Malcolm when he put himself down. Whatever he could do to please Malcolm from then on was what mattered the most to him. He didn’t want to start off their new journey together by doing one of the very first things Malcolm had ever told him he disliked.

Malcolm’s lips quirked in a smile. “That was nicely done.”

“What was?”

“You didn’t refute the compliment I gave you.” Malcolm leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. “Good boys deserve rewards. I want to give you as many as I can.”

Seth sighed under the caress of Malcolm’s hand on his belly, his fingers questing lower until they ghosted over the velvet of his fully erect cock. Then he cupped Seth’s balls and gave them a firm squeeze. Not enough to hurt, or even be too uncomfortable—Malcolm’s grip was like a declaration that what he held in the palm of his hand washis, that Seth belonged only to him.

“I…I want to be a good boy for you, Malcolm.”

Malcolm’s eyes darkened as they seemed to search his face for an answer to an unspoken question. “You don’t know what you’re saying. Not yet.”

“Then help me understand.”

Malcolm slowly released his hold on Seth’s genitals and a thread of panic surged through him. He was too innocent—perhaps too innocent to be Malcolm’s lover. His breathing accelerated but it wasn’t due to arousal. This insidious feeling was from the fear he could never keep at bay, the certainty that he’d yet again done something wrong. That he’d never get what he wanted, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be allowed to keep it.

“Don’t, Seth. Don’t second guess everything between us. As of now, I’m dedicated to your happiness. I won’t leave you in the dark about my intentions and feelings anymore. If for any reason you need to move on from me to find a new way for yourself, then my only request is that you let me know. But until I met you, the cloud I’d been living under had seemed as if it would never lift. I assumed I was destined to be alone forever. Now, in you, I see a chance for the happiness I thought could never be mine again. Even if this only lasts for a short time, I’ll forever be grateful to have had you in my life.”

Seth’s chest tightened. He’d ask Malcolm for eternity if he could. “But what if thisisthe way I want?”

Malcolm gathered up one of Seth’s hands then laced their fingers together. “You don’t know enough about me yet to say that for certain. I might not be the type of man you’d want to be tied to. And yes, I’ll help you understand what it means to be my good boy.” He placed a quick peck on the end of Seth’s nose. “However, I want us showered and relaxing in bed before we get intothatconversation.”

“Then is it all right if we clean up really quick? I want to talk.”

Malcolm let out a hearty laugh. “All right then. I’ll play with you another time.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“Shush. You’re right, we need to talk. Now let’s take care of that shower.”

Malcolm gave him a light smack on the rear, and Seth was surprised to discover it didn’t bother him. The gesture hadn’t been angry or meant to make him suffer. Instead, it had been…sexy? Maybe Malcolm could help him understand that as well.

They made fast work of rinsing off, with Malcolm insisting that he be the one to soap Seth up then wash the suds away with the shower nozzle. He’d ended up getting hard again from the way Malcolm’s fingers had teased his most intimate areas. At least he now understood one thing: what Malcolm had meant by playing with him. He could see the benefit of spending more time together in the shower.

Seth allowed Malcolm to take complete charge of him. Not only with the cleaning, but also drying him off. The feeling that Malcolm’s care gave him was reminiscent of when he’d washed his hair. Seth hadn’t realized how badly he needed to be treated as if he was special, as if he was worth the trouble of being cherished. He wanted sex with Malcolm—but he ached for his attention even more.

Once again, Seth found himself being led by the hand, only this time, he would get to enter Malcolm’s bedroom. Even though he’d been told it was all right to enter any room in the house if the door was open, Seth had never dared cross the threshold of Malcolm’s room. Despite his curiosity, the few times he’d been at the house on his own when Malcolm had gone to the vineyard or the store, he hadn’t been brave enough to enter Malcolm’s private space.

The light from the hallway cast a soft glow across the charcoal gray carpet, almost reaching the edge of the wood footboard. Seth was struck by how the bed’s design seemed perfect for Malcolm—masculine and sophisticated, the carved square posts of the medium shade wood anchoring the bed at the far end of the room. The rest of the space was in shadow, but Seth could make out the thick, darkly colored comforter and the matching headboard.

Malcolm yanked back the comforter then leaned past him to click on the bedside lamp. The shade was made of a frosted, royal blue glass, and now that he could see better, he realized the bed covering was of a similar hue. Malcolm straightened then grasped Seth’s chin. He placed a firm kiss on his lips then unlaced their fingers.

“Get into bed, sweetheart. I’m going to close up the house and shut off the rest of the lights. I’ll be right back.”

With a shaky nod, Seth did as he was told. He slipped between the cool sheets then laid his head on one of the fluffy down pillows. There were several piled against the headboard, so he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to use more than one or not. Seth stretched out his legs, then brought his knees up again in a fetal position. To finally be sharing a bed with a man who cared about him was something he’d wondered if he could ever have.

The light went out in the hallway and Seth peered over his shoulder as Malcolm re-entered the room.

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