Page 66 of Tender
When Milesor Cosimo needed something directly from him, life was easy. But when it settled into a routine, Emmett started to feel a little…sideways. He wasn’t unhappy by any means, but that was when the doubt crept in.
Did they actually need him? Was he allowed to want what he wanted all the time? Miles had settled in over the last week like he had always been there, and while Emmett was beyond happy with it, he was struggling.
Miles had said he’d move into the main house, but he hadn’t given an indication that this was what he wanted for good. Emmett was scared to get attached—scared to let himself have this fully if it was going to be ripped away from him the moment Miles’s friend got back into town and offered him a place to stay.
So he pulled back. Not a lot, but a little. He kept the Daddy dynamic for the bedroom only—and only on nights when it was obvious that Miles needed something. Cosimo was also a bit more needy than usual, but Emmett chalked that up to him missing out on his long week of being able to let go.
Now that Emmett had given him a few nights, he was starting to ask for it less and less.
That, he was used to. But with Miles there?
“You okay?”
Emmett jumped and turned around. Miles was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed, shoes in his hand. “Yes. You look nice.”
Miles swallowed thickly. “Yeah? I mean, I know doctors don’t usually care what you look like, but?—”
“What doctor?” Emmett blurted before he remembered he was meant to be taking Miles to the audiologist. Cosimo had used his connections to get Miles an appointment. They’d gotten his records and everything, so all they had to do was fit him and order the devices.
But Emmett had been so caught up in his own head all week, he’d forgotten.
“The…” Miles gestured to his processor. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I thought you were—but of course I can call a cab or…there’s a bus, right?”
Emmett shot to his feet and walked over, taking Miles by the face. He cradled him gently and met his gaze. “Stop. My head has been kind of messy this morning. Of course, I’m taking you.” He leaned in and took a kiss, letting it linger until some of the tension drained from Miles’s body. “Every now and then I can get forgetful. Thank you for reminding me.”
Miles offered a smile that didn’t look like his usual one. “I know this is a lot. It’s a lot of money, and time, and?—”
“No,” Emmett said sternly as he dropped his hands to Miles’s shoulder. “This is not a lot. You are not a lot. You are just right.”
“Like baby bear,” he muttered.
Emmett blinked, then burst into laughter and yanked Miles in again for another kiss. “Yes. My perfect little baby bear.”
“Please don’t start calling me that,” Miles muttered.
Emmett chuckled harder but nodded. “Alright. That’s not very sexy anyway.” Stepping back, he checked his phone andsighed. There wasn’t enough time to play with him the way he wanted to. “Let me throw something besides pajamas on, and then we can head out.”
“Okay.”
Emmett still felt that gap between them, and he wasn’t having it. He lifted a brow at Miles. “Okay? Is that how you answer me?”
Miles’s cheeks reddened, and he licked his lips. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good boy,” Emmett praised.
Miles’s shoulders straightened a little as he backed up, then seemed to change his mind and walked in, dropping his shoes at his side. “Can I help you get dressed?”
That was…new. And different. And fuck, Emmett liked the thought of it. “Absolutely. Why don’t you go into my closet and pick out what shirt you’d like me to wear today.”
Miles nodded and walked over to the door, pulling it open. “Oh my god, it’s huge.”
Emmett laughed. “Yeah. Cosimo had one request when we bought this house, and it was to make sure we could fit a small apartment in his closet. Everything on the left and back walls are his.”
Looking over his shoulder, Miles rolled his eyes. “He’s such a princess.”
“Yes.” Emmett grabbed a pair of jeans out of his dresser, then stalked over and cupped his hand around Miles’s crotch. Oh. Yes. He was hard. He rubbed his heel along Miles’s length. “You like the idea of Cosimo being our princess.”
Sucking in a breath, Miles let it out with a groan and nodded. “Yeah. Yes.”
