10
Colton finds fruit and cheese as well as an entire shelf of high-calorie shakes in the fridge. Which are disgusting but easy to drink and probably necessary with all the bulk Graham has. He takes the food to Graham, sets it next to the bed, and gets Graham roused enough to drink the shake. Graham does it on autopilot, downing it in three large swallows, and lies back down, reaching absently for Colton.
“I need to shower, babe. I’ll come to bed after. Just wanted to get you something to keep your energy up.”
“Thank you,” he murmurs.
Colton stands, starts to walk away, and hears the covers being thrown back as Graham gets to his feet.
“What are you doing?” he asks and can’t help but admire Graham’s body, the perfect delineation of every muscle. A specimen of male perfection and virility. He’s just sobig.
“Going with you. I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He rubs a hand tiredly over his face.
It’s adorable, almost innocent. Almost.
“Oh really?” he asks, and it takes all his willpower not to go to Graham and press him into the bed and use him up.
Graham comes up close, nestles into him like he might fall asleep where he stands.
“Really.”
“That’s sweet. I’m very happy about that,” Colton says, kissing Graham on the lips for a long moment. He takes Graham’s hand and pulls him along behind him to the shower.
Colton turns on the shower. When he turns back to face Graham, his expression is unreadable. He’s staring at Colton’s chest and then his mouth. He licks his lips, and slowly drags his gaze back up.
His cheeks are pink with what Colton suspects is embarrassment.
“What is this? You’re so shy. I feel like you’re my shy virgin or something,” he says, and while he sort of means it as a joke, Graham looks away.
The words “shy virgin” are hanging between them. It’s giving Colton ideas. Things he’d love to do to this man, things he might gasp or whimper over, protest or need to be coaxed into. Would that be something his designation would respond to? “You must have a lot of opportunities for play.”
Graham frowns. “I don’t put myself in a situation where it will be tested. Not if I can help it. I deal with it on my own and that’s how… well, that’s how it’s been for a long time,” he says with a grimace.
Colton wants to ask what he did before that. What experiences did he have? Did something happen to Graham that made him choose this isolation? But the timing isn’t right. If he’s patient, Graham will tell him.
They get into the shower and Graham picks up the soap, looks to Colton for permission.
“Good boy. Thank you,” he says, and Graham starts to wash him, slowly and thoroughly. Maybe he should let the conversation lapse but he doesn’t want to. There’s a certainfragility to Graham as they stand there that makes him think there’s something Graham isn’t telling him but maybe wants to.
“Where are you?” Colton asks.
There’s pressure against his back, a response to the question. “I’m here,” he says, as if the question is literal.
“What are you thinking about? Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing,” Graham says, but it’s not convincing.
Colton is even more certain that he’s onto something. “I’d like to get to a point of trust where you bring me things that make you unhappy and we solve them together.”
Graham huffs. “Sure. But it’s nothing. Ridiculous.”
“You’re thoughtful and intelligent. The odds of whatever you’re thinking about being ridiculous are very low. Tell me. Please. Because I want to know you.”
Graham wraps his arms around him, sweet and clingy. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to have to look Colton in the face when he answers. “You seem older than you are.”
Colton presses a hand over Graham’s wrist, encouraging the man to keep pressing close. As if he’s a lifeline.
“I hoped I’d be a Dominant. Obviously. Everyone does. And then I found out I had a very high submissive designation and that was even worse. I was told there were things I’d need physically but might hate mentally. And that I’d accept it all in time, find pleasure in all of it.”
