Chapter 26
When Mike woke the next morning, the first thing he noticed was the absence of the tension that had made him feel like human piano wire. He stretched between the sheets, his shoulders aching slightly from having his arms restrained over his head last night. The ache felt good, and he stretched again to feel it once more. As he sighed and sat up, the man who’d given him both the peace and the aches came into the room, carrying two mugs of coffee. Steam rose above the rims, the scent wafting over to tease Mike’s nose.
“You are a god among men to bring me coffee. Give me a second.” He threw the covers back, striding quickly across the room to the bathroom to take care of his morning routine.
When he returned, Aiden sat toward the foot of the bed, one foot drawn up beneath him, the other braced on the floor. Mike sat down at the head of the bed, next to the nightstand where the other mug had been placed. He picked it up, breathing in the scent of the brew before he took his first sip. It was hot, slightly sweet. Heaven on his tongue. “That’s good,” he said after he swallowed.
Aiden smiled at him over the rim of his mug.
“You look much better this morning.”
Mike returned his lover’s smile, happy to sit there and drink his coffee while he admired how soft and ethereal Aiden appeared sitting in a ray of sunshine. His dark hair was loose around his shoulders, and he wore an oversized gray sweatshirt and black leggings. Even without using his powers, Aiden seemed to glow. “I definitely feel better,” he finally answered.
“Do you want to talk about last night?” Aiden asked.
Mike thought about it. Although he felt immeasurably better after his scene with Aiden last night, taking the time to work out what was bothering him with someone who wanted to listen would help as well.
“Work is difficult,” he began. “And I don’t mean the job is difficult because it’s not. It’s difficult because I’m always restless there. Struggling to focus, chafing to leave. I know a big part of it is adjusting to civilian life after so long in the Army. But telling myself that hasn’t done much good to help me settle down.”
“You never seem happy when you talk about work.”
“That’s life, right?” Mike asked with a resigned shrug. “Is anyone really happy with where they work?”
Aiden took a long drink of his coffee before answering. “Other than my wrecked feet, yeah I like what I do and I’m happy with my job.”
“You’re lucky then.”
“Luck is a part of it.” Aiden acknowledged. “But I had to try out several clubs before I found the one where I’m most comfortable. Maybe that place isn’t for you and you should quit.”
Mike straightened his spine in disbelief at Aiden casually tossing out that he should quit. “I can’t just quit my job. My bills don’t care if I’m restless at work.”
“Hmmm...”
“What?
Aiden met his gaze directly as he spoke.
“You could move in with me. Then you wouldn’t have any housing related bills to worry about. And I can take over anything else that still needs to be paid.”
Mike sat there in stunned silence at Aiden’s offer. He had to shake himself in order to give a response. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not? It’s not like I’m hurting for money. As long as you don’t eat too many Hot Pockets, I should be able to cover your keep.”
“But you shouldn’t have to. It’s not your responsibility to take care of me financially.”
“Doms take care of their subs, don’t they? This is another way of doing it.”
That answer startled a laugh out of Mike. Aiden taking care of him sexually or even emotionally wasn’t nearly on the same level of being supported as if he were a 1950’s house wife. “It’s not quite the same,” he said aloud.
Aiden lowered his mug, balancing it on his knee. “You want to tell me why it’s not?” he asked with his jaw taking on a stubborn tilt.
Mike sensed he was on shaky ground. He tried to more clearly explain what he meant. “It’s one thing to submit sexually or to accept comfort from a lover. You know how much I enjoy that. But I can’t let you take over my life like I’m a child.”
“I see. It’s cool for me to Dom you and take care of you in the bedroom but anything outside of that is ridiculous.”
“I’m a grown capable man. How would it look if I’m sitting at home all day while you’re out earning a living for us?”
“Who gives a fuck how it looks?” Aiden snapped. “It’s our life and we can do whatever we want.” Aiden closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “When I asked you if you were happy with your submission and what we were building you said yes.”
