Page 56 of Reforging Onyx

Right?

Onyx twitched with impatience, but he leaned up to brush his lips lightly against Dominic’s.

Dominic caught Onyx by the hips when he went for a brief kiss, holding him in place for a notably firmer and longer kiss before letting him go. “I’ll be back in a few hours." He locked the rec room door, then turned away to head back to his office.

Onyx breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as Dominic left him alone, then he turned to face the room. There was so much he could do, but there was so much he didn’t have to do, too. He could relax without being touched.

He turned on the TV and gaming console, then he went to the couch, curling up in the corner with the controller. His eyes closed almost immediately; he was tired from the night before, and the knowledge that he could sleep untouched was enough to lull him into a short nap.

When he woke up, he yawned and stretched, fully relaxed as he launched into a session of gaming without paying any attention to the cameras or thinking about what Dominic might be doing.

Onyx was more content than he’d been since before… before. It had been nice having Shane to play with, but the way things kept going wrong with the wolf, well, it was safer to be alone. And he didn’t have to worry about someone in his personal space.

It was almost like it belonged to him.

The door opening alerted him to Dominic’s presence, though the witch didn’t venture past the doorway.

It was strange; he hadn’t the last time, either. It was almost like he was giving Onyx just one place that he could call his beyond the crate.

He sat up straight, pausing his game. “How were your meetings?” he asked, eyeing Dominic as he tried to get a read on his mood.

“Good,” Dominic said. “Productive,” he added with a smile. “How was your alone time?”

Onyx was still wary despite Dominic’s smile. “Good,” he replied cautiously. “I napped and played games. Let me just save this one and I’ll be done.” He felt so much more relaxed after having just a few hours on his own. What would it be like to have that free time every day? Not that he thought he’d get it, especially with lessons on the horizon, but it would be nice.

He saved and quit the game, turning it and the TV off.

Dominic held out his hand, then when Onyx got close, he used the touch to draw Onyx in close and into his arms as he wrapped his arms around him. He pressed his face into Onyx’s hair with a satisfied hum.

Of course Dominic was already all over him again. Did he understand how suffocating he was? It only seemed to get worse, not better. Shouldn’t Dominic have realized by then that Onyx wasn’t going anywhere? That he couldn’t go anywhere? He squirmed in Dominic’s arms, but he didn’t try to pull away. He had a feeling Dominic wouldn’t take that well right then.

“I’m hungry,” he said instead, trying to devise a reason for them to separate instead of simply saying he wanted to put space between them.

Dominic chuckled, the sound low and throaty before purring into Onyx’s ear, “So am I.”

Onyx fought very hard to stay still when Dominic spoke, not wanting to give him any ideas. It wasn’t that his body wouldn’t have liked that kind of release; the murmured words in his ear had had his cock starting to take notice despite himself. But he didn’t want to encourage this sort of clinginess.

“Steak for dinner? Or something else?” Dominic leaned down to give Onyx a light kiss before finally releasing him from his arms.

“Steak,” Onyx agreed, ignoring the previous words. “With potatoes. And corn.” He took a small step away into the hallway, but Dominic was right there with him, settling a hand on the back of his neck.

“You need your hair trimmed,” Dominic observed again.

Onyx didn’t try to pull away from Dominic, even though he fidgeted. “You sure I’m not going to try to stab someone with scissors?” he asked dryly.

Like Dominic.

He’d very much like to stab Dominic with a pair of scissors, much like the games with the Fates he always talked about severing his life’s thread. Or whatever it was.

Dominic laughed. “I think I can manage to dissuade such an attempt. Though if you wanted to stab someone, I’m sure we could find someone who deserves it far more than a poor hairdresser.” He gave the back of Onyx’s neck a light squeeze before dropping his hand.

“Can’t imagine where I’d find someone who deserves stabbing in this house,” Onyx replied, voice still deadpan as he headed in the direction of Dominic’s room.

Dominic laughed again. “I’m sure you have a few suggestions,” he noted with a grin. “Or maybe just one, hm?”

“Only one that matters,” Onyx replied with a shrug. Dominic did deserve to be stabbed. After everything, he was lucky Onyx hadn’t decided to go back on his word. If he could catch Dominic off guard…

But no. He’d promised not to. It wouldn’t be worth the cost if he failed. Things weren’t great, but maybe he was a little lucky these days, when he wasn’t being suffocated.