Page 95 of Xerxes Ascendant
“Mmm,” Kyle agreed, grinning. But Akira wasn’t dying on his watch. He had far too many delicious ways to torment him first. “Shall we?”
His boyfriend blew out a short, unsteady exhale, the cause of his unsteadiness shifting rapidly from lust to visible nerves. “Yes.”
And Kyle marvelled at the transformation before him: Akira’s chin lifted, his posture filled with confidence, and his expression settled into the calm, assured demeanour Kyle recognised from work. He swept from the room, deftly buttoning his shirt cuffs one-handed, and led Kyle through an extravagantly adorned house that even without its luxurious furnishings would have blown his mind by its size alone.
So this was how the other half lived. Wide hallways and soft carpets, marble countertops in the kitchen and glimpses of rooms whose purpose eluded Kyle. One seemed to only hold an armchair, a book resting on the plump cushion. An entire room for reading? He’d known Akira was rich – he was one of the eight members of the exclusive and profitable Coterie and had forked out two million credits just to save Kyle – but there was seeing his Master in expensive suits each night, and then there wasthis. If this was Kyle’s home, he’d never leave it, but he knew Akira spent most of his time at House Epsilon or with clients.
Working himself to the bone so that his family could live here, in comfort. Stars, his man was something else.
Akira led them into what he called the living room. Another room whose purpose seemed to be only forsitting, although there was a large viewscreen on one of the walls, with a port for hooking up a runepad.
Kyle shrivelled at the memory of asking his lover to stay the night at his shitty little apartment down on Level E. Cockroaches underfoot and cats even more so, an empty fridge, and a shower you practically had to stand in the toilet to use.
“You must have thought I was trying to give you fleas,” he mumbled, and realising the other man wouldn’t have a clue what he was talking about, made to dismiss the comment.
“Kyle,” Akira soothed, turning to face him and folding his hands around his. Akira’s face was lit with joyful affection. “I would take that one night over a thousand in that lonely bed back there. Because it was withyou.”
Kyle struggled to breathe. How did this man, who found it so difficult to connect with and understand other people, get Kyle soperfectly?
“So I’m a better lay than my hoodie?” he joked, making Akira snort.
“As I recall, you had me caged that night. At least this-” He tugged on Kyle’s sleeve “-let me stick my dick in it.”
It was Kyle’s turn to wheeze out a laugh. “You’re terrible.”
Akira gave him a sly wink. “That’s your influence, sweetheart.”
“Dad!You’re home!”
There was a thunder of feet and then a blur of colour threw itself at Akira. He was forced to pull his hands free to steady himself but Kyle forgave the intrusion immediately, for his man’s usually stern countenance was captivated with delight.
“Robby,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around the girl hugging him and squeezing her back just as tightly.
“Dad, I-”
With her head pressed to her father’s chest, the girl’s eyes opened and landed on Kyle. They were soft chocolate brown, just like Akira’s, although her features were less pronounced and her lips fuller. Teenage acne spotted her forehead.
“Oh!”
Robby looked surprised, like she hadn’t noticed Kyle standing there in the Miyasakis’ living room until that moment, and as much as he understood how Akira’s mere presence could take up every scrap of attention to the exclusion of all else, Kyle didn’t know how to respond.
This was Akira’sdaughter. And he was the boyfriend of the man married to her mother. He shouldn’t be here.
He cleared his throat, turning away to put her more at ease. “Maybe I should go-”
Robby promptly let go of Akira and flung her arms around him instead.
“You must be Kyle! Hi!”
There was incredible strength in those skinny arms, because Kyle felt the breath leave his body with the hug. But he didn’t care. It drew his tension out along with it, leeching all the fear and doubt and guilt through this short little lightening rod that was latched onto him.
“Roberta,” Akira sharply admonished.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, drawing back. Her hands came together and fidgeted. “I should have asked first.”
Stars bless him, Akira was lecturing her on consent.
“It’s fine,” assured Kyle. He didn’t want her to look so crestfallen on his account. “I like hugs.”
