Page 41 of Sir Avery's Wish
“Soooo much better.”
Avery chuckled. “Excellent.” He rose, offering his hand to Eli, then pulling him up.
“Sir? Another question.”
“Go ahead.”
Eli tilted his head. “Are we going to have the same kind of relationship Ryan and Ty have with Master Zane?”
“Every relationship is different, sweetheart.”
Eli nodded. “I know that. What I mean is how Ryan and Ty are always submissive to Master Zane. Like, they’re Dom and sub all the time.”
“Oh, I see.” Avery smiled. “It depends on what you want out of our relationship. If you’re only interested in being my sub in the bedroom, we’ll make that clear in our agreement.”
Eli shifted from one foot to the next. “I kind of get the feeling you’re more of an all the time Dom. Wouldn’t a bedroom-only situation be something you’d regret eventually?”
Avery dragged his fingers through his hair. “Honestly? Ten years ago, maybe. Twenty years, definitely. Now? I’ve not only been without a sub for years, but I want to share my life with you way more than I want a full-time sub.”
Avery’s breath caught, and Eli’s jaw went slack. Clearly, Eli hadn’t expected him to declare such strong feelings, but Avery was equally surprised. At the same time, he knew his words were true. Eli was the man he’d always hoped to find. Even without a formal arrangement, they naturally fell into a balanced power dynamic together. If Eli announced he didn’t want everything written down in an official contract, Avery would be fine with his decision.
“Wow.” Eli licked his lips. “That’s… I don’t know what to say.”
Avery took both of Eli’s hands in his. “It’s the truth.”
Eli nodded. “But if I want to be full-time like Ryan and Ty, that’s still okay, too?”
Laughter poured from Avery like a dam bursting. He pulled Eli into his arms, wondering what he’d done to deserve such an incredible man. All the lonely years had been worth it to arrive at this moment.
“More than okay, my sweet, perfect boy.”
Avery rocked Eli in his arms, then couldn’t resist kissing him over and over. His plan of them not taking a shower together went flying out the window as their clinch grew more heated. Avery lifted Eli up, carrying him into the bathroom.
After all, there was always tomorrow.
Chapter Eleven
Eli stretched and yawned on the long, leather sofa in Avery’s den, his feet propped up on a dusky brown, well-used leather ottoman. He loved the buttery soft texture of the leather and the cool pattern stitched on top. Avery told him it was called a mandala, and that he’d purchased the footrest in Eastern Europe almost two decades ago.
As Eli scanned the contract for the third time—after reading through the document defining the terms and activities for the second time—he was done.
Yup. Totally done.He tapped the pencil against his chin.Maybe done.
Despite Avery’s reassurance that a contract could be renegotiated at any time, he couldn’t stop worrying about whether he was making the right choices. What if he discovered he wasn’t cut out for this after all? What if he disappointed Avery? The pencil stilled against his lip as that familiar knot of anxiety twisted in his stomach.
The grandfather clock in the corner chimed softly, marking another quarter hour of his indecision. Avery had left him alone to review everything at his own pace, disappearing into his study to handle some hotel business. The gesture felt considerate, but it also meant he was trapped alone with his thoughts—never a particularly safe place to be.
He shifted on the sofa, the leather creaking softly beneath him. The sound reminded him of how foreign all of this still felt. Did he belong in such elegant surroundings? Then there were the carefully negotiated terms, a successful, handsome man who wanted him in a way he’d never thought possible, being in a new city…A new life.
Back in LA, the most serious decision he’d faced was which classes to drop at community college. Now he was contemplating signing a document that would reshape the entire structure of his days.
The pencil slipped from his fingers and clattered to the hardwood floor. As he bent to retrieve it, his eyes landed on a framed photograph on the side table. A much younger Avery was posed with an equally younger Zane at what looked like the opening of a restaurant or hotel, both of them in expensive suits with champagne glasses raised. The easy confidence in Avery’s smile made Eli’s stomach tighten. How did someone become so sure about everything? So comfortable in their own skin?
Eli retrieved the pencil, then set the contract aside, rubbing his palms against his jeans. The denim felt rough compared to the smooth leather beneath him. His shoulders slumped. Maybe that was part of the problem. He’d spent his whole life in rough denim when maybe he was meant for something softer, more refined. Or maybe he was simply fooling himself, playing dress-up in someone else’s world.
He closed his eyes, then inhaled a deep breath through his nose, held it for a few seconds, then slowly exhaled. Even though the day before had been more about them spending time together in bed, or engaging in long conversations about their past and their hopes for the future, the discussion occasionally veered to other topics.
Eli grunted. Primarily, his anxiety over pretty much everything. On the surface, he was capable of keeping up appearances, could hold a job and hang out with friends, and have a good time. Even Lenny didn’t know the whole story when it came to Eli’s never-ending fears.
