Page 80 of Caged
"But I also need to find a job. I'm just not sure what."
Marshall sat back, hoping he could say the right thing. He didn't want Danny rushing off to work and forcing himself to face the world if he wasn't ready, but he also understood Danny's need to support himself. "When you are ready to work, I'll support your decision, but I want you to know that things are okay how they are right now if you're not ready. I'll help you pay for school or whatever it is you need."
Danny sighed. "It's hard to think about putting myself out there, but I think I'm more scared of Larry finding me than anything. If you really have found him, then maybe I'll feel safer once he's arrested."
Marshall wished he could kill the man and assure Danny that this nightmare was over. "Whatever works for you. I just don't want you to feel rushed to go find a job. I make more than enough to support both of us, and if you're going to be cooking like this all of the time, you're more than earning your keep." He took the last bite of meat from his plate, savoring the flavor. "It's really good."
"Thanks." Danny blushed.
"So, what can we do tonight to keep you from worrying about tomorrow?" Marshall picked up their empty plates and took them to the sink.
When Danny didn't respond, Marshall looked back at him, finding Danny's cheeks red as he stared at the floor.
"What is it?" Marshall asked.
"I thought maybe we could…" Danny bit his lip.
It was easy to guess what Danny wanted. "You want to make out like teenagers until we both lose our minds?" His cock was aching at just the words. He'd missed Danny's touch. Holding each other at night was great, but he longed for more. Longed for things he had to let Danny initiate.
Danny nodded and grinned. "Is that okay?"
Marshall moved from the sink and took Danny's hand in his. He bent, kissing his palm. "It's more than okay. In fact, I think it's perfect. I love watching your reaction to my touch, to my kisses. Even more, I like the look on your face when you forget about everything but us." He drew Danny up from his chair. "Let me lock the doors and we can head to bed."
"This early?"
"I don't plan on sleeping right away." Marshall grinned. His body was already longing for the pleasure he knew they could bring each other. "Go get ready for bed and I'll meet you there."
"I need to put dinner away first." Danny broke away and started putting food away.
Food was the last thing on Marshall's mind, but he liked that Danny wasn't going to let the food sit out all night and go to waste. "How can I help."
"There's not much. I've got this. Go lock up and we'll meet in the bedroom."
Marshall rushed to lock up the house and turn off most of the lights. It was still early and there was a chance they might get back up, but if he had his way, they'd spend the rest of the evening in bed, slowly allowing Danny to learn to trust him when it came to the more intimate side of their relationship.
Danny was pulling his shirt over his head as Marshall walked into the room He glanced up and smiled. "It doesn't make sense that I'm nervous when we sleep beside each other almost every night, but somehow knowing we're going to do more changes things."
Marshall kicked off his shoes before moving across the room so he was standing beside Danny. "We aren't going to do anything you don't want to do, and if we only talk, that is okay too." He reached out, grasped Danny's hips, and pulled him close. "Don't worry about what will happen tonight. Just enjoy being together." He dipped his head so he could brush his lips over Danny's neck.
"I want stuff to happen." Danny arched his neck, giving Marshall more room.
"Me too." Marshall slid his hands to the button on Danny's jeans and slipped it open before slowly lowering the zipper. "First, we're going to get naked and climb into bed. Once there, we'll just see what happens." Since they always wore boxers or sweats to sleep in, being naked would change things up. Holding each other close meant skin against skin. Just the thought had him getting harder.
He tried to keep his arousal from getting too high too fast. The last thing he wanted was to scare Danny. He took a deep breath as he focused on lowering Danny's pants, letting them pool around his feet, then doing the same with his boxers. "You're so beautiful." He ran his hands down Danny's sides. "I just look at you and can't believe how lucky I am that you want to be with me."
Danny blushed and shook his head. "I'm broken."
"You're not broken. You're perfect." He bent and kissed Danny for a moment, then stepped back, pulling his own jeans and underwear off. His erection was impossible to hide, so hoping to take Danny's attention from it, he turned and folded the blankets back on the bed. "Let me hold you."
Danny glanced at Marshall's naked body, then nodded as he climbed into the bed. He scooted to the far side, then relaxed against the pillow. "Will you tell me about your day?"
Marshall slid in beside him, turning to face Danny as he carefully kept an inch of space between them. He rested his hand on Danny's stomach and shook his head. "No, talking about my day would ruin the mood. Tell me about yours." The last thing he wanted was to tell Danny about the videos he'd found or the faces of the children he'd tried to identify.
"There isn't much to tell. I cooked. I spent way too much time online looking at recipes. And I looked at a couple of online courses I might take. Other than that, I talked to Jessica for a bit, and took a nap."
"Sounds like a perfect day." He softly let his fingers travel over Danny's pale skin. "If you want, we can sign you up for one of those classes tomorrow before we go out. I can't tell you how much I love coming home to a hot meal. I spend way more time than I should at work wondering what you're making."
Danny laughed. "I like that I can do that for you. It helps me feel like I'm contributing to this relationship somehow. I don't feel like I'm using you."
