by Delmire Hart
“How do you have so much stamina? And wouldn’t doing it in a bathtub be really awkward?” William smirked at him as he manoeuvred them into the bathroom. He gently sat Daniel on the edge of the bathtub before turning the taps on. He shifted uncomfortably, his throbbing ass making itself known.
“I have a rather large tub so it won’t be a problem but I’ll give you your demonstration soon.”
Daniel tried to stand but his legs wouldn’t take his weight and he sighed. Taps running and bath slowly filling, William reached over and unbuckled the leather harness, fingers ghosting over the sensitive skin as he did so. He was sure he would not be able to walk properly for a few days but at least William wasn’t angry anymore and they had kind of come to an understanding. They still had a fair way to go, but it was a start at least and he was happy with that.
Chapter Fifteen: Observation
Daniel stared into the fridge. Of course it was empty, William didn’t exactly strike him as the cooking type. Well, it wasn’t entirely empty but alcohol did not count as food contrary to what William seemed to think. He shut the fridge and opened the freezer underneath to find a few different sizes of ice cubes and nothing else. Daniel sighed. He wanted to make something for dinner as a small gesture of thanks for staying with William for the last three days. Not that his soulmate minded, of course.
He had been quite keen to make full use of having Daniel around and it had left him feeling drained enough that he had spent the times William wasn’t home either sleeping or lazing around on the couch with the TV remote in hand. While he enjoyed eating takeout over the last few days, he was craving a home cooked meal and he was sure William would appreciate it as well. With another small sigh, he swung the freezer door shut and went in search of his phone.
Finding it on the couch, Daniel scrolled through his contacts and paused over his soulmate's name. He was sure he had entered it as ‘William’ but it was staring out at him as ‘Will’. William himself must have changed it when Daniel was passed out after their rigorous activities. William had taken him a little too seriously on the idea of having him at the penthouse as a sex toy for the week. Daniel flushed and pulled himself back to the present.
Damn the man, just looking at his name had Daniel’s mind wandering and his heart beating faster. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and hit call. He found himself nervous while his listened to the ringtone and scowled at the wall. Would he ever get used to this?
“Hello, kitten.”
The deep, rumbling purr sent shivers down his spine. Daniel was certain his voice affected him even more now. How that was even possible? He was still trying to get his brain into gear enough to reply when William spoke again sounding far too smug, bastard probably heard his breath catch when he answered.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”
“So do you just live on alcohol or something?” he asked irritably.
“Not at all.”
“Then why is there nothing else in your fridge?”
“Ah, would you like me to order you something?” William replied, clearly amused.
“I was going to cook but you don’t have any ingredients. I looked in the cupboards and you have all these fancy pots and pans and appliances and yet you don’t even have salt and pepper or spices or anything. Do you live on takeout then?”
“I often have meals with business partners at various restaurants around city, so I eat well.”
Daniel made a non-committal sound at the back of his throat before asking, “How are you not fat?”
A deep chuckle met his words. “I work out of course, surely it’s obvious?”
Daniel flushed. That’s true, there was no way he got that body from doing nothing. Those were some seriously droolworthy muscles. He could now vividly picture them glistening with sweat and rippling and flexing… He coughed, trying to cover his zone out and he swore he could hear William’s smirk.
“I don’t know how the hell you get that much time. Anyway, food. I want to cook but I really don’t have the energy to walk to the supermarket.”
“I’ll message Ueda, he can drive you. I left a card for you on the bedside table, it’s a second credit card for my account for you to use.”
“I can pay for some groceries, I don’t need you to pay for everything, bastard.”
“Considering that you will have to get everything as there is nothing in my cupboards, use it at least this once.” Daniel grumbled but agreed. “Keep the card, if you ever need anything, use it.”
“I don’t-!”
“Daniel,” William cut him off with a warning tone. “You don’t have to use it, just keep hold of it in case of emergencies. I’ll message you the pin number. Be good, kitten, I have to go for a meeting.”
The line disconnected before he had a chance to say goodbye and he huffed. Rude. Going in search of the card, Daniel found a shiny black and silver card much like the one he had seen William flash around before, except this one had his name on it not William’s. He sighed and decided that it would just be this once he would use it. May as well get all the condiments and spices he would need in the future, as Daniel could only assume this wouldn’t be the last time he would stay over and cook.
This time he would have Ueda to help carry everything and a car to drag it all back so he may as well stock up on the stuff that doesn’t go off. Determined, Daniel pocketed the card and his phone, located his keys and slipped his shoes on. Ueda popped his head around the door while he was still tying up his shoes and then they were out the door.
Mission go.
***
The mission had been a success. Of course, they had to go to an expensive, high class supermarket, William’s orders, who else? He had initially been embarrassed walking into such a snobby place with his favourite torn jeans and a t-shirt pulled from the collection that had been given a home in William’s ridiculously large wardrobe, but the sneers directed at him had subdued quickly once Ueda’s looming presence was spotted. While the prices continuously made Daniel wince, he had to admit he was impressed with the choices available.
He wandered up every single aisle, determined to not forget anything, only to be stopped in his tracks by the incredible variety of fancy and imported sweets. He ogled the shelves for a while before nabbing a couple packs of his favourite sweets; he wasn’t about to go overboard but William could spare a few dollars for treats. He spent some time picking out the various condiments required as well as ones that might be needed in future. Ueda’s help proved a boon as they ended up with far too much for him to have carried on his own.
It still rubbed him the wrong way to be followed around like this but after the close call a few days ago he would grudgingly let it slide for now. Ueda turned out to know a few things about cooking and was a useful and interesting shopping companion, which soothed Daniel’s ruffled feathers. Although he pointedly ignored the other shadow following them around the store at a more discreet distance.
Ueda seemed to find it funny how Daniel still automatically looked for the best prices on things and hesitated if something wasn’t quite considered necessary even though this would be charged to William’s card and not his own.
“What's so funny?” Daniel grumbled to Ueda, who was still giving him a teasing smile.
“The way you shop just says a lot about your personality,” Ueda replied lightly as he accepted the next item Daniel chose.
“It’s not my money. Anyway, I don’t want to be wasteful regardless of who’s paying,” he argued but the guard only gave him a wider grin.
Baffled, he continued with his shopping, too distracted to notice the odd looks he was still getting from other shoppers.
The only near incident was once they hit the checkout, when the girl at the register looked down her nose at him and her lip curled up at his ripped jeans and plain t-shirt. The woman standing in line behind him wearing far too much makeup was also looking at him like he was dirt and Daniel flushed in embarrassment. Ueda lo
oked like he was about to say something and he shook his head, stopping him. It really wasn’t worth it. He was just happy that they were nearly done.
The girl serving him opened her mouth to say something when Daniel grumbled about the total price but her jaw snapped shut and her eyes widened when he handed over the card. He blinked as her whole countenance changed and suddenly he was ‘Mr Miller’. The switch to being so polite felt almost uncomfortable compared to her sneer only a moment ago, followed by ‘thank you for shopping with us’ and ‘please enjoy your day’. The woman in line behind him eyed him up with something that looked a little like jealousy and greed and Daniel was incredibly relieved when they could exit the store.
Back at the penthouse, Daniel was excited to get started. He had always found cooking to be both soothing and rewarding. His mother taught him to cook early on and he often helped with the meals when he visited. He always found that it gave him the opportunity to think things through while he prepared it or just lose himself into music if he put some on while he cooked. Even better was at the end of it all you had a tasty dish to dig into and hopefully leftovers for later.
What he was particularly enthused about, however, were all the shiny looking kitchen appliances that had never been used. He didn’t have to worry about his dodgy old knives or running out of space on the bench. Daniel grinned as he spread out and set to chopping the first of his vegetables for dinner.
He could get really used to this. The last few days were a glimpse at what living with William would be like. Although he hadn’t had work in the last few days while William’s men tried to sort out the threat against him, it couldn’t be that far off. Presumably there would be a little less sex, although Daniel wasn’t entirely sure on the point, and he would cook more often, maybe clean a bit, seeing as he couldn’t afford to pay any rent.
He found himself blushing as he realised he was pretty much playing housewife at this point. He stopped chopping, setting the knife down, and brought his hands up to bury his face in them. His cheeks were burning. He was cooking the bastard dinner after lazing around the penthouse for the day as he was worn out by rigorous nightly activities. He really needed to get back to his own apartment and back to work.
Daniel had to admit, to himself at least, that he had enjoyed the last few days. William had come home early each night and they had spent a bit of time together watching a movie or a TV show before inevitably ending up in the secret room for more ‘exploration’ as William called it. Daniel had thought William would be quick to familiarize him with all the different toys and implements in the room but instead he had only introduced him to a few. However, he was now intimately acquainted with all the different things that each of those could be used for.
William had taken great pleasure in showing him and seeing his reactions. What Daniel had been most surprised about was just how much William could do with his person alone. His hands in particular could leave him begging desperately for more; pulling, pinching, caressing his skin knowingly and dragging him down into incoherency. He had asked William last night how he always seemed to know how to push his buttons, how he had known right from their first night together. His breath caught in his throat as he remembered his soulmate's answer.
“How do you know?”
“How do I know what?” William smirked and leaned down so that their noses were almost touching while he pinned him in place on the bed.
“You-” Daniel’s breath stuttered and he tried to force the words out before the sheer presence of William pressing down onto his body overwhelmed him completely. “You al-always seemed to know. Right f-from the start.” He cursed his inability to think properly in this situation. “How can you make me lose myself so…so completely each and every time?”
The golden eyes boring into his darkened at his words and the smirk turned sinister, causing a little shiver to ripple through Daniel’s body.
“Ah. Well it just so happens that our tastes seem to match in a very delicious way but mainly through observation.” William brought his hand up to trace his finger lightly down his neck. “It is my specialty after all. And I must confess, nothing quite compares to watching my little kitten get wrecked so completely.”
The words caused heat to flash through him but William continued and he couldn’t wrench his gaze away from that all-consuming stare.
“I watch you, Daniel, and I listen and I take note of all the little things that give you away.”
The finger tracing down his neck reached his collarbone and suddenly the nail scratched across his skin, just hard enough to sting slightly and Daniel jerked involuntarily.
“What does it mean when you moan? What makes you cry out in bliss? What do the tears in the corner of your eyes say?”
William gave him a positively feral grin before moving down so that his lips were tracing the outline of his ear.
“You have different sounds for different things that you feel.”
Daniel couldn’t help the small moan tumbling from his lips as the man purred directly into his ear. His voice alone should classify as a sin, surely only some sort of demon should sound so good that Daniel felt like he could come untouched from that alone.
“A gasping moan caused by sudden pleasure that threatens to take your breath away, little trembling mewls stemming from a long, slow buildup and you are just starting to lose yourself. The deep groan from when you like something but it will not drown you into incoherency. When you start to beg, a constant stream of pleas stuttered out as though you aren’t sure what you are asking for but right at that moment it’s just not quite enough. The silent scream when you cum so hard that your entire body convulses.”
William moved his hand to trail over a perky nipple, caressing it before pinching sharply causing Daniel’s body to jerk once more. “The way your body moves tells a complementary story. The way your muscles flex and strain beneath your skin as you try to contain your pleasure. When your entire body jerks in pain that melts into bliss, how your fingers scrabble in desperation against the sheets trying to anchor you to the here and now. How they dig into my skin as though in silent entreaty for more.”
William moved again so he was looking into his wide eyes, their lips barely brushing together, Daniel’s whole body tense and breaths coming in pants.
“When your head falls back, jaw slack, and you are gone, lost to everything that I give you. Lost in the pain and pleasure and gone beyond the point of thought, only able to feel.”
The hand still toyed with his nipple and Daniel wondered if he would actually come like this, he could feel the tell-tale mix of heat and pressure coiling deep in his belly.
“And all that kitten, is only after a few nights. I very much look forward to pulling you apart over and over again, wrecking you beyond all hope of reason and seeing what other observations I can make.”
William nipped at his bottom lip, biting and pulling at it with the perfect amount of pressure while his fingers deftly tweaked at his abused nipple and Daniel was groaning into his soulmate's mouth as he spiralled over the edge practically untouched.
He came back to awareness slowly. Turns out the bastard could make him come with his silky-as-sin voice alone. Daniel groaned as he realised he was standing in the middle of the kitchen, desperately hard and wanting. That memory would be burned into his mind for a long time and he now knew to be careful what he asked as William was not one to hold back. He cursed the man before focusing back on the chopping board in front of him. The bastard would probably make fun of him for playing housewife after so adamantly refusing to move in with him but it would be worth it for the tasty meal and maybe, just maybe, for William’s appreciation for his trouble.
Chapter Sixteen: Memories
Soft light streamed through the curtains, bathing the room in a warm but muted glow. There was barely enough light to pierce the darkness of night, it must still be early. William took a deep breath in and could faintly smell Daniel’s shampoo, a clean scent with the hint of ap
ples. He reflexively tightened his grip around his lover’s waist, pulling him closer against his chest. Daniel shifted in his sleep before snuggling closer still.
It had been a week since Daniel came to stay in the penthouse with him after Barrett’s exposure and subsequent arrest. For all William’s power and influence it had proven surprisingly difficult to stop more threats against photographer. A more effective choice would have been to out Daniel as William’s soulmate, but that had its own dangers. So far, few people had caught on to that knowledge and while it would be useful for the short term, it would potentially put Daniel in greater danger from far more resourceful sources.
It would eventually become common knowledge in the underworld that William Hunt finally had a weakness. Still, hopefully they could delay it enough that Team Miller, as they were referring to themselves, would function as a cohesive unit by the time anyone made a move against his lover.
He reached up to run his hand gently through the blond locks tickling his chin. He didn’t deserve Daniel, not by any means, but he’d be damned if he let anything happen to his feisty little soulmate. How many weeks had it been? It had been a constant struggle to keep his head above water with the whirlwind of new emotions and experiences. He rarely showed his emotions in his expressions but Daniel constantly threatened to strip him of that ability. He had laughed more, talked more, and felt more in these few weeks than in the last ten years. He felt it even more acutely with Daniel staying the week. Coming home to a warm greeting and a home cooked meal for the last few nights spoiled him. Every time that bright smile and shy ‘welcome home’ greeted him a strange squeezing sensation took over his chest.
Daniel turned out to be a surprisingly good cook although Naomi had mentioned it when they visited as the driving force behind getting them to live together. He set the thought aside at the time and didn’t think too much on it even when Daniel first stayed over but after this week William was desperately fumbling for excuses to get his lover to stay. He couldn’t even pinpoint what about having him around was so great. His soulmate playing housewife was certainly endearing but it was more than that. More even than the considerable amount of extra bedroom time they got.
