Dom of Ages by K.C. Wells & Parker Williams

satisfaction and went downstairs.
    My skills in the kitchen weren’t the equivalent of Jarod’s, but I did all right. I made him a toasted cheese sandwich and heated some soup for him, then put everything on a tray and returned to the bedroom. Jarod was sleeping soundly, but he had medications to take and that required food. I stared at him, my chest tight, my stomach churning. This was my fault. I had failed him miserably.
    I placed the tray on the bedside table and cupped Jarod’s cheek. “Hey, pet. Open your eyes for me, please.”
    A small whimper escaped him before he opened his eyes. “Sorry, Sir. I should have waited.”
    I tut-tutted. “Nonsense. You need sleep, but you also need to take your pills. As soon as you have those, you’ll be able to get some rest. We need to talk, though. Can we do that while I feed you?”
    Jarod flushed and nodded. I dipped the spoon into the steaming soup and fed it to him.
    He licked his lips. “That’s very good.”
    I snorted. “Any fool can heat up a can of soup. You could probably make it from scratch and it would taste ten times as good.” I fed him another mouthful.
    His cheeks pinked. I was halfway to his mouth with another spoonful when he stopped me, his hand on my arm. “What is my punishment to be?” he asked, his voice breaking. And my heart broke to see that guarded expression.
    “You didn’t take care of my belongings, did you?” I asked carefully.
    He shook his head. “No” came the strained reply.
    “Well, I didn’t either,” I admitted.
    A look of shock crossed his face for a moment, then was gone.
    I sighed. “My job is to see to your needs. When I saw you in the club the first time, I made assumptions that because you were trained and older, you’d fit into my life without me needing to do anything. That was a mistake I intend to rectify. You don’t know what I need and if I’m honest, I have little idea what you’re looking for. I should have reacted quicker on our last visit to the club, and for that I’m sincerely sorry.”
    Except for our breathing, there wasn’t a sound in the room.
     
     
    Jarod
     
    MY CHEST felt tight. No punishment, only apologies. Eli continued to surprise me. He carried on feeding me slowly, wiping my chin if a bit of soup went over it.
    I couldn’t just lie there. “I’ll take care of the dishes when I’m done, Sir.”
    He caressed my forehead and smiled at me. “I take care of what belongs to me and so should you. By staying in bed and getting well, you are doing your job to the best of your abilities.”
    The ice that gripped my heart melted, and I felt warmth rush through me. Eli fed me the last bit of sandwich, wiped my mouth and whispered to me, “Sleep now. I’ll make you some dinner later, and then you can get some more rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”
    I nodded groggily. The medications had finally kicked in, and I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes open. “I can’t… sleep all day,” I protested, the sentence ending in a yawn.
    Eli chuckled. “Well, right now, you can’t stay awake, so I think I’ll ignore that last part. Besides, sleep is the best thing for you, both for your body and your mind.” He stroked my face once more. “So go to sleep, pet.”
    He wasn’t even out the door before I was asleep again.
    When I awoke, it was already evening. I yawned and sat up, stretching my arms. To my surprise, Eli was sitting on the chair by the bed, a book open in his hands. He smiled.
    “You look better for that.”
    I felt better. I was still fatigued, but nothing like the bone-tired I’d been earlier. “How long have you been there?”
    “All afternoon.” Eli marked his place in the book and placed it on the bedside cabinet. He gazed down at me, his eyes sparkling. “And you get to sample my cooking for the second time today.” His lips twitched.
    I pushed back the covers. “I can make us some dinner,” I said, swinging my legs out of the bed. Eli stopped me with a