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

was going to make this work, we needed to get to know each other.
     
     
    Jarod
     
    THE LASAGNE had been quite tasty, and I’d surprised myself at how hungry I was.
    “We’re going to have an early night.” Eli moved the tray away from the bed. I heard the sound of water and the dishes clinking. Then he appeared in the bedroom once more. “Pants off, pet. You can sleep in your underwear.”
    I removed my sweatpants and handed them to him. Eli folded them neatly and placed them over the foot of the bed. Then he held back the covers while I got under them. The sheets were soft against my skin.
    Eli stripped off his shirt and jeans, leaving only a tight T-shirt stretched across his chest and a pair of boxers. I watched in silence, wondering what was coming. Eli lay down on the bed and turned off the lamp, plunging the room into semidarkness.
    Eli was going to stay?
    His voice crept out of the blackness. “Wake me if you need something. Do not try to do it on your own. In the morning you’ll stay in bed until I wake. I don’t want you leaving this bed without my permission. Understood?”
    I knew he couldn’t see my smile in the darkness, but I hoped he could hear the gratitude in my strained reply. “Yes, Sir.”
     
     
    “COME TO me, Jarod. I miss you so much. I want you to be with me always.”
    Oh, that voice. It resonated through me, causing my heart to beat faster. I could see him in the distance, beckoning me. I ran to him, wanting nothing more than to be in his embrace. He kept drifting farther away, calling my name. I ran faster, desperate to catch up to him.
    He smiled, and then Master Phillip was on fire, reaching for me, trying to take me with him. I longed to go to him. So hard. Life was so hard without him to guide me. I reached for him and his hands gripped me, pulling me into his body. I burned along with him, flames crackling across my skin. I was screaming, howling in pain. His voice drifted over the agony.
    “Jarod. Jarod, wake up. You’ve got to wake up now.”
    A slap stung my cheek. I jolted out of sleep to find Eli grasping my shoulder, shaking me harshly. My breathing was ragged, nothing more than a series of gasps. The room was lit by a bedside lamp.
    “Jarod, focus on me. Look only at me. Come back now.”
    I dragged air into my lungs, my chest heaving. “I’m okay,” I assured him. “I’m sorry if I woke you.” Already Master Phillip’s voice was fading in my head, leaving me aching.
    He quirked a brow. “Me? I’d be bloody surprised if you hadn’t woken up half the neighborhood. I’ve never heard anything like that before.”
    My face burned in shame. “I’m very sorry, Sir.” I sat up and made as if to get out of bed.
    “Oh no you don’t. You’re going to stay there and tell me what that was all about.”
    I hugged my knees to my chest. The nightmare was vivid, horribly so. How could I explain to a man I barely knew how empty my life was without my Master in it? While Eli offered a glimmer of light, Master Phillip had been the sun. He consumed everything around him, making it part of himself. I was never as comfortable and safe as I was during those times he held me.
    “I-I don’t want to cause you any problems. I don’t have nightmares very often, but when I do, they’re always intense.”
    Eli eased me down onto the bed, stroking my hair. It seemed silly that someone half my age would be the one comforting me after a bad dream, but still I pressed into his hand. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, an oddly intimate gesture.
    “Sleep, pet. The morning will be better. You need rest, and we can talk about it tomorrow.” He glanced at the clock next to the lamp and let out a wry chuckle. “Later today, I should say.” He gazed at me. “Would you like me to leave the light on?”
    The heat in my cheeks assured me I was blushing, but I nodded my consent. Here I was, fifty years old, and sleeping with a night-light. Yet Eli’s smile and the kindness in his