day,” Daniel said. “More or less depending on age and health, but to be honest she could quite easily be catching up. I doubt if she got much rest where she was.” Daniel smoothed his hand over her head.
“She looks settled there.” Daniel crouched down. She didn’t even open her eyes, just sighed again as Daniel scratched under her ear.
Eli glanced up at Daniel, and their eyes clashed.
“I guess she feels safe.” He held his breath.
“That’s important.”
Eli stared into Daniel’s eyes. They both knew Daniel didn’t just mean the dog. Daniel’s hand slid from the dog’s head to Eli’s hand, and gently, as if he were wary of spooking a wild animal, he curled his fingers around Eli’s wrists. Daniel didn’t tug or move; he seemed content just to hold Eli. Was he though? When he found out Eli couldn’t give him more, he would soon let go.
“I might—” He swallowed. “That is, I don’t know—”
Daniel leaned forward and pressed his lips to Eli’s mouth briefly. Too briefly. He swiped his thumb over the moisture on Eli’s lips. “And just so we’re clear, that wasn’t me stopping you saying no. I would never do that.”
Eli huffed out a nervous laugh. “Do I need a safe word, then?”
“You just need to say no.” Daniel smiled. “I never trained as a Dominant.” Eli raised skeptical eyebrows. He didn’t know about any of that stuff, and he wasn’t interested in it, but saying Daniel needed to be trained to be dominant was like saying a fish needed training to be able to swim.
“I don’t think I can,” Eli admitted, cringing.
“Because you don’t want to?”
Eli stilled, then shook his head.
“Because I remind you of—”
“No.” Eli bit out the word. That Daniel thought he saw someone else when he looked at him was wrong. So very wrong.
Daniel seemed to consider things for a minute, then tugged him toward him, until Eli’s back was flush with Daniel’s chest. What?
Daniel wrapped an arm around Eli’s waist and held him. “Is this okay?”
“No.” Eli shook his head. Of course it wasn’t.
“Yeah,” Daniel sighed and rubbed Eli’s shoulder almost automatically. “This is why I’m a crap boyfriend.”
“Huh?” Eli was so confused he didn’t jump up even though Daniel wasn’t stopping him. He’d let go of Eli’s wrist as soon as Eli had said no.
“I love all this, but Alfie said I was stifling.”
“Alfie?” Daniel nodded.
“He was cute and we dated in college. He’s a dancer. Very good as well. Tours all over the country.”
“Stifling?” Eli prodded because he was curious now.
“I was always wanting to feed him, and he said he was on a diet.” Daniel chuckled. “He drank like a fish though. He could have eaten half a bakery if he’d swapped the calories he had in his alcohol.”
Eli fell silent. Daniel was still rubbing his shoulder, and Eli was practically sitting on his knee. And what was worse, he didn’t know why he wasn’t moving. It was embarrassing. It was demeaning.
It was nice.
And Eli hadn’t said no because he didn’t trust Daniel. He’d said no because he didn’t trust himself right that moment.
Daniel’s hand moved up his arm and pressed lightly. It was enough to make Eli lean into him some more. “My mom seems to have adopted you. Sorry about that. If she gets too in your face, tell me.”
Eli bit back a smile. If that wasn’t the pot calling the kettle black, he didn’t know what was. Then he stilled as a memory of small yellow flowers flickered through him. That was one of his mom’s sayings.
“You haven’t said how the therapy went.” Eli sighed. Daniel couldn’t leave anything alone. “I know it’s private,” he continued. “I just wondered if he helped, not ask for details.”
“We talked about you.”
Daniel chuckled. “Because your new partner is an ass?”
No. Eli had defended him, but then Dr. Rakeem had set him up. “He—”
“I’m not asking,” Daniel assured him and kissed the top of his head. Dazed, Eli realized he was leaning against Daniel’s shoulder. He raised his head to look at Daniel at the same time as Daniel lowered his, and their lips brushed once more.
Eli let out a breath. Daniel was warm. His hand ran up and down Eli’s arm. “Are you okay there, or am I being inappropriate?”
Eli flushed and tried to ignore the tingling in his groin. He faked a yawn to cover it.
Daniel’s eyes crinkled. “I’m that interesting, huh?”
“Sorry.”
“I’m happy you’re relaxed,” Daniel responded evenly.
Eli was more than relaxed, but he felt his pulse