to fade a little too. One day, hopefully soon, Quinn wanted them to disappear forever. He wanted to belong to Master with a passion he never thought possible. He was good and kind, and Quinn felt safe with him in a way he hadn’t ever felt before.
“Do you believe me?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Good.” He rolled over and got back into the chair. “Let’s go finish our breakfast, if it’s not too cold.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. I like cold pancakes.”
Master reached out and ran a hand over Quinn’s head. “Such a silly boy.” There was a grin on his face, so Quinn could only assume it was said with affection.
They ate until all the plates on the table were empty. Quinn had to stop himself from licking the syrup off his, because since Dani had given him a blueberry muffin, he’d discovered how much he liked sweet things.
“You’ve got a little bit of syrup on… here, let me.”
Master reached out and brushed his thumb over the side of Quinn’s mouth. It was an oddly intimate gesture, with the gentle touch Quinn had come to know.
“Master?”
“Mhm.”
“Why won’t you allow me to pleasure you?”
Master sighed and turned his chair around. “Come on, we need to shower and get ready. We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
“Master?” For a moment, Quinn wondered if he’d said the wrong thing. Then he realized, maybe Master’s body didn’t work, and he was upset at the reminder. “Did I make you angry?”
“No, you didn’t. And for the record, that part of my body works fine. It’s time I told you something, and I need you to hear me, okay?”
“Yes, Master.”
Master’s shoulders rose and fell. “I know what Ryker did to you, and how you were treated. That’s not a healthy relationship—that’s abuse. If I was to have sex with you, that would be like me continuing the cycle, and I won’t do that because you’re not a sex slave.”
“But I obey you in all things. If you wanted me to pleasure you, I—”
“Have you ever had sex because you wanted it?” He spun the chair around and leveled a sharp stare at Quinn. “Have you ever been with a lover who touched you and whispered sweet words to you? Has anyone ever held you after you’ve made love? Have you ever gazed into the eyes of someone as the two of you become one? To see the light that shines in those eyes and know that it’s meant for you?”
“But what I want isn’t—”
Master growled. “If you say what you want isn’t important, I’m going to be very disappointed. For months I’ve been telling you what you want is important, especially to me. I take care of what belongs to me, and that includes making sure you’re cared for. That means your physical and emotional well-being are my responsibility. I won’t have you thinking you’re worth less than anyone else, because you’re not.”
“But I’m a slave.” Ryker had made that very clear. “And it’s my duty to serve my master.”
With a groan, Master threw his head back. “I’m not sure how to get through to you. I’ve tried, and you’re not hearing what I’m saying. Maybe what we need is to table this discussion and go see the sights. What do you think?”
“Whatever you want, Master.”
He shook his head. “Quinn, what do you want to do?”
Quinn wished he could make Master understand. He had been a slave since he was a boy, and he didn’t know any other way. Pleasing your master helped avoid a beating—sometimes—and occasionally allowed you food. What a slave wanted didn’t matter, only what a Master demanded did.
“I don’t know, Master.”
That brought a smile to Master’s face. “See? That’s better than ‘what you want.’ We’re here together, so what you want is just as important to me as what I want. How about we take a look at the book on the table? It includes some of the attractions we could go see.”
“Of course.”
Quinn started toward the desk, but Master stopped him.
“I’ll get it.” He wheeled toward the desk. “I haven’t been fair to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been allowing you to do things that I’m perfectly capable of doing myself. Starting now, that stops.”
What did that mean? “I don’t understand.”
“I’ll make my own breakfast, or I’ll eat whatever Dani serves. I can carry my own bags. And I won’t need you to push me around the city.”
“But then what will I do?”
“You’ll enjoy yourself. You’ll look at things through the eyes of someone who