Page 15 of The Sinner's Son

“No. There’s nothing for you to eat inside the refrigerator. It’s gross human food.” Sharp teeth grazed the back of his calf in warning. Royce could give Bones a tiny sliver of meat or end up with a bloody stump. “Fine. But don’t tell on me.”

Yip. Yip. Yip.

“That goes for you too,” Royce told Dolly. He tore off the tiniest pieces he could get away with and fed them to his demanding animals, who immediately ran into the living room with their treasures. “And you better disguise the smell of pricey deli meats on your breath with kibble,” he called after them before eating another piece of prosciutto. “Damn, that’s good.”

Royce tucked the bottles of beer and sparkling water in the crook of his elbow before grabbing the mini charcuterie board from the refrigerator. He closed the door and smiled at the grainy black-and-white image held in place with a pink magneticpicture frame. They said they wouldn’t put Lil Plum’s portrait on the refrigerator until after they made their big announcement, but they’d changed their minds after they returned home from the open house. Alec Bishop hadn’t just crashed the event; the smarmy bastard had left an oil slick of dread in his wake that no amount of Dawn dish soap could clean. Sawyer had looked like a whipped dog after a private conversation with Mendoza, and Royce had wanted to put a smile on his face. They’d had to settle for a magnetic chip clip as Lil Plum’s first accessory on Wednesday evening, but Royce had found a prettier frame at a baby boutique store the next day at lunch.

And the trick had seemed to work. He and Sawyer had kept to their routine of working hard and loving harder for the rest of the week, avoiding any conversation that could’ve led to Alec Fuckface Bishop. They’d spent most of their free time talking about their dreams and what their lives would look like in a year. Though Sawyer had tried to hide it, Royce noted a subtle shift in his husband’s demeanor as the weekend progressed.

He’d woken to an empty bed on Sunday morning, something that only happened if one of them was out of town. Instead of sleeping in and making lazy love with Royce, Sawyer had gotten up early to take care of their pets and work out. Royce had found him covered in sweat and trembling from head to toe from his effort in their home gym. And yeah, he’d led Sawyer back to their bathroom and lathered him with soap and adoration, but he still hadn’t relaxed.

By Sunday evening, Sawyer’s handsome face was tight with tension, and Royce felt powerless to help. The solution was obvious to him, but he didn’t want to argue with Sawyer about backing out of the arrangement with Alec. Royce was certain their legal team could point to multiple instances where Alec had already violated their contract, but Sawyer wouldn’t want to hearit. His sexy, stubborn man was determined to fix the problems and honor his obligations.

Royce slid the patio door shut and made his way to the massive outdoor canopy bed he’d purchased for Sawyer’s birthday. The head of the frame tilted up at a few different angles or lay flat, and they’d taken full advantage of every option, as well as the easy-clean mattress fabric. The bed came with sheer, white curtains that billowed beautifully in the breeze, but Royce had secured them to the bedposts after they’d gotten tangled up in them more than once. He’d placed several battery-powered lanterns on the patio around the bed and strung fairy lights along the top rail to ramp up the romance. The effort had been worth it, especially since Sawyer seemed relaxed for the first time all day. Halfway to his destination, Royce stopped dead in his tracks to admire the most stunning vista he’d ever seen.

The sky was an ombré wash of blues as dusky twilight surrendered to nightfall, making the perfect backdrop for the warm glow emanating from the bed and the gloriously naked man stretched on top of it. Damn, Karma must really love him. Sawyer reclined there like a god, one arm tucked under his head, waiting to be fanned and fed grapes. Every inch of his golden skin was perfect, even the burn scars on his chest he hated. Sawyer’s free hand lazily trailed over his lower abdomen, drawing attention to his semi-erection. It took all the effort Royce possessed to keep from dropping the snacks and drinks or falling into the pool as he navigated a path back to Sawyer.

“Weren’t you wearing swim shorts when I left?” They were the tiniest and tightest piece of fabric Royce had ever seen, so “shorts” was a stretch in the same way the material strained to contain his husband’s cock and balls.

Sawyer’s mouth curved into a smirk, and he opened one eye. “Do you want me to put them back on? I tossed them over there somewhere.” He pointed to a shadowy corner of the patio.

“Get serious.” Royce set the drinks and snacks on the mattress next to Sawyer. He shoved his swim trunks down his legs and tossed them into the castoff corner. “I much prefer to feed you naked.”

Sawyer opened both eyes and smiled. “You prefer to do everything naked.”

“Only with you.”

“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble to cheer me up,” Sawyer said. But the gesture had already smoothed some of his rougher edges. “A fancy salmon dinner followed by a relaxing swim, and now this.” Sawyer plucked a Kalamata olive off the plate. He brought it to his mouth and turned eating the fruit into an art of seduction by sucking the juice from the pit opening before pushing it between his puckered lips. “Mmmm. So good. Perfect amount of salty.”

Royce plucked a red grape from the pile and held it to Sawyer’s lips. “This should be the right amount of sweet.”

Sawyer smirked and said, “Just like you.” He bit into the fruit, and juice dribbled onto his lip, inviting Royce to lean forward and lick it off. Passion flared in Sawyer’s dark gaze as he fed the other half of the grape to Royce. “Come down here.”

Royce shook his head and moved to the foot of the bed. “Not yet. Eat your snack and let me take care of you.”

“You’ve been doing that all day. Let me pamper you.”

Sitting on the edge of the mattress, Royce reached for the foot nearest to him. He dug two thumbs into the arch and smiled when Sawyer’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he dropped the chunk of sharp cheddar cheese back onto the tray. Royce increased the pressure and circled his thumbs. “I’m taking care of you first.”

Sawyer closed his eyes and practically melted into the mattress. “I want to object, but…”

“You won’t.” Royce lifted the leg and pressed a kiss to his ankle. “You’ll let me do whatever I want because I always know what you need.”

“Mmmm.”

“Let me hear you say it.”

Sawyer’s lashes fluttered with the effort it took to open his heavy eyelids even halfway. “You always know what I need, because the only thing I need is you.” His eyes drifted shut once more when Royce worked his thumbs toward the ball of his foot.

“You better eat your snack,” Royce said. “It’s going to take me a long time to work my way up to your cock. You’ll need the sustenance for the blow job I’m about to give you.”

Sawyer forced his eyes open and reached for a handful of dates and nuts. “In that—oh, my god—case.” He trembled and watched Royce with wide-eyed wonder. “Wow. That felt like a mini orgasm. What did you push?”

Royce shrugged. “Don’t know, but I feel like I need to tattoo anXon here to mark the spot.” He shifted his left thumb over to join the right and pressed deeper. “Is this good?” Sawyer sucked in a sharp breath, and his dick jerked. “Wonder if I could make you come just from this?”

“Yes.” The word came out as a needy whimper that went straight to Royce’s groin. “It certainly feels like you could,” Sawyer said. “And I just might let you.”

“Let me?” Royce cocked his head to the side and studied the smug expression on his husband’s face. “Baby, where’s the fun in that?” He shifted his massaging thumbs lower and earned a delicious pout.