Caged Sanctuary (14 page)

By the time the server set down their gulab jamun, Kade felt better about his relationship with Deacon and was in awe that he had Jake back as a friend.

“God, I love this stuff,” Jake murmured as he scooped another bit of the little sweet dumpling in honeyed rosewater syrup.

Kade licked a little of the sticky-sweet liquid from the corner of his mouth and sighed. “Mmhmm.”

He thanked the server when she set down the check, handing over his card before Jake could.

“Hey, I invited you out.” Jake pouted, which only made Kade grin more.

The longer he spent with Jake, the more he hated how long they’d been apart. “You can get it next time,” he countered. “Though, what would you think of next time inviting our boyfriends? I’d like to get to know your partner. All of us be friends, you know?”

“I’d like that. Thanks.”

Jake walked beside Kade as they headed to their respective cars, chatting more. Kade didn’t want Jake to leave, but knew he had to. Hugs and kisses given, Jake was walking away when he stopped and came back to Kade. “Hey, why don’t I talk to Sam and see about setting up another dinner like the first one. I mean, going out with him is fun and all, but we can’t really….” he trailed off, one hand rolling as he searched for the words, Kade assumed. “You on the cushion and me kneeling while we ate. We can’t do that here,” he continued, gesturing at the restaurant. “And you said you didn’t want to visit the club again, though I’m hoping that’s a ‘yet’ kind of thing.” Kade opened his mouth, but Jake talked over him. “And I don’t want to hear any nay-saying or worries. I’m not trying to force you back to Fierce. I’m just saying it would be fun to do it both ways. Eat out with our boyfriends and eat in with our Doms.”

“I’d really like that.” Kade pulled Jake into a hug. “Thanks for tonight, Jake.”

“No, thank you. Thanks for giving me back my friend.” Jake gave him one last hug, then stepped back. “You want me to wait until you’re in your car and ready to go?”

The brief worry clear in Jake’s eyes buoyed him even more. “No, I’ll be fine. I’m used to doing the car-chair thing now. But thanks.”

After a small wave, Jake walked back to his car, a few stores down, and got in. Kade sat and watched, something inside him loosening as he thought about having a friend and a sub around again. Someone he could talk to, share with. Someone that would understand his kinks.

Eventually he climbed into his car and pointed it toward home, content yet excited. He had Jake back, and a Dom that really seemed to like him, just as he was. Kade didn’t believe for one moment that Deacon would stick around forever, but right then he didn’t care, satisfied to have Deacon in his life for however long he could, and that was good enough for him.

D
EACON
SAT
next to Sam on the plush seat at the private table reserved for the owners and their friends at Fierce. He looked out at the mix of Doms and subs on the floor. Some together, others prowling, hoping to find a playmate for a time. It was not a scene he had ever enjoyed, having always believed the best sex happened when the hearts, not just the dicks, were engaged. Some of the men he knew, a few he’d even enjoyed years ago, but other than technique or interesting attire, nothing really caught his attention. Still, there was something seductive about the thought of bringing Kade with him some night when he visited Sam. Showing off his sweet boy. He knew they weren’t anywhere close to being ready for something like that, though.

It had been nearly a month since their first date and night together, and while Kade was more comfortable and took anything Deacon gave him, always begging for more, he also knew how the treatment he’d received before had jaded Kade. The thought drew a sigh from him as he considered how scared his boy still was.

“Deacon?” Jake said from where he knelt beside Sam.

He looked down at Jake, admiring again how confidant yet boyish his friend’s lover and sub was. They had all been chatting until his focus drifted, so he wasn’t surprised to be pulled back in. “Yes?”

“Have you given more thought to my Master’s proposal?” Jake flushed as he spoke, forcing Deacon to smile.

“Yes, have you? I think after last weekend’s dinner with the four of us that it would be both enjoyable for everyone involved and good for your boy.”

Do a scene at his home with all four of them? Deacon thought about it, had even fantasized about it, but still wasn’t sold on the idea. He and Sam had shared subs years ago; that wasn’t the problem. He didn’t even mind the fact that Jake would be touching his boy—they had done everything from torture each other to full sex, all under a Dom’s command in the past. No, what bothered him was the idea of another Dom, even his best friend, seeing how beautiful his boy was. That, and he wasn’t certain how Kade would react to the idea. “I am… undecided right now if that would be good for him.”

Sam’s feelings were masked, as always, but Jake’s shy smile changed into a deep frown. Deacon couldn’t figure out why, though. “What?”

Jake shook his head. “Nothing, Sir. Sorry.”

“No, what is it, pet?” Sam asked, lifting Jake’s face to meet his gaze. “Something about this topic, or at least Deacon’s response to it, is upsetting you.”

Jake looked back and forth between Sam and Deacon a couple of times before he faced Deacon again. “Do you want to play with us both, with Sam there? I’m not asking what you think Kade will want, feel, or think. Just what you do.”

Deacon was a little taken aback at how forcefully the little sub was speaking to him, but he also knew Jake wanted the best for Kade. “I…. Yes and no. I won’t share Kade’s affection with anyone, Dom, sub, or otherwise, but I don’t mind the idea of you two playing as long as Sam never penetrates my boy.”

“Easy enough concession to make, Deacon,” Sam said, threading one large hand through Jake’s hair repeatedly. “I’m the same way with Jake. He still acts as a house sub on occasion, but no anal sex with another Dom. Ever.”

“Really? Huh.” Deacon didn’t think he would put up with the boy subbing for just anyone, not if Jake were his, but he knew different people had different rules.

“Only when he wants to and it’s a friend of his who asks.”

Jake nodded. “I prefer to be with just Sam usually, but I always liked working with another sub at times too, like Kade and I used to do. But if that’s the only reason you aren’t saying yes….”

He could see how hopeful Jake was, the wide, bright eyes, the eager shift forward, but he still wasn’t sold on the idea. “Wouldn’t want to make Sam jealous.”

The booming laugh from Sam was very telling. “Right, me jealous of you? Never happen. Or are you scared I’ll steal your boy?”

“No,” Deacon snapped. They had never been rivals in any way. “I don’t want to make Kade think I would rather play with Jake or any other sub. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Kade is convinced I will get tired of the modifications he needs.”

Shaking his head, Jake countered, “Respectfully, Sir, I think you’re thinking about it all wrong. It would let Kade do something that was stripped from him by his attackers. It would also allow him to see that others find his body pleasurable but in a safe and controlled manner.”

“You sure there isn’t another reason? You are pushing awfully hard for this.” That was the other thing. Sam suggesting it hadn’t surprised Deacon, but Jake’s insistence did. Was there more to Jake’s friendship with Kade?

Jake snorted but smiled slightly. “You’re not as good at hiding your thoughts as my Sir is. No, I don’t want to take him from you—as if anyone could. What I want is for Kade to be Kade again. And, well, we used to have a lot of fun. But that’s all it was. Friends who played together with a Dom. We never did more than the hugs and kisses you’ve seen us do outside a scene. As far as I know, he never even thought of it, and while Kade’s cute and fun, he isn’t Sir. Besides, we’re both dedicated subs. How the hell would that work?”

Unable to hold in his amusement, Deacon laughed until his sides hurt. “God, you’re adorable,” he said when they all calmed again. “You two are still coming over Sunday night, right? Monday being a holiday, Kade is staying with me the whole long weekend.”

“We are,” Sam said. “What are you thinking?”

“That Sunday night would be the perfect time to show my boy what he can really do, while still giving him the next day to recover.”

“Yay!” Jake grinned, Sam laughed, and Deacon smiled, his mind already spinning over ideas and plans to please his boy.

“S
O
,
WHAT
are we looking for?” Katie asked as she strolled alongside Kade Friday evening after the office closed. They wove through the foot traffic around the Biltmore Park Towne Square. He loved the wide sidewalks, how beautiful and maintained the plants all were—especially all the blossoming flowers. They made the area smell sweet and fresh instead of like exhaust like some of the other, more congested shopping areas. Kade glanced around as a couple of men crossed in front of them, holding hands, making him smile. He would never be able to do that, not exactly, considering his chair required both hands to push, but the thought of lazily shopping with Deacon had him eager to move things forward—something he hoped his current endeavor would help with.

Kade had yet to tell Katie where they were going. She’d asked, but he had more fun not answering until they were almost in front of the store. “Wine.”

“And we had to come all the way over here for alcohol? I know this area is pretty and all, but there are tons of wine shops here in Asheville, Kade.”

He ignored her, continuing his explanation even as she frowned at him. “There’s a little wine shop over here that I love, and I need something special for the dinner I’m helping with Sunday night.” They passed one of the double electric vehicle charging stations in the area—a little white Nissan plugged in at the closer parking spot—just before Kade gestured to the sign in the next window of the brick and glass building, which read Joni’s Artisanal Wine & Beer. “It’s new, but very good. Now, help me, please, oh knowledgeable one.”

Katie giggled as she followed him inside the brightly lit store filled with racks and racks of wine, spirits, more. “I suppose it depends on what you want to pair it with, sweets.”

“Jake and I are making chicken cheese Kiev with steamed broccolini, glazed baby carrots, and herb-roasted potatoes for Deacon and Sam. I’ve not cooked for Deacon before, but I’m helping cook for Jake’s partner too, so I’m a little nervous. I
really
want this to be a nice dinner.”

“Ohh…. And who is Jake? You and some guy are making dinner for a double date?” Katie kept talking as she looked around at the wide assortment of wines, champagnes, and other spirits. “And when do I get to meet your other friends?”

Uhh…. Introduce Jake and Sam to Katie? “I can talk to them Sunday about setting something up if you like.” They didn’t act differently out in public, so he hoped they would be okay meeting her. If he knew how she’d react, he would be a lot more comfortable with the idea. Part of him believed she would accept his lifestyle and be fine, but part feared she would think him a deviant and leave. He’d lost so many people when he came out as gay, and that one time in college he’d outed himself as a sub…. Having cops called on the Dom he’d been with the weekend prior, having to answer questions no one should ever ask, being shunned for his kinks…. Yeah, those were all things he could happily live without ever going through again, but losing Katie? No, that wasn’t something he could even fathom.

“Great!” she called from a different isle. Kade loved the open, rustic wood floor design of the place. It was easy for him to maneuver around and gave it the feel of an actual winery—at least that was what he’d thought when he’d first seen the place after it opened.

“Kaden,” someone said behind him. He knew the voice; it belonged to a man he’d never wanted to see again.

Spinning around, he saw Gary standing with some thin but sculpted boy on his arm. Gary looked like he always did: six one, wavy chestnut hair cut conservatively, chocolate brown eyes. He was dressed in tailored slacks, a light pastel button-down shirt, and sported the same, condescending sneer he’d had the last few times Kade had been near him. The boy with him was another story altogether. Probably about five seven or eight, light blond hair, big anime blue eyes, and moved with the grace of a cat as he stepped closer to Gary and half curled around him.

Kade cleared his throat and attempted a smile. “Hello, Gary.”

“What are you doing out and about?” Gary made a show of looking around and then turning back to Kade. “Drinking alone these days?”

“I’m shopping for a dinner party. I suggest you do the same.” Kade started to turn away, but a hand on his chair stopped him.

Kade’s cheek twitched, he clenched his teeth so hard. He had hated when Gary had done that in the past; he liked having his movement control taken like that even less now. “Get your hands off my chair,” he forced out.

“Always so rude,” Gary snapped, ignoring Kade as he forced Kade’s chair around so he once again faced Gary and his boy-toy. “Just ’cause your legs are useless doesn’t mean your ears are too, does it?”