10. Patrick

Chapter 10

Patrick

I could absolutely feel Arthur's confusion through our bond. It was understandable because I'd not said anything to him about wanting time away from William. Honestly, I didn't. I very much enjoyed every moment with our son. But I would love some time with Arthur, and in order to have that, we would need to have someone watch William for a little while. Even when our son was sleeping, Arthur often would go over and check on him repeatedly. That didn't leave much time for us to do more than talk for a few moments at a time.

I wasn't upset with Arthur. He was an absolutely amazing father. But I didn't wish for us to only be parents. Yes, I adored William, but I wanted to reconnect with my One as well.

"You've gone quiet."

I glanced over at my One. "I'm simply thinking about the wonderful nap I'm going to have. And perhaps a soak that is longer than a few moments." A soak sounded like bliss. And if I could get Arthur to join me, that was even better, as he'd never been able to resist me before when we were in the tub together.

"If you wanted a longer soak, all you had to do was say so. I am always more than willing to take care of William while you have a long soak."

I nodded because we were going to go in circles about this. I already knew he would watch the baby. That wasn't in question even a little. It was the fact that since I'd had William, that was all we'd done. Our lives completely revolved around our son. Arthur still took care of me as well, but we hadn't made time for just us. We were more than parents, and we both needed to remember that.

I finished my breakfast, and as I stood to take my plate to the basin to be washed, Arthur reached out and touched my arm. I looked down at my One and grinned.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked quietly.

"Absolutely. I'm finished eating, and I'm looking forward to a nap." That was honestly true. I wanted a nap. Later. After I had become reacquainted with Arthur's body. I knew that if a couple of hours turned into a few more, William would be perfectly safe with his grandfathers.

I took my plate and utensils and placed them in the basin of water to be washed. I pushed up my sleeves to start washing what was there, but Edgar was suddenly beside me and gently moving me out of the way.

"I'll wash today. You should go enjoy time resting," he told me.

"I don't mind washing. It's been a while since I've done the cleaning."

Edgar made a face, then shrugged before grinning and walking away. I looked down and found the basin now empty and the clean dishes sitting off to the side. They were clean, dry, and neatly stacked. Very well, then. I could take a hint.

I turned to see Arthur standing not far behind me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. First though, I went over to where Wallace was holding a sleeping William. "He will be fine," Wallace told me.

"I know he will. I just wanted to kiss him. Thank you, Dad." I winked at Wallace, who covertly winked back. Carefully, I leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to the top of William's head. Arthur was right behind me, and after we both kissed our son, we left the kitchen and started the short walk back to our own cottage.

It was less than a minute's walk, and we made it in silence. When we were both inside the cottage, Arthur touched my arm to turn me toward him. "Are you sure everything is all right?" he asked, his gaze showing concern.

I sighed. "Arthur, we're parents." Arthur nodded. "But we aren't just parents. There is absolutely nothing wrong with our son's grandfathers watching after him for an hour or two while we be a couple. Just because we have a child doesn't mean we are suddenly only parents. I want to spend time with you."

"We spend time together."

I sighed. Arthur wasn't normally this dense. In fact, he was incredibly intelligent. Now, suddenly, he seemed clueless.

"Sure we do. But every time William makes even the tiniest peep, you go running to him." I shook my head. "If you don't wish to spend time alone with me, you are free to go back to the inn and retrieve William from your fathers." It made me sad that Arthur didn't want to spend time alone with me. Yes, we spent time together, but William was always with us. I didn't feel it was unreasonable to want a couple of hours away. I simply walked to our bedchamber and then beyond. When I was in the bathing room, I pulled my tunic over my head and placed it on the peg on the wall. I moved to the tub, and with a lot of concentration, I had hot water in the tub.

"I could have done that for you," Arthur said as he came into the room.

"I thought you were going to go retrieve William?" I asked over my shoulder.

"No. I…" Arthur went quiet for a moment, looked thoughtful, and then shook his head. "Talk to me, my love. What's going on?"

I sighed. "Nothing. Seriously, I adore William. But I feel like we've already started losing us. At least somewhat. I want time just the two of us."

"We aren't just two any longer."

I nodded. "True. We aren't. But we have a family, and they should be able to spend time with our son as well. If you want him with us at all times, so be it. We can be just parents."

I took several deep breaths. I wasn't going to cry. I wouldn't. I would take my time and be me. Yes, I was still a father, but that didn't mean that was all I was. I was still a person, a man, who had needs.

I toed off my shoes, then pushed my hose down my legs. I left them on the floor where I was, then walked over to the tub, carefully stepped in, and sank down. I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying to enjoy the heat as much as I possibly could. I needed something to take away the tears, and closing my eyes and trying to relax might not do that, but it would help.

"You're all right with William being not here."

I looked at Arthur. "Yes," I told him. "I love our son, but he's perfectly safe with your fathers. There isn't a single person in this inn who wouldn't go to great lengths to protect and care for our son. Do I feel guilty about not having him here with us? No. I might be a father now, but I am also a man, Arthur. You might have forgotten that, and your entire focus might be taking care of our son and me, but you're forgetting other aspects." I stared at Arthur, hoping he understood. "You're forgetting us. We are still a couple. We don't have time for us any longer. As soon as we might have a chance, you rush to William." I sighed, frustrated. "I don't fault you. But he doesn't need to be fussed over quite that much. Most of the time, he continues to sleep and doesn't require us to do anything."

Arthur stared at me. Was I getting through to him? Would he understand or be upset? I really hoped he wasn't upset.

"I'm neglecting you," Arthur said finally. "I didn't intend to. I thought by caring for you, that was all you needed and required."

I groaned, frustrated. I sat up and turned a bit in the tub. "I'm not…you're not neglecting me. You are most attentive. But not in that way any longer. I know you yourself have desire for me still. I can sense it through our bond. I also thought you could sense mine for you. Only, you always rush off to William. I understand we will never be the same two people we were before he was born, but we are still a couple. We need to make sure we don't forget that." I thought that perhaps I was getting through to him. When he stripped naked and joined me in the tub, I was relieved.

Arthur wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back to his chest. "I apologize. I didn't even consider that my actions were hurting you."

I shook my head. "They're not. I just don't want us to become so wrapped up in being parents that we forget that we're a couple. I want to be with you. I enjoy when we make love. I miss that."

Immediately, Arthur kissed the side of my head. "I'm sorry, my love. I didn't realize you were ready for that kind of activity."

That was acceptable. "I need to be more vocal about it. I realize you have access to my thoughts and memories, but I also know you don't go peeking into them. Maybe you should though. I have nothing to hide from you." I felt the hesitation from Arthur. We had been over this many times before. I knew he was a bit worried about me "seeing" his past in some ways. "I know you have a past. You are centuries old. It is expected that you have had partners. Many partners. I'm not upset, nor am I jealous of any of them. I simply want us to go back to being how we were as a couple. I understand we have William now, but that doesn't mean we stop being in a relationship."

"That still doesn't make me not remorseful about my past. If I had thought about my life with my One, I would have made some different choices."

I chuckled. "Which is acceptable. But when one is alone for so very long, it cannot be expected that they remain truly alone and innocent." I myself hadn't exactly been with others before Arthur. I had experimented a bit, but the timing hadn't worked out beyond getting my rod sucked. I was of a mind that I didn't know when or if I would meet my One, so I hadn't waited completely. If my parents had their way, I would have been married off to a woman who not only knew nothing about warlocks but wasn't my One at all.

Arthur ran his hands down my chest. "If you have relations again, what exactly are you hoping to have? Are you certain you're feeling up for it?" When Arthur's hands dipped below the water level, I grinned.

"I'm up for everything. Yes, I'm positive about wanting to be with you that way again. I was hoping that you could take me, make us both release at least once, and then curl up and hold me while we sleep. I would very much like for at least three or four hours of uninterrupted sleep."

Arthur's fingers walked their way across my hip toward my center. When they tapped their way up my rapidly stiffening rod, I had to stop and take a deep breath in order to get myself under control. This was Arthur. He was my love and could do things to my body that I hadn't known were possible. On top of that, it had been over a month since I'd had release. I was ready to burst.

"I can very much give you pleasure. Do you want release now?" Arthur asked next to my ear. His fingers wrapped around my length and started to slowly move up and down it. I moaned at the sensation. It hadn't truly been that long, and we'd been incredibly busy and preoccupied, but what he was doing had me ready to let go with just his simple touch. That's how much hold he had over me.

"Arthur," I said, my hands pressing on his thighs, which were on either side of me. I was so close.

"Let go, Patrick. Let me help you to feel pleasure."

That was all it took. I had been too emotional since having our son. Add in that Arthur knew exactly how to stroke me to bring me ultimate pleasure, and I groaned as I released spurt after spurt of seed into the water. The second pulse was so strong that my toes curled.

"Yesss," Arthur hissed in my ear. "That's so beautiful."

Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings. Arthur was still very hard against my backside. I felt immensely better, but I still wanted more.

"So beautiful," Arthur said. "I could watch you in the throes of release all of the time and never tire of it. Are you ready for more?"

I blinked a few times before nodding. "Yes," I said quietly.

"Here or in bed?"

I grinned. The amazing thing about being with my One was we didn't need the oils to ease the way when it was Arthur that was taking me. I turned my head enough that I could grin at Arthur. "Here," I told him. I scooted forward enough to get my legs under me. I quickly turned and kissed Arthur. His hands wrapped around my neck, holding me in place so he could take the kiss deeper.

We both moaned after several moments of kissing. It was something I enjoyed just as much as anything else with Arthur. I was biased for certain, but I found him to be amazing at everything he did with me.

Arthur was the first to pull away, and when he did, I couldn't help but grin at the look on his face. He was in need, and I was more than ready to take care of that for him. I kissed him again quickly before I pulled completely away and turned around. I crawled to the other end of the tub, and when I looked back at Arthur over my shoulder, his gaze was focused on my behind. I gave it a little wiggle, and that seemed to get Arthur to move.

He got up on his knees behind me, and when I felt the head of his rod slide up my crack, I grinned. I moved around some more, adding to the stimulation to him where I could, and it didn't take long before I felt a wave of pleasure, quickly followed by Arthur's rod pressing against my hole. I held myself firmly in place. When more pressure was applied, I pressed back gently and relaxed my body. That did it, and I bit my lower lip while Arthur moaned when the head of his rod slipped inside me.

Arthur held still, knowing that I needed just a moment to adjust. I felt his hand on my lower back rubbing gently, and I focused on that. When I felt my body relax again, I gave my hips a little wiggle. Arthur's hands moved to my hips and held on as he slowly pressed inward. He pulled out just as quickly, then pushed back in again. He repeated the move until I felt his hips press up against my backside, and then he held still again.

Arthur's hands slid around my body, then up my chest as he leaned over my back, covering my body with his. "I will never be able to get enough of you. I need you more than I can say, and I'm sorry I made us both wait so long to do this again."

I grinned. "I understand your reasoning. But maybe make up for it by hitting that wonderful spot inside?"

I heard a soft yet deeply masculine chuckle before I felt myself being pulled upright. The fact that we were almost the same height and our thighs were comparable in length gave us the ability to do this position.

"So amazing," Arthur said before he pulled partly out of me and then pushed back in. I moaned because he knew exactly what he was doing, and in this position, he always hit that perfect spot inside. My rod in front of me bounced as my body tightened and then relaxed. "You are so perfect for me," Arthur said on the next thrust.

I felt the same about him. He was perfect in every way for me. He was so amazing and attentive, and although we had lost a little bit of focus recently, that didn't change the fact that we were still very much in love. Our lives had shifted drastically, and we were still adjusting. Hopefully, we would be able to recognize things that needed to be adjusted going forward.

I moaned on another thrust, both in pleasure and a bit of frustration. I could feel Arthur's need through our bond. He was close and holding on only because of his slow pace. But it had been a month, and I didn't want slow. I wanted hard and fast and to feel the heat of his seed as he filled me with it.

I tightened my hole, squeezing his rod as he pushed into me again. When I did, Arthur moaned, and his hands tightened on my hips. "I'll finish if you keep doing that."

"Then thrust into me hard a few times and finish. We can do this again and again before we fall asleep in exhaustion. I need you to make me scream your name."

Arthur groaned. His forehead touched my shoulder at the same time his hands tightened on my hips again. He stayed like that for a long moment, just holding me and trying to get his body under control. He lost the fight when I clamped down on his rod again and gave my hips a little roll. That was all it took for Arthur to pull out of me and then finally slam back into me as he snapped my hips backward toward his.

By the fourth thrust, I was shouting as my own rod sprayed another release into the water in front of us, untouched. Arthur grunted again, and after two more thrusts from him, he froze and held me tightly to him as his length pulsed inside me while warmth filled me. I closed my eyes and sighed. I'd missed this connection with him so much, and I was thankful to have it back.