Chapter 19

Gabriel looked up when he heard his name and saw Charlie coming toward him. "Something happened with Rowan. He's locked himself in the bathroom and he won't answer me." Heart in his boots, Gabriel excused himself from the other two aspiring authors he was talking to, and took a step forwards, only to be blocked by a young woman he vaguely recognized.

"Master Gabriel," she murmured discreetly, and his attention narrowed at her use of his title. Not that he'd been surprised to see many club members, as Max and Caleb were popular. "He bumped into that young man and the other man's master was quite rude. It was no one's fault."

Gabriel glanced over and swore. Paul fucking Dennison was all over a boy so tiny he looked like a stiff breeze would take him out. Knowing that bastard was still smarting from the "advice" he'd no doubt gotten from Adrian, he had probably berated Rowan in front of everyone. With a heartfelt thanks to the young woman, he dashed to the bathroom. Charlie was hovering by the door but stayed outside. Gabriel pushed through, noting two stalls and a sink. One was clearly empty and the other was shut. The muffled sob echoed in the quiet room, and his heart squeezed. "Baby boy, it's Daddy." He used both names deliberately.

Silence.

"Rowan, sweetheart, please open the door."

More silence. Gabriel glanced at the outer door. People were leaving. There could be anyone coming in here very soon. "Baby boy, someone else coming in this bathroom won't stop me calling you that. So, if you want this conversation to be private, I suggest you open the door."

He hated to use threats, but the possibility of someone coming in was very real.

He heard Rowan move, then the door unlocked, and he opened it a crack. Much as Gabriel wanted to put his arms around him and protect him from the world, he simply took off his jacket. Rowan had his pants buttoned, but Gabriel could see they were wrinkled and wet. "We can either ask Max if he has some clothes, or you can just put this on as if you're cold. It's big and long enough to cover you until we get to the car."

Rowan raised a tear-stained face and nodded, so Gabriel quickly guided him to the sink to wash his hands and then dressed him in the jacket and buttoned it. He clutched Rowan to his side as they left. Charlie smiled and silently handed him a towel and Bear. Gabriel had no idea where he'd gotten the towel from, but he shot him a grateful smile, clutched it tightly, and steered Rowan out and to the car. But Rowan stopped dead when he opened the door. "The seat, Daddy," he whispered, cringing. Gabriel quickly put the towel down, grateful for Charlie's thoughtfulness, and didn't give Rowan much choice about getting in, then fastened his seat belt and gave him the bear to hold.

"We'll be home in twenty minutes, baby," he said. "Then Daddy will take care of you."

Rowan didn't reply, just stared miserably out the window. Gabriel turned the heat up because he must feel uncomfortable and in fifteen very long and silent minutes, they were home. Gabriel started unbuttoning the jacket as soon as he'd locked the door, slipped Rowan's shoes off along with his, and took him straight into their bathroom, only letting go long enough to start the shower. He needed warming up, and Gabriel wasn't waiting for the bath.

Rowan still didn't speak. Part of him worried he was in shock, and it was only stripping Gabriel's own clothes off that caused any sort of reaction. He blinked when he realized Gabriel was getting undressed and took a hurried step backwards.

"I'm not letting you go in there on your own," Gabriel said and stepped close, cupping Rowan's cheek. "We're going to get you all warm and dry. I'm going to make us some hot chocolate, then we're going to snuggle up in bed."

He kept the shower as non-sexual as he could even though he washed Rowan everywhere, including his hair. He stepped out first and briskly toweled himself dry, then turned off the water and took Rowan's hand while he stepped out, then dried him gently but equally as thoroughly. He wasn't surprised to see Rowan's cock completely uninterested in any attention, but they would address that later. He tucked Rowan into his fluffy robe and headed to the bedroom, only to be stopped by Rowan.

"Pads," he mumbled, and Gabriel's insides clenched. He'd come so far in confidence this week, but tonight had probably set him right back.

"We will, but I want to put that special cream on you first." Not giving Rowan a chance to answer, he steered him to the bedroom and laid a towel down. "Hop up. You can keep the robe on for warmth, but I want to check your skin." Gabriel went back to the bathroom to get the Colloidal cream and in a few seconds, he was back. Rowan was on the bed, but the robe was still tightly fastened.

Gabriel took a breath. "What's your safeword, boy?"

Rowan's eyes widened. "Red," he said hesitantly.

Gabriel nodded. "Then unless you safe-word, I'm going to make sure you aren't sore and put this cream on." Rowan didn't reply at first, so Gabriel waited until he got a hesitant yes, then he undid the robe, took a second towel to check Rowan was dry properly, and unscrewed the top off the jar, breaking the seal. "Bend your knees, baby."

Gabriel very gently checked the scarred areas on Rowan's inner thighs, which looked a little red, and his creases, then got some cream on his fingers, warmed it, and then carefully touched Rowan's skin. Rowan jerked, so Gabriel paused. "Did that hurt?"

Rowan shook his head.

"Give me a color baby boy"

Rowan hesitated. "G-yellow."

"Good boy for being honest," Gabriel praised, and Rowan managed a half-smile. "As your daddy, I explained that I need to look after my most precious possession. If you really hate this or it hurts, then I'll stop, but I think it's because you're embarrassed after tonight. You can't hide from your daddy."

Rowan's eyes widened but he didn't respond.

Gabriel got some more cream and continued conversationally. "What you have to realize is—and I know this is hard—tonight wasn't your fault." Pink suffused Rowan's cheeks, and Gabriel could see he wasn't convinced. He wasn't sure how to convince Rowan that Dennison was covering up for his own inadequacies.

"I got waylaid by a young woman on my way to find you. Someone from the club, but I didn't know her name. Blond, curly hair, in her thirties, brown glasses?"

Rowan shook his head.

"So, not someone either of us know personally or is a good friend?"

"No, Daddy," Rowan agreed.

"Well, she told me that you and a sub had bumped into each other, that it was no one's fault, but that the older man—Dennison—was unnecessarily rude. Now, if it had been your fault, why would a stranger say it wasn't?"

"I don't know," Rowan said.

"Exactly, they wouldn't, so we're putting that idiotic bully out of our heads now. No one else comes into our bedroom." He glanced up at the shelf. "Well, maybe Frog and the two bears, but I'm hoping they're not looking."

Rowan's smile was a little surer, and so was Gabriel's hand, because he could feel Rowan respond to his touches for what might have been the first time. Lightly, because he didn't want to scare his boy, his fingers crept closer to the hair surrounding Rowan's cock. Careful not to add any cream because it would dry and pull, Gabriel talked about his job, his book, even that he'd ceremoniously destroyed it initially, although that was a tad dramatic as it was on his computer, but it had felt good at the time.

And Rowan responded. At first Gabriel didn't even know if Rowan realized what was happening until Rowan let out a moan, and unable to stop himself, Gabriel bent and took those sweet lips in a kiss. Desperate to join the party, his own cock hardened, but apart from pressing against Rowan's hip, he managed to keep it corralled. He would have a date in the bathroom with it once Rowan was asleep.

Rowan returned his kisses, hesitantly, shyly, but with each teasing swipe of his tongue, and pull of his fingers, Gabriel sent Rowan higher. He swallowed Rowan's gasps, exulted in the breathless moans, and finally the pre-cum he teased gently from his tip. Gabriel almost lost himself in Rowan's taste, in his smell, in the way he fitted so perfectly in his arms, until Rowan cried out and sticky warmth spread over Gabriel's fingers. The towel he had abandoned would do, so Gabriel quickly wiped his hand, then hugged Rowan close as he trembled in his arms. Had he gone too far? Had it been too much for Rowan?

"I'm sorry if that was too much, too soon, but you don't know what you do to my body."

"What I do?" Rowan repeated incredulously, still coming down to earth.

Gabriel hugged him tighter. "I didn't know I needed you till I had you in my arms."

Rowan buried his head in the crook of Gabriel's neck. "I've always needed you."

Right there. That moment. Gabriel knew what he'd told Rowan about not promising forever, but he was all in. No one would ever hurt so much as a hair on his boy's head ever again while ever he was alive to stop it.

He knew declarations were pointless. So many people had let Rowan down and the only way he could convince him that Gabriel wasn't one of them was by showing him.

"This is what's going to happen," Gabriel said. "I'm going to make us some supper, then we're going to come back to bed and maybe watch a movie if you're not tired. Tomorrow we're going to have a quiet day." He fully intended on having a conversation at some point with either Dennison, Adrian, or both of them, but he didn't need to tell Rowan that until afterwards.

"I want to make plans," Gabriel said. "I want my future and your future to come together. I'm going to give my two weeks' notice tomorrow and follow my dream. I can provide for us both, so you don't have to rush into anything. Baby, take your time. Being together is more important than anything else."

Gabriel hugged his boy. They were just going to have to take it one day at a time.