14. Chapter 14

"I like him," I tell Teddy, turning the lock on the door now that Scott has left. "Seems like a good guy."

Teddy shakes his head, although there's a smile on his face. "You just had to tell him about us getting blackout drunk, didn't you?"

"Hey, I didn't say it was our wedding night," I defend, sure that has to count for something. "Move over. I'm doing dishes."

Teddy steps aside without complaint, wiping his hands before crossing his arms across his rather nice chest.

"What?" I ask, sensing his gaze on the side of my head.

"You're quite enchanting, you know."

I nearly drop the plate I'm holding. "What? Enchanting?"

"You are," he says around a chuckle, taking a step closer. My blood pressure shoots up. "You had Scott wrapped around your finger practically from the moment you met. Same as me."

"I don't…" Teddy isn't wrapped around my finger, is he? That's preposterous. He barely acknowledged me for over a year.

"And I've seen the way you charm others. Men," he says, his words a touch on the hard side, even though I can tell he didn't mean for them to be.

"You've been watching me?" I ask quietly, staring at the soap bubbles on my hands.

"Would that bother you?" he asks, another step closer.

It feels like a hot stone has been dropped into my gut, the sensation not at all unpleasant. "No," I whisper.

He hums, so close I can feel the vibration. "Good thing none of them can have you. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Ungh.

"Words," he whispers, lips brushing my ear.

"None of them," I reply, my voice hoarse.

Teddy squeezes my neck. And then he walks away.

I spin my head to follow his departure. "Where are you going?" I ask, trying not to sound indignant.

"Bed," he answers. "It's late."

"It's not that—oh."

Teddy chuckles from down the hall, and I wash dishes faster than I've ever washed dishes before.

When I get to the threshold of the bedroom, only slightly out of breath, Teddy is in the en suite. I run across the hall, freshening up in the other bathroom at superhuman speeds, and then I shuck out of my clothes, nearly tripping on my way to the bed. By the time I'm half-under the sheets, my heart is pounding.

Teddy comes out from the bathroom and spots me immediately, his eyebrow twitching up the tiniest bit. I try to play it cool.

"Hey," I say, up-nodding.

He stifles a laugh, grabbing my shirt off the floor and walking slowly to the closet. He drops it in his hamper, followed by his own shirt. His pants come off next and get carefully hung up. His briefs stay on.

I'm pretty sure I'm about to find out if spontaneous human combustion is real.

Teddy takes his time as he comes over to the bed, an effortless swagger to his step. When he slides under the sheet and pulls out a book from the shelving on the headboard, I gape.

"Teddy?"

"Mm?"

Is he seriously reading right now?

"Um," I say slowly. "What'cha doing?"

And why isn't the answer me?

"This is a good book," he says, opening his arm in invitation. "I'm just going to finish this chapter before bed."

What. The. Fuck.

"Come on," he says, waving me in, as if cuddles are what I want right now. Which, okay, maybe they wouldn't be bad. But still. This is not what I thought was happening, and my dick hasn't gotten the memo to cool the fuck down.

Deciding that okay, if Teddy wants to cuddle, he can feel exactly how excited I am to cuddle, I roll into him, head in the crook of his arm, my leg thrown over his and my dick poking his hip. I make sure to give a little wiggle, so there's no way he can miss my bare, hard-as-hell excitement on his body.

He smirks. Smirks.

Well, fine. If he's going to be like that…

The moment my hand slides toward my dick, Teddy's arm tightens around me. "Don't you dare," he says in that low, calm voice, never once looking away from his book.

"Teddy, what—"

My follow-up dies on my tongue as Teddy's gaze turns my way. "Did I say you could touch, doll?"

Oh shit. Shit. Teddy is in Daddy mode.

I feel momentarily faint as all of my blood rushes south. I manage to shake my head the tiniest bit. "No."

"That's right," he says, eyes back on his book. "I take care of you, remember?"

My yes is a garbled moan.

"So be a good doll and keep me warm while I finish this," he says, turning the page with his thumb.

My heart pounds heavily as I try to decode his meaning. "Um, what, uh…"

Teddy switches his book to the hand near my shoulder, keeping a hold of it as he grabs my hand that's resting on his chest. He moves it slowly down his abdomen—happy trail bristling my palm—and under the band of his briefs. When we reach the base of his cock, I grip instinctually, and Teddy hums, letting go.

"Good doll."

Holy fucking hell.

I swear I almost come. I've never—never—had anyone talk to me the way Teddy does. So sure. So in control. So confident I'll do whatever he asks me to, as if he truly does own me. That's what he said he wants, isn't it? That's what he meant that night at the club.

"I don't want to fuck you, Kipp. I want to own you."

Well, mission accomplished. Shouldn't that scare me? Because all it feels like is the most amazing hug. Like strong, warm arms wrapped around me, cocooning me from the rest of the world. Protecting me.

The sound of Teddy flipping another page in his book is like a paintbrush caressing my skin. It sends a shiver down my spine, my hand squeezing Teddy's cock reflexively. Fuck. I'm holding his cock. Just holding it. Why is that so goddamn hot?

The minutes feel like hours as Teddy makes me wait. Delayed gratification, maybe? I've never been very patient, but I've also never been so damn hard in my life, so maybe there's something to it.

When Teddy's fingers start stroking through my hair, I realize his book is gone, back on the shelf behind him. I must've zoned out. I meet his gaze, that molten brown, seeing nothing but approval there. It's like static settling over my skin, a pleasant buzz. Teddy nudges me onto my back, rolling over my body. My hand never leaves his cock.

"None of them get to have you," he repeats, fingers tightening in my hair like he's holding a leash. "Tell me again, doll."

"None of them," I answer, my heart flitting, my mind calm. "I only want you."

Teddy grins, and then he's kissing me. He plucks my hand off his cock, putting it above my head. He collects the other, too, holding both of my wrists tight in his grip as he rubs against me, dick on dick.

As Teddy gets us off—whispering sweet words all the while about how I'm his precious babydoll, how I'm so perfectly good for him, how I'm beautiful and his—I float off into space.

"It'll be okay," Teddy assures me for the billionth time, his gaze finding mine in the mirror.

We're meeting my parents in an hour.

I finger brush some product into my hair, trying to tame the strands. "My hair is getting too long."

Teddy steps up behind me, dipping his lips to the back of my neck. I close my eyes, heat and comfort following his touch.

"I like your hair," he murmurs.

"Like holding it," I shoot back.

I open my eyes to find him smirking at me. Smug bastard.

"You look hot," I tell him because he does. He's wearing smart gray slacks and a salmon-colored button-down that I'm fairly sure is a statement for my family. A yes, I'm a man who likes men and wears pink—got a problem with that? I approve wholeheartedly.

"You look good, too," he says, eyes raking over me in a way that has my dick perking.

"Yeah?" I say with a grin. "Wanna show me how much? We could stay here and—"

Teddy smacks my ass, the sound a sharp echo in the bathroom as he leans close. "Behave."

And then he walks out the door.

Ungh.

"Ted-dy," I moan, adjusting my dick. "That was mean."

"But are you still thinking about your hair?" he calls.

"No," I grumble, wriggling my hips. "I'm thinking about my husband's big-as-fuck hands."

My phone pings on the counter. A text.

Nik: Doing okay?

I let out a breath, heading into the bedroom as I compile a response.

Me: Think so. Ask me again in a couple hours.

Nik: I wish you'd let them go.

I don't know how.

Nik: Text me if you need to bail.

Me: Thanks, but Teddy will be there to defend me. Have you seen the man? Pretty sure he could carry me away like a football.

Nik: I'm shaking my head. Good luck.

I pocket my phone, searching for a tie before I decide fuck it, I'm not wearing a tie. It's just dinner with my ultra-conservative parents and outwardly homophobic brother. No big deal.

Christ.

"Kipp?" Teddy says softly, standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I tell him, trying to believe it.

Teddy and I load into his car, him driving. The restaurant I asked my family to meet us at is all the way across town. I wanted the distance.

"Would you tell me a little about them?" Teddy asks.

I groan but nod. It's only fair. "Yeah, so I came out when I was sixteen. It just wasn't really an option for me not to. I knew they weren't going to react well, but you've seen me. I'm a what you see is what you get kind of guy."

Teddy huffs quietly.

"I ended up blurting it over dinner one night," I tell him. "My brother, Vaughn, is two years older than me. He looked about ready to kick me in my face. My parents were calmer, but they were just oozing disapproval. That was the first time they told me I had to make better choices."

"Better choices," Teddy parrots, shaking his head. He doesn't sound happy.

"Yeah, I know," I mutter. "They do think it's a choice, being gay. Or queer. Or anything remotely non-heteronormative. My dad told me to lock it down tight, and my mom enrolled me in a youth group at our church."

"And Vaughn?" he asks.

"Yeah. He basically just started being a dick to me. All the time. Hasn't stopped, really."

Teddy takes a turn, his movements calm even as his eyes look flintier than usual. "When did you move out?"

"They moved, actually. We came to Nevada when I was fifteen for my dad's job. He's a pilot for a private jet company, and they wanted him here. That's how I met Niko. I was the new kid at school, and he took one look at me and ushered me under his wing. I think he could tell I was part of the alphabet mafia, you know? We stick together."

"Yeah, we do," Teddy says with a small smile.

"Anyways, my family, Vaughn included, moved back to Indiana while I was in college. That was an argument, let me tell you."

"They wanted you to go?" he asks, braking at a red light and giving me his focus.

"Well, yeah," I say with a shrug. "I think they just wanted to keep an eye on me. Make sure I wasn't straying too far from the path. But…" I shake my head. "There was no way I was going back. I made a life here. Had friends here and was open here, even if my family never knew about that part of my life. Maybe it was cowardly, but at that point, I just… I stopped talking to them about anything real. I played nice, and then once they left, I avoided seeing them whenever I could."

It was easier. I could pretend we were still a normal, happy family when I didn't have to see the hateful looks in their eyes.

"But now they're here," Teddy says.

"Now they're here," I agree.

"Well," he says, reaching over and snagging my hand, twining his fingers with mine. "Whatever happens, I'll be in your corner."

I blink a few times, looking out the window and willing my voice to come out even. "Thanks, Teddy."

He hums softly.

We pull up to the restaurant with five minutes to spare, and I start sweating immediately. "They've never seen me like this," I mumble.

"Like what?" Teddy asks.

"Gay. Outwardly gay."

He squeezes my hand, waiting for me to meet his eyes. "You've always been you, Kipp. If they couldn't see that, it's their loss."

Fuck.

"How do you want to play this?" he asks gently, never looking away. "Do you want me to keep some distance? Treat you like a friend? Because I can do that if you want. Or I can be the most adoring, loving husband a man could ever ask for."

It only takes me a moment to find my voice. "Be my husband, Teddy. I'm done hiding."

A smile curves his lips. "There you are. Let's do this, sweetheart."

"Yeah," I breathe out. "Let's go."