Free Dom of Ages by K.C. Wells & Parker Williams Page B

to see the disappointment in his eyes. I’d messed up so badly. I didn’t want to die, but I was tired of being alone, and after what happened at the club, there would be no way Eli would want me back.
    “Jarod?” he called softly. I didn’t answer. “Pet? I know you can hear me. Open your eyes, please.”
    Pet? I hesitantly met his gaze, and where I’d expected to find censure, there was concern and compassion. When he reached a hand out, I expected punishment. I deserved it for not putting my trust in him. What I got surprised me yet again. He stroked my cheek, his fingertips warm against my skin. I tried to push into his hand, needing the connection more than I think I’d needed anything in many years, but I was tired and couldn’t find the strength to raise my head.
    “Don’t try to move. Will said we should let you rest for a while, and then I’ll take you home.”
    My heart thumped, and confusion had me in a tight grip. “Home?” I whispered.
    He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair. “Yes, home. But it’s going to be up to you which place you want to go. I can take you back to your house, or… you could come home with me. No pressure, though. I want you to do what you think is—”
    “I want to come home with you. Please.” My head was swimming, and I had no dignity left. I needed a place to belong, and Eli had been offering that to me.
    “I was hoping you might say that, but you have to know, pet, things are going to be different.”
    My heart dropped. “I understand.”
    “No, I don’t think you do. And that’s been the problem since I brought you home with me the first time. You’re a trained submissive, but you’re not my trained submissive. If you decide you want to stay, you’re going to have to learn my rules, my way of doing things. We’re going to start from the beginning, the way it should have been done in the first place. You’re going to be my primary concern, and we’re going to start this journey together.”
    He wanted me. Despite everything, he still had a place for me.
    “Yes, please,” I croaked.
    “Okay, you get some rest. Will says I can take you home in an hour or two. He wants to make sure everything is okay.”
    “Will… will you stay with me?”
    He smiled then, and it thawed my heart the tiniest bit. When he pulled up a chair and sat down, then took my hand, I felt a moment of contentment, the purest bliss, and then darkness pulled me under, and I slept, praying I was safe in Eli’s hands.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Eli
     
    JAROD WAS sleeping when we pulled into the driveway. I didn’t want to wake him, but he needed to eat and get some rest in a proper bed. I shook him gently and waited while he got his bearings. A small pool of drool had made his shoulder soggy, making me smile.
    “Come on, pet, let’s get you into the house.”
    I put his arm over my shoulder, being mindful of the stitches that Will had said would dissolve in a few weeks, and propped him up as we made our way to the front door. I put the key in the lock and cursed when the door popped open. I had never closed or locked the damned thing.
    “Let’s get you into bed.” I half lugged him toward the bedroom, then stopped. I thought for a moment before taking him into my room. His breathing hitched.
    “You’ll be more comfortable here, and I want to be near you in case you need something. Is that okay?” I studied his face. He bobbed his head, and I helped him take off his shirt before he lay down. I gazed at him, his face still a little pale. “I’m going to make you something to eat. I’m not going away, and I promise I’ll be right back. Will you be all right?”
    Jarod pushed up onto his elbows. “I’ll get lunch, Sir.” His voice was weak, and I could see the lines of exhaustion across his face.
    “No,” I said sharply. “You’re to lie there and wait until I return. Nothing else, is that understood?”
    “Yes, Sir,” he answered, his voice meek. I gave a nod of