Something in the Way He Needs (Family 1)

Yeah, Asher had more questions. He wanted to know if Marc was single, if he was good-looking, if he’d touched any part of Daniel that day. But adrenaline was no longer cursing through his body and he was mortified by what he’d said to Daniel, how he’d treated him.

“Fuck,” he groaned and closed his eyes. “Did I hurt you?” He heard the catch in his voice, the regret overwhelming. He moved his hands over Daniel’s arm gently, not wanting to be rough. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine,” Daniel assured him. “I know you weren’t really going to hurt me, not that I’d have let you if you’d tried. But in the future, I’d appreciate it if you could, I don’t know, maybe talk first and shoot later, yeah?”

Asher snapped his head back like he’d been slapped. Damn, he’d been out of line. The things he’d said, the way he’d manhandled Daniel. So far out of line. And he wasn’t nearly as sure as Daniel that he wouldn’t have hurt him. He’d lost all semblance of control.

“I don’t know why I said… what I said. I know you’re not….” He couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence and repeat the words he’d thrown out in an attempt to hurt the man now curled on his lap as if it was the most natural place in the world for him to be.

“You were jealous,” Daniel said matter-of-factly.

He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Really, what could he say? There was no denying it. “That’s not an excuse,” he finally said.

“No, it isn’t,” Daniel agreed.

Asher’s heart sank. Fifteen minutes earlier, he’d been calling himself all kinds of stupid for thinking a relationship was a good idea, for asking Daniel to live with him. Hell, he’d been planning to find a stranger in a bar to fuck before coming home and throwing Daniel out of his apartment and out of his life. But the truth was, even when he was raging mad, he didn’t really want Daniel to go. It was the last thing he wanted.

“Daniel, listen I….” Fucking hell, he had no idea how to finish that sentence. How do you call a man a cum dump, shove him against furniture, practically dislocate his shoulder, and then ask him to stay with you? That wasn’t a scene. It wasn’t sane or consensual. It was a fight. Even his mother’s deadbeat boyfriends hadn’t sunk low enough to use that kind of language when they’d roughed her up.

“I’m not bothered by jealous,” Daniel told him. “But the arm twisting and the name calling—” He paused and looked straight into Asher’s eyes. “That can’t happen again.”

Asher flinched in response to the mention of his transgressions, but he nodded in agreement.

Daniel’s gaze softened. He leaned in close and whispered in Asher’s ear, “You wanna know something weird?” He reached for Asher’s hand and then moved it over to his exposed groin. “It turned me on,” Daniel confessed. Sure enough. Asher held the proof in his hands. Smooth velvet over hard steel. He stroked Daniel’s erection and trembled.

“Which part?” Asher’s voice broke, arousal coursing through him, sudden and strong. He cleared his throat. “Which part turned you on?”

“When you… when you had me against the dresser and your whole body was covering mine. You’re so strong.” Daniel’s eyes fluttered shut and he trembled. “I didn’t like what you did with my arm. That hurt. And those things you said….” He shook his head. “But until then….” He sighed. “Felt like you wanted me so much you couldn’t control yourself. God, yeah. Made me so hard.”

Daniel enjoyed being held down, being made to submit. That was what he was saying. And that was something Asher sure as shit knew how to deliver. He trembled in anticipation. Holy fuck but did his day just look up.

Chapter 14

ASHER bent forward, gently lowering Daniel’s back to the floor. It wasn’t his usual move. Normally, when he was going to fuck a guy, he bent him over the nearest flat surface, or pushed him against a wall, or had him get on all fours. He had better leverage that way; he could shove in harder, deeper, faster. But right then, he wanted… no, he needed, to see Daniel’s face.

He planted a hand on either side of Daniel’s head and looked into his eyes. Daniel grasped his wrists and met his gaze.

“Hey,” Daniel said and grinned. “Watcha doin’?”

Asher chuckled. Leave it to this man to lighten the mood. He felt the tightness in his chest loosen, felt his muscles relax. “Well, I was thinking about doing you.”

“Ohh,” Daniel replied and wiggled, trying to get rid of the shorts that were bunched around his knees. “You have the best ideas.”

Asher reached for the shorts and pushed them off. Then he scooted between Daniel’s knees and stroked from his ankle over his calf, across his inner thigh, and around to his bare hip.