Something in the Way He Needs (Family 1)

He asked the question, but he already knew the answer. He’d given Daniel everything he needed—he paid for their home, he kept Daniel safe, he made sure the man ate, and the way Daniel cried out his name every night, and lots of mornings, as he spilled his seed left no question about the fact that Asher did it for him in bed. So, yeah, Asher knew he was taking care of Daniel.

“THAT was actually good,” Asher said as he pushed his empty plate forward and leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs underneath the table.

Daniel shook his head and grinned. “Gee, thanks. You really know how to flatter a guy.”

That was a compliment, wasn’t it? He hadn’t said the food was bad. Plus, he’d eaten his entire portion, which was more than Daniel could say. Hell, Asher had gone for seconds. All right, so maybe he could have been more appreciative of the meal.

“I meant it, sugar. It was probably the best mole I’ve had, and I grew up with a Mexican grandmother who used to make it on special occasions.”

“I know.” Daniel moved the food around on his plate. “You told me how much you liked going to her house for Sunday dinners, so I thought I’d learn how to make mole and some other Mexican dishes. Marc has recipes, and I found a couple of websites and a farmer’s market where they sell fresh tomatillos and….” Daniel huffed out a breath and raised his gaze to meet Asher’s. “You really liked it?”

He didn’t remember telling Daniel about his grandmother’s mole, but clearly the story was meaningful to Daniel. Damn, but it warmed him to know that Daniel was trying to please him. He reached for the man’s hand and looked at his plate.

“Why aren’t you eating?” he asked.

“I’m eating,” Daniel refuted.

“You’ve eaten six pieces of jicama, four pieces of lettuce, and one bite of chicken.” He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, quietly challenging Daniel to dispute his statement.

Daniel’s jaw dropped open. “You counted my food intake?”

“I did. It’s the only way for me to make sure you eat enough to function. Your trick of cutting everything up and moving it around on your plate isn’t going to work anymore.”

“I don’t do that!” Daniel said incredulously.

“Oh, yeah, you do, sugar.” Asher chuckled. “I’ve been watching you.”

“It’s not on purpose. You’re gone all day and I’m excited to see you when you get home, and then we start talking and I like looking at you and….” He sighed and his skin flushed. “I get distracted, I guess.”

Not that he didn’t like being distracting to Daniel, but the man needed to eat. He was still way too thin. And the protein shakes Asher made for him every morning weren’t enough to cut it as an entire day’s caloric intake.

Asher pushed his chair back and patted his thick, muscular thighs. “C’mere,” he said.

Daniel darted his gaze from Asher’s lap to his face, his question clear from his expression.

“You want me to….” He furrowed his brow.

Asher reached a long arm out, curled his fingers around Daniel’s bicep, and tugged him over. Daniel followed the motion easily, standing up from his chair and stepping up to Asher’s. With a hand on each of Daniel’s hips, Asher urged him down until he was sitting on Asher’s lap. Then he pulled Daniel’s plate over, forked a piece of chicken, and held it up to Daniel’s mouth.

Daniel blushed and squirmed, but he opened his mouth and closed his lips over the food once Asher put it on his tongue.

“Good,” Asher said encouragingly.

He put more food on the fork and repeated his steps, not stopping until Daniel’s plate was empty. Neither of them spoke, and Asher found the moment unexpectedly intimate. He was holding Daniel, feeding him, meeting his needs on a fundamental level. There was something undeniably erotic about it. A quick glance down to where Daniel’s jeans pulled across his groin let Asher know he wasn’t the only one aroused by the interaction.

“See?” Asher’s deep voice was husky. “You were hungry.”

Daniel swallowed thickly. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated. The man looked like sex incarnate. Asher kept his gaze locked with Daniel’s and reached for the button on his jeans, easily unfastening them.

“Up,” he whispered.

It took a few moments, but eventually a dazed-looking Daniel rose to his feet. Asher pushed his jeans and boxers down until they dropped to his ankles. Then he spread his thighs and tugged at Daniel’s hip, urging him forward. Daniel’s clothes dropped to the floor as he lay facedown across Asher’s lap.

He reverently caressed Daniel’s firm, pale ass, appreciating the display. The soft sweats Asher wore were thin enough to allow him to feel Daniel’s body heat, and he could hear Daniel’s breath huff out in quick bursts, whether from arousal or nerves, he wasn’t sure. He suspected it was a bit of both.