11. Jude
JUDE
“See, I’ve delivered him back to you happy and healthy,” I said to Phoenix as I ushered Soren through the foyer of Halo House. “Well, mostly healthy. He did burn himself on the toaster earlier, but I kissed it and made it better.”
It had taken us almost all morning to clean the kitchen and teach Soren the proper way to break an egg and turn on the stove, but we’d done it, and I’d survived to tell the tale.
Despite his lack of knowledge about basic things, he was eager to learn, which was already better than some of the subs I’d taken in.
It was his interest in doing better that would make all the difference in nurturing him.
Phoenix had a knowing look as his gaze landed on me. “You two must have had fun since you spent the night.”
Soren gave a shy smile, and I squeezed his hand. “You were right, Phoenix,” he said. “Daddy’s the best.”
“Then I’m happy for both of you. Does this mean you’ll be moving along with a trial weekend period?”
“Actually, we’ve decided to skip the trial,” I replied.
“You have?” A flash of something I couldn’t place raced across Phoenix’s features, and it was gone before I could figure it out. “You must be eager to pack then, Soren.”
“I don’t really have anything to pack,” Soren said quietly, reminding me that I would need to take him shopping.
“Of course you do,” Phoenix said. “Everything you took from the closet space is yours to keep, and you can take anything else that you need.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, hon.”
“But I’ll take you shopping for what you need,” I said quickly. “So you don’t need to take much.”
Soren nodded, and his smile lit up his whole face. His beauty stole my breath, and I only dragged my eyes away when Phoenix nudged me in the side.
“Why don’t you get started packing?” he said to Soren. “I’ll be up to help you in a bit.”
“Okay.” But Soren didn’t move, though he shuffled his feet. He looked at me expectantly, as though waiting for something from me.
“Go ahead, little prince,” I said, and with that he took off for the stairs, his long skirt billowing around his ankles.
“Wow, that’s going faster than I expected,” Phoenix said, grabbing my elbow and marching me into the kitchen.
“He’s taken to the arrangement very well.” I pulled out a stool and sat at the island.
“Well, he’s not new to a Daddy relationship.”
“I guess that helps.” We’d gone through the contract we signed last night fairly quickly. He hadn’t seemed surprised by the terms, and he’d taken to calling me Daddy like he was used to it. I hated the idea of him calling another man that.
“Didn’t I tell you?” He flitted across the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of beer from the pantry. “I could have sworn I did.”
“Yes, you did.”
“You sound disappointed. Does it change anything?”
“No, not really.”
He handed me the bottle of beer and the opener and sat across from me. “Jude, you’ve never moved this fast before. You’re always so cautious in doing trial runs to ensure you and your sub are a good fit.”
“I didn’t need it this time. We spent the night together.”
“You…were intimate with him?”
I took a swig of my beer, uncertain how much information to divulge. Phoenix and I had never had this talk before, given that I didn’t have a sexual relationship with any of the other subs. I’d been careful in getting off with hookups outside Halo House’s program.
“What makes you think that?”
“The way you look at each other.”
I laughed. “You can tell if two people are screwing by a look?”
“That’s the problem, Jude. I’m afraid for the two of you it wouldn’t be screwing, and that’s why I can tell.”
I shook my head. “You’re confusing me, Phoenix. When I had Kim as a sub, you practically encouraged me to acknowledge her crush and explore a sexual relationship with her. Now you’re saying the opposite about Soren. Is there something about him that you don’t want me to know?”
“No. You’re right, and I do want you to be happy.” He heaved a sigh. “I guess I’m just a bit worried about you, is all, but you’re a grown man, and you’ve been doing this for a while. I should trust your judgment.”
“To be fair, Phoenix, I don’t have the slightest clue what I’m doing here.
I just know that things feel different with him.
I’ve been attracted to subs before, but this is the first time I’ve wanted to acknowledge that attraction rather than sweep it under the rug.
He’s sweet and needy and extremely affectionate.
” I gave a sharp laugh. “And he is completely inept at the simplest of things. He couldn’t light the stove this morning.
You should have seen my kitchen. It was like a war zone, except eggs were the weapon of choice and sausages were being used to fight a duel. ”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yeah. He needs me, Phoenix, and I think I might need him too.”
“And what happens when you’ve taught him all you can and he no longer does? What then, Jude?”
It was too early to tell. Maybe we would go our separate ways or maybe… Maybe he would stay.
“No one knows what the future holds, right? I’ll take it day by day.”
Phoenix frowned. “Maybe I should have Aaron look more into his background. He didn’t give us much information about his family life or where he’s from.”
“Belvaria,” I said.
“What?”
“He’s from a country called Belvaria. Ever heard of it?”
He started to shake his head but then reversed the move and nodded. “Actually, I think I saw a while back where the king lost his two oldest sons. I remember because at the time it was the first I’d ever heard of the country, much less that they had royalty.”
“Well, based on the way he talks about it, it sounds like a lovely country.”
“Any idea how he ended up here?”
“Not yet, but I’ll be patient until he’s comfortable enough to open up to me.”
“Good luck. You’ve already gotten more out of him than I could, so I have no doubt you’ll succeed.” He smiled softly. “I do hope it works out for you, Jude.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” I asked.
“Whatever are you talking about?”
I narrowed my eyes. “We had a deal. Didn’t you say the day I start dating is the day you do the same?”
“I don’t recall.”
“You’d better make that call to Officer Vale, Phoenix. It’s been a hot minute.”
“Maybe we went out already.”
“Did you?”
He rolled his eyes. “He came by again last night after dropping Soren off at your place. There were leftovers, so we shared them and talked a little, but it wasn’t personal. The police station’s toy drive is happening next weekend, and we were making plans for the angels to help out.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Soren’s supposed to start working at the club on Monday, too. You see to it that he’s prepared. Okay?”
“I’ll try my best.”
“I know you will.” He took my empty beer bottle and rinsed it out. “I know Dean will miss him. They were getting along so well.”
“Don’t worry. I have no desire to isolate Soren. He can come by anytime, and Dean can visit him as often as he wishes.”
“You might not want to say those exact words to Dean or he’ll be there every day,” Phoenix said with a chuckle.
I took a glance at my watch. “You’ll make sure Soren’s ready?
I’ll be back in a couple of hours to pick him up.
I just need to deliver a restored late-nineteenth-century table to a client.
It belonged to her great-grandparents, and I’ve spent the past month repairing a split leg, rebuilding the extension mechanism, and stripping away decades of bad varnish. ”
“Sounds like you earned quite a penny on this one.”
I grinned as I rose to my feet. “It’s the only way I can manage to do free labor for you and Halo House.”
Plus, given this morning’s breakfast blunder, I had a feeling I’d acquired a boy who was used to the soft life. I had no idea yet how his life had changed so drastically, but while I taught him responsibility, I had every intention of ensuring he was cared for.