Love in the Land of Fire, Brochu, Rebecca [best free novels .txt] 📗

someone who’s been through so much and Josiah cannot hold it against him.

They manage to make it into Josiah’s apartment without any mishaps, and Marcel waves them off with a wink, saying something about raiding Josiah’s kitchen for lunch of some sort. Left alone, Josiah and Rafe move slowly down the apartment’s short hallway and stop in front of the door to the spare bedroom Josiah’s had prepared specifically for Rafe. He’d had it done in colors that reminded him of Rafe, colors that he hoped the submissive would find relaxing and appealing, and he finds himself strangely nervous about showing it to him.

“I had the room made up for you. It’s not much, but I hope it pleases you.”

Josiah’s voice is a bit rough, his nerves showing through in the stiff way that he holds himself as he unconsciously falls back on his engrained training. Rafe looks at him silently for a moment before he nods his head, and Josiah reaches out and slowly opens the door. Their eyes maintain contact with one another until the doors fully open and Rafe turns his head slowly to take in his new living space.

The room is done in cool mint green, the hardwood floors are polished to a shine, and the thick black comforter on the bed is already turned down invitingly. They’re standing so close to one another that Josiah feels more than hears Rafe suck in an unsteady breath.

2“This is…” Rafe trails off and clears his throat roughly as he turns back to Josiah, his eyes suspiciously damp around the edges and his face filled with a sort of confused awe. “Is this really for me?”

Josiah closes his eyes for a moment, fighting to repress the urge to turn around, walk out of his apartment, hunt Frisch and the rest of Rafe’s family down, and then take them apart with his bare hands. Or worse the urge to wipe that look off of Rafe’s face with his tongue and his hands, which is something that he knows Rafe isn’t ready for yet, if he ever will be. When he opens his eyes, Rafe’s staring at the ground silently, already weary shoulders slumped even further. Josiah cannot help himself when he reaches his free hand up and grasps the submissive gently by the chin and tilts his face upwards until their eyes meet.

“This room, this bit of space and paint is less than you deserve and the least that I could do. I want you to be comfortable, to be happy here.” The with me remains unsaid at the end of Josiah’s sentence, but he thinks maybe Rafe hears it from the way his eyes soften and his body relaxes the tiniest bit.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Are the colors to your liking?”

“It’s perfect, all of it.”

Josiah sighs softly, the pad of his thumb stroking the curve of Rafe’s jaw gently.

“If there’s anything you need or anything you want to change, just tell me and I’ll take care of it. Don’t be afraid to ask me for anything, Rafe.”

Rafe stays silent and after a moment Josiah reluctantly drops his hand and steps back and away from the submissive. He doesn’t want to leave him but Josiah knows that he needs some space, a moment to gather his composure before he makes a move that he’ll regret.

“Will you be alright from here? I would like to go and make sure that Marcel isn’t destroying the kitchen in one of her attempts to cook. I would prefer not to have to replace any appliances this time.”

Josiah is pleased by the small smile his statement draws from Rafe even as the submissive shuffles slowly into his new room, the door closing with a low click behind him. Josiah doesn’t move immediately. Instead he lingers for few moments, listening for any sounds of distress from within the room before he slowly makes his way to the kitchen to take over Marcel’s latest attempt at making lunch.

Half an hour goes by and Josiah makes them all a light lunch and is about to go and fetch Rafe himself when he appears silently in the doorway, looking freshly showered and better than he has in days. Josiah motions him silently toward the already set table and is pleased when Rafe shoots him an appreciative look as he sets a bowl of soup in front of him before moving to take his own place, Marcel trailing along behind him.

The three of them settle down and eat together, the atmosphere comfortable and for the most part quiet except for the occasional comment thrown by Marcel and its required answer. Josiah feels strangely at peace, content to share a simple meal with one of his closest friends and the submissive who has captured him so completely and so quickly. When everyone is through, Marcel volunteers to take the dishes to the cleaning receptacle, and they sit in silence for a moment before Rafe actually speaks up.

“If it would please you, I could take over all of the meals in the future.”

It’s less of a question and more of a statement, and Josiah cannot repress his frown even when it causes Rafe to hunch in on himself.

2“Was the food not to your liking?”

“N-No, I meant no offense…I just…it…” Rafe’s words trail off and he hunches further in his seat. Josiah scrambles to recover the situation.

“Is cooking something that you enjoy? Honestly?”

Rafe doesn’t meet his eyes when he answers him and Josiah has to force down the growl of displeasure that provokes from him.

“I am proficient in the kitchen and can prepare any number of meals.”

His words are stiff, almost rehearsed sounding, and Josiah is quickly beginning to hate the meekness Rafe is presenting to him. He wants the fire, the passion and strength he’d seen in the other man in the video, the dark humor and wit he’d seen in the decrepit house. He